In our Sugar series premiere review, we discussed how the show kept reminding us that everything must come to an end.
The season finale again went to great lengths to remind us that all things, good or not, must end.
It did that while shutting the door on the various season arcs and opening another equally interesting door to a future that may never come.
To be clear, Sugar has not been billed as a limited series.
But talk about it is nonexistent, which doesn’t bode well for a series even as refreshing and brimming with talent as Sugar is.
Apple has the deepest pockets in the business, and they don’t have a library of content.
Giving their originals legs to stand on remains good practice, and how frequently they renew projects suggests that ratings and views don’t matter to them as much as, maybe, the sheer joy of creating content.
The series, though, focuses much on film and how they always end.
It doesn’t discuss film per se, but if there’s one thing we know about standalone pieces, they’re always begging for sequels, prequels, and reboots.
Whatever they decide, the finale changes the story’s trajectory.
Olivia has been saved, and in saving her, Sugar discovers the secret of this mission his so-called “friends” have been keeping from him.
Henry Thorpe was a part of the horror the senator’s son inflicted upon women, which is bad enough. That the others went along with it for the sake of the mission compounds the issue.
Even worse is that it was Henry who abducted Sugar’s sister, Jen. Maybe he killed her. John may never know.
Without struggle, without contradiction, what is the point? [his voice changes] Don’t you agree?
Senator’s Son
But the worst part is that Henry is MIA, and with their incredible powers of persuasion, he’s likely to create a group of men who are eager to learn from him.
John has been searching for people since his sister went missing. He made a career of it on earth. Now, he needs to find his former friend and stop him from hurting more people.
I’m gonna find Henry Thorpe, however long it takes. I’m going to find him.
Sugar [internal]
Are we required to go on this journey with him? Definitely not.
By all accounts, this was the end. Sugar learned about himself and human nature; mission accomplished.
(Our full Sugar Season 1 Episode 8 recap goes into the details, so check that out.)
But if there is a desire to continue Sugar’s growth, there is plenty of room to go.
Showing himself to Melanie was a bold move and totally off-book for his species, but humanity has so much to learn from someone like Sugar, who is willing to go the extra mile in kindness and compassion.
I’ve never shown a human being. I’m not supposed to. It’s strictly against the rules. But I’m glad I did.
Sugar [internal]
It’s a shame that we have to learn so much about humanity through an alien exploring our world, but it works to come into our experience unencumbered.
Still, John’s history proved beneficial to his mission. Without losing his sister, he wouldn’t have been able to connect so deeply with humanity.
Jonathan: Are you asking me if Olivia is my daughter?
Sugar: No, sir. It’s none of my business. She’s loved. That’s all that matters.
Jonathan: Grace and sensitivity to the end.
He may have wound up just like his friends, who are willing to look the other way when people are suffering, or worse, like Henry, who is happy to be an active participant.
Jason Butler Harner (Henry) was criminally underutilized, which is becoming a habit as far as he’s concerned.
The same happened in Paramount+’s Rabbit Hole, another role in which he played a layered man with hints of deception that were never fully explored.
A cat-and-mouse game between two characters wasn’t the story Sugar was trying to tell, though.
We can learn a lot about human nature through observation, whether in real life or reel life, and John Sugar dove in head first.
He was on-mission the whole time he was on earth, and immersing himself in our existence made him more like us. Based on how his friends fared, he’s the winner.
It almost seems the intent was to show us that we can be satisfied with an exciting tale that ends with plenty more to explore.
Movies have existed for over a century, and in comparison, TV is still a relatively new medium.
Storytelling is about the journey, wherever it may take us, even if it means taking us right to the edge of a cliff before yelling cut.
Thelma and Louise was the epitome of that mindset, and The Sopranos followed in its footsteps.
This is Mark Protosevich’s first TV series, and you can’t help but wonder if he just enjoyed the idea of expanding his film experience into a longer form.
The episodes were fairly short by TV standards, so he didn’t stretch it out to fill time.
In addition to the many Sugar quotes reminding us we were coming to the end, the season closed with a series of title cards that used to appear at the end of every movie to prove the point.
If you weren’t ready to grab your coat or thought there was more on the way, the words spelled it out plain and clear.
Endings are a strange thing. You know it’s coming, and yet, everything ends.
Sugar
And that’s where we are here.
Sugar is a brief but worthwhile journey that adds flavor to our human experience.
There’s not much more you can ask from a TV show than that.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
