John Sugar (Colin Farrell) points out that LA’s a city of immigrants and that he’s an immigrant too as Apple TV’s Sugar season two, episode two opens. He loves the city but agrees that it’s a “hard” town.
(The following is a recap of season two, episode two – “Downer Town” – and there are spoilers.)
John’s taking a dip in the hotel pool when Val (Sasha Calle) arrives with news that his car needed more than just an oil change. Fortunately, she knows a mechanic who’s honest and doesn’t charge an arm and a leg. Val’s shocked that John’s living at a hotel and equally surprised that he’s offering her a job working for him. He thinks she’s resourceful and could use her help. Val agrees to think about it.
John heads to the gym where Danny Moon (Jin Ha) trains, admitting to himself that while the sport’s brutal, it’s impossible not to watch. After the workout, Danny’s stunned to learn his missing brother, Ji, stole drugs from a hospital. John confirms he’s not sure if the police are looking for him.
Danny’s trainer, Teddy, advises him to stay focused. If he does, big fights are in his future.
John’s called away to join Tom Flyberg (Shea Whigham), a man he helped to locate his missing wife, at the morgue. The body brought in looks a lot like Ji but isn’t. The shooter’s also in the morgue, thanks to LAPD, and John closely examines the body. He has a gang tattoo, and Tom promises to ask around.
The face ID on his phone still works and John scrolls through the photos. A photo of Ji confirms the shooter was looking for him but got the wrong guy. That means someone wants him dead.
John heads back to St. Anthony’s hospital and runs into Blaine, the security guard, in the lobby. They bonded over Casablanca, and Blaine agrees to show him more security footage. They watch for Ji exiting the building and realize it took him 10 minutes to leave. Which means he stopped on another floor first. Security cameras show him on the fifth floor, and it’s obvious he was spooked by something.
John checks out the floor and learns that 22-year-old Jesus Alejandro Jaquez was admitted a few days before Ji was at the hospital. He passed away from multiple gunshot wounds. A flashback shows Ji hiding in Jesus’s closet.
John opens that same closet and notices a partially scraped label that’s in the background of the photo of Ji that was on the dead guy’s phone at the morgue. That means someone else was in that room at the same time.
Blaine and John look through the footage and discover a man who could have been the photographer.
Later that evening, Danny returns home and the elderly apartment managers greet him warmly. He’s surprised his rent’s past due, and Danny immediately leaves an angry voicemail on Ji’s phone.
John confesses it’s not easy not having anyone he knows and can turn to. He’s on his own now, without anyone to use as a sounding board.
John continues researching possible street gangs that might be after Ji but then takes a break and heads to the hotel’s restaurant. He almost gets caught by the waiter, Eric, while using his alien powers to stir a drink. Eric almost catches him before taking John’s usual drink order. John asks about Eric’s audition and suggests that he be patient; some actors take years to get their big breaks. Charlotte (Laura Donnelly) is seated nearby and compliments John for being so nice. The world could use more nice people.
Charlotte continues to work and John sees flashes of classic movie stars in her mannerisms. She steps out to take a call after telling him their conversation is to be continued. He thinks that’s weird.
John spends time at the house he just bought, which has an excellent view of former Senator Pavich’s home. Pavich is the CEO of a new tech company now, but John doesn’t know what the company does. He follows Pavich to the Magellan University School of Engineering and Applied Science but doesn’t learn anything important.
John decides his best lead is to find out more about Jesus Alejandro Jaquez. He pays a visit to Jesus’s grandmother and sees a man outside watching him and making a call. Mrs. Jaquez agrees to answer a few questions even though she’s grieving.
She allows John to look at Jesus’s bedroom and confirms Jesus was well loved. John shows her a photo of Ji and of the man in Jesus’s room, but Mrs. Jaquez doesn’t recognize either of them. Mrs. Jaquez reveals Jesus’s mom has a drug problem and lives on the streets. Jesus and his mom were best friends, and she called him by his nickname, Chuy.
John holds her hand and he asks if there’s anything he can do for her. And then without asking, he does all the dishes that are piled up in the sink. She joins him to help.
It’s a while before he leaves, and the man from earlier is still outside on his bicycle. John asks him to call his boss again and then shows him the picture of Ji from Jesus’s room. He asks to speak with the man’s boss, again, insisting he just wants to clear up a misunderstanding.
The man finally takes his card and tells him to leave the neighborhood. John drives away, escorted by four men on motorcycles until he’s out of the area.
John heads to Danny’s and asks if Ji ever mentioned the LA gang Ez4s. For some reason, Ji’s on their radar. Danny gets upset that his brother’s been doing things wrong for years. Danny’s got money problems and his voice is angry when he talks about John’s fancy suits. John offers to help him out financially, but Danny refuses.
That night Danny earns extra money by helping rob stores. He’s forced to handle a security guard that came out of nowhere. John sits in his car and watches it all go down.
Val meets with John at the hotel bar and confesses she stole a bunch of hotel bathrobes. John doesn’t care and informs her that he “sees people real well.” He passes a note with her weekly salary, and she agrees to take the job. Val confesses she’s done some bad things, and John admits he’s done bad things too.
John gets home and counts his suits, obviously affected by Danny pointing out his wealth. He receives a call asking if he wants to talk to the man who took Ji’s photo. The unknown caller gives him an address. John has a bad feeling about the case but heads out anyway. He can’t stop working on this case because he’s a PI, and a PI has to find the answers.
John’s driving to the location when a car speeds up behind him, chasing him. It’s right on his tail at a light but then zooms around him and takes off. He feels a moment of relief before two riders pull up on a motorcycle and shoot him in the chest. They circle back and leave the business card he handed the man outside of Mrs. Jaquez’s on his chest.
They assume he’s dead, which he definitely would be if he were human. His car drifts into the intersection and then stops.
This post was last modified on June 25, 2026 9:30 pm