After the police's unequivocal declaration that Candy is a prime suspect in Betty's murder, she enlists the services of Don, who is eventually forced to confess that despite his boastful demeanor, he is, in essence, a mild-mannered personal injury specialist. This poses a problem for Candy, who desires a trustworthy representative and confides in Don that she was the one who hacked Betty to pieces. "The Arrest" is an episode with an unusual pace, primarily focused on catching up with information the audience has already been privy to. The removal of any sense of mystery adds layers to Elizabeth Olsen's performance that I can fully comprehend why we'd do it this way, but it also raises other questions.
One such question is whether we have not been shown the murder to retain some degree of ambiguity about its exact circumstances. There's a part of me that thinks we might have been better served by seeing Candy go postal, which would then add another tinge of horror to her public efforts at defending her innocence. These efforts become incredibly public in this episode, as soon as the police start considering Candy a suspect, they start leaking information to the press, and soon everyone knows about it. She's arrested almost immediately after confessing to the affair with Allan.
Which raises another point: Candy is described as the most normal woman in town. She's an active member of the church, has a great reputation, and no prior criminal record. She's supposed to be the quintessential churchgoing Texan housewife. And yet the efforts to utterly condemn and shame her are intense and immediate. Why?
I think it's due to the adultery factor. And I believe this factor is tied to the fact that it's no coincidence that Candy is played by Elizabeth Olsen in this version or Jessica Biel in the Hulu version of the same story. It simply cannot be a coincidence that in every version of her story, Candy is played by a notably beautiful woman, especially since the real Candy Montgomery... let's just say doesn't look like Elizabeth Olsen or Jessica Biel.
I argue that the correlation between attractiveness, adultery, and being made a pariah is very intentional. It's not just about a seductress who would tempt a married man and then hack his wife up; it's a tale as old as time - the othering, the exoticization of beauty; the temptress, the femme fatale. Or perhaps Candy was just nuts and Olsen is just a bankable star to front an HBO Max drama. But either way, it's something worth pondering all the same.
Don's thoughts align seamlessly with mine, and in response to the media frenzy, he comments, "She's becoming the notorious scarlet woman, the axe-wielding hussy." He counsels Candy to shed some pounds, adopt a more demure hairstyle, and transform her wardrobe—and he doesn't mince words about it. He even suggests sending Candy to a psychiatrist, as an effective defense would require a comprehensive understanding of her mental state. In essence, he wants to know if Candy is insane. This, however, is a positive development. With Don being the only one privy to Candy's truth, he finds himself somewhat isolated from the rest of the show, as Candy has been. He calls Ron and asserts that since God surely knows Candy Montgomery is incapable of such a heinous act, it's the duty of a pastor to remind his congregation of this fact. He's using his piety as Candy's shield.
The psychiatrist's office turns into a surreal setting more akin to a guided hypnosis session than a therapy session. Candy is led through a reliving of the events in Betty's utility room. But we're still left in the dark, really. Candy chants her hatred for Betty for ruining her life, yet in her possessed state, she portrays a woman defending herself. Another memory, this time from her childhood, reveals another instance of repressed emotion overwhelming Candy. The psychiatrist deduces that she is not a sociopath but simply snapped.
Crucially, at one point, Don bursts into the room and asks if she might be faking it. The psychiatrist reassures him—and thus the audience—that she isn't unless she's also faking the ability to feel pain or the physiological responses to extreme cold. In the final scene of the episode, Don calls Pat and reveals the truth about what happened, while Candy assures her children that soon the trial will be over, she'll be found innocent, and they'll return to being a normal family once again. Pat's reaction suggests that it might not be quite that simple.
