Elizabeth Olsen is a woman scorned in a new trailer for the upcoming HBO Max limited series, Love and Death, and she wears her pain hidden under stained lips and perfectly-placed curls.
Olsen is taking on the role of Candy Montgomery in the seven-episode series heading to the streaming platform in April, and her story is as layered and multifaceted as it gets. The real-life tale of Montgomery, alongside Allen and Betty Gore, chronicles everything from friendship to religion and infidelity, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The trailer for Love and Death gives us a preview of Olsen as a woman who is playing two roles: the role of a happy housewife and a mistress for the same married man. It’s enough to push her off the deep end.
The synopsis for Love and Death reads as follows:
“Love and Death tells the true story of Candy and Pat Montgomery and Betty and Allan Gore — two churchgoing couples enjoying their small-town Texas life… until an extramarital affair leads somebody to pick up an axe.”
The true story of Candy Montgomery has been in the media for quite some time, as social interest piqued around the mistress turned axe-murderer in a small Texas town. Well — sort of. Montgomery befriended a woman in her church circle named Betty Gore, and from their friendship came the stuff of nightmares; an affair between Montgomery and Allan Gore and enough jealousy to fuel a rampage that left one woman dead and an entire town shaken.
The thing is, Montgomery would go on to be acquitted of the crime after claiming self-defense. The story she told is that Betty found out about the affair and had to save herself, but things get murky around the fact that she wasn’t just killed; she was hit with the axe over 40 times. The extent of Betty’s injuries made it hard for many to believe that it was anything but a crime born of passion and anger.
Love and Death also stars Lily Rabe, Jesse Plemons, and Krysten Ritter, and if you’re too interested in the story of Montgomery to wait — don’t forget that Jessica Biel stars in Candy, the Hulu series you can watch now that also tells the sordid tale of Montgomery, Allan, and Betty — and the way a star-crossed lovers story impacted an entire Texas town.
Love and Death begins airing on April 27 on HBO Max, and you won’t want to miss a minute of it.
