Sugar wrapped a whirlwind of a sophomore season on August 7, and when the end credits roll on Season 2’s finale, viewers will be left with a slew of burning questions.
Spoilers for Sugar Season 2, Episode 8 ahead.
For those who need a refresher, after John Sugar (Colin Farrell) killed Lieutenant Vega (Tony Dalton) and the FBI arrested everyone else involved with the Fire Sale, he closed the book on his latest case. He had plans to continue pursuing a romance with Charlotte (Laura Donnelly), but in a twist, early suspicions about her intentions were correct. Season 2’s finale not only revealed that Charlotte had known exactly who and what Sugar was before they met, but she was working for Sugar’s sister Djen (Mireille Enos), who’s been on Earth this whole time and is still very much alive!
Sugar is elated to learn that his sister is safe. He’s also terrified to learn that she’s changed. She spent years creating a technology that can manipulate weather, which she’s passed off to a group of elite humans as something that will be used to save the world as it faces global warming. To Sugar, however, she reveals sinister plans to use the technology to her personal benefit.
“I mean, the only thing that’s more catastrophic than her being missing, in a strange way, was finding her and then realizing that she’s not who she once was, and that something has happened. Something he doesn’t understand, something he can’t put his finger on,” Farrell told Decider over Zoom. “They don’t get to spend enough time together. But there is something nefarious at play, and it terrifies him. Because he knows how powerful she is, and he knows how bright she is, and brilliant she is. But something changed. There’s a darkness that’s fallen over her that he doesn’t quite understand. So the idea of how to bring them back together or what the relationship, what kind of contact they would have in future seasons if we get to explore them, is really interesting to me.”
“There’s a darkness that’s fallen over her that he doesn’t quite understand. So the idea of how to bring them back together or what kind of contact they would have in future seasons, if we get to explore them… is really interesting to me.”Colin Farrell, Sugar
As of Sugar‘s Season 2 finale day, Apple TV had yet to renew the series for a third season. But should Sugar get the green light, Farrell and showrunner/EP Sam Catlin feel there’s more of John Sugar’s story left to explore, and includuing his layered relationship with Djen.
“We wanted her to be a character that had power and agency, and wasn’t just a damsel in distress. And someone worthy of Sugar’s admiration, and certainly his love. The more we talked, we were like, ‘What if she actually has more than agency? Maybe she set up the whole thing, and she’s quite powerful and a cautionary tale for Sugar going forward. Like, what can happen when you stay too long?’” Catlin told Decider. “She also has certain personality traits that Sugar doesn’t, in terms of ambition and greed, and all of those things that are going to make her a real problem for him going forward.”
Apple TV
By the end of Season 2’s finale, Sugar was reeling from the emotional whiplash of finding, then losing his sister again. But Djen wasn’t the only women weighing on him. Charlotte’s betrayal left him heartbroken and questioning if their romance was all an act.
“I think 100%, her feelings were genuine. And I think that is the complication for Charlotte. As time goes on through the course of the season, she’s more and more torn, because she has genuinely fallen in love with this man,” Donnelly told Decider. “For her, the hope that she managed to continue was that maybe he would want to come on board. Because I think she also does genuinely believe that she’s doing the right thing following Djen’s plan for the world. I think she had hope there that those two things could come together. When it becomes really clear that that’s not the case, I think that that will be devastating for both Charlotte and Sugar. Do I think that there could be a future reconciliation? I’d love to think so, but that’s not my call.”
“I think 100%, her feelings were genuine. And I think that is the complication for Charlotte. As time goes on through the course of the season, she’s more and more torn, because she has genuinely fallen in love with this man.”Laura Donnelly, Sugar
If Sugar does land a Season 3 renewal, both stars adored sharing scenes together. So it seems like Charlotte’s return has real potential, especially if she’s still working with Djen. Story-wise, Farrell also told Decider that he had a “lovely” time portraying the new side of Sugar that explores romance despite the dangers.
“It was lots of fun to play a sincerely awkward [man], because he doesn’t even just let himself fall in love. He can’t help but fall. You’re out of control. There’s nothing to grip. You’re falling. And so he finds himself there, swimming in these waters that he’s never swam in before. And it’s as it can be in the world of romance. It’s intoxicating, euphoric, confounding, nerve-wracking, all those things,” the star/EP said. “He finds himself in a very uncomfortable position with Charlotte. And Laura was just amazing to work with. She just brought so much truth to everything, and heart, and humor, and sensuality. She really carried herself as a throwback to a bygone era in a way. That sensuality of the femme fatale, but also the sweetness as well.”
Photo: Apple TV
A longtime fan of Farrell’s work, Donnelly echoed the sentiment. “I think he’s really one of the greats. In terms of the acting, it was so free and easy. Everything just felt like it was there to be played with. He’s very generous as an actor, and made everything feel very spontaneous. I really just had to react to the truth behind his eyes,” she recalled. “He brings such grace, and humor, and generosity, and time for everybody. And I think a huge aspect of it is that he has absolutely still got a completely unsinkable wonder at the process of making film and TV. He loves working with the crew. He makes everybody feel like it’s somewhere they want to be. And his treatment of everybody else really sets the bar.”
While fans wait for updates on future of the compelling Apple TV, here’s what we know about a potential Sugar Season 3.
Sugar Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV.
