Warning! This post contains spoilers for Apple TV+'s Sugar.

Summary

• Amidst a sci-fi twist, Sugar's cathartic decision to embrace humanity sets the stage for potential follow-ups.
• Character depth unfolds as John Sugar navigates complexities beyond a typical detective drama facade.
• Sugar's evolving empathy and tangled relationships hint at more mysteries to unravel in Season 2.

Colin Farrell's character makes a cathartic decision towards the end of Apple TV+'s Apple TV+'s Sugar comes off as a typical detective drama in which its titular character sets out to unravel the mystery behind a young girl's disappearance. However, as the show progresses, it becomes evident there is more to John Sugar's characterization than meets the eye.

Finally, in episode 6, Sugar drops a major twist, revealing that the titular character and the other of his polyglot society are aliens. Although their sole purpose is to only observe humans, Sugar gets too involved in his crime-solving endeavors and sets out to find the truth behind Olivia's disappearance. He eventually finds what he seeks, but he and his team of aliens face the dire consequences of his actions in Sugar's finale.

Why Sugar Stays On Earth In Season 1's Ending

Sugar Feels Alienated By His Own Kind

Sugar's final episode reveals the titular character's alien allies are returning to their home planet. Although Sugar, too, initially plans to leave with them, he eventually changes his mind after giving his recent experiences some thought. Many factors contribute to Sugar's decision to stay behind, but the primary reason behind it is his realization of his own humanity. After spending enough time on Earth around all kinds of humans, Sugar understands he is more human than he thought.

...Despite his best efforts to suppress his vulnerabilities and human tendencies, Sugar realizes that a part of him is becoming more human each day.

In the Apple TV+ show's early episodes, Sugar keeps questioning his emotions and even tries to stop himself from getting involved in violent altercations with others. However, despite his best efforts to suppress his vulnerabilities and human tendencies, Sugar realizes that a part of him is becoming more human each day. Towards the end of the season, he learns that he embodies both the worst and the best in humanity, and as much as he will miss his home planet, he belongs on Earth. Apart from this realization, learning the truth about Henry also makes him stay back on the planet.

Sugar's Henry Twist Explained: Why Henry Did Nothing About Pavich's Crimes

Henry Was Fulfilling His Job Of "Observing & Reporting"

In Sugar season 1's last few episodes, the titular character gets to the bottom of the mystery behind Olivia's disappearance and even saves her before it is too late. However, despite solving the mystery, a part of him still believes he is missing a crucial detail about Pavich's crimes. To learn more about Pavich's murders, he starts playing his disks on a CD player. After going through the recordings, he notices that Pavich is constantly talking to someone else in the underground room where he tortured his victims. This ultimately leads him to realize that Henry was with Pavich when he was committing those crimes.

Despite being a witness, however, Henry never reported the crimes. Sugar's finale reveals that the Colin Farrell character and the other aliens came to Earth to observe and report human behavior. They seemingly wanted to observe humans and learn from their mistakes to be able to make their planet a better place. Owing to this, all of them were intentionally exposed to vast experiences — both good and bad. While Sugar became a private investigator, Henry partnered with a criminal like Pavich. Sugar could not help but get involved in the lives of the humans around him and did a lot more than "observing and reporting."

Both Henry and Sugar's arcs highlight how nature and nurture together contribute to a person's identity.

Henry, in contrast, did as he was told and took intricate notes of all the darkness he observed on Earth through Pavich's actions. When Sugar tries to meet Henry in the finale to understand his side of the story, he finds his sister's dress in his closet. This helps him realize that Djen was abducted by Henry. The sole reason why Sugar took the role of a private investigator was that he wanted to help find missing people like his sister. Similarly, Henry allied with a murderer because he had similar tendencies even before arriving on Earth. Both Henry and Sugar's arcs highlight how nature and nurture together contribute to a person's identity.

Is Sugar's Sister, Djen, Still Alive?

Djen's Fate Remains Ambiguous

After Sugar learns the truth about Djen's disappearance, he starts believing she may still be alive. This is why, instead of leaving with the rest of the crew, he stays back on Earth. Whether Djen is still alive remains one of the biggest mysteries in the Apple TV+ show, which will only be solved if the series gets renewed for season 2. However, the fact that Sugar is finally accepting and embracing the good and the bad aspects of being human, he will likely not hold himself back from hurting a few people to find his sister.

Why The Other Aliens Are Leaving Earth At The End Of Sugar

Someone On Earth Is Chasing Them

Toward the end of Sugar season 1, Miller and Ruby announce that all aliens must leave Earth before it is too late. Although Sugar and Ruby safely arrive at the airfield where they expect their spaceship to arrive, Miller gets stopped by a police officer as he makes his way to the location. Before he can realize why he was stopped, the police officer shoots him dead and falsely reports she found a dead man in his car. This scene highlights that the humans who knew about the aliens' existence on Earth are unhappy with Sugar's recent actions.

In Sugar's previous episodes, the titular character's alien allies kept asking him to stop his investigation. Sugar, however, refused to listen to everyone else and continued his investigation. His investigation of Olivia's disappearance ultimately exposed Pavich's crimes and even tainted his family's reputation. Since some high-end politicians knew about the aliens and their motive to learn more about humanity, Pavich's father, a reputed senator, was also likely aware of their existence. This would explain how Henry got to collaborate with Pavich during his crimes.

Sugar stays because he learns he is more empathetic than his alien allies and can make a real difference in the human world.

After Sugar saved Olivia and exposed Pavich's crimes, the Senator realized the aliens had broken their side of the deal by doing a lot more than merely "observing and reporting." Understanding that they could be a threat to him and other politicians, he and other influential people decided to eradicate them. Ruby and Miller, too, get the hint that Earth is not safe for them anymore after Sugar's actions. Therefore, they plan a departure after learning enough about humans. Sugar stays because he learns he is more empathetic than his alien allies and can make a real difference in the human world.

Is Jonathan Olivia's Real Father?

Sugar's Finale Subtly Reveals Jonathan's Relationship With Olivia

While looking for clues surrounding Olivia's disappearance, Sugar finds some private pictures of Bernie's first wife, Rachel Kaye, in her belongings. Much later in the show, he notices Rachel wearing the same dress in the photographs as an actress in a movie Jonathan had produced. He then learns the actress was Jonathan's wife. This makes him suspect Jonathan might have had a secret affair with his daughter-in-law, Rachel. When Sugar asks Jonathan about this in the finale, he confirms he and Rachel were in a secret relationship. However, he backed off from the affair after Rachel became pregnant.

Sugar is avaliable for streaming on Apple TV+.

Before he can reveal the truth about his relationship with Olivia, Sugar asks him to keep it to himself because he does not wish to know the private details about their family. However, the fact that Jonathan deeply cares for Olivia and does everything in his power to save her suggests she might be his daughter. It is also hard not to be suspicious about Jonathan and his motives, though, because he secretly got the dead body removed from Olivia's car just to protect his family's reputation. This could mean that he might have gotten Rachel killed when she threatened to expose his family's dark secrets.

How Sugar's Ending Sets Up Season 2

Sugar Has More Than One Investigation On His Hands

John Sugar's season 1 journey as an investigator only started with one overarching mystery: the reason behind Olivia's disappearance. However, after the season's end, he now has several mysteries left to unpack. From the truth behind Rachel's death to the potential whereabouts of his missing sister, John Sugar must resolve it all in the Apple TV+ show's season 2. Additionally, he also needs to tread more carefully now because some humans are deadset on exterminating aliens like him. Since he missed his last ticket back home and none of his allies have his back, he must hide in the shadows while solving crimes.

After season 1's events, Henry may walk further down his dark path and may even kill innocents along the way.

In Sugar's finale, the Colin Farrell character also realizes Henry is too consumed by all the darkness he has experienced on Earth. After season 1's events, Henry may walk further down his dark path and may even kill innocents along the way. Therefore, in Sugar season 2, the titular character will have to race against time to stop Henry from harming humans.