In the new Hulu crime drama, Jessica Biel transforms herself into Montgomery. She dons a super curly wig, a pair of twig glasses, and a naturalistic Southern accent - adding a bit of twang to her every word. The character is balanced masterfully by her incredibly normal husband Pat, played by Veep actor Timothy Simons. Filing away his knack for brash comedy, Simons portrays the character with such precision that even his most validated suspicions are hidden under his can-do attitude, his love for his kids and family, and the trust he has for his wife - despite her lack of reciprocation.
As innocent as it may seem, this series manages to put an unlikable female murderer in front of its viewers and still deliver the ultimate “men are trash” message. Co-creators Nick Antosca and Robin Veith juxtapose Candy’s wrongdoings and crimes with Betty’s (played by Melanie Lynskey) descent into hysteria driven by patriarchal forces. Her husband Allen (played by Pablo Schreiber, who can also be seen as Master Chief on Halo) is clearly unhappy in their marriage, he travels for work against her wishes and leaves her in an unsupportive community with a young child and a newborn baby, her actions and thoughts - whether right or wrong - are routinely dismissed by her boss, the young boy she is fostering, and her church’s pastor, and her life is filled with constant noise. She attempts to demand respect, in the most palatable way possible, but nobody seems to listen.
Through it all, the series never takes a side. It intertwines both women into each other’s stories. Even after Betty’s death, she oversees the trial and offers her own commentary. She never lets the audience forget her gruesome killing, even as the world dismisses her one last time. The character, while nagging and annoying, and a total downer, is played with such careful precision and empathy by Lynskey. It is a performance that elevates the work, rather than fading into the background. But here is the kicker - this five-day event could not be dropping at a more inopportune time.
Streamers have been overwhelmed by real-life stories and while every creator wants to argue “this one is different” that’s hardly so. They take a shocking, real event and spruce it up with a glowing cast, dramatic beats, and a few creative liberties. Many of them end with dissatisfaction and lack of resolution - there is the polarizing trial of ex-New York socialite Anna Delvey in Netflix’s Inventing Anna, the “will she be punished or not” mystery that lingers around Elizabeth Holmes’ mess portrayed in Hulu’s The Dropout, the digital media heartache in Hulu’s The Girl From Plainville which dives into American teenager Michelle Carter assisting in the suicide of her boyfriend, and so forth.
Keeping Candy afloat amid this genre overdrive is the mystery behind it all - how the only witness to the crime was Ms. Montgomery, a woman who long demonstrated that she is a master of deceit. Unlike the others, this show never glamorizes its victim or villain and the nature of the crime leaves the interpretation of “who’s who” to the viewer. Was it the perfect mom and Sunday School teacher who seemingly had it all, or was it the one whose husband’s interpretation of “bring her home something sweet” meant “sleep with her only friend”? Over five episodes, viewers will be amazed, disgusted, and thoroughly entertained. The show is a major win for Hulu and will have the streamer riding high above its competitors.
Candy premieres with its first episode May 9, followed by one new episode daily until the finale on May 13.
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