Warning! Contains spoilers for Sugar.
Summary
- Sugar shares narrative similarities with Shutter Island and could lead to a similar twist in later episodes.
- Like Teddy Daniels, John Sugar might be facing some hard truths about his reality due to past trauma.
- While Sugar has a higher critical score than Shutter Island, audiences seem less captivated by its first episodes.
The evolving story of a new Apple TV+ show seems eerily similar to that of a 14-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio movie. Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most famous actors of modern times, and rightfully so. With an acting career spanning over four decades, he has several accolades and nearly 50 acting credits to his name. Given the diversity of films he has starred in, his films are bound to share some narrative and thematic similarities with other films.
However, an exciting new show on Apple TV+ seems a little too similar to a Leonardo DiCaprio movie in its opening moments. It remains to be seen whether these similarities will continue to appear in future episodes of the series. However, if the series follows the same narrative path as Leonardo DiCaprio’s film, its first episodes may have already spoiled its biggest twist.
Colin Farrell’s New Thriller Series Keeps 3-Year Rotten Tomatoes Streak Alive
Colin Farrell’s new thriller series Sugar maintains an impressive three-year streak with Rotten Tomatoes and is widely acclaimed by critics.
Similarities Between Sugar and Shutter Island Explained
John Sugar and Teddy Daniels could be similar characters
Apple TV+ Sugar seems similar to Shutter Island in more than one way. For starters, the protagonists of both, Colin Farrell’s John Sugar and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Teddy Daniels, are detectives who investigate the disappearance of a woman in their respective stories. Shutter IslandTeddy Daniels’ Big Twist Reveals that Teddy Daniels was only playing a detective to deal with past trauma and that he suffers from a mental health issue that causes him to create a false sense of reality to deal with his guilt . His partner, Chuck Aule, is also an identity assumed by Dr. Sheehan to help Teddy recover.
Something similar appears to be happening in Sugar. Like Teddy, Colin Farrell’s character also seems to be playing a detective instead of actually being one. This would explain why he often plays classic film detective characters and shows almost childlike wonder and excitement when his manager, Ruby, gives him the revolver used by Glenn Ford in The great heat. He also has violent, random flashes and visions that can only be cured by injecting a drug, implying that, like Teddy, he suffers from a mental health issue that prevents him from seeing his reality as it really is.
Sugar’s Shutter Island parallels could have spoiled its big twist
Like Teddy Daniels, John Sugar Could Eventually Learn Some Hard Truths About His Reality
Just as Teddy ultimately learns that he created an alternate identity for himself to cope with the trauma of his wife’s murder after she killed their three children, Sugar may ultimately realize that his perception of reality has been distorted by past events.
SugarReviews suggest that the series will feature a shocking and revolutionary twist somewhere towards the end of its run. Although the first few episodes of the Apple TV+ series play out more like a typical crime drama, several subtle clues suggest there’s more to the show’s overall mysteries and Sugar’s identity than meets the eye. . Although it may be too early to be sure what will happen in future episodes of the series, Sugar’s Shutter Island the parallels suggest that the series’ big twist might also be similar to Shutter IslandThe surprising ending is revealed.
Just as Teddy ultimately learns that he created an alternate identity for himself to cope with the trauma of his wife’s murder after she killed their three children, Sugar may ultimately realize that his perception of reality has been distorted by past events. Sugar keeps claiming that the missing girl Olivia he’s investigating looks a lot like his sister Djen. He also points out that her resemblance to his sister is the main reason he took up the case. This raises the possibility that the Olivia affair is just a tool to help Sugar cope with the traumatic death of her sister Djen.
Sugar Original Soundtrack: Every Song and When It Plays
While unfolding its gripping murder mystery drama, Apple TV+’s Sugar offers a myriad of tracks that perfectly complement its story developments.
How Sugar Compares to Shutter Island (Based on Rotten Tomatoes)
Sugar has a higher review score, while Shutter Island has a better audience score
Although considered by many to be one of the most gripping psychological thrillers, Shutter Island surprisingly, it has a relatively low critic score on Rotten Tomatoes of 69% and an audience score of 77%. Since Martin Scorsese directed Shutter Island, its low Rotten Tomatoes score can be attributed to the fact that viewers had incredibly high expectations of it and were disappointed by how it paled in comparison to the author’s previous works. Some critics even complained about the film’s pacing, expressing dissatisfaction with its rushed conclusion.
Movie/show |
Rotten Tomatoes Review Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
Sugar |
81% |
67% |
Shutter Island |
69% |
77% |
Apple TV+ Sugar, on the other hand, holds an impressive 81% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 67%. From SugarThe audience score of on Rotten Tomatoes is almost the same as that of Shutter Islandreview score, it seems viewers aren’t entirely captivated by the ideas in the show’s early episodes. However, since only three episodes have passed, it may be too early to judge the series. Comparing the Apple TV+ show with the Leonardo DiCaprio the film also seems unfair since it is not clear whether SugarThe big twist will be similar to Shutter Island‘s.
New
Sugar
Episodes release every Friday on Apple TV+.
Sugar (2024)
“Sugar” is a contemporary and unique take on one of the most popular and important genres in the history of literature, cinema and television: the private detective novel. Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell stars as John Sugar, an American private investigator who follows the mysterious disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the beloved granddaughter of legendary Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel. As Sugar tries to determine what happened to Olivia, he will also uncover the secrets of the Siegel family; some very recent, others buried for a long time.
- Cast
- Colin Farrell, Amy Ryan, Dennis Boutsikaris, Anna Gunn, James Cromwell, Nate Corddry, Kirby
- Release date
- April 5, 2024
- Streaming service(s)
- Apple TV+
- Writers
- Marc Protosevich
- Directors
- Fernando Meirelles
- Showrunner
- Marc Protosevich
- Creator(s)
- Marc Protosevich
- Number of episodes
- 8
- Where to watch
- Apple TV+