Original subtitles

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Whew. Oh.

Good morning.

What's going on?

Well, finally.

I've been waiting since 8:30.

Where's Mr. Matlock?

Um... who are you?

I'm Ned Collins with the Atlanta Digest magazine.

Mr. Matlock didn't tell you about our interview?

No, he never mentioned it.

That's strange.

An interview with Atlanta Digest is the kind of thing

Ben would grumble about but secretly enjoy.

How did you get in here?

Security guard.

Nice guy. Let me stand out in the rain for a good 20 minutes.

Oh.

Don't.

Are you all right, Mr. Collins?

Yeah, fine.

I, uh, I guess it's the rain.

It gets on my nerves. Yeah.

I didn't mean to bark at you like that.

I understand.

I guess it's one of those days.

Yeah, it is.

Well, I need coffee.

You want some?

Yeah, about a quart.

So you expect Mr. Matlock any minute?

Well, ordinarily, Ben's the first one in.

He gets up at 5:00.

He says early morning's his thinking time.

I don't even know my own name at that hour.

But this morning,

Ben had to stop off at the courthouse.

Courthouse?

When will he be here?

Not long.

And he's worth waiting for, Mr. Collins.

Ben is the best storyteller.

Yeah, so I've heard.

Of course, he's been known to embellish

just a little.

I've heard that, too.

You can't do that.

Like hell, I can't.

Ben doesn't allow anyone to smoke in this office,

not even clients who are paying him a fortune.

Now, if you light that,

you'll be out on your ear without an interview.

I wouldn't want that.

Oh, that startled me.

That was so loud, huh?

I like rain, but thunder, I don't know.

Oh, boy, this is a mess.

Like I said, it's just one of those days.

Yeah.

Got to get some carpet cleaner.

Where you going?

The janitorial closet has some cleaning supplies.

The security guard has the key.

Wait.

Oh, the power's going out.

Yeah, it seems that way.

Look, I have an idea.

You work side by side with Matlock.

Who knows him better?

Till he arrives, why don't I just interview you?

No. No, no, no.

Well, he can hardly sit here himself

and talk about how great he is.

But he does, all the time.

And he is.

Well, Ben's not only the best lawyer I've ever worked with

or the best lawyer in Atlanta... Mm-hmm.

But the best, period.

To, uh, you know, to watch him work,

put all the pieces together, he's amazing.

And in the courtroom, no one is better.

I remember this one case

when even I wasn't prepared for what he did.

Members of the jury...

I know we'd all like to get out of here and go someplace

where the air conditioning actually works,

so I'm gonna be brief.

Now, I've got to be fair and recognize,

as do you, that the prosecution

has collected a lot

of circumstantial evidence.

But the problem is,

it is all circumstantial.

Now, they've accused this man of murder.

But no one saw the crime occur.

No body has ever been found.

No one knows how the victim died or if he died at all.

In fact, they have never proved

a crime was actually committed.

And now... I'm gonna count to ten.

And when I'm done,

this supposed victim's gonna walk

through that door over there.

One... two... three... four... five...

six... seven... eight... nine... ten.

So you see, members of the jury,

in fairness,

you must return a verdict of not guilty.

Each and every one of you

was staring at that door,

because you had a reasonable doubt

that a crime was even committed.

And you must let this man go free.

He was staring at that door as hard as you were.

And so were they.

Dramatic, huh?

Very.

Sounds like he'll do anything to win.

Mm-hmm.

Ben knows just how to appeal to a jury.

He's a brilliant lawyer.

And teacher.

And friend.

He's a good friend.

One time, my best friend from college

Andrea Morrow, was accused of murder,

and it turned into the strangest,

most unique case.

♪ ♪

Bang.

The killer was blind and very, very clever.

Ah.

The electricity's gone out.

I wouldn't know.

It's-it's a circuit breaker.

What are you doing here, anyway?

Just taking care of some old business.

All alone in the dark.

You should be ashamed for even thinking such a thing.

Clay Graham was my best friend.

I wouldn't have killed him even if I could.

Quite obviously... I can't.

I understand that you were quite a marksman

before you lost your sight.

Mr. Matlock, I ask you, truthfully...

are these the eyes of a killer?

Well, the evidence against Andrea

was compelling, and as I'd feared,

the prosecution put me on the stand.

Sure, I did.

Well, I was afraid my testimony would convict my friend.

The defendant say, Miss Thomas?

I don't recall her exact words.

Well, then would you

paraphrase it for us, please?

She said, "No."

Um, he'd hit her for the last time,

and she wasn't gonna let him do it again,

no matter what it takes.

Thank you.

No further questions, Your Honor.

Cross, Mr. Matlock?

I'd like to examine the phrase

"No matter what it takes."

Seems to me, that's a phrase

that most of us use almost every day.

"I'll do such and such, no matter what it takes."

When I was 11 or 12 years old,

my mother said, "Next Sunday, you're gonna learn

to make cornbread, no matter what it takes."

And I don't think she meant to kill me.

Objection, Your Honor.

Nothing further.

Objection, Your Honor.

But Ben took what I'd said and proved otherwise.

Another Ben Matlock con.

Not really.

More like another point of view.

Hmm...

And then in the course of my investigation,

I uncovered an important clue.

And then he went back to his studio

and did some target practice.

And then, later, at the victim's house,

Ben uncovered the one clue that everyone had overlooked.

Yeah, yeah. There's something...

Something doesn't quite follow.

What?

Well, the forensics people estimated,

from the trajectory of the bullet,

that the victim was standing on this third step when he was hit.

Right.

But look at this little trail of blood

from the cut on his right foot.

There's blood here on the landing

and on this first step and then on the second,

and if their estimate is correct,

there should be blood on this step, but there isn't.

Oh, I'm sorry.

We didn't mean to startle you.

I'm Ben Matlock. This is Michelle Thomas.

We represent Andrea Morrow.

Hattie Larson, uh, Mr. Graham's housekeeper.

I-I came here to clear out my things and to leave the key.

Ms. Larson...

Uh, how often did you come in and clean for Mr. Graham?

I came in at 10:00, left at 5:00, day in and day out.

Hmm. And how often did you empty the wastebasket?

Every day.

So, the last time this one was emptied

was the day he was murdered?

That's right.

Mr. Matlock, I was nowhere near that place.

I was at my apartment that night.

All night.

Your Honor, at this time...

I'd like to enter into evidence defense exhibit "G,"

this piece of paper.

It was found in a wastebasket

in the kitchen of Clay Graham's home.

Now, Mr. Graham's housekeeper is certain

that wastebasket was empty

when she left the house at 5:00 the day of the murder,

which means this piece of paper

had to be thrown there by the killer.

Do you know what's on it?

I have no idea.

Clay Graham stepping on this piece of paper

was your cue when and where to fire.

You had placed this

on the third step from the top.

And when you heard Clay Graham's foot

hit this paper, you shot him.

When you retrieved the piece of paper and threw it away,

how could you know it had Clay Graham's blood on it?

You had planned everything so carefully.

I guess you thought this was a blank piece of drawing paper.

Nothing further.

So, Matlock got your friend off.

She was innocent.

Well, maybe that's Ben.

I'll tell him you're waiting.

Hello?

Ben.

Yeah, I got soaked, too.

Ben?

Yeah, cats and dogs.

Ben...

They're predicting another inch before nightfall?

Uh, more lightning and thunder, too?

You're kidding.

Ben...

Do as I say and I won't hurt you.

Don't scream, understand?

Tell him to come to the office right now, got it?

Now.

Ben?

Yes, that intersection is flooded.

Now! Ben, if you could

come to the office...

Okay. No, that's fine.

Good-bye.

Well?

He'll be here as soon as he can.

That was the best I could do.

No, it wasn't.

All right, Miss Thomas, I want you to pick up the phone,

call Matlock and tell him to come here now.

But I don't know where to call him.

Don't lie to me.

I have been lied to and lied to. No more.

I'm not lying to you, Mr. Collins.

When Ben called, he didn't say where he was.

You said the courthouse.

Well, yes, but the courthouse is a big place.

He could have called from almost any office

or from a phone booth in a corridor or...

I honestly don't know where to reach him.

I honestly don't.

You're making me angry, Miss Thomas.

Ooh!

Oh!

One word, one sound, you're dead.

That wind!

Oh, it's like a hurricane out there.

Hi, Michelle.

Isn't this weather awful?

Is someone having their picture taken?

Ben Matlock for the, uh, the cover of Atlanta Digest.

The cover? Oh, well, I'm impressed.

That rascal didn't tell me.

Uh, Mr. Matlock's at the courthouse this morning.

You can find him there.

I just saw him there.

We're going to meet here to go over

our plans for the Bar Association meeting.

Last year, we raised nearly 20...

Uh... is something wrong?

I'll...

I... I'll just go find Ben at the courthouse.

Don't worry. I'll see myself out.

I don't think so!

Oh!

Don't scream. Understand?

Sit.

Sit!

Over here, with your friend.

Come on!

Not too close.

You two are smart.

Too smart.

Now we'll all wait for Ben Matlock together.

We haven't met.

I'm Julie March and you're...?

The man who is going to kill Ben Matlock.

You sound very angry at Ben.

Angry doesn't half cover it.

Maybe if you talked about it.

Uh... Do you know Ben?

No, I never had the pleasure.

Ben Matlock is the finest man I've ever known.

Look, lady, I've got no bone to pick with you.

What are you, his girlfriend?

No, not exac... I wouldn't exactly say that.

Well, what are you, then?

Well, actually,

our relationship is very complicated.

Right from the beginning, we had this marvelous rapport

and absolute respect for each other.

You don't think for one second,

I'm going to reveal my strategy, do you?

Give me a break.

You know the D.A.'s office.

I'm up against the toughest,

wildest, most ruthless prosecutor they've got.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Now, Mr. Frankel, you have testified

the trajectory of the bullet into the chair...

Objection!

The chair isn't on trial here.

Let me ask that question again.

Did the chair... Objection.

The chair isn't in the witness stand, though I'm sure if it

were, Mr. Matlock

would be piercing in his examination.

Rephrase, Mr. Matlock.

I'd be pleased, Your Honor,

if I could get a gnat's eye's worth of space

to get my question out.

What the hell was that all about?

I beg your pardon?

Don't give me that innocent look.

Of all the unreasonable, meddlesome objections

I ever heard of.

Ooh, high praise.

And before lunch?

Chair on the witness stand.

I suppose you thought that was cute?

Oh, come on, Ben.

The jury was falling asleep.

I did you a favor.

Besides, your client is so guilty,

the only suspense is when you're going to try

to plea bargain him.

Of course, our relationship is not

all special moments.

But we are always the best of friends.

I am merely stating matters of fact... Your Honor, if you...

If I could... If I could just... Matters of fact, Your Honor.

Counselors! This young man's lifestyle...

Are you lecturing me?

No. Counselors!

Will counsel approach the bench?

It isn't always easy.

I mean, I prosecute the people Ben defends.

So, at times,

we're what you might call friendly adversaries.

Your Honor, we're just having a reasoned argument.

Mr. Matlock, that'll be enough.

Back on the record.

As far as bail is concerned,

prosecution's argument is well-taken.

Bail is denied.

Thank you, Your Honor. But, Your Honor!

Mr. Matlock, that is all.

I'm sorry, but I do think that was fair.

Well, I suppose.

Are you coming home for dinner?

Yeah. Good.

I'll make you the best fried chicken you've ever had.

Yeah? Yeah.

Ben is the most brilliant

legal mind I've ever encountered.

He's a fraud and a liar.

No, he isn't.

I'm sorry, but you're wrong.

Julie.

It's all right, Michelle.

Ben Matlock is not a fraud, and he is certainly not

a liar. In fact, there is only one time

when his integrity has ever been questioned.

And Mr. Matlock said that if I would vote not guilty,

and get some of the other jurors to vote with me,

well, um, he'd make it worth my while.

Worth your while?

$50,000.

50,000?

I... well, I said yes.

And-And as soon as I said it, I felt terrible.

I wanted to back out, but Mr. Matlock wouldn't let me.

Your Honor, I object to all of this.

It's scurrilous and completely

without foundation.

Mr. Craven has no

corroboration of any kind.

Let him produce

one piece of evidence to back up his story... just one!

Mr. Craven?

Where'd you get that envelope?

I knew Ben Matlock would never do such a thing,

but there was evidence.

False evidence.

I've arranged for one of the best legal minds

in the whole South to defend you.

Who?

Me.

You?

As I've often heard you say,

you've got yourself a mouthpiece.

Julie... Now, don't worry about a thing.

You're in safe hands.

Mr. Craven, is there a reason

why nobody saw you talking to Mr. Matlock?

Yes, he told me...

I must say, Ben was a little surprised... and he wasn't

- the easiest client. - Order!

It is, Your Honor! It's a damn lie!

Mr. Matlock!

This jackass got ahold of $50,000

somewhere and somebody's trying to railroad me in on it, and it's

a damn lie!

Mr. Matlock, you will sit down immediately,

or I'll cite you for contempt!

But we worked together.

I can't believe it, losing control like that.

If I was my lawyer, I'd fire me.

I would, too.

But I can't fire you.

You're the only client I have.

I think we got him.

The chair.

Remember... the executive chair?

This chair will straighten this whole thing out right now.

You remember this chair? Mm-hmm.

Where Dan Keaton was sitting...

when you shot him?

Mr. O'Hara...

would you please sit in the chair?

There you go!

Ah...

Little low, isn't it?

It's not my chair.

That's right.

This chair was set for somebody

a lot taller.

Thank you, Mr. O'Hara.

Mr. Linford, have a seat.

Looks like a perfect fit.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

Will the defendant please stand?

May we have the verdict?

We find the defendant, Benjamin Matlock,

not guilty.

Court is adjourned.

So you see, Ben Matlock is an honest man.

You think Ben Matlock is a great guy...

and he's honest and he's loyal.

Well, maybe he is to his friends.

But what about the innocent people

whose lives he's destroyed with his brilliant legal mind?

Answer it.

If it's Matlock, tell him there's an emergency

and he has to get here right now.

Move!

Hello?

Hey there.

You managing to keep your powder dry?

Ben, I'm glad you called.

You must really have a bad connection

if you think I sound like Ben.

Listen, Ben, you have to get over to the office

right away; there's a client waiting.

Understand, Ben?

Something's wrong?

You'll have to see for yourself.

All right, you hang in there... I'll be there in ten minutes.

Thanks, Ben.

Michelle?

Hello, babe.

Yeah, false alarm.

Yeah, so warm it up... I'm on my way in.

All right, bye-bye.

Come on, let's go. Move it.

Move it!

Oh, Tyler.

Here. Ooh... Are you all right?

Yeah.

Well, it doesn't look too bad.

Just give me a minute; I'll be all right.

He wants to kill Ben.

Correction: I'm gonna kill Ben.

Any particular reason?

He didn't say.

It's very peculiar.

First he breaks into the office,

locks us in the closet,

hits you over the head.

Then he says he wants to kill Ben, but he won't tell us why.

Don't you think we deserve an explanation?

Do you always talk so much?

Only when I'm nervous.

Baby, relax... nothing's gonna happen to you.

I can't bear men I don't know calling me "baby."

Shut up. I'm sorry.

Don't apologize; just be quiet, okay?

Whatever you say.

Maybe you ought to relax.

I am fine.

You don't look so good.

You're sweating, you're on edge.

Why are you doing this to yourself?

Why don't you think about giving it up?

Forget it.

You know, personally,

I can understand someone wanting to kill Ben Matlock.

I've thought about it once or twice myself.

Tyler! No, really.

You see, the world sees what Ben Matlock wants it to see:

the great defense attorney, man for the people,

willing to fight the good fight for justice.

Someone's got to do his legwork.

Someone's got to dig out the facts.

Someone's got to do the dirt around here.

Ben, now, this is exactly the reason

why I don't like investigative work.

Take a look around here.

One... this is the kind of place

where you can catch death like a cold!

I assume there's a powerful reason why we're here.

Two...

You never know when one of these yahoos

is gonna get it in his skull to mess with you.

Tyler, why are we here?

All right... I put the word out to some people

that we are looking for a very special songbird.

I got a message on my answering machine

that said if we came here we'd meet somebody.

You think the person we're looking for could be here now?

Well, either that...

or they sent someone to scout us out first.

You girls lost?

You see what I mean?

It never fails!

I asked you a question, Leroy.

Of course, you realize

that because of this scholar, we have blown our meeting.

No one's gonna talk to us now.

Let's you and me get it on, son.

You know, friend, you're right, you made your point.

We're leaving. Excuse us.

You ain't goin'...

Damn, I hate this business.

Now, I have been beat up,

tied up and locked up for good old Ben.

You see, he's great at giving directions.

I'm still following her, Ben.

Well, don't lose her.

Hey, do you tell Julia Child how to fry an egg?

Is she with somebody? Can you see?

Not yet.

Get closer.

I'm trying.

Can you see who it is?

I'm working on it, Ben!

Hey, I'm gonna take this shortcut through the alley,

try to get in front of her.

Tyler?

Tyler?

Tyler?

Tyler?

Tyler?

Tyler, are you all right?

Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.

But I think I lost 'em.

Momentarily.

And he's willing to go to any length to find the truth.

Ben, I was in the army once... once is enough.

What do you mean, I have to?

You the new man?

Looks that way.

Name?

Hudson, Tyler.

Rank?

Private.

You get your butt into fatigues!

I'm gonna make you my special project, Private!

Hear the news?

I died?

Five perfect inspections in a row.

Everybody's going in town tonight.

Not me.

You're not? No way.

The last 24 hours...

I've cleaned two latrines,

policed the parade grounds,

run an obstacle course, and...

painted the flagpole.

My back is killing me.

What used to be simple little blisters on my hands and my feet

are now bleeding sores.

Now, as much as I hate this little bunk,

when I lay my head on this pillow,

it will not move until morning.

Ten-hut!

Gentlemen,

there will be no night on the town tonight.

This platoon will be in full field gear

at 1800 hours, ready for a little speed march.

Carry on.

I knew I'd find you around here someplace.

Don't talk to me.

Tyler... I know how unpleasant this is,

and I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you're doing.

But somehow, I'll make it up to you.

I don't know how yet, but I will, I swear.

What are you looking at?

You're gonna be mad.

Try me.

Well... you missed a spot.

I told you... I knew you'd be mad.

There's no one that's too big or too tough

for Ben Matlock.

You know, he told me that you was his friend.

I guess I better go straighten him out about that.

Let's talk.

Mrs. Martinez been in today?

Old Tyler Hudson is prepared to buy him a drink.

Tequila all around...

courtesy of Tyler Hudson.

Harold was going to fire you, wasn't he, Jimbo?

He said that you are a hopeless drunk

and he was going to make sure

that you never got another job... Why you...

Don't move, Jimbo.

Don't move.

See, I was in 'Nam.

I'm the real thing.

Green Beret, black belt, Silver Star.

I was a P.O.W. and an M.I.A.

It was so bad where we were,

we slept in body bags, just in case.

Don't you move, Jimbo.

I'll take you out.

But I want to know, just what did Ben Matlock do to you?

Ben, you in there?

It's me, Les.

Get rid of him.

I got your mail.

Don't try anything.

Les.

Hi.

Wet enough for you?

I'm kind of busy, Les.

Ben's not in yet?

No. I'll tell him you stopped by.

Boy, this rain's got the traffic all snarled up this morning.

You've really got to go, Les.

I know, you're... you're really busy.

But you go right ahead.

Don't mind me.

Just take me a couple of minutes to fix this thing.

This isn't a good time, Les.

Aw, Ben's been complaining about this for months.

You can't do that now.

I already am.

Oh, this filter hasn't been changed in a blue moon.

You got a piece of paper or something?

Les?

Oh, thanks.

I'll bring in a new filter tomorrow.

Tell Ben that I said hello.

Nice to see you.

Come on, let's go.

Sit down!

Tie him up.

Uh, I don't really know how...

You're smart. Figure it out.

What is taking Matlock so long?

He's at the courthouse.

What's the matter, Ned, you getting nervous?

Not particularly.

Maybe you're getting tired.

You're thinking that you're getting sloppy

and might make a mistake.

Why else would you tie me up?

You know something else?

I think you got a problem.

Oh, really? What's that?

I think you had it all figured out.

You knew what you were going to do

and why you were doing it,

but now, you're not so sure.

Maybe you want a way out.

What makes you say that?

'Cause you won't tell us why you're here.

You'll know when I'm ready.

Well, what's the big secret? Tell us. Shut up!

Come on, what happened?

What was this great injustice?

What did Ben Matlock do to you?

Shut up. Come on, I'm waiting.

I'm going to gag you. Then who, who

did Ben Matlock hurt?

My brother. Your brother?

My brother hanged himself in jail last week.

Ned, Ben's a defense attorney.

He doesn't put people in jail.

He framed my brother. That's impossible.

Ned, would you tell us who you're talking about?

James Billings.

The Erskine Tate case.

Uh-huh.

I'm going to tell you what happened.

My brother taught law.

He was Professor Tate's teaching assistant.

He really cared for him.

He even gave him a party at the end of the semester.

Here's to you, sir.

And that night at the party

Professor Tate had a little too much to drink,

but he insisted on driving home.

And on the way home, he ran over and killed a man.

Professor Tate was as guilty as sin.

And the police had all the evidence they needed to convict.

But Tate had something better than the facts,

something better than the truth.

He had Ben Matlock as his friend and attorney.

Ben. Ben Matlock.

Professor Tate, what happened?

What happened is they've got me locked up in here

like some common criminal.

Well, Professor,

if they think you've committed a crime

they'll lock you up whether you're common or not.

But I haven't committed any crime.

Not really.

Professor, what are you doing here?

I don't really know. They...

booked me for driving under the influence of alcohol,

minor property damage.

Were you driving under the influence?

Well, I had a few glasses of champagne.

A few?

You saw the whole thing?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was standing right here.

I ran over to help him, but he was dead already.

Matlock pulled out a shabby bag of tricks.

He made witnesses doubt their own stories.

He made other witnesses afraid to talk.

Do I... do I know you?

We... We've never met.

Could have sworn I'd seen you before.

But you're not sure?

A lot of folks come in here.

That's what I thought.

Isn't it true that had you not gone in there,

the gas station attendant would have been gone

and would not have seen the hit-and-run?

I suppose so.

Isn't it true that you lied to this court

because you're part of a conspiracy

to frame Professor Tate? No!

Mr. Billings, isn't it true that you knew

that students Wallace and Lane had plagiarized

their paper? No.

But you're something of a legal scholar.

Well, I still didn't spot it.

Instead of throwing them out of school,

you forced them to go along with your plan

to drug Professor Tate and frame him for murder.

Mr. Matlock, you know as well as I do

that none of this has any basis in fact.

I know this...

I know you killed an innocent man

to satisfy your warped need

- for revenge. - Objection.

Sustained.

And when he was finished, he had railroaded my brother.

I went to see James a week before he took his own life.

He told me he didn't do it.

He was lying.

How the hell would you know?

Ned, may I go to the desk? Sit down.

Are you afraid to hear the truth?

I know the truth!

Then you have nothing to fear.

Here.

This is a letter from your brother.

We received it about six weeks after Erskine Tate's trial.

Ned, your brother blamed Erskine Tate

for the death of your father.

He hated him so much,

he decided to frame him for murder.

On the night of the party, with the help of some students,

James drugged the professor.

I think it is time for...

We've actually done it.

Shut up, Wallace.

Easy, easy, the party's just begun.

It's okay. Let's go.

Then he put on Tate's coat and hat.

The students put Tate in the backseat of his car

while your brother got in behind the wheel.

They waited at a bus stop

and then, posing as Erskine Tate,

your brother intentionally ran over

and killed an innocent man.

This is James' handwriting.

Ned, give me the gun.

I'm with the District Attorney's office.

I can make it easier for you.

You're not a killer, and you know it.

You made the right decision.

Oh, I'm sorry I'm late.

My battery went dead, and I had to call road service,

and on a day like today they take forever.

Who are you?

Ned Billings, Ben Matlock.

Oh... No clients. Not now.

I have to get back to court.

I don't have time to look at evidence now.

Just tag it and bag it and put it on the desk.

Ben...

What are you doing tied to that chair?

Ben... Tyler, I have to face

a jury in less than an hour.

I don't have time to fool around.