HBO Max’s ‘Love & Death’ Revisits Shocking 1980 Texas Axe Murder: Elizabeth Olsen Stars in Gripping True-Crime Miniseries

By Entertainment Correspondent The Hollywood Gazette December 26, 2025

In 2023, HBO Max (now Max) delivered one of the year’s most chilling true-crime dramas with Love & Death, a seven-episode miniseries that plunges viewers into the seemingly idyllic suburban life of 1980s Texas—only to shatter it with brutal violence and psychological intrigue. Created by acclaimed writer David E. Kelley and primarily directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, the series retells the infamous case of Candy Montgomery, a churchgoing housewife acquitted of murdering her lover’s wife with an axe.

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Love and Death’ Poster Features Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery

At the heart of the story is Candy Montgomery, portrayed with mesmerizing depth by Elizabeth Olsen. Olsen, fresh off her Marvel role as Wanda Maximoff, transforms into the bubbly yet restless Texas homemaker whose extramarital affair with Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons) spirals into tragedy. What starts as a consensual, thrill-seeking liaison between two married church members from the same Methodist congregation in Wylie, Texas, ends with the gruesome death of Allan’s pregnant wife, Betty Gore (Lily Rabe), on Friday, June 13, 1980.

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Love & Death: Elizabeth Olsen on the Candy Montgomery True Story

The real-life events shocked the nation: Betty was struck 41 times with a three-foot axe in her home while her infant daughter slept nearby. Candy admitted to the killing but claimed self-defense, alleging Betty confronted her with the weapon first after discovering the affair. The subsequent trial became a media circus, focusing on themes of repression, sexuality, and suburban ennui in conservative Reagan-era America.

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Some in Wylie don’t know of 1980 ax slaying; others can’t forget

Love & Death meticulously recreates this era, from the pastel fashions and volleyball games to the stifling social norms of small-town religious life. Kelley’s script explores the psychological layers: Candy’s boredom in her stable marriage to Pat Montgomery (Patrick Fugit), Allan’s quiet dissatisfaction, and Betty’s postpartum struggles. Plemons brings a subdued intensity to Allan, a mild-mannered engineer whose passivity fuels the chaos, while Rabe delivers a heartbreaking performance as the vulnerable Betty, evoking sympathy amid her growing paranoia.

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The series builds tension masterfully, interweaving the affair’s flirtatious beginnings with flashbacks and foreshadowing. Episode 6’s depiction of the murder is unflinching and visceral, yet Glatter handles it with restraint, emphasizing the horror through sound and suggestion rather than gratuitous gore. The final episodes shift to the courtroom, where Candy’s defense—bolstered by hypnosis testimony suggesting dissociative reaction from childhood trauma—leads to her controversial acquittal in October 1980.

Critics praised Love & Death for its nuanced take, with Olsen’s performance earning particular acclaim for capturing Candy’s duality: charming exterior masking inner volatility. “Olsen is riveting, making Candy both relatable and unnerving,” noted Variety. The show also stars Elizabeth Marvel as the church pastor’s wife and Krysten Ritter as Candy’s friend, adding layers to the tight-knit community.

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Elizabeth Olsen: Love and Death Killing, Hypnosis, Aftermath for Candy

This marks the second screen adaptation of the case, following Hulu’s 2022 miniseries Candy starring Jessica Biel. While both draw from the book Evidence of Love by Jim Atkinson and John Bloom, Kelley’s version delves deeper into emotional complexity and societal pressures. “We wanted to explore why these ordinary people did extraordinary things,” Glatter said in interviews.

Post-acquittal, Candy and Pat relocated to Georgia, divorced years later, and she reportedly became a family counselor. Allan remarried but later divorced again, keeping a low profile. The case remains divisive, with some viewing Candy as a victim of circumstance, others as a cold manipulator.

Love & Death not only revives this dark chapter but probes timeless questions about truth, guilt, and the facades of perfection. Streaming on Max, it’s a must-watch for true-crime enthusiasts, blending suspense with profound character study. As Olsen reflected, “It’s about the danger of suppressed desires in a world that demands conformity.”

In an era saturated with true-crime content, Love & Death stands out for its empathy and restraint, reminding viewers that behind sensational headlines lie profoundly human tragedies.

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Love & Death’ Review: Elizabeth Olsen Stars in HBO Max Miniseries