Review: Sugar Season 2, Episode 2: “Downer Town”

Written by Gary Tieche Directed by Michael Morris

The thing about John Sugar is that he really is a nice guy. At the core, he is a decent man. Which makes it interesting that he’s not a human being at all. The humans are the more complicated creatures in the tale.

Sugar’s scene with Charlotte is perhaps on the nose in that regard. Charlotte notes that Sugar is “nice”, then remarks that this is usually seen by men as a bit of an insult. Nice is weakness, to far too many people. Charlotte means it as a compliment, but when Sugar responds in kind, Charlotte scoffs at the idea that she herself is “nice”. She’s far more than that, in her mind. Sugar, however, seems perfectly fine with being considered “nice”.

Sugar’s kindness and decency is, I think, a huge draw for the series. He emulates his private detective heroes that are, perhaps, idealized versions of how people should be. Sure, it helps that he’s incredibly rich, as Danny points out. He has the luxury to be kind and above board. There’s a bit of that skepticism in Val, too, who makes a welcome return. And yet, Sugar never punches down, like all too many rich humans do. He wants the best for everyone.

The episode goes out of its way to show that Sugar serves when others would ignore. He helps the nurse who was laid off without hesitation and wishes her well. He notices the unwashed dishes in the sink later in the episode. They tug at him, compelling him to take action and help the poor grieving grandmother. He doesn’t act “nice”, he simply is.

It does leave him with a bit of a blind spot, perhaps. He’s used to treating people well and them responding in kind. The gang emerging at the center of the Moon case defies that expectation. He approaches them with respect, and it’s fair to say that they couldn’t care less. Or perhaps they do care, enough to see Sugar as something to remove from the board. This is effectively foreshadowed when the gang takes out an innocent civilian who just happens to resemble Ji Moon.

And this is just how the season is beginning. Sugar will undoubtedly survive, and we have yet to see how all the pieces will actually fit together. The gang feels like the weapon; who is the one aiming that weapon? Is complicated Charlotte entirely who she seems to be? How is Pavitch going to play into all this? And we can’t discount that there’s likely to be a shocking twist to come. We keep getting reminders of Sugar’s alien heritage. Why bother, if it isn’t going to matter in some way?

The complications introduced in this episode were already compelling enough before that fateful gunshot. Will this incident force Sugar to rely more on Val? That would fit the purpose that Sugar seems to want her to fulfill. And it would also change up the formula a bit. I don’t need less Sugar, so I hope he remains center stage, even in a diminished capacity.