Dhruv Trivedi
Hulu’s ‘Candy’ follows the story of Betty Gore’s brutal murder and the surprising perpetrator that carries out the crime. The miniseries centers around Betty and Allan Gore and their friend Candy Montgomery, who seems to have a hand in Betty’s death. The quiet suburban setting and slow-burn pacing make for some intense moments in the opening episode itself. There are a lot of unanswered questions in this twisted mystery, so let’s take a closer look at ‘Candy’ episode 1 and see what’s what. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Candy Episode 1 Recap
The episode opens on a languid Friday morning in a quiet neighborhood in Wylie, Texas. Allan Gore gets ready and informs his wife, Betty, that he must travel for work that weekend. With a baby at home that doesn’t seem to stop crying, Betty looks apprehensive about her husband leaving. She complains about a few aches and pains but is reassured by Allan before he heads off and catches a flight to St. Paul, Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Candy and Pat Montgomery, who are friends of Betty and Allan, host Betty’s elder daughter, Christina, for a sleepover. Deciding that she can stay another night and Betty will have her hands full with the baby anyway, Candy calls up her friend and asks whether she can pick up Christina’s swimsuit. Betty seems a little irritated by Candy’s upbeat tone but tells her to come at 11 in the morning. Candy has a busy day and heads to Betty’s house, after which she plans to go to the store.
By the time Candy arrives, Allan has left, and Betty is alone at home with the baby. We don’t see the interaction between Candy and Betty, but the former leaves the house sometime later, visibly shaken and with patches of blood on her. In her perturbed state, Candy drives home and quickly washes her blood-spattered clothes. She also has injuries on her foot and head.
Candy Episode 1 Ending: How Did Betty Die? Was She Shot?
Candy later arrives to pick up her kids and tries to have a regular day. She and Pat take the children out for a movie and pick up a taco dinner. All throughout, Candy acts strangely and describes her day in detail to a slightly surprised Pat. She repeatedly says that she met Betty to pick up Christina’s swimsuit and that her watch broke after that.
On his work trip, Allan attempts to call Betty but to no avail. After she doesn’t pick up the phone on his third call, the husband gets worried. He calls their neighbor, Richard Parker, and requests him to check on the house and Betty. Eventually, Richard and two other neighbors arrive at the Gore residence. Inside, they are shocked to find Betty brutally murdered and inform Allan, saying she’s been shot. Allan then calls up Candy to tell her the devastating news, and the episode closes with a twist, depicting a blood-spattered ax lying next to Betty’s body.
So, it appears that Betty might not have been shot at all. This is in keeping with Allan saying that they don’t even own a gun when he is told his wife has been shot. When the neighbors Richard, Jerry, and Lester discover Betty’s body in the utility closet, they are shocked by the gruesomeness of the scene. Thus, none of them actually enter the room and only see the body from afar, making it possible that they mistake the cause of death as a shooting.
The closing scene depicting the ax strongly hints that Betty herself was killed by it, which would explain all the blood spatter around her. In case Candy did murder Betty, the fact that the murder weapon is an ax would also explain Candy’s disheveled appearance when she leaves Betty’s house. Finally, a gun being fired in the quiet neighborhood would have most certainly been heard. Since none of the neighbors mention hearing gunshots, it seems most likely that Betty was not actually shot but was killed by the ax.
Did Candy Kill Betty?
All fingers point to Candy as Betty’s killer. Apart from her appearance when she exits the Gores’ house, Candy’s injuries also show that she’s been involved in violence. Perhaps most telling is her behavior for the rest of the day. Candy insists on repeating her itinerary for the day to everyone she meets, almost as though she’s trying to fix multiple alibis for herself. The young mother also looks extremely preoccupied and actually vomits at one point.
It is clear that Candy has killed Betty and is now feeling overwhelmed by the potential consequences once her crime is discovered. Interestingly, she also seems to take some comfort when Allan tells her that Betty was shot. This means that Candy likely didn’t use a gun to kill Betty and seems to think that if Betty was shot, then the blame for the murder is unlikely to fall on her. Of course, the crucial question of Candy’s motive to kill Betty remains unanswered so far. However, it is clear that the two had a physical tussle. The apparent physical altercation might also have been provoked by Betty, who appears frustrated ever since Allan leaves for his work trip.
Read More: Were Allan Gore and Candy Montgomery Having an Affair?
