'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Just a day after the series premiered, Candy aired its second episode on May 10, 2022, on Hulu. The series is based on the murder of Betty Gore (Melanie Lynskey) at the hands of her seemingly perfect next-door neighbor Candy Montgomery (Jessica Biel). The second episode of the mini-series focused on the beginning of Candy's affair with Betty's husband, Allan Gore (Pablo Schreiber).
After the first episode began with a slow (and at times monotonous) exploration of suburban life in 1980s, it did pinpoint certain causes that could have led to the unavoidable build-up that Montgomery had inside her. The second episode seamlessly switched pace to look back at the beginning of the affair and how Montgomery felt the "need" for it in order to explore her freedom.
Read on for a detailed review of Candy episode 2.
Candy episode 2 review: The killer's perspective on things
After the first episode ended in a gory slasher film-esque scene, this episode dived back into the beginning of Montgomery's journey from the perfect housewife archetype to the murderer who axed her neighbor over forty times.
The chilling case had its beginnings rooted in the suburban lifestyle and the pressure of holding on to the false sense of morality that "defined" people, especially women, back then.
This episode excelled in its depiction of Montgomery's perspective, Betty's perspective, and even of Allan to some extent. If an affair was not as big a taboo in suburban Texas back in the '80s, Montgomery probably wouldn't be pushed to seek an affair, and subsequent murder, as a refuge from her tightly-wound life.
The show explored Montgomery's reasons in a way that did not paint her as a victim of circumstances but sufficiently explained her suffocating conditions that would lead to such a build-up. Her affair was her refuge, and she picked Allan as the escape.
The second episode set a fine line between the two perspectives, one of a monotonous marriage that forced Montgomery to pursue her sordid conclusion and another of Betty's acceptance in her own stuck-up household. The ending switched gears to focus on Montgomery's trial and her plea for self-defense.
There is still a lot left to explore, but the second episode successfully created a duality that was enough to make the episode far more interesting than the first one.
This was helped by excellent acting from the three leads, Melanie Lynskey, Jessica Biel, and Pablo Schreiber. The script, too, was a huge update over the previous episode's slow-burning approach.
The show seems to be running on the right path, and things look sufficiently bright for the future. The second episode of Candy is now streaming on Hulu.
