User Reviews

"Love and Death" is a gripping new TV show that delves into the shocking true story of a murder case in a small Texas town. Elizabeth Olsen delivers a fantastic performance as Candy Montgomery, the housewife at the center of the scandal. From the very first episode, Olsen captivates the audience with her incredible range of acting talent, effortlessly switching between moments of vulnerability, intensity, and cunning.

Olsen masterfully brings Candy's complex character to life, portraying her as a woman torn between her devotion to her family and her growing attraction to her friend's husband. As the plot thickens and the murder investigation unfolds, Olsen's performance becomes even more captivating, as Candy's web of lies and deceit begins to unravel.

Do yourself a favour and watch it.

After having seen Candy on Hulu with Jessica Biel and comparing to this one starring Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery, I prefer Olsen's interpretation of the character. Her performance from start to finish is nothing short of stellar and Emmy-worthy!!! She embodies the character with every movement, every spoken word, and more importantly, every non-spoken word. Although the axe scene is difficult to watch, I definitely recommend watching all 7 episodes. Jesse Plemons plays the quiet, hard-to-read Allan Gore with understated finesse. Allan embarks on an affair with Candy but with strict boundaries. Lily Rabe plays victim Betty Gore, who acts quite conflicted and at times almost bipolar, and Patrick Fugit as Pat Montgomery, a clueless Candy's husband. The supporting cast is great as well with Tom Pelphrey, as lawyer Don Crowder. Krysten Ritter, as beautician, Sherry Cleckner. Other roles well cast and the series is well scripted and thoughtfully filmed. See it for yourself. HIGHLY recommended!!!

I had fun binging both Candy and Love & Death today and here are some observations I made. I noticed the writers on Candy were women and the writers of Love & Death were men. I felt like this has big differences in certain scenes. First off, the look of everything in Candy has this incredibly gritty and realistic setting, like I am not kidding as a man of a certain age I know these places deep in my childhood memory banks. While Kelley's Texas is trying to be realistic but its more of a American Gothic type of glamour happening.

While, the writers of the Hulu version Candy, want you to feel creepy vibes and see these people as trash the writers of Love & Death want to glorify Elizabeth Olsen as this sexual Queen of the Jungle or something. Seriously, Olsen is being gazed upon by the writers with extreme love and it shows, the writers want Olsen to be lusted after and want the affair to feel sexy and as glamourous as possible. Her clothes are all so fashionable and her "shirt support" and tight pants makes Olsen appear like she should be the Head Cheerleader of the Dallas Cowboys. The affair in Candy the Jessica Biel version, is almost wearing rags, her awful wig is stringy and the affair written from a female gaze comes off filthy and tawdry. The writers want you to hate the sin going on here. Nothing glamorous here its disgusting.

This leads into the depiction of the affair, from Candy the affair is portrayed as this gross and almost horrific thing, the lighting of the dimly lit hotel feels like out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the sex is the most documentary style grim, unsparing, unsexy way possible. Think more like True Detective style. You see the shot of Biels face and viewer is left to wonder if she even likes it.

Contrast that with the way they depicted the scene with Liz Olsen and oh my, I guess there was a lot of pent up waspy lust there, she not only likes it, it looked like she umm... had "lots of fun" as well. Woof. Very extended.

There are some other differences, take her friends in Candy, they are often just boring or unlikable. Then they switch it up and remember that Candy is the killer so they make Candy unlikable instead. Olsen's Candy is like Wandavision just more 80s. Every one of her versions friends is cute and charming in a reserved Texas protestant way anyway.

One interesting detail is that they show the car scene opposite.

In Candy, Candy kisses the husband and then runs away but in Love & Death its shown as the husband smooches Candy and runs away. There are some other minor details as well, just how things are depicted as more glamorous or more screen time given to church things. For example.

Weirdly, David E. Kelley seems obsessed with religion in his version, the Candy on Hulu barely cares about it. I feel like it reached an offensive degree of religiousness. They really tried imho to make it appear like Christians are all like this and all hypocritical. "Wow they think God is real but they all seem to want to do SINS and kill people" and they couldn't wait to hammer home that point when after the affair Olsen takes a shower while a hymn plays and there's a flash of murder and blood. Oh bloodthirsty Christians who will stop you?

I wonder if Jews would like the same done to them? Or Muslims. So that just annoyed me a lot. I will say though I appreciated some of the church politics and how well they delved into what being a preachers wife and stuff is like.

I feel like I saw 3 episodes then speedwatched Candy on Hulu and I got the whole story so I will probably stop here but I give this a 7/10 for acting, and the overall vibes and eroticism. Elizabeth Olsen is definitely one of the most beautiful women on Earth and her acting is so bold and effective you are ravished by her portrayal. Its worth checking out for her. Emmy nomination I believe is a near certainty.