Hulu has a brand new show coming to their streaming platform in Candy. The series will air DAILY, yep, you read that right, DAILY, from May 9 through May 13. The five-episode series stars Jessica Biel in the lead role of Candy Montgomery.
Director: Michael Uppendahl
Written: Nick Antosca, Robin Veith
Starring Jessica Biel, Melanie Lynskey, Raul Esparza
Plot: Candy Montgomery is a 1980s housewife and mother who did everything right – but when the pressure of conformity builds within her, her actions scream for just a bit of freedom. Until someone tells her to shush. With deadly results.
The show begins with Candy (Jessica Biel) delivering a charming little monologue about a tree. I would love to command whoever’s decision to open the series like this because Candy is haunting and downright FRIGHTENING. Next, we meet Betty (Melanie Lynskey) and Alan (Pablo Schreiber), dealing with their crying baby. After the baby calms down, we discover that Alan is heading out of town again and Betty isn’t happy. She also fears that she is pregnant again, but Alan urges her to take the pill, so they have no worries.
A pilot episode has to do one job, and it has to get the audience reeled into the story in a way that makes them want to come back for more. So I believe you have an extra layer when it comes to stories about real people because you want the people who know about the story to be invested but also want the viewers who don’t know about the story to get invested. So they do a great job of structuring it early on to ensure that all parties are here to stay.
You are getting a play-by-play into the life of Candy, but what the writers do is give you little pieces to nibble on of every side of her, which leaves you wondering what side of her is the right side of her. I loved it. Speaking of Candy, one of the more impressive things about the opening episode of the series is seeing Jessica Biel completely transformed into the role of Candy. Her body language, mannerisms, and facial expressions blew me away. She knocked this role out of the ballpark, unreal transformation. Truly might be the best performance of Biel’s career.
I was equally as blown away by Pablo Schreiber as Alan Gore. If you have been watching his performance as Master Chief in Halo on Paramount+, you will see a COMPLETELY different Schreiber in this series. Again, he shows off his incredible range.
The writing says a lot about our characters throughout this pilot but doesn’t say much simultaneously. They did a great job of building the tension with the incredible score by composer Ariel Marx that only heightens every moment leading to that final big reveal. My intrigue about what is ahead has me locked in and ready to watch the next episode. It was truly the PERFECT pilot.
The Music City Drive-In 
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