Love and Death with No Direct Quotes
True crime enthusiasts have a new series to follow with HBO Max’s “Love & Death,” which retells the story of Candy Montgomery and the unfortunate events that took place in her life (Men’s Health). Elizabeth Olsen stars as Candy Montgomery, the woman who committed an ax murder against her friend. The series is a docudrama, and it includes interviews with people who knew her and her friend, Betty Gore.
The case of Candy Montgomery has been examined time and time again, but this series puts a new perspective on it. According to Variety, the series aims to provide a corrective to crime sensationalism, showcasing the events and people involved in the case without exaggeration. In doing so, it gives audiences a more empathetic version of the story.
Interestingly, Love & Death is not the only series that retells the story of Candy Montgomery. Den of Geek notes that this is the second series in as many years to tackle the story. Despite this, the showrunners behind Love & Death made sure to get the details right. Filming even took place in the actual home where the murder occurred, as it still stands after all these years (Texas Monthly).
While the series focuses on the murder and the events leading up to it, Vanity Fair notes that Elizabeth Olsen had to mentally prepare for some of the sex scenes. However, she ultimately saw her character as a tool and focused on storytelling. The show does not rely on sensationalism to make it attractive; the goal was to tell the story factually and heartfully to avoid glorifying the event.
In a broader sense, Love & Death is part of a trend of fact-based series about women who kill or do so by proxy (The New York Times). The series portrays Candy Montgomery as a housewife who was a part of a church community. However, Betty Gore supposedly had a financial game of her own going on that seemingly affected Candy’s life. The series delves deeply into the characters, their lives, and the events surrounding the case (Esquire).
The first three episodes of the series are available on HBO Max, and the reviews are already out. Dallas Morning News notes that director Lesli Linka Glatter took the opportunity to present her version of the case. The series stands out as a touching and empathetic look at Candy Montgomery’s story, which showcases the humanity of the people involved while still providing accurate details on the events that occurred.
