User Reviews

There are lots of back-story hints in the background- that I really look forward to finding out more about.

The setting is sumptuous -to me. I've never been to America and California makes a great set for this.

I love the little flashes of film-noir that appear-and we play a game guessing which film they're from.

Sugar has established himself as a good guy- with lots of tiny glimpses of his exotic history- speaks many languages, may have had some special forces training?

And Wiley- what a diva! When have you ever seen a dog with such soulful and expressive eyes? Ever?

That pup deserves his very own special Oscar for the first episodes alone!

With the appearance of some genuine baddies, the stakes are now higher. I enjoyed seeing some action and thrills in this episode after two relatively quiet episodes. There is also a sharper much divide in this episode between the baddies' appearance driving modern F150 trucks and their very modern take on violence compared to Sugar's old school persona, driving his classic car and behaving like someone from the 50s.

There are also a lots of things shrouded in mystery. Sugar ends up in some kind of interrogation room with Ruby, where he is berated for getting emotionally engaged in his cases, and that he is supposed to be cold and rational about his work. There is also a hint about previous trauma that I find interesting, hopefully that will be explored further.

There is also the matter of Sugar's unwillingness to meet Dr Vickers, something Sugar has put off for several episodes. Cracks are beginning to appear and as a viewer I'm not really sure if the story I'm told makes sense or if I am being taken for a ride here, and there are some very clear signs that things are not what they appear to be, so the mystery is constantly evolving, which I like.

So far Sugar is a fun and captivating watch. And although you can tell it is not quite as stylish when Arkin is directing and not Meirelles, it still looks great.

Colin Farrell's "Sugar" unfortunately stumbles into the pitfalls of many TV dramas; it's grasping for a unique voice but ends up sounding all too familiar. Episode 4 epitomizes this struggle, leaving much to be desired in terms of character development and originality.

A significant issue in this episode is the blatant disregard for realistic tech portrayals, a common thread in many shows but painfully obvious here. The scene where a character receives an "unauthorized access!" alert on her computer in bright red is particularly grating. Not only does it defy basic understanding of how cybersecurity and access protocols work, but it also assumes viewers will accept this lack of authenticity. The question of why she, presumably not an admin, receives real-time alerts about file accesses is left unanswered. More realistic would be a scenario where breaches are discovered through routine checks, not flashy, real-time warnings.

This kind of creative oversight reflects a broader problem in "Sugar": a deficiency in clever, thoughtful writing. The show seems content to recycle familiar elements of the detective genre without injecting the nuanced character study or sharp dialogue that elevates a series from ordinary to exceptional.

For those of us yearning for the gripping narratives and rich character arcs seen in shows like "Severance" and "Succession," "Sugar" feels like a missed opportunity. It tries to dress up in noir trappings but lacks the substance needed to make its identity crisis compelling.