Warning! This post contains spoilers for Sugar.
Apple TV+’s new mystery drama, Sugar, offers viewers many things to look forward to in its first few episodes, but its black-and-white scenes seemingly spell trouble for its future. Primarily set in Los Angeles, Sugar combines Jazz music with stylistic visuals to walk audiences through the crime-solving endeavors of the titular detective, John Sugar. In its early episodes, it not only introduces a gripping overarching mystery but also shows viewers how altruistic and skilled its protagonist is.
While many elements seemingly work in the Apple TV+ show’s favor in episodes 1 and 2, it is Colin Farrell’s performance that allows it to elevate itself above other run-off-the-mill shows of the genre. However, despite all the merits, Sugar makes some risky creative choices by presenting many of its scenes with a black-and-white overlay. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these visuals, their significance in the show’s overarching narrative seems too shrouded and confusing.
In episodes 1 and 2, Sugar not only borrows several stylistic elements from film noir but also draws direct nods to classic movies like The Big Heat, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, and In a Lonely Place. From its opening prologue itself, Sugar also features black-and-white scenes to establish itself as a derivative of film noir. These visual aspects effectively add more heft to the show’s atmospheric allure, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the titular protagonist’s enigmatic mysteries. However, they also hold the Apple TV+ show back from focusing on its own key story beats.
In Sugar‘s early moments, its homages to film noir serve as intriguing hooks because they play a crucial role in setting its tone and also instilling a sense of nostalgia in audiences. However, the more Sugar attempts to draw narrative parallels with classic noir, the more its nods seem contrived and forced, distracting viewers from what is happening in the overarching storyline. Since only two episodes have premiered so far, it would be a little too soon to judge the show’s film noir callbacks and call them meaningless in its narrative.
However, after episodes 1 and 2, it is hard not to wonder if the show is relying too heavily on these references instead of etching its own identity. Some subtle hints in Sugar‘s opening episodes suggest there may be more to these homages than meets the eye. For instance, the titular character’s behaviorisms hint that he could be an AI learning to be more human by adopting ideas and mannerisms from classic noir protagonists. Hopefully, Sugar’s future episodes will provide more answers about what the homages actually mean and how the black-and-white scenes fit into the broader story.