In the second episode of “Love & Death,” things became quite serious between Allan and Candy, as they both grew fond of each other. Their secret relationship gave them a break from their mundane lives, and they felt alive once again. Candy was clearly the one who was more invested in the relationship, and she felt nice as Allan gave her the attention that she craved.
Candy and Allan had started seeing each other quite frequently, and they always chose a motel that was out of the city limits because they didn’t want others to know their secret. They had become quite comfortable and had started opening up to each other. From marital problems to professional challenges, they talked about everything that came to mind because they knew that it was a safe space, and they wouldn’t be judged for feeling a certain way. Candy felt liberated, and she was enjoying every bit of the time she spent with Allan. She was sure about the fact that she wanted to carry it on and meet Allan as frequently as she could. Allan, on the other hand, did feel guilty at times, but his desire to be with Candy overpowered everything else.
Candy had started feeling emotionally attached to Allan, something that they had mutually decided was off-limits. She had tried to keep things on the surface, but she had become possessive about him, and she used to get insecure when Allan spent time with his wife. Allan told Candy that they wouldn’t be able to meet for the next couple of weeks since Betty was in the last month of her pregnancy, and he wanted to be around as she could go into labor at any given moment. Candy knew that what he was saying completely made sense, but still, she felt a pang, and that’s when she confessed to Allan that she believed that she was falling for him. Candy felt a little relieved when she got to know that even Allan had started feeling attached and that all he wanted to do was spend time with her. Candy and Allan decided that they wouldn’t reach a point of no return, would be in better control of their feelings, and would abstain from falling in love at all costs. But it was easier said than done, and Candy felt that the situation was getting out of hand. Allan told her that though they had decided that they would end their relationship the moment any one of them got attached, being with Candy had surprisingly helped him mend his relationship with Betty, and that is why he wanted to keep doing it.
Why Was Betty Feeling Annoyed?
Though Allan tried being there and giving Betty all the support that he could, she had these mood swings where she felt like burning the world down. Everything seemed to annoy her, and she was just not able to see the brighter side of things. The doctor had told Betty that stress was not good for her pregnancy, but she just wasn’t able to control her emotions. Betty had a problem with the new pastor, Ron Adams, who had replaced Jackie. Other members of the church told her to have some patience and give him a chance to prove himself, but Betty hated him so much that she also entertained thoughts of leaving the church. Betty, in “Love & Death” Episode 2, had started feeling that Allan had lost interest and was no longer attracted to her. She had a meltdown, which made Allan feel very guilty. He went to meet Candy the next day and told her that he was of the opinion that they should stop meeting and end their relationship. Candy got agitated, but she had no option other than to agree with what Allan was proposing. Allan and Betty had been dealing with their relationship for a very long time, and now Candy’s involvement had given Allan a way out. Maybe that is why he was able to overlook the fact that there was no love left between him and Betty. But Betty had no such person to lean on, and every moment she spent with her husband made her realize what was not right in their relationship.
How Did Betty And Allan Mend Their Relationship?
Betty proposed that they attend the Marriage Encounter course and try to work on their relationship. Allan told Candy about it, whose first reaction was that it would be the end of their extramarital affair. Candy somewhere felt that if things became right between Allan and Betty, Allan would no longer want to see her. In “Love & Death” Episode 2, Candy expresses her deepest fears to her friend Sherry. The thought that Allan would be spending a weekend with Betty in a hotel room made Candy uncomfortable. This feeling that Candy got was proof of the fact that she was emotionally vested in her secret affair. It was no longer just physical for her, but she also knew that the dynamics of her relationship were such that she couldn’t even tell Allan to not work on his marriage. She was getting jealous of Betty, and to make matters worse, she had to babysit Allan’s kids, as Betty did not trust anybody else with her newborn baby. Candy knew that what she wanted was not right, but still, deep down, she hoped that the Marriage Encounter course did not help their cause.
In one of the exercises conducted at the marriage encounter facility, the spouses had to write down their fears and what they had been feeling about their partners. Betty told Allan that she had started feeling unwanted, and she asked Allan if he was no longer attracted to her. Allan lied because he knew that it was the only way he could save his marriage. Allan was clearly an indecisive man who wanted to have the best of both worlds. He believed himself to be righteous, and he wanted to live up to his own expectations, but at the same time, he was attracted to Candy, and he didn’t want to end what he had with her.
Towards the end of “Love & Death” Episode 2, Betty and Allan go straight to Candy’s house to pick up their kids. Candy just wanted to know whether the course had helped their marriage or not, and she was devastated to hear what they had to say. Allan was oblivious to the growing insecurities of Candy and while departing with his kids and wife he told her that he would give her a call. In the upcoming episodes, we will get to know if Candy and Allan keep their extramarital relationship alive or if Allan’s conscience gets in the way and he decides to end it for good.
