Candy season 1, episode 1 recap – the premiere explained

This recap of the Hulu series Candy season 1, episode 1, “Friday the 13th,” contains spoilers.

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In 2017 Jessica Biel surprised us all with an exceptional performance as murderer Cora Tannetti in the first season of The Sinner, where her character stabs a man to death on a crowded beach for no apparent reason. There are instant parallels between that role and her portrayal of Candy Montgomery in this latest Hulu original series. Biel is again unrecognisable, losing herself in a serious role, playing a woman who kills without a clear motive. Candy looks set to be just as binge-worthy as the aforementioned police procedural, kick starting with a nail-biting opener.

Candy season 1, episode 1 recap

Episode one, “Friday the 13th”, directed by Michael Uppendahl (Mad Men), tells the true story of two suburban families in 1980s Texas, who are torn apart by a seemingly unprovoked, horrific murder. The Gore family consist of housewife Betty (Melanie Lynskey) and businessman Allan (Pablo Schreiber), who are friends with the much more affable and well-off Montgomery’s. Candy (Jessica Biel) is the stereotypically perfect housewife in the Montgomery clan, whilst again her husband Pat is an office drone. These two happy families are your model example of American suburbia, but there is something more sinister at play. The premiere does an excellent job of capturing this disturbing undertone.

An early scene leads with the caption ‘the day she died’, as Betty struggles to cope with her constantly screaming baby. Husband Allan has to work out of state this weekend and the anxious housewife is clearly shaken by this proposition. These throwaway moments paint the Gores as an ordinary family with the couple appearing overworked yet loving. The Montgomery’s are framed in a similar light, with father Pat cracking jokes at the breakfast table and mother Candy planning a fun day for the kids. It is worth noting that Betty’s daughter Christina is over at the Montgomery’s household, spending the day swimming and at the cinema with the family. This, the very same day that her mother will be brutally killed. That caption looms over the subsequent scenes, adding another layer of suspense.

It goes without saying, “Friday the 13th” is chock-full of tension. The opening credits allude to a Hitchcockian style and the show’s score compliments this also. This is an extraordinarily tense fifty minutes of TV. Betty leaves the baby to cry as she hoovers, working through her daily chores, which in itself is painful to endure, whilst Candy pops over to pick up Betty’s daughters’ swimsuit. The camera lingers on the front door, as Candy steps inside. Whatever happens within, the audience aren’t privy to, yet it is a bloodbath of ungodly horrors. Like me, viewers will be left gawping, with a multitude of unanswered questions, but the show just keeps on unfolding.

The ending

Pablo Schreiber’s Allan instantly suspects something amiss and continually calls his wife throughout the day, but he doesn’t receive a single response. He’s aware that she was annoyed with his decision to work far afield, yet it all doesn’t quite add up. His frantic phone calls to friends, neighbours and later the police are unsettling and purposely feel never-ending. I found myself tapping a foot in an excruciating need for resolve. Allan is oblivious to the horrors that await him, but we, the audience, know exactly what’s to come and this makes things that much worse. It is astounding filmmaking that grabs your full attention, with the final scenes playing out like a horror movie, nicely setting up the following instalments of this five part series. I don’t know about you, but I just have to know what happened in that house. See you tomorrow for more recaps of this gripping, new crime drama.

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