Matty may not be out of the woods quite yet. Although Olympia now knows Matty's secret, Matlock may be raising the stakes on how long she can remain under the radar for as long as Shae Banfield remains on the show, which will be the case moving into season 2.
Shae is supposedly meant to be used in a shocking way in upcoming episodes, which could mean anything from her becoming Matty's ally to the possibility that she may help Julian cover his tracks, given their shared history.
According to a report from TV Line, Jennie Snyder Urman, the showrunner of Matlock, confirmed Shae will be back in season 2, but "the way in which she enters the story will be very surprising."
Matlock concluded its season 1 finale cliffhanger with the reveal that Julian had been responsible for hiding the documents, and felt guilty about it ever since. There is always a chance that is the direction her character goes.
Shae has played a big role as a supporting character so far, being one of the only people who was viewed as a threat in discovering Matty's identity and reason for joining the firm. Giving Shae a surprising role in season 2 could offer more fun for the show and the chance to further explore character relationships that were not front and center in season 1.
Shae is an intelligent woman, and having her as an ally for Matty, along with Olympia, could be the start of a unique trio. However, watching her unravel the truth for herself could still be a very exciting plot line. Still, Shae's surprising way of being involved in season 2's storyline may not have anything to do with Matty, Olympia, or Julian at all. Her role could become more involved with Sarah or Billy, which would be a more surprising turn of events, given how Shae has stronger histories with Olympia and Julian.
As of season 2, Olympia, knowing the truth about Matty's identity and her motivations, does take some of Matty's worries away, even if it is undetermined whether they are in a good place when season 2 begins. However, as the events of season 2 unravel, it will start to become clear how Olympia will go about the revelation that Julian was responsible for taking the documents, and how that will balance out with her agreement to help Matty discover the truth. Shae, as the "human lie detector," could be a very exciting character to have around now that there are more secrets being revealed around the office. Matty has already found herself concerned about Shae's abilities before, but perhaps the shocking plot twist could be Matty trying to use Shae's abilities to her advantage.
In the event that Olympia chooses to help Julian and lie to Matty, that may cause Matty to turn to one of her biggest threats into an ally. Although Shae had come in and out of Matlock's first season, she still played an exponential role in setting up stakes for Matty, as well as being an integral figure and secret in the downfall of Olympia and Julian's marriage and attempted reconciliation after Olympia found out about Julian and Shae's affair.
Throughout its first season, Matlock did an exceptional job of delivering significant character relationships and development. Shae's involvement in season 2 will only add to helping explore different character relationships and the stakes surrounding them, no matter how she is brought into season 2's main story.