Sugar’s Big Turnaround Was More Than a Gimmick

For most of its first season Sugar on Apple TV Plus it was a fairly typical, albeit well-produced, detective story. It starred Colin Farrell as John Sugar, a private investigator with a series of charming quirks – obsessed with old movies, unable to get drunk, loved by dogs – who was determined to solve a missing persons case involving the granddaughter of a famous Hollywood director . Then, at the end of episode six, the show introduced a twist that threatened to turn it into something very different. But now this SugarThe episode’s ending has been released, it’s clear that the twist didn’t change what the show already was – it just added a new flavor.

Season 1 spoiler warning Sugarincluding the final episode.

Okay, let’s get this out of the way: Sugar is an alien. At the end of episode six, he was revealed to be a blue humanoid who looks like a cross between Doctor Manhattan and the Nebula. Guardians of the Galaxy. It was a surprising moment, although it makes a lot of sense in retrospect. All these peculiarities could be explained by Sugar’s extraterrestrial nature. He loves movies because he used them to learn about humanity. He can’t get drunk because he has a different biology. And he’s part of a secret group of polyglots because that’s how his alien friends get together to discuss observations of him.

Turning Sugar into an alien doesn’t fundamentally change the show – it’s still a modern noir with a compelling mystery at its core. The ending drives this home, as the sci-fi aspect takes a backseat as Sugar races to rescue Olivia (Sydney Chandler) from a potentially horrific fate and return her to her grandfather (James Cromwell). The episode addresses the same questions that have driven the series since its inception: what really happened to Olivia and can Sugar save her?

Mostly, the science fiction elements add urgency. In SugarAt the end of the episode, the aliens are discovered and forced to leave Earth. This means Sugar needs to solve the case before boarding a spaceship to wherever he came from. Every moment counts. And the show ends the way all good crime thrillers end, with a crime that is disturbing but also not quite the end of the story. Even if you guess where you’re going, there are a number of unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Ultimately, the aliens are a fun variation on a well-known archetype. Sugar is patient, observant and dedicated, skills that make him excellent at his job and which may also be linked to his extraterrestrial origins. He is patient and observant because his real job is to observe people and report back to his home world. He is dedicated to finding Olivia because she experienced a tragic loss on her planet and doesn’t want it to happen again.

The ending also makes it clear that Sugar’s story is not over. He ends up staying on Earth, partly because he can’t get enough of humanity, but mostly because he discovers that a fellow alien – who also stayed behind – is essentially the intergalactic Moriarty to his Sherlock. If renewed, Sugar it will probably change from a detective story to a revenge story. Hopefully, if that happens, it will be able to maintain that careful balance between sci-fi and noir. Sure, Sugar is an alien – but that’s not the most interesting thing about him.

Sugar is streaming now on Apple TV Plus.