Seriously. Spoilers ahead.
Sugar, the new detective show starring Colin Ferrell on Apple TV+, is extremely good. I’m continually shocked how it modernizes a genre I find cheesy and dated. It manages to be a show about “The Movies” without being a self-indulgent LA circle jerk. It has a very compelling central mystery and great characterization and acting. Also I cannot believe some of the wild, very good editing choices made in each episode.
But there’s something the show doesn’t lead with. It’s science fiction.
I’ve seen people call this a bait and switch. I’ve seen people really mad about where this show goes.
Kali Maaaaa
And honestly I’m reminded of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That movie is widely hated because of the end result being that the titular skull is alien technology.
But my hot take has always been that aliens are not why Crystal Skull is a bad movie. It’s a bad movie because it’s a cheap sequel that did nothing to really examine what makes Indiana Jones great. It is poorly written throughout and the styling is a pastiche of a pastiche. I happen to really dislike Temple of Doom, but aliens are no more crazy than the “Kali Ma” human heart ritual from that movie.
I think people are just mad that there are aliens.
The thing is, Sugar, despite its big twist in episode 6, is still a show about a PI getting way too deep in a case. The editing and the acting still blow me away each episode. The PI is just an alien now.
And the best part is that the show tells you this pretty early. Sugar mentions his metabolism that is 50 times faster than anyone else. He is injecting something at night from a strange looking crystal device. He and his handler, Ruby, are part of a secret society that is “just here to observe.” He loves movies but only got to them somewhat recently.
I went in knowing the twist, but the signs are there. At least that higher level mystery is very plainly presented, even if you miss the details. I read someone say they though Ruby and her society were vampires. So the show wants you to wonder.
I think it’s really bold, and I’m excited to see where it goes. Science fiction’s power to comment on the real world is something I love. I hope Sugar has something to say. I think they’ve shown that so far they’re more than capable of that.
https://matthorton.live/2024/05/06/im-spoiling-sugar-on-apple-tv-in-this-one/
#appleTv #detectiveDrama #spoilers #sugar
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