Elizabeth Olsen proves once again why she’s an Emmy nominated actress in the HBO Max mini series, Love & Death.
Love & Death Review
The highly anticipated HBO Max mini series, Love & Death, debuts with three episodes April 27th, followed by one episode weekly through May 25th. Love & Death portrays the true story of Candy and Pat Montgomery and Betty and Allan Gore – two churchgoing couples enjoying their smalltown Texas life. Things take a turn for the worse when an affair arises with the end result being a gruesome murder.
The true crime series is set in 1978-1980, and if you didn’t know it is very evident with the disco music, station wagons, bellbottoms, men in entirely too short shorts, and my famous Care Bears lunchbox and thermos.
Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen) is bored with her everyday life of being a housewife and mother. It doesn’t help that she’s stuck in a seemingly mundane marriage to her husband, Pat (Patrick Fugit). She’s looking to shake things up and decides to introduce the idea of an affair with friend, Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons).
Candy and Allan try their best to be logical about the situation and set the affair as if it were a business arrangement. There are ground rules and simple do’s and don’ts — the number one being that if either of them starts to get too emotionally attached, then they must end it. They also genuinely care about their spouses Pat and Betty (Lily Rabe) and want to “protect” them from getting hurt. Ironically, Candy and Betty are friends and their children play together.
What works with Love & Death
Elizabeth Olsen’s portrayal of Candy Montgomery is very much the standout of Love & Death. The way she’s able to bounce back and forth from devoting mother, faithful churchgoer, seductive mistress, and maddening murderer, is perfection. You can truly embody her emotions, and although her character is clearly a complete mess, she’s likable. Olsen’s performance allows us to feel for Candy.
What doesn’t work with Love & Death
I found Allan Gore’s character to be very one-dimensional. His character literally showed no emotion and always had the same blank stare on his face. Honestly I tried to find out if this was how Allan Gore was in real life, because if it was then Jesse Plemons’ portrayal was spot-on. However, he was just too robotic and blasé for me to connect with.
Overall Thoughts
Love & Death illustrates how one bad decision can truly turn the world upside-down. It is about regret, guilt, and even forgiveness. Elizabeth Olsen proves beyond a reasonable doubt that she is Emmy worthy. Her unwavered performance is the real standout of Love & Death, giving us an in-depth look of Candy Montgomery.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll go into a deep dive researching the true story that happened in Wylie, Texas in 1980. Love & Death is a quick and engaging series to binge. Watch it exclusively on HBO Max April 27, 2023.
Love & Death Synopsis
Candy Montgomery and Betty Gore had a lot in common: They sang together in the Methodist church choir, their daughters were best friends, and their husbands had good jobs working for technology companies in the north Dallas suburbs known as Silicon Prairie. But beneath the placid surface of their seemingly perfect lives, both women simmered with unspoken frustrations and unanswered desires.
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