Chris Connor reviews the season finale of Apple TV+’s Sugar…
Sugar has been an intriguing if up and down blend of sci-fi and noir, carried by its lead performance from Colin Farrell and sense of mystery. The final episode wraps up the dangling threads surrounding Olivia Siegel’s disappearance while hinting at further mysteries for our otherworldly PI and his associates.
The resolution of Olivia’s disappearance might prove underwhelming, introducing new parties late in the day. The resolution can drag at times with lingering farewells, however the final 5-10 minutes ups the ante, setting up an intriguing thread for the next season and giving Sugar more purpose on Earth than he previously thought. While the series has received a mixed reception, we can only hope the crew are allowed to further blend genres and explore some of the intriguing ideas set up here.
Even if not quite all the ideas have worked, it is to Sugar’s credit that it has played with the pastiche it could quite easily have become, working simultaneously as a homage to classics of the genre with the likes of Humphrey Bogart, James Stewart and Orson Welles while being something fresh. Colin Farrell’s PI might not be a Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade but he gives life into his alien detective and his dogged pursuit of the truth.
There are several lingering threads, who are the humans who have found out about Sugar and his contemporaries? Does Henry have Sugar’s sister or know the truth about her disappearance? It is a shame that these elements, among the most compelling have come into play so late but they will likely help make a potential second season an intriguing watch.
Sugar is not without its merits, making the most of its style and unorthodox approach to a tried and tested genre, offering something fresh. The jump from noir tribute to sci-fi may come out of leftfield but it helps separate it from other imitators. While the investigation itself may wrap up surprisingly early, there are tantalising glimpses at further adventures for Sugar and it will be interesting to find the balance the show finds should it return with Sugar looking for his long lost sister.
Chris Connor
