The true-crime genre is expanding with Hulu’s newest miniseries, Candy. The show is a five-episode dive into the friendship turned adulterous murder of Betty Gore by the titular character Candy Montgomery. The two devout church women cultivated a friendship that ultimately led to an affair and Betty’s grisly murder in Texas in the 1980s.
The miniseries is based on real-life events and people, but the writers and producers surely had to deviate and use some artistic license. The show portrays Candy as a murderess, but the real-life Texan housewife pled self-defense and was acquitted of all charges. In fact, two of the show’s producers are the writers of Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs, a book detailing the facts behind Candy Montgomery’s story.
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Let’s first dive into the real story before looking at how the miniseries has depicted and dramatized it.
Candy: The Real Story
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Betty Gore and Candy Montgomery were known as close friends and very active women in their church. However, for almost a year in the late 1970s, Candy was engaged in an extramarital affair with Betty’s husband. On June 13th, 1980, Betty’s body was found bludgeoned in her home while her husband was away for work. She was almost unrecognizable as she had been struck with an ax 41 times.
At first, police assumed an intruder had murdered Betty, but when her husband admitted to having an affair with Candy, their suspicions turned instantly to her. Candy was soon arrested for the crime as her fingerprints were found at the scene, and she was the last person seen with Betty before her death.
Candy initially claimed innocence, but after evidence surfaced, she quickly admitted to killing Betty but alleged it was self-defense. Candy’s version of the story is that Betty brandished the ax demanding that Candy stay away from her husband. Betty would not let Candy leave and ultimately swung at her with the weapon. Candy eventually was able to gain control of the ax, and as she said in her testimony, “I didn’t think. I raised it and I hit her, and I hit her, and I hit her, and I hit her.” Despite all the evidence, the prosecution could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the crime was not committed in self-defense, and Candy was found not guilty.
The miniseries does not seem to focus much on the trial. Rather it appears to dramatize the lives and interpersonal relationships between the characters and how such a crime of passion could happen to anyone. All of this is readily apparent from the show’s trailer.
Candy: Trailer Breakdown
The trailer opens with a touching tribute by Betty Gore to her best friend, Candy Montgomery. “I am so touched by your generosity, the compassion, and friendship you’ve shown. You’re just a sweetheart,” Betty says with an emotionless effect as if she does not truly mean it. Interspersed within this short monologue are snippets of the women’s lives. At one point, they are shown in a church parking lot where Betty is suggesting starting a children’s choir. While the other mothers condemn the idea, Candy is shown as Betty’s champion and cheerleader.
The trailer then takes a drastic turn as the audience is shown Candy admitting to committing adultery with an unknown man. The man’s identity is quickly revealed as one of Candy’s friends exclaims, “That’s Betty’s husband! He’s married!” Candy is then shown as the stereotypical unhappy housewife as she lies sleeplessly in bed next to her husband, asking, “Don’t I deserve more?”
Things become even darker as Betty questions why Candy is never around anymore, which is spliced with a scene of Candy shutting a door and whispering in a hushed tone, “She knows.” The trailer then cuts to what we are to presume is the climactic scene of the miniseries just before Betty’s death as Candy knocks on her door with a fake and forced, “Hey y’all!”
The remainder of the trailer shows scenes of Candy unraveling, feigning emotion and ignorance of what truly happened, destroying evidence, and comforting others. The final scene shows Candy being questioned by police officers as one points out her many broken fingernails. She calmly plays it off, but we see a slight look of horror in her eyes as she clasps her hands together and looks away.
Candy: The Cast
Jessica Biel plays the main character of Candy Montgomery. She started acting as a child, most notably on the television drama 7th Heaven, and she has been fairly active in entertainment for most of her life. Her last major acting role was on USA Network’s The Sinner in 2017. Since then, she has been working behind the cameras as a producer, including her work on the show Cruel Summer, which is slated to begin its second season soon. Candy will be her first significant role in about five years.
Betty Gore, the brutally slain character, is played by New Zealand-born Melanie Lynskey. Like Jessica Biel, she has been acting for most of her life, with some of her more notable performances being one of the stepsisters in the Cinderella tale Ever After and one of Phyllis Schlafly’s conservative activist minions in Hulu’s Mrs. America. Of course, her most recent claim to fame is one of the main characters in Showtime’s hit Yellowjackets.
Candy: Release Date
Candy premieres Monday, May 9th, 2022, on Hulu. The miniseries has been billed as a “fine night event,” and the five episodes will be released over the course of the week. The series finale, entitled “Candy’s Story,” is slated to premiere on Friday, May 13th, 2022.
