Hulu’s Candy was based on the 1980 case of Betty Gore’s murder at the hands of her husband’s adultery partner Candy Montgomery. Despite one TV adaptation, HBO Max moved forward with another iteration of the same story with their miniseries Love & Death.
Though the story they follow is the same, their narrative and minute yet glaringly noticeable changes are what sets them apart from each other. Obviously, there are some major glaring differences! Like the cast – Love & Death boasts an ensemble cast, whereas Candy’s only renowned names include Biel and Lewensky.
Yet the slightest difference in the portrayal of the characters drastically changes the tone of each series and helps us see them as standalone projects. I will discuss these differences between the tale of Candy Montogomery told by HBO Max and Hulu.
Love & Death, starring Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe, Patrick Fugit, Krysten Ritter, Tom Pelphrey, Elizabeth Marvel, and more, has only released four episodes so far in its seven-part schedule. Candy, starring Jessica Biel, Pablo Schreiber, Melanie Lynskey, Timothy Simons, Raul Esparza, Jessie Meuller, and more, finished around the same time last year with five episodes.
The cast of Candy resembled the real-life people more accurately than Love & Death. Jessica Biel’s Candy kept her hair in a perm and wore the wide-rimmed glasses that the real murderer wore, while Elizabeth Olsen’s character only wore the whole ensemble during the trial.
A more notable difference apart from the physical traits of the two actresses in their portrayal of the Texas housewife is how they make her look in the eyes of the viewers. Biel plays the woman with a dispassionate and almost inhumane demeanor, leaning more into the detached sociopathic side of the character.
Meanwhile, Olsen’s emotional range makes Candy’s character much more appealing in the eyes of the viewer, though it ends up making her look that much guilty during the trial. But the show’s length might be a factor in letting Candy feel more accessible in Love & Death.
In fact, their portrayal differs so widely due to the genre both shows are set in. Candy and Love & Death both belong to the crime drama genre, but the former delves more into the psychopathic thriller side of the story while the latter weighs more on the drama. And it’s not only Candy whose behavior is glaringly different!
Jesse Plemons and Schreiber’s Allen also differ in their behavior, where the latter is more reserved and plain and the former is much more open and charming.
Their respective affairs with their on-screen partners also make a pointed dissimilarity – Scheiber and Biel’s passion seemed muted in the face of Olsen and Plemons’ palpable chemistry. Or maybe it’s because Love & Death has more sex scenes than Candy!
Even Pat’s portrayal by Fugit and Simons marks a stark difference between Candy’s reason to get involved with Allen. In Love & Death, Pat’s detached connection with Candy and a keen interest in late-night TV might have made more sense for Candy wanting to break away from him. Hulu’s Candy, however, showcased Pat in a much better light, with him providing advice and emotional support to the titular character.
Other than these differences, I also noted that Love & Death tells the story chronologically and prominently features the church’s involvement. Hulu’s show also included a foster child in the Gore family, whereas Love & Death stuck to the family’s two biological kids.
With three more episodes left in Love & Death, I’m sure there will be other pointed variances in the two shows. So stay tuned to Cine Dope, where I’ll keep you updated on them!
About Love & Death
Love & Death is an American crime drama streaming television miniseries directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and written by David E. Kelley that premiered on April 27, 2023, on HBO Max.
The series is based on the true story of Wylie, Texas, housewife Candy Montgomery, who was accused of the brutal axe murder of her friend Betty Gore in 1980.
The seven-part show stars Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe, Patrick Fugit, Krysten Ritter, Tom Pelphrey, Elizabeth Marvel, and more.
Source: Screenrant
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