Chris Connor reviews the third episode of Apple TV+’s Sugar…
Sugar’s opening two episodes impressively built a sense of atmosphere and intrigue with nods to noir gone by but with a distinct edge, led by Colin Farrell’s lead performance. A shorter third episode continues the promise as Sugar continues the investigation into what happened to Olivia as some of the threads of his search begin to intersect.
We are immediately thrust into action and the pace doesn’t let up over the 33 minutes. We get some of Sugar in action as he comes face to face with interested parties, giving us a better understanding of Sugar’s working methods, using civilians to stake out potential targets.
The show is teasing a potential confrontation between the group interested in Sugar after they dig into his background, trying to work out ways to get to him, surely a thread for the upcoming episodes.
While there are again some nods to the genre, Sugar clearly is hiding some dark secrets of his own. He is crippled by sudden bursts that knock him off kilter, it will be interesting to see what has caused him to suffer from these bouts.
Sugar’s relationship with Ruby continues to be intriguing, what is the connection between the pair? Can Sugar trust her wholly with her constantly warning him off the case, a thought he echoes in his monologues.
With the episode being fairly short, we don’t get any answers to some of the overarching questions like what exactly has happened to Olivia but regardless it continues to impressively build an identity of its own and give us more of an insight into the mind of John Sugar and what makes him tick.
Sugar continues to be an interesting addition to a tried and tested genre, this episode may be shorter but it manages to cram a lot into its relatively light runtime, upping the ante and stakes somewhat feeling urgent. With more twists and turns to follow, it will be intriguing to see how it unravels with everyone seeming to be hiding a treasure trove of secrets they would like to keep hidden from one another.
Chris Connor
