Hulu is on a true-crime drama spree this year and, Candy is just another excellent addition to its already established slate. Created by Nick Antosca and Robin Veith, the miniseries features Jessica Biel in the titular role along with Melanie Lynskey as Betty Gore, Pablo Schreiber as Allan Gore and Timothy Simons as Pat Montgomery. The series recounts the murder of Betty Gore and, the subsequent trial where the titular character was seen as the killer.
The first episode of the series is already out. It consists of 5 episodes which will make up for a 5-night event on Hulu, with one episode released every day. The runtime for the first episode is 53 minutes.
– Hulu’s Candy Review Contains Mild Spoilers –
Candy Episode 1: Friday the 13th
The pilot is written by Nick Antosca & Robin Veith and, the teleplay comes from Robin Veith. The episode starts on the day before Betty Gore was found killed at her house and, follows us to the day of the incident and, the events that happened the day before and after.
Candy Episode 1 begins with a monologue from Jessica Biel’s character, who narrates the story of a tree being cut by a woodcutter only to ultimately make up for the beams of Jesus Christ. She ends her monologue with the dialogue with the line- “The next time you’re sad because you didn’t get what you want, you just wait because God has something even better for you.” This line is hereon repeated afterwards too, almost asking the audiences to wait for the entire reveal than judging the characters and their fate in the first episode.
Candy is the perfect suburban mother, trying to balance it all on a tight schedule. We also meet Betty, who is nothing like our title character be it having the perfect body, hair or the balance to get everything done. Betty struggles, yet these two are seemingly friends. The episode takes us through what happened before Candy and Betty met on the morning of June 13, 1980 (the day of the killing), where they stood in their lives.
It then follows Candy after the killing was done and dusted and, how she carried herself in public. We don’t actually get the reason or motive why the gruesome event ensued nor are we prived to how one of two women turned out dead but, it does serve as a well-laid out character study to know our protagonist- her perfection as well as flaws.
Jessica Biel is going to be the true star of this series, not only because she plays the role of Candy but, also because it shows from the very first episode how she has genuinely embodied the character’s nuances with respect and flair. Pablo Schreiber also stands out in this episode, especially in the last 20 minutes where we are kept on the nail-biting edge of the seat to know an outcome that is already public knowledge and, that is the mark of a great actor, especially when it comes to series based on real-life events for you already know what you are in for and yet, crave to see how the reel version of it progresses.
Candy Episode 1: Final Thoughts
Overall, nothing much happens in the first episode of Candy really but, it still unsettles you with the cold case at hand and, the ambience that the characters put you in. The story of what led to Betty Gore being killed is not answered right away but, the episode is enough to keep you engaged to tune in for more.
You can watch the first episode of Candy now on Hulu. The second episode will air on Tuesday, at 9:30 AM IST.