Love & Death (TV Mini Series) Stepping Stone (2023) User Reviews

A better version of "Candy"

[dfloro · 8/10 · 30 April 2023]

I'm not sure this lurid true tale warranted two different miniseries being made about it, but here's the first one to have been made and the last actually to be released. Hulu's version of the story, "Candy," starred a surprisingly convincing Jessica Biel in the title role and Melanie Lynskey (who's seemingly in everything everywhere the last couple of years) as Betty Gore. This version, from the great David E. Kelley, stars Elizabeth Olsen as Candy, who is bored to tears with her husband, Pat (Patrick Fugit), and suggests to Betty's equally bored husband, Allan (Jesse Plemons), that the two of them have an affair. Betty is portrayed this time (against "type") by Lily Rabe. There's a larger role in this version for Candy's best friend, Sheree (a still underutilized Krysten Ritter). But the thing holding this one together is Elizabeth Olsen. Whereas, Ms. Biel's Candy Montgomery seemed disturbed from the get go (at least, to me she did), Ms. Olsen plays it pretty cool and mostly bored silly at first. But even if you don't know what ultimately occurs, I got the feeling that this Candy was like the frog in a slowly boiling pot, and liable to blow the lid off the sucker at any moment. Bravo to Olsen, as "real" acting involves not just dialogue/blocking but also that which is both unspoken/unseen! So as the old Hollywood cliche goes: If you can only watch one Candy M. Murder miniseries this year, then it should be this murderous, bloody edition.

Candy's therapy

[AvionPrince16 · 6/10 · 28 May 2023]

So we basically see Allan and Candy take some distance and even Candy said that she doesnt feel attracted anymore by him. She wants also to follow a therapy with Pat to help them in their couple like Allan and his wife. We have also the little story about the church and the renovation of it. I needed to say that the episode made me bored and pretty uninteresting until that Pat find a letter that reveal her relationship with Allan. That thing really made my interest came back and made me interested about how Pat will deal with that and what about Candy? Is she gonna end her relationship with Allan? Or is she gonna continue because of her attraction that may come back if she continues to see him like this. I loved also the honesty of the feeling of Candy: the shame, the confession to her husband: the fear about his reaction. It was a great moment of the episode for sure. And the confrontation at the end between Candy and Betty was also kind of delicate for Candy and for us too. But things seemed to take a dramatic side with Betty and her axe on her hands. Im still kind of surprise: she didnt seemed to be violent or possessive like this but anyway we defintely need to see more.