Elizabeth Olsen’s HBO Murder Miniseries Was Written Off on Rotten Tomatoes, but Now It’s Surging Through Netflix’s Top 10

True crime continues to be a fascination, so much so that one story had two adaptations that premiered only a year apart. Candy Montgomery, a woman acquitted of killing the wife of her lover, was the subject of Candy and Love & Death. Candy came out first on Hulu, while Love & Death soon followed on HBO. Elizabeth Olsen stars as the main character in the latter, premiering in 2023. Though not initially embraced upon its release, Love & Death is getting a second chance as it dominates streaming numbers on Netflix.

Over the course of seven episodes, HBO’s Love & Death follows Candy and the details that culminate in a brutal murder. In the late ‘70s, Candy Montgomery lives in Wylie, Texas, where she is unfulfilled by her marriage. She soon finds an outlet in Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons), who is also married and goes to the same church. An affair soon materializes between the two, though not in the most romantic fashion. Candy and Allan discuss the ramifications if they start an affair and eventually decide they will go forward with it. The one stipulation is that if either of them starts developing feelings, they should break it off.

The two eventually fall for each other and continue to see each other until Allan’s wife, Betty (Lily Rabe), gives birth to a child. They decide to break it off, which seems like the best decision until Betty confronts Candy about the affair. This results in a crime story heard around America as Candy allegedly killed Betty with 41 strikes from an axe. Love & Death shows this moment in great detail, a stark difference from Candy, which only alluded to it. Love & Death garnered a less-than-ideal Rotten Tomatoes score of 63%, but there is something about this story that continues to draw viewers like moths to a flame.

‘Love & Death’ Deserves Another Chance

It is easy to compare two shows based on the same source material, especially when they both came out relatively at the same time. Jessica Biel, in the title role in Candy, looks more accurate to the real person, and the series doesn’t delve too deeply into the gruesomeness of the murder. Love & Candy explores more of the affair and models the harrowing killing on the show after Candy Montgomery’s testimony in the trial. She maintains that the killing was in self-defense when Betty came at her with the axe. The series does a good job of not editorializing the truth, instead taking the facts at face value. Watching this unfold in the HBO series, along with Elizabeth Olsen’s compelling character work, is reason enough to watch the limited series.

Love & Death also benefits from the directorial style of David E. Kelly. The producing juggernaut behind phenomena like Big Little Lies understands the dreaded monotony of small communities. Both the Gores and the Montgomerys struggle with the realities of a marriage that has plateaued. The ennui of the characters drives them to make terrible decisions with no concern for the fallout. With a stacked ensemble cast including Patrick Fugit and Krysten Ritter, Love & Death is a must-watch for any true crime fans. Viewers can stream all seven episodes on Netflix.

Release Date

2023 – 2023-00-00

Network

HBO Max

Directors

Lesli Linka Glatter