In the second episode of HBO Max’s Love & Death, the first scene sets the mood for how the rest of the episode will go. The scene starts with Candy (Elizabeth Olsen) in the shower and there’s a song playing in the background. That song is “Just A Dream”, by Jimmy Clanton. The lyrics stand out, “Just a dream, just a dream. All our plans, and all our schemes.” Those lyrics stand out because Candy and Allan (Jesse Plemmons) are planning their affair, which is a secret and a scheme. As the song plays, Candy starts having flashbacks of her and Allan’s interactions. In that scene, Allan joins her in the shower. Candy looks at him and says, “Thank you.” When he asks her what for, she just says, “Just thank you.” Candy is telling him thank you because she was glad that he said yes to her proposition. She was thankful for him to agree to have an affair with one another.
Since the affair has started, viewers can tell that Candy is in a better, much brighter mood. She was happy. She had a lot of energy and was in a better mood than in the first episode. She was having fun, spending time with Allan. Allan is having a fun time with her as well, but he expresses in this episode that he feels bad about cheating on his wife, Betty (Lily Rabe). Betty was carrying their second child and he felt a bit guilty, but Candy made sure to let him know that he shouldn’t feel bad, as long as no one finds out, it would all be fine for the two of them. The forbidden nature of Candy and Allan’s relationship adds an intoxicating appeal that ignites her senses with the newfound freedom and unbridled happiness she’s gained.
As a dedicated and professional individual, Allan deeply values the sanctity of marriage and recognizes the significance of trust within a committed relationship. However, his momentary lapse in judgment has underscored the consequences of his actions, leaving him overwhelmed with feelings of regret and anguish. This is shown through this episode, but it doesn’t stop him from spending his time with Candy.
It’s interesting between Candy and Allan, as they talk about Betty. During their time together, Allan talks to her about his wife and she asks him questions, which he answers. That can’t be a good thing. In one scene where they are talking about Betty, Candy says that she’s falling in too deep with their affair. She says, “I don’t want to fall in love with you,” and that she thinks about him too much. Allan tells her that he thinks about her all of the time as well. This is dangerous because the more time they spend together, the more fire it’ll ignite with their secret.
Sometimes, despite people’s best intentions to keep emotions out of the equation, two people can find themselves developing a deeper connection that they never saw coming within their affair, turning it into something more than what they both signed up for. Their first rule was that if they were to start falling in love with each other, then they’d have to put a stop to their affair. But, seeing how much they want each other, that rule will be broken. Allan is sure to also tell Candy that when Betty gets closer to going into labor, they will have to stop seeing each other as much as they usually do, or have been doing.
The time then goes to July 1979. In the scene, there’s a get-together going on at one of the houses. Allan and Candy talk about his newborn daughter and he lets her know that they won’t be able to meet at the motel until the following week. Candy seems to be upset with that news, her face turning into a frown when he walks away after their conversation. She has this look on her face as she watches the married couple holding their baby girl. She looked like she was sad, that she wished it was her. She was falling hard for Allan and its appearance is obvious for the viewers to see.
A scene that’s important for the storyline is when Allan and Betty are in bed. Betty tries to get Allan’s attention, but he just brushes her off. She starts to cry and says that she knows he isn’t attracted to her anymore. She can feel that there’s a big space of distance between them. She knows that he doesn’t want to touch her anymore. Although she, of course, doesn’t know about his and Candy’s affair, she can see that he hasn’t been happy in their relationship lately. This scene is significant because it’s an emotional scene for Betty. She is expressing herself and she’s confused about why Allan has been so distant, showing she’s been insecure in the relationship for a while.
Overall, Love & Death episode 2, “Encounters”, was much more interesting than the previous one. It starts to go more in-depth focusing on Candy and Allan’s secret relationship and Betty’s emotional toll. It also focuses on Candy’s feelings and emotions, showing her facial expressions, close up in the camera angle, and showing her excitement when she’s with Allan and even before she goes to see him. It will be interesting to see how things go for the two of them in the following episodes since Betty and Allan decided to try Marriage Encounters, which is a couples counseling retreat. It was successful for the two of them and it leaves Candy not only jealous but angry as well.
Rating: 9/10