User Reviews

From its inception, "Sugar" has captivated audiences with its intriguing blend of mystery and the personal struggles of John Sugar, an enigmatic private detective. As the show approaches its conclusion, viewers like myself have been eagerly piecing together clues, trying to unravel the complex web surrounding the disappearance of a Hollywood producer's beloved granddaughter. However, the latest episode has introduced a twist that, while undeniably bold, leaves me conflicted about the overall direction of the series.

Up until now, John Sugar's ability to evade intoxication and his peculiar, almost supernatural communication with dogs added layers of mystique to his character. These quirks were not just endearing but seemed to hint at a deeper, perhaps psychological or supernatural element. The revelation that John is actually an alien, however, pivots these nuances into a realm that not all fans might appreciate. This shift feels abrupt and somewhat disjointed from the show's established tone.

The episode itself was a rollercoaster, showcasing the series' signature blend of tight storytelling and compelling character development. The cinematography continued to impress, with its shadowy tones and moody settings that perfectly complement the noir vibe of the series. The performance of the cast, particularly Colin Farrell portraying John, remains a high point, effectively conveying the internal turmoil of a character grappling with more than just personal demons.

Yet, this alien revelation casts a long shadow over previous episodes. What was once a gritty, somewhat realistic look at a troubled detective now treads into the science fiction territory. This genre blend could be innovative, or it might alienate those who cherished the show's initial premise. Personally, I find myself grappling with this new identity of John. It's a bold narrative choice, but one that risks undermining the relatable human struggles that were so central to the show's appeal.

Despite my reservations, I am committed to watching the last two episodes. My hope is that the writers will integrate this new element in a way that feels cohesive and respectful to the story arcs we've followed so passionately. There is potential here for a truly groundbreaking twist in storytelling, provided it's handled with care and creativity.

In conclusion, while I am unsure how to feel about the latest developments in "Sugar," there's no denying that the show remains a well-crafted, intriguing series. I am both curious and cautious about its finale. Will it deliver a satisfying conclusion that respects its roots, or will it venture too far into the unknown? Only time will tell.

I _do_ like this show, and I especially love the tone and integration of classic noir films into the rhythm of the show. Colin Farrell is great. The alien look, in this episode's reveal, feels quite familiar, and that's probably intentional -- reminds of V, Enemy Mine, and Guardians, and even X-Men. This episode's shoot-out felt curiously edited -- budget issues? And finally, and perhaps most unfairly, the concept of this definitely reminds me of L Ron Hubbard's Decalogue, if you took that as a starting point and went "noir" with it. The alien twist isn't a huge surprise (Sugar's physical gifts couldn't lead to delusion or mental illness as the plot twist), the words in the show have clearly been dancing around it for a while. Now the show has to land the last two episodes, which I really hope it does.

I suspected Sugar's secret back in Episode 3 after watching the secret meeting at Ruby's. Like secret undercover agents giving a mission progress update. All the signs were there. The show kept dropping hints with certain words like the repeated use of the word "human" in the dialog and certain actions made by the characters. My husband thought I was crazy for the last couple of weeks when I told him my theory that they're a bunch of aliens and for what I thought was going on (reconnaissance mission by the alien team). Tonight, after watching Episode 6, I got justification and let out a loud "YES!" when Sugar's secret was finally revealed.

Overall, I'm enjoying the show and can't wait to see how the final two episodes play out. How are they going to explain everything and what the characters' purposes. I'd watch a season 2 if they make it.

With tensions rising, Sugar finds himself in a tricky spot where he has to use extreme violence to get out of it. This made me sit up and take notice, as from nowhere he seems to have some Matrix-ninja-type of skillset, making it obvious he is not what he seems to be.

I think the series needed a plot twist so was really happy to see something this odd happening. The series leaves the early 50s noir feeling and morphs into something else, and the fun part is that I don't know what it is yet.

The acting stays grounded and both Farrell and Ryan are really good in this episode, with a special mention to a scene with Dennis Boutsikaris and James Cromwell where they get their minutes in the limelight. Boutsikaris delivers a strong performance in that scene, and I think is pretty nice since Bernie really hasn't been a very interesting character so far in my opinion.

Sugar is being worked against from every angle, and solving the case looks grim, but nevertheless the end of the episode delivers a big surprise that will keep me glued to my seat, this is good!

1) Love the theme music ~ simple drums & piano.

2) Love the "hook" ~ fake "who done it" reeled me into the story of what happened to Olivia, who knows Olivia, who obducted Olivia, is Olivia still alive, and where is Olivia now. All typical mystery story "lures" but with a dark-side twist that led me on ~ like a good page-turner book.

3) Clips from old movies ~ led me to wonder if Sugar was really a studio robot programmed with an AI database for a movie, which would account for his hand needing an engineering or program correction & dogs quickly assessing him as a non-human.

4) It occurred to me that Jonothan Siegel may have had Sugar created as an AI robot for a specific movie, which wasn't quite finished when his granddaughter disappeared & he decided to use it to find her.

5) I was expecting a plot twist when Sugar was called to a meeting by Ruby of possibly other AI robots that might need some programming tweaks or bug fixes like most operating software.

6) Of course, I didn't expect Sugar would bleed profusely from injuries, so that threw me & heightened my curiosity even more.

7) When he said "Go Home" like ET, I just assumed it was from the AI.

8) So, I wasn't prepared at all for Sugar to become an ALIEN, like right out of Avatar. I loved being surprised!!

The moment the lead detective Sugar injected alien-heroin, a missing girl story with an obsessive detective turned scifi-fantasy-crime show!

Sugar is definitely a weird character with many secrets and overly empathetic for a private investigator but this?

I did not suspect this to be the secret and reason for Sugar's behavior.

What will be next? Was everybody from that party an alien too? Are they collecting information on human society with their notebooks and debriefs?

Are they collaborating with the government or is the guy his friend met in the forest their boss?

If all of this was Sugar's idea, why are they willing to kill him?

Many questions remain to be answered!

The next episode will be decisive - Is this show great or just weird? We will soon find out!

I really loved the appearance of this show. The old school film obsessed detective that drives a Stingray Convertible. The movie clips strewn throughout. The drama of a great detective thriller.

I just don't understand how this will crossover between sci-fi and true crime/investigative drama audiences. I personally am the latter and want nothing to do with the alien storyline. I'll be curious to see what they do with it. If the writers are good enough, they could still pull off an amazing series, I just don't have high hopes. I guess we can at least say that they came up with a very unconventional TV Show in the era of remakes and sequels.

I knew from the early reviews that "Sugar" has a major twist, and that the reveal would come in the sixth episode. Like most people, I watched a ton of SERIOUSLY terrible TV during the pandemic, but the most absurd of the bunch involved a standard spy-drama trope - normal-seeming suburban mom turns out to be a retired superspy! - with the twist that the mom also somehow has shapeshifting abilities. (This was one of those D-movies ostensibly set in NYC, but plainly filmed in Romania with actors with abysmal American accents.)

Still, I assumed the twist in "Sugar" would be whatever was behind that padlocked door. And I knew *something* weird was up when Sugar LITERALLY batted a moving 9mm bullet away WITH HIS HAND. I also remember that he injected himself with a mysterious liquid in E1. Nonetheless, I assumed a prestige streamer like Apple wouldn't air something THAT stupid.

I was wrong.

Now I have a simple question: why???????? "Sugar" isn't perfect, but I see nothing whatsoever wrong with a modern take on noir, and there are countless other plot devices they could've used aside from a LITERAL alien.

The whole driving the classic Stingray convertible schtick is a bit cringey and hard to believe - just look up what those things are worth - but dog whispering a couple of Dobermans, getting the drop on three people with guns already aimed at you, hanging out with a huge abdominal stab wound, driving back to your motel with this wound, getting patched up enough to drive to your betrayer's house... and then turning into an alien... sheesh. Well made nonsense. Amazing cast, beautiful cinematography and blocking, great LA noir vibe, but all the callouts to old movies has kind of a "Dream On" vibe: I half expect to see Brian Brennen in a cameo.

Well, I didn't see it coming. I knew from reviews (thanks, critics, for spoiling it; if you tell me there's a twist in episode 6 but kindly don't tell me what it is, it still ruins the show for me) that there was a twist in ep 6. And it is a cowardly, ridiculous, nonsensical, cynical twist designed to get people like me, who just want to watch TV, to go online and talk about it, so more people click on the show, thinking "It can't be THAT bad", only to then realise that yes, it is that bad, but by then, Apple have their extra view, so they're slapping themselves on the back and green lighting a second series, which nobody will watch and they'll then axe.

Staggering. But here we are. If like me, you made it to episode 6, congrats. How did we get here, where TV isn't entertaining but baffling.