Love & Death Episodes 1, 2 & 3 Recap: Based on Jim Atkinsonโs book โ โEvidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs,โ โLove & Deathโ is a new true crime drama miniseries, streaming on HBO Max (soon to be known as Max). Based on the true story of a Texas housewife Candy Montgomery, the series follows the narrative of the brutal axe murder she committed of a family friend. Only a year before, Hulu also came up with a series based on her story starring Jessica Biel. So we essentially get another retelling of this real incident.
Written by David E Kelley and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, it focuses on the web of motivations and cultural aspects that resulted in the gruesome incident.ย
*Spoilers ahead*
Love & Death Episodes 1, 2 & 3 Recap:
Episode 1: The Huntress
The episode begins with a scene of the crime that occurred on Friday, June 13th, 1980. It gives us a tour through the house where the infamous axe murder happened. Then, two years earlier, in September 1978, we meet Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen), singing and partaking in a congregation. Later, Candy and her husband, Pat (Patrick Fugit), have dinner with a few other couples, including the Gores โ Allan (Jesse) and Betty (Lily Rabe). After talking with them about an upcoming Volleyball game, the Gores return home to have sex. But their problems with sexual chemistry become apparent in no time.ย
Their Pastor, Jackie Ponder (Elizabeth Marvel), later meets Candy at her home and shares the news of her divorce with Bill. Betty believes Allanโs frequent travel is the reason they canโt be intimate with each other. Later, during their volleyball game, Allan comes incredibly close to Candy while helping her with a fall. Betty decides not to play, and Pat asks whether it is because she is ovulating. He insinuates his knowledge that she and Allan were trying to have a baby. Later at night, while having drinks with her friend – Sherry (Krysten Ritter), Candy says that Allan โsmelled like sex.โ She calls him a โfall-in-love-proofโ guy.ย
While contending with boredom in her marriage with Pat, Candy decides to come clean with Allan and tell him that she is attracted to him. Sherry asks whether Candy is certainly attracted or if it is just her trying to be reckless. Candy does not have a clear answer to that. She says how men get to have careers while women have to sit back and make peace with their uneventful lives. It seems like the gist of her ennui.ย
Allan isnโt happy with Betty not letting their daughter wear a flashy outfit as per his family tradition. She finds it against her values. Candy and Allan play around with the idea of their sexual intimacy. Eventually, Candy approaches him to ask him directly whether he would like to have an affair. Although hesitant at first, he ends the night by kissing Candy. She later tells Sherry that he is waiting for her to make the affair happen.ย
Candy and Allan meet on a date and have a casual conversation about their conventional suburban lives. It is clear that they both seek a way out of its monotony. So, they decide to meet at an outstation motel to move ahead with their affair. While Betty eagerly wants to go ahead with selecting a baby name, Allan meets Candy to learn the doโs and donโts so that their affair wonโt become public or create complications in their marriage.ย
Finally, on December 12, 1978, Betty gets all dressed up and drives up to a motel. She calls Allan, informs him of the address, and then puts on a sleazy gown, takes out all the food on the table, and waits for him. She says how bland and innocuous can take vivid hues. Her interest in creative writing becomes evident, and so does her lack of interest in her marital life. Eventually, they consummate their relationship and get in bed together. This amoral activity gives them a thrill beyond words. She goes to take a shower, and in a dramatic montage, the scene cuts to the time she committed a crime in a bathtub.
Episode 2: Encounters
Jackie Ponder steps down as the pastor, and a new minister is announced โ Pastor Ron Adams (Keir Gilchrist). Betty isnโt happy about Jackie getting admittedly fired for doing unacceptable things like a divorce. Candy and Allan proceed with their affair despite the feelings of betrayal. She talks with Sherry about this affair with a conventionally unattractive Allan. She says that she likes to be adored a little. Allan does that, and Pat doesn’t.
Allan and Betty, on the other hand, are about to have a baby together. But the doctor suggests she should take care of her hypertension and stress. Betty makes it clear to Pastor Ron that she does not like his appointment in their church. Candy bakes cookies for Allan and her while dancing in her kitchen, enjoying herself. Later, they meet at the motel and share intimate details about their lives. He shares Bettyโs past affair with one of the college students, which she confesses right after it happened. She could not bear the guilt, and now, keeping his affair a secret put a weight on Allanโs chest. Anyhow, they still visit a local fair to have fun like an actual couple.ย
While Betty prepares for the birth of her child, Candy proceeds to have an affair with her husband. Ron struggles to gain the confidence of the church-goers as their pastor. Later while having sex with Candy, Allan reveals that Betty wants to leave the church and move back to Wylie. He says that he needs to be closer to Betty since the day of childbirth is approaching. Candy suddenly realizes how affectionate she has become toward this man. It was a rule she made herself that they should not fall in love. Now she reckons she is breaking the same rule.
Back in their church, while Pat and Candy try to make Ron feel like a part of their congregation, Betty publicly objects to Ronโs opinions. Later, in the motel, after gossiping about Betty, Candy says that she cannot handle the way she feels about Allan, even though falling in love is against the rules. She does not want anyone to get hurt and wants to continue to have a friendship with him. He says how their affair actually helped strengthen his bond with Betty.ย
Betty and Allan soon have a baby, and it makes Candy feel that her bond with Allan is at risk. After childbirth, Allan and Betty moved to Wylie, which intensified her misery. Meanwhile, Candy senses that she cannot have the same chemistry with Pat despite his overall earnestness. She listens to the birds, who are clearly chipper than her. Pat looks at her and says that he sometimes forgets how pretty she is. Maybe because she misses the thrill of doing something risquรฉ, breaking the rules, she can’t find excitement in her life with him.
After all, one needs to understand that this is a predominantly conservative white neighborhood where religious values mean everything. So even a mere thought of breaking them can make one feel a sense of freedom. Now that Candy canโt have the same in her life, it breaks her. Their distance also causes issues for Allan getting intimate with Betty. He meets Candy and opens up to her about it. He says Betty feels he is not attracted to her because sheโs fat after having a baby. Candy says he canโt expect a person to accept his belief of how they should feel. While he talks about his possibly failing marriage, she gets emotional about both โ her exhilarating affair with him besides his marriage with Betty.ย
In September 1979, Allan called Candy to meet her after months of distance. He plans to attend a Marriage Encounter convention with Betty to work on their marital issues. He asks if Candy can babysit his kids when he and Betty go there. She agrees. Betty enters this seminar hesitant about its results. But over time, it helps her and Allan communicate with each other a little better. Candy is upset that he is getting all gooey with Betty at a motel, even if she made him a better lover.ย
Eventually, we see Betty and Allan resolving their issues with intimacy and communication for good, having sex with each other, and then redoing their wedding vows. It is juxtaposed with the scenes of Candy and Sherry having the time of their lives dancing in a club. Later, Candy looks at the coupleโs renewal ceremony while holding their baby in her hand. The couple later drives to the Montgomerysโ home to bring their kids back home.ย
Candy sees Betty and Allan being close to each other, unlike before, and it breaks her beyond any words could describe. She goes on to channel her anger in the kitchen, which almost looks like the show creator’s idea of her โwicked fantasyโ about Betty. As always, the miniseries spends ample time foreshadowing the gruesome act that awaits us in the upcoming episodes.ย
Episode 3: Stepping Stone
By October 1979, a sense of normalcy starts creeping up on Candy and keeps her mind occupied. She sees herself as limited to motherly duties, and it bothers her. Allan meets her to say that the Marriage Encounter thing was a miracle for him and Betty. He wishes not to visit Candy romantically anymore. She asks whether he felt any responsibility toward her emotions. He stammers while answering that. She gets infuriated by his lack of concern.ย
Sherry suggests to Candy that they should start their joint business โ to take Candyโs mind off thoughts about Allan. But Candy feels rejected by Allan. She says that more than sex, she misses friendship. On the other hand, Betty feels a lump on her right breast and is sure it is cancer, even though the doctor says otherwise. Allan informs Candy about this, clearly concerned about her stress. Candy goes to their place herself to relieve her stress. Right after, Betty notices Allan and Candy gushing and smitten by each otherโs presence. She possibly senses a danger.ย
Soon after, Candy proposes to Pat to go to Marriage Encounter since it has helped Betty. Pat believes it is a cult and thinks Candy always wants more from him or from their marriage. Anyhow, he finally agrees. She continues working as per her responsibilities to the community. Don Crowder (Tom Pelphrey) suggests to Ron that he should get closer to Candy since โeveryone loves her.โ Sensing Ronโs worry that he canโt win over the church-goers, Don shares how people in their town want to raise their kids, love their families, and love God. He essentially boils down the mentality of their neighborhood that upholds religious values over everything else.ย
Candy and Pat finally go to the Marriage Encounter convention, and their differences become crystal-clear to her. He does not understand her creative writing. He shares a letter that includes a Carole King song. She expects him rather be honest about his feelings. He canโt since he feels inadequate compared to her. He says he wants to be closer to her heart but doesn’t know how. They discuss why they are in this convention. He fears a crisis in their marriage. He can think of a reason why they are on Earth, but she struggles to decide hers. She rather contemplates the allure of unattainable joy that Carole mentions in Tapestry.ย
The conventions seem to be helping Betty with her issues with sex in her marriage. She says that she doesnโt even think of Allan anymore. However, Betty gets both the couples together for dinner, which upsets the distance Allan and Candy maintained over the years. Still, while speaking with Sherry, Candy says that her old feelings did not bubble up. Pat, meanwhile, finds the romantic letters that Allan wrote for Candy. Sherry confirms that their affair is over for good. Pat confronts Candy, and she also accepts it. He believes he failed her.ย
Since Candy confirms that the affair is over, Pat decides to slide the matter under the rug. He asks her to go on a trip together as an escape from these worries. But even there, Candy canโt get over the guilt of her actions or even the loss of her bond with Allan for good. Meanwhile, Ron still is jittery in his conduct for not being well-received by the church. In Wylie, Allan plans to travel for a small work trip. While it agonizes Betty that she will be left alone, he comforts her before leaving. At the time, Alisa (Goresโ daughter) was staying at the Montgomerys. To pick up her swimsuit, Candy decides to drive all the way to their house in Wylie.ย
Love & Death Episode 3 Ending Explained:
After her duties at the church, Candy drives to Wylie to pick up Alisaโs stuff from the Goresโ house. She goes there without giving any intimation. She talks about how Alisa wants to join her children for a swimming trip. Betty shares her concern that Alisaโs face should not be put underwater. Candy agrees to do so. Betty shares the new dog they recently brought home. Candy plays with it. Their conversation seems casual, without any outwardly apparent issue.ย
Candy shares the card for her new business venture with Sherry. She talks about getting a Fatherโs Day card for Pat. Suddenly, Betty brings up the subject of their affair. She asks if Candy had an affair with Allan. Candy initially denies it but soon gets emotional and shares that she did. She tries to cover up the blame on her part by saying how it was a long time ago. Betty, however, isnโt satisfied with this answer. In the episodeโs final moments, we see Betty walking back to her bedroom and coming out to the main hall with an axe.ย
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