Love & Death

I have seen both series on this incident and they each have their merits and flaws. The Hulu series entitled Candy, starring Jessica Biel, is the story told as if the protagonist is Betty, and she is an innocent victim of another woman's rage. Whereas Love and Death, on HBO Max, starring Elizabeth Olsen, is told as if the protagonist is Candy, who suffered an attack at the hands of an troubled and mentally unstable woman.

Both resent the same facts, bent to fit the needs of the protagonist.

In my opinion, the HBO series is much better. I found the characters much more likeable and the way the story is told, to be much more engaging.

Not to mention the beautiful sets and wardrobe that brought me right back to the 70's in tone and look.

Jesse Plemons once again puts in a stunning performance, as does Lily Rabe, herself a veteran of difficult, and well done performances.

Not to mention the beautiful framing with the axe, Betty's legs in the foreground and Candy in the background. Easily could have been the background for the title card.

Based on the true story of '1980 Axe Murder Case' of Betty Gore, Love & Death is totally driven by Olsen's riveting performance.

A second adaptation of the incident (following Hulu's Candy starring Jessica Biel), Love & Death felt a bit overstretched with 7 episodes, instead 5 episodes seemed enough to cover the whole story of the incident that took place on that fateful Friday.

Refraining from the fact that whether the storytelling was apt or we can sympathize with the culprit for the heinous act she did, Love & Death is still an intriguing exposure of a human psyche and what it deals with, directed in a docu-series style with an amazing performance by Elizabeth Olsen.

My Rating : 7.5/10.

It's not Law and Order but it is taken from actual events which you might not believe until you see the credits. It is one of those series that sucks you in from the very start a n d does not disappoint. For reference if you have seen it ,Under the Banner of Heaven would be a good comparison and that series was just as good as this one. Elizabeth Olsen will just blow you away with the way she just becomes the character. The writing, acting and direction and performances are absolute top notch. Ask yourself how much time and effort do you put into finding 'content' worth watching ?

HBO, now MAX ,doesn't drop a complete series all at once which I didn't realize when I first started watching this one and when I had to wait for the next episode, I couldn't wait.

Jesse Plemons is a very underrated actor. He never fails to deliver a good performance. He is not as good as Elizabeth Olsen, but he is good. Elizabeth Olsen is fantastic. Her range is great and she makes this character very believable and sympathetic. Every time she is on screen it's hard to look away. Whatever she does is interesting. Is this the year she wins her well deserved Emmy? This performance could be the difference.

Like every other show from HBO, the visuals are amazing. The sets and the visual effects are spotless. Even if you find the story uninteresting I'm sure you could watch this show just because it's so beautiful to look at.

Three episodes in, and I am hooked on the show. I will certainly keep watching.

Elizabeth Olsen is just delightful and within this particular role she plays a wide range of emotions. This is her best acting work of her career.

The supporting characters are also outstanding. Krysten Ritter steals every scene she's in and Lilly Rabe plays so well perhaps one of the most dislikable female characters ever written, Betty. Neurotic is an understatement, and her intense neuroses undermines her marriage.

Candy (Liz Olsen), is charismatic and socially confident, a true pillar of womanhood within her social circles. Incredibly friendly, even flirty, and nearly impossible not to like. She seemingly has everything, but she wants more. She seeks intimacy, a connection, something beyond marriage that will fill her heart. But there's trouble brewing in paradise because someone she loves "shushes" her and her emotional slide begins.