Are you looking for something dark and chilling but don’t have the time or attention to devote to multiple seasons and episodes? Consider A Death in Texas: Candy.
What’s it about?
Candy Montgomery is a 1980 housewife and mother who did everything right – a good husband, two kids, and a lovely house. However, her desire for freedom has deadly results.
More details on the story
This is a true crime story of a murder that a devoted wife and mother, Candy, committed in 1980. It was a ruthless crime – she struck her lover’s wife (Betty Gore) 42 times with an axe. Even more strange is the story of the investigation and her eventual acquittal. I looked up some details about Candy and where she is now, and she is currently practicing as a family therapist!
As I said – the real story is bizarre, and I can understand why it makes for a salacious mini-series.
Review of A Death in Texas: Candy
I am a little conflicted by this series. On the one hand, I loved the acting, sets, costumes, and story; it was well-directed and acted. Most important, it was crisply edited. There was not one dull moment in the story.
However, I was a bit disturbed by some of the angles in the story. While it is true to the actual events, it was a tad too critical of the victim in the story? It felt like the victim blaming and shaming were a bit too much.
The series attempts to show the similarity in the lives of the two women – the victim Betty Gore (portrayed as a depressed and lonely wife with a young child and an indifferent husband) and Candy (who seems to have it all but still wants more).
However, the treatment then veers into almost mocking Betty. I am not sure if that was the show’s intent, but if she has family, I think they would be distraught by how she was presented here.
Candy, however, is brilliant. I never thought Jessica Biel was a good actor, but she nailed the part. She is cold and calculating underneath a veneer of Sunday school sweetness. The best aspects of her performance come in the small moments when she’s finally out of eyesight, and her face subtly shifts.
The last episode, Candy’s trial and a walk back to the moments before the murder, is horrifying. She is a monster, and it was frustrating to see how she was acquitted when the evidence was so strong against her.
I enjoyed Justin Timberlake’s uncredited cameo as the detective investigating the murder. The supporting cast was fine.
I recommend giving this series a watch but beware of some gruesome moments.
