The finale of Love & Death sees Candy Montgomery confess in front of the courtroom what transpired the day she killed Betty. The episode is now streaming on Max.
Episode 7 recap: Ssssshh
Candy is lost thinking about how she killed Betty before Don asks her if she is ready to confess. Don instructs her not to hold anything back. Even if it seems like she is hiding something, they can lose.
Candy describes what happened at Betty’s house and the entire altercation, piece by piece, in the courtroom. Apparently, Candy tried to run away after attacking Betty once during the fight. It’s just that Betty wasn’t ready to let Candy go.
The struggle continued, and Candy used all the rage and strength inside her to push Betty away. Candy got triggered. She attacked Betty’s head using the axe they had and continued doing so. Even during the swings thrown at her, Betty tried to fight back, forcing Candy to not stop until Betty finally died.
Candy confesses that she was afraid that Betty would get back up and come at her, so she kept hitting her. Don also asks her whether she had intentions to kill Betty when she first walked into her house and when it occurred to her that she should kill Betty to stop Betty from killing her.
Candy says she had no such intentions and never thought about when she should kill Betty. Once Betty was down, Candy took a shower to wash off the blood on her face and body and got back to her routine.
Candy tried to forget about the incident, believing that it was a mistake. Don shows Candy the axe with which she killed Betty to break her down. Judge Ryan feels concerned for Candy. He inquires if she needs a break.
Allan’s lawyer, O’Connell, points out that, after killing Betty, Candy lied to everyone and pretended that killing Betty never happened. A piece of evidence in the form of a lens from Candy’s sunglasses is shown. The lens was found in Gores’ garage.
Candy gives a reasonable explanation for how that lens must have gone there during her fight with Betty. O’Connell calls Candy a pretty good liar, considering how she is able to come up with an explanation for everything.
For the next hearing, Don intends to bring Dr. Fason in because self-defense doesn’t account for 40 hits. Back home, Candy suffers from nightmares involving her mother.
Love & Death ending explained in detail:
What happened to Candy during the altercation?
During the next hearing, Pat is allowed to speak, and he defends his wife. Dr. Fason’s turn comes, and he reveals that Candy suffered from a dissociative reaction.
Dr. Fason explains that Candy lied to everyone because she couldn’t fathom that she was capable of such violence. Candy also cared about what people thought of her. This is a common personality pattern in people who suffer from dissociative reactions.
Dr. Fason reveals when Candy first experienced a dissociative reaction. She was four and had lost a race to an older boy. A furious Candy threw a jar she had, and a broken piece of that jar landed on her forehead and injured her.
At a time like this, instead of comforting her child, Candy’s mother tried to shut her up and remind her what people would think of her if they saw her crying like this.
Dr. Fason lets everyone know that Candy has no conscious memory of this event. She disclosed this under hypnosis. Dr. Fason’s confession reveals that Candy didn’t consciously intend to kill Betty Gore.
Candy was defending herself from Betty’s attack, and the rage inside her that got triggered at that time came from what happened with her mother when Candy was a kid.
After Dr. Fason’s testimony, friends and members of the church that Candy and Betty attended spoke their piece. Ron, especially, calls Betty confrontational and mean as compared to Candy.
Is Candy found guilty?
After the hearing, Don is put in jail for going up against Ryan earlier while Dr. Fason was giving his testimony. Robert gets him out. During the next hearing, Don reminds the jury that Candy never intended to kill Betty; she only reacted in self-defense and snapped. No one has been able to rule out self-defense.
O’Connell, on the other hand, says that they only have Candy’s version of events. The way Candy killed Betty doesn’t seem like self-defense. He also reminds the jury that Candy lied to everyone at every turn, and she only became truthful once she was caught.
The verdict comes earlier than expected, and the jury finds Candy not guilty. The verdict leaves the courtroom in shambles. Candy breaks down holding Don’s hand, who celebrates.
What happens to Candy and Allan after the case?
Before the verdict came out, Pat had told Candy that they will have to leave this town because they will never be able to restart their lives here. This led Candy and her family to move out of McKinney eight days later.
Candy bids goodbye to Sherry, and on their way out of town, Candy stops by Betty’s to apologize to Allan and say goodbye to him as well. For the most part, Allan is speechless, but he admits that he is sorry too.
Pat and Candy divorced after relocating to Georgia. Allan Gore married church organist Elaine Williams after Betty’s death. However, they divorced too. Allan married for the third time and now lives in Maine.
Allan and Betty’s kids were adopted by Betty’s parents. Betty’s autopsy revealed that she wasn’t pregnant when she died. Don Crowder ran for governor of Texas in 1986. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot in 1988.
Lastly, Candy went on to become a family therapist in Georgia and even practiced with her daughter, Jenny, at one point.
Review
- Love & Death finally explores the gory details of the case, which have been teased since the first few minutes of the show. The show shouldn’t have held back from capturing every other blow after already showing the mess that was created.
- Hearing what transpired the day Betty died from Candy’s mouth changes the mood of the show. Though the viewers know what happened, with new details in the mix and Candy speaking for herself, Love & Death creates a sense of uneasiness and an urge to know how it must have happened in viewers’ minds.
- Till the very last moment, Love & Death portrays both sides of Candy’s case strongly. The show builds heavy tension by the time it reaches the verdict. The reactions in the courtroom are filled with gasps, and people who are not familiar with the case may also share the same feeling.
- Lastly, Love & Death rushes through the testimonies of others and comes to the most important ones, which are those of Candy and Dr. Fason. The important arguments are covered in detail, and at every moment, a viewer will be questioning Candy and Betty’s moves.
Love & Death season 1 episode 7
Director: Lesli Linka Glatter
Date Created: 2023-05-25 12:30
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