Chris Connor reviews the fourth episode of Apple TV+’s Sugar…
Sugar continues to be both a homage to film noir of the past with clips from the likes of Double Indemnity and other well-known staples scattered throughout, but also a peculiar beast that is hard to pinpoint. It is this sense of uniqueness that keeps it riveting, with speculation surrounding a major twist later on, the show continues with its main investigation into the disappearance of Olivia Siegel, giving us more of a sense of what she was up to when she went missing and just how much everyone is hiding.
While this may be another short episode, it does help move the investigation along as both the criminals and Sugar, close in on their targets with the Siegel’s investigating Sugar’s background but him seemingly one-upping them. The film homages may grate some but it is for the most part woven into the story with John a star-struck self-professed film nerd. While it may get lost at times in style over substance, it is so incredibly stylish and cool that for the most part, this doesn’t detract from it.
There is a constant lingering sense that nothing is as it seems and whether the twist will be some form of play on Sugar’s mental state or to do with the case itself remains to be seen. There are little tidbits here and there to keep us guessing. What keeps us engrossed however is Colin Farrell’s performance, smooth and charming yet hiding something beneath his cool demeanour, just what that is remains to be seen.
‘Starry Eyed’, moves us closer to finding out what happened to Olivia and manages to cram an impressive amount of plot into just thirty minutes. With the first half of the season done, it raises several questions for the second half, what exactly has happened to Olivia, how do all the loose ends tie up and is everything exactly what it seems?
For now, the show continues to deliver a winning blend of genre homage with its own unique incredibly stylish flourishes, carried by the strength of its cast and performances.
Chris Connor
