Viewers’ patience finally pays off with the arrival of Apple TV+’s Sugar season one episode six. After teasing John Sugar’s big secret, episode six ends with the big reveal–one that I won’t mention here to keep the opening paragraph spoiler-free. But I’m curious to see what people say on social media and how many fans claim they already knew John’s secret.
And now on to the spoiler-filled episode six recap.
Episode five ended with David attempting suicide. Episode six begins with Margit (Anna Gunn) and Bernie (Dennis Boutsikaris) learning their son is alive but is permanently brain-damaged. The doctor brings up organ donation as David’s parents attempt to absorb the devastating news.
John Sugar (Colin Farrell) gets dressed, considers packing a gun, and then thinks better of it. He’s restless, just waiting for Charlie to call with news on Stallings. Very good boy Wiley senses John’s anxiousness and provides a little pet therapy as John waits for an update.
Meanwhile, Stallings (Eric Lange) and his associate, Manny, arrive at Stallings’ place and are greeted by his two Dobermans. Stallings’ female second-in-command says Carlos hasn’t checked in and Moss is on his way.
Charlie (Paula Andrea Placido) gives John the heads up, and John passes the info on to Ruby (Kirby).
John arrives at Charlie’s lookout location and learns Stallings is inside with a few armed associates and two dogs. The house has two doors and steps around the back. John asks Charlie to check on him if he’s not back in 10 minutes.
The dogs rush out to meet John as he walks up the driveway, but immediately calm down when he shushes them. They even allow John to pet them before trotting off.
John walks around inside the house, which seems deserted. However, thanks to Charlie, he’s aware there are people somewhere inside. John spots the locked room and then hears heavy breathing and crying. A woman with a hood over her head is seated at a table, and John mistakenly thinks she is Olivia. It’s not.
The female thug tricked him, and she’s armed with a shotgun. Stallings attacks from the side as the woman holds John at gunpoint. John cries out that he’s unarmed as Stallings delivers a beating. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone and deplores violence. That elicits a chuckle from Stallings, who claims John hasn’t experienced anything close to violence…yet.
Stallings threatens to have John shot in the knee and then his arm cut off. John insists all he wants is to bring Olivia home.
Charlie is intent on keeping watch and doesn’t react quickly enough. She’s approached before she can help John.
Stallings warns John that it’s already been decided and he’s a dead man. John doesn’t back down, demanding to know where Olivia is. If they tell him, he’ll allow them to surrender to the cops. If not … well, then he’ll kill them all. Stallings thinks that’s hilarious as John’s the only one who isn’t holding a weapon.
Stallings orders Manny to shoot him, but John reacts before Manny can squeeze the trigger. He uses Manny’s gun to shoot the woman in the stomach, takes out Manny with a bullet to the head, and shoots Stallings in the leg. Unfortunately, he’s concentrating on Stallings when the woman stabs him in the abdomen with a large knife. John squeezes off four more shots and finishes her off, but now he’s got a knife protruding from his stomach.
Stallings reaches for his gun and John shoots him in the shoulder. He pulls out the knife and then demands to know who told Stallings he was coming. Stallings doesn’t respond, so John checks the injured man’s phone. There’s a text message from a number John recognizes that reads: “Sugar is coming. GET OUT NOW.”
John asks, again, about Olivia and when Stallings doesn’t reveal her location, John shoots him in the head. Seriously injured, John walks through the house and finds a room full of dogs in cages. He heads to the one who’s the calmest and lets her out.
Suddenly, Stallings’ missing associate, Carlos, enters the house. He sees Stallings lying dead on the floor and then spots John on the couch. John’s shaky as he points his gun at Carlos but doesn’t shoot him. Instead, he asks for his phone and then lets him leave unharmed.
He calls Charlie and when it goes to voicemail, he realizes Stallings got her. His next call is to Melanie.
John holds his wound while walking down the driveway, confessing that he understands that not everything is like a movie. “Sometimes a thing is just a thing that happened uniquely in itself,” says John. He makes it to his car while thinking about the Kim Basinger/Russell Crowe movie LA Confidential. That movie about betrayal came to John’s mind because he’s going through something similar.
Elsewhere, Bernie visits his father, Jonathan (James Cromwell), who continues to recuperate at home from his recent heart attack. He fills his dad in on David’s condition, and Bernie takes much of the blame on himself for how David turned out. Life was too easy for him, and he grew up too fast and too privileged.
Bernie and Margit have decided to let David go. Jonathan reaches out his hand to comfort his son, as Bernie breaks down crying. Bernie sobs while holding his father’s hand.
John pulls up at a motel and knocks on one of the rooms. He’s covered in blood, and Melanie (Amy Ryan) is shocked by his appearance. He asks her to get medical supplies at a nearby drugstore, but his condition has her so worried that she refuses. Melanie is about to call 9-1-1 when John convinces her not to. He swears he’ll be fine and that he can’t go to a hospital. Melanie confirms she brought his bag and he has her call Henry, sure he’ll know what to do.
The phone’s ringing as he passes out.
Henry rushes over and John seems to be on death’s door. Melanie hasn’t left his side and helps Henry gently carry John to the bathroom. Henry’s brought a medical bag but needs Melanie to buy Betadine.
After she leaves, Henry locks the bathroom door and administers a shot in John’s arm. John slips into unconsciousness.
A short while later, Henry’s moved John into bed and he’s already looking a little better. Henry informs Melanie that he’s left some clothes for John, and that John shouldn’t be moved. Melanie’s confused and demands to know what’s going on. Why can’t she take him to a hospital? Henry doesn’t elaborate and leaves Melanie to watch over his friend.
Night’s fallen, and John slowly makes his way out of bed while Melanie continues sleeping. He nearly falls asleep at the wheel but stays awake long enough to drive to Ruby’s.
John tells Ruby that Stallings knew he was coming. She sees that he’s hurt and offers aspirin, and John loses his temper for a minute. He confesses he saw the text and knows she warned Stallings he was coming. “A man like him, a trafficker in humans … and you warned him about me!” says John.
Ruby claims she didn’t want him hurt and only warned Stallings and his thugs to leave. John asks if Charlie’s okay, and Ruby doesn’t know. (It’s obvious she believes Charlie is dead.) She also insists “none of this” was her decision, yet she can’t tell him the whole story. John knows Stallings grabbed Olivia for one of his high-class clients, someone like David, but he doesn’t know who. John also knows he is not supposed to find that person, and that Ruby’s protecting the client. That ultimately means that he’s protecting that person, too.
John realizes Ruby doesn’t want to do it, but she’s still unwilling to say why she’s doing it. Ruby’s only allowed to say that John needs to stop looking for Olivia. She claims “they” need John to stop looking. John asks the question we’re all dying to ask: “Who is they?”
Ruby doesn’t answer. She also won’t explain what they will do if he doesn’t stop. Ruby asks John to just trust that this is all for the good of the mission.
John asks for the aspirin now, and Ruby opens a kitchen drawer to retrieve it. However, she closes it, claiming the aspirin’s upstairs. Once she leaves, John opens the same drawer and sees aspirin inside it. He leaves the drawer open and takes off before Ruby returns from upstairs.
John drives home and reminds himself it’s not the first time his heart’s been broken. He also acknowledges he got too close to this case. However, it’s too late now. He’s in too deep and won’t stop.
John returns to the motel and quietly enters the bathroom, promising himself it’s okay to take a tiny little break just for tonight and go home. He prepares an injection from his special medical kit as he thinks about returning home.
And now, 31 minutes into season one episode six, the secret John’s been carrying is revealed. He injects himself in the neck and his body begins to transform. His reflection in the bathroom mirror reveals John’s only been posing as a human. He’s an alien!
Sugar Season 1 Recaps:
- Sugar Season 1 Episode 1 “Olivia” Recap and Review
- Sugar Season 1 Episode 2 “These People, These Places” Recap
- Sugar Season 1 Episode 3 “Shibuya Crossing” Recap
- Sugar Season 1 Episode 4 “Starry Eyed” Recap
- Sugar Season 1 Episode 5 “Boy in the Corner” Recap
- Sugar Season 1 Episode 7 “The Friends You Keep” Recap
- Sugar Season 1 Episode 8 “Farewell” Recap
