Sugar: These People, These Places

April 6, 2024 12:41 PM - Season 1, Episode 2

Sugar suspects Melanie's not telling the full story. Meanwhile, he and Ruby may not be the only ones looking into the mysterious body in Olivia's trunk. Streaming on AppleTV

"...being told to fuck off is usually a sign of progress."

A bland breakfast. Who watches the witless? Gumshoe leather montage. Obtuse dialogues behind the scenes. A working lunch. From a lonely place to a reckoning. Movies are a conspiracy. Carl checks out of the motel. Mirembe only has one rule. A body missing from a trunk. An upset ecosystem. Murmurations and full moons over Los Angeles. The other fella is seeking his main man.

posted by Molesome (5 comments total)

The changes to viewing ratio, film stock, and switches to handheld are probably clues to something. Like, when it goes 4:3 is that signifying he's doing detective work? Or are these delusions? I can't tell yet but I'm intruiged to find out.

I like that we're seeing the efforts of the opponents, giving us an omniscience over the mystery.
posted by Molesome at 12:49 PM on April 6 [2 favorites]

I think there might be something there where Sugar expects things to be like in the movies - and may be proved very very wrong.

For ex, the voice-over about 'touching her hair being a tell' turns out that it's the exact opposite or irrelevant.

But then the weird 'sleepwalking nightmare' thing (cut arm/ shower) last ep. And the wealth.
posted by porpoise at 10:00 PM on April 6

It's upsetting to me how much I'm enjoying this incredibly pretentious, implausible, and overwrought, confusing jumble of a show about a man who seems like he might be a fallen angel (except with a dark past?). Glad we're still making challenging television though. For some reason it's reminding me of The Leftovers (although only by vibrating at certain similar frequencies)
posted by dis_integration at 12:51 PM on April 10 [4 favorites]

Awww, I continue to like and be touched by Melanie. Go girl, going to a meeting! ...Too bad her husband called. And well, the ending.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:16 AM on May 20

I hate this guy, with all the nice-nice? One 'good' deed per episode is almost too much, but two? Three? Granted my own prejudices (irrational) towards the West Coast USA scream and this pushes all of those buttons, the over-riding one is: the nice is fake. And clinging to that I can almost convince myself it's worth watching further... but I think apathy will carry me through at least one more episode.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:09 AM on May 23