‘Love & Death’: Elizabeth Olsen Falls in Love and Then Kills Her Friend With an Ax
Love & Death has a pedigree that’s as illustrious as any recent HBO effort. It comes from David E. Kelley, the prolific showrunner who’s most recently had success with Big Little Lies and The Undoing. It stars Elizabeth Olsen as a confused, disaffected and ultimately volatile suburban housewife—a role that more than faintly recalls her Emmy-nominated turn in WandaVision. It features a stellar cast that includes Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe, Patrick Fugit, Elizabeth Marvel, Tom Pelphrey and Krysten Ritter. And it’s based on a notorious true-crime case that remains hotly debated today.
The sole thing missing from it, actually, is originality, given that audiences just received a dramatic retelling of this tale last year, courtesy of Jessica Biel’s five-part Hulu venture Candy.
It’ll be up to viewers to decide if twice is nice (or necessary) when it comes to Candy Montgomery, whose bloody saga is rehashed with aplomb, if few revelations, in Love & Death. Kelley’s seven-part HBO Max limited series premieres Apr. 27, and its prime contribution to the discourse surrounding its murder is to portray its subject in a relatively empathetic light.