'Candy' Episode 1 Review: Jessica Biel's true-crime drama off to slow and gory start
Candy Montgomery and the murder of Betty Gore is not new news, but what made it intriguing was how the case eventually panned out. Hulu's 'Candy', in its attempt to get the story right, gets off a slow, haunting and gripping start. For the segment of the audience that's aware of the case, the pace feels a lot slower considering the knowledge of what's transpired.
The series opens on the day of Betty's (Melanie Lynskey) death. The Gore household doesn't necessarily have a great day. Allan Gore (Pablo Schreiber) is leaving out of town leaving his fidgety and anxious wife with their newborn baby. The woman makes no secret of the fact that she hates being left alone, while Allan convinces her that he will make up for the absence by doing whatever they want to do when he returns. At the other end, there's Jessica Biel's Candy — active and bustling with energy as the family, who's also taking care of Betty's first child plans their day that includes watching a 'Star Wars' movie.
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The gruesome murder isn't shown, and nor is the reason behind the crime. The gruesome act is a blur as the next scene sees a limping and disheveled Candy, with in the middle of the forehead make her way home and clean her blood-stained clothes. Her day is an absolute haze as she struggles to get through the rest of the plans. Meanwhile, on his work trip, Alan attempts to call Betty and gets worried with every non-responsive call.
He calls their neighbor, Richard Parker, and requests him to check on the house and Betty. Eventually, Richard and two other neighbors, who receive a call from Allan arrive only to find a brutally murdered Betty. Alan conveys the news to Candy and the episode ends as the ax is shown next to Betty's dead body. None of this again, is new, save for the dramatic serialization of the whole crime. The subtle hints are clear — Betty's growing hatred towards Candy, the latter's affair with Allan, and the insecurities of their respective partners.
Biel nails it as Candy with that sweet Texan accent, while Lynskey's expressions do the talking. There's not much of her in the season opener, but the next two episodes will surely focus on the affair and the events leading up to her death. The good news is the relatively short wait time for the new episode (a new episode drops each day with the finale on May 13). Perhaps the pace gets a lot better over the course of the episodes, but for now, 'Candy' makes for a watchable piece of content.
'Candy' episode 1 is available for streaming on Hulu.