TV Reviews : The Mind Behind the Ax in ‘Killing’ on CBS

It’s perfectly clear as the plot unfolds in “Killing in a Small Town,” airing tonight at 9 on Channels 2 and 8, that Candy Morrison gave her neighbor 41 whacks with an ax. Candy finally confesses it all. Pretty elementary stuff, Watson.

But in this true-life murder in Texas 10 years ago, there’s a puzzler that pulls us into this rather gripping mystery story: Candy had an affair with Peggy Blankenship’s husband. She admits hacking Peggy. But is she guilty?

The mystery here is mystery of the mind. We don’t want to give away too much and spoil your enjoyment of a good ax murder, but as her defense counsel (Brian Dennehy) and her psychiatrist (Hal Holbrook) wend their way through Candy’s psyche, they finally reach her most profound fears and unleash twisting, wrenching primal screams. As the sweet and raging Candy, a pleasant young wife and mother who sings in the church choir, Barbara Hershey delivers a multilayered performance of poignancy and pain that begs for a cascade of adjectives.

The resolve is a mixed blessing. Candy believes she’s a monster; the doctor assures her that she’s just like the rest of us. Candy returns: “Is that supposed to comfort me?”