Sugar (2024) s02e03 Episode Script

1
[groaning, gasping]
["Sixteen Tons" playing]
[breathing heavily]
[engine cranking]
[engine rumbles]
[music ends]
[theme song playing]
[car approaching]
[engine sputtering]
[grunting]
[breathes heavily] Stolen?
- We can return it.
- [panting] Thanks.
Sugar.
[engine starts]
[tires screech]
[groans]
[John] I heard somewhere, there are up
to 300 steel pellets in a shotgun shell.
I don't know if that's true or not.
[alarm dings]
But it sure feels like it.
[dramatic music playing]
[grunts]
[breathes heavily]
We're told
to treat our bodies like a temple,
consume nutrients,
burn calories,
fitness,
avoid drive-by's.
We can take a lot.
[grunts]
And that was a lot.
- [rips]
- [spits]
[groaning]
Come on.
[sighs]
[breathes heavily]
[John] Sometimes I close my eyes
and imagine I decided not to stay.
I changed my mind,
I'm flying back with the others,
racing past strange worlds,
unfamiliar stars.
I'm off. I'm free. I'm going home.
[music ends]
- And then I wake up.
- [birds chirping]
I'm still here, so I shower, I shave,
I put on a new suit
and get back to work looking for Ji.
[John] Wow.
[Val] Yeah, he's fast.
So, you all right?
Yeah, I'm fine, it was just, uh…
- Just a lot of blood.
- I thought it was your blood
and you were gonna fucking die
or something.
No. I'm fine, Val.
It's impressive.
Yeah, my guy, he's an artist.
Cool.
All right, how much do I owe you?
We'll figure it out later.
You're good at this.
- I like you, Val.
- I like you too.
Yeah, but things have gotten
more dangerous than I anticipated,
and I don't want you getting hurt.
Yeah, I hear that.
Look, there's a lot of things
that are dangerous out there.
And they don't pay
as well as you do, so, uh…
I get it. I've been warned.
But fuck it.
Besides, I got that camera.
- You did?
- Yeah.
Is it a camera that takes calls?
No, man, it's a camera camera.
- You know how to use it?
- You know.
All right.
[John] LA is the homeless capital
of the world.
Over 40,000 people.
Bad choices, bad outcomes,
but mostly just bad luck.
Human beings can be beautiful,
kind, full of light.
- They can be. I see it every day.
- [dog barking]
And I see how they treat their own
most in pain.
I see it sometimes, and it shocks me.
[people shouting indistinctly]
Sandra Jaquez?
Yes?
Hi. Um, my name is John Sugar.
Hello.
Hello.
Your son, Jesus… Chuy.
I wanted to ask, you heard what happened?
I heard.
I'm sorry.
Thanks. [sniffles]
I can, uh… I can come back another time.
No, now, uh…
But not here.
[John] I'm so sorry.
Chuy was always a good boy.
Always had a conscience.
Even when he was out with those others,
doing what they do.
You mean the Ez4s?
Bad boys. Not funny, not like the movie.
Can you think of any reason why someone
might have wanted to hurt your son?
[scoffs] I don't have to think of a reason
for someone to hurt my son. I know it.
It's all because of Fire Sale.
Fire Sale?
Feeding us the Fentanyl.
Chuy didn't like it.
I-I told him you better keep quiet.
They'll-They'll get you like they got Kobe
and Johnnie Cochran.
But Chuy didn't listen.
And those bad friends of his.
So, they got him. He's gone.
Careful, or they'll get you too.
Hey, Sandra.
You take care.
[speaking Spanish]
[sorrowful music playing]
- Hey.
- Hey.
[John] Dave and Bunny,
from the other night.
Their friend had just OD'd.
Still looking for that kid?
Yeah, yeah. Uh, where are you headed?
[Bunny] We got an apartment.
You got an apartment? That's amazing.
It's a new program.
We passed a piss test, so we qualified.
We'll call you.
We'll have you over once we're settled.
- It's a deal. You still got my card?
- [Bunny] Yep.
Congratulations. It's amazing.
["Great Wall of America" playing]
[grunts]
[grunting]
[bell rings]
[Teddy] Hold up, kid.
Someone I want you to meet.
Len Pankow. Mind if we… we interrupt?
No.
Saw you fight Mbanefo the other night.
What he outweigh you? Twenty-five pounds?
Twenty-eight pounds.
Geez. [chuckles]
Nice job. Nice job.
Good feet, you stick and you slip well.
Thanks.
You know Nestor Rodrigues?
Of course he does.
Who doesn't know Nestor?
I know him.
Wanna talk about coming to Vegas,
fighting him for me?
For real?
Yeah, we can break bread,
we can talk about it.
You like sushi?
Sure.
All right, champ.
All right. Next time.
Thank you.
[music continues]
Jesus, kid.
Nestor fucking Rodrigues in Vegas.
Would it kill you to fucking smile?
[chuckles]
- [Teddy] Congratulations. You earned it.
- Thanks, man. Thanks, Teddy.
[chuckles]
[music ends]
[phone ringing]
[club music through phone]
- Ji?
- [Ji] Moon bro!
- What the fuck?
- Are you there? Can you hear me?
I can hear you. What the f…
What's going on? Where are you?
I got your message.
I know you're mad, but it's gonna be okay.
There are people looking for you.
Where are you?
[club music continues]
[Val] Home.
Manual mode.
Shutter speed.
Shutter priority.
Like I said, just use auto mode at first.
It's… That's easiest.
All right.
How are those?
They're good.
- I think I got it. Yeah.
- Yeah?
All right. Watch Hannah's house.
If Ji shows up, let me know. That's it.
- [Val] Pretty cool.
- [phone ringing]
Danny, hey. What's up?
[Danny] Yo. Ji just called me.
And, uh… And these guys,
they're following me, man.
- [door closes]
- Where are you now?
Can I help you, sir?
[in Spanish] I know you guys
are busy right now,
but when you have a moment
tell your boss,
I haven't forgotten
and that I'll be talking to him soon.
Pass that along for me?
Thank you.
[John, in English] Ez soldiers
keeping an eye on Danny,
hoping he leads them to his brother.
I'm glad Danny called.
Still doesn't trust me, but it's progress.
[Danny] That's it?
What do you mean?
[stammers] I thought you were gonna
show 'em your gun or something.
I don't carry a gun.
Uh, the club that Ji called from,
do you know where it is?
I'll show you,
but how are we gonna lose them?
By driving away.
[tires screech]
["Going Out Tonight" playing]
- [brakes screech]
- [horn honks]
[music continues]
[John] There's music on our planet.
A single note sustained
through a stalk of folded grass.
[piano music playing]
But the music here is…
Well, it's different.
[piano music ends]
["Bang" playing]
Peg?
Peg!
Sugar! Look at you!
Out on the dance floor.
[dancer] My bad.
Hey!
[stammers] Sorry.
You're okay.
Ji-Ho!
What the hell are you doing?
I know.
[in Korean] Tina and I
were just hitting the…
Tina?
Oh shit…
Noelle… sorry.
[Ji chuckles]
[speaks indistinctly]
- [in English] What's with the hair?
- [sniffs] It's sick, right?
Undercover.
Got this fucking guy after me.
This fucking guy…
- What guy?
- [mutters] You have no idea.
What are you talking about?
We just… We gotta be careful.
Fucked up and high in a nightclub
is fucking careful to you?
[sighs] It's fine, man. Fuck! Okay.
We set this thing up, we go to the desert,
chill, let that shit die down,
and then boom, we're back, baby.
Moon Bros!
- What the fuck are you talking about?
- Bro, we got some money coming in.
The money from the drugs that you stole
from a fucking hospital?
You think you're better than me?
I didn't say that.
- You're not better than me.
- Fucking A, man.
I'm just glad we found you, man.
We who? Who's we?
Who the fuck is that?
- That's Sugar. He's been help…
- What the fuck? I said no cops.
[crowd screams]
Hey!
Get the fuck out of here!
Ji!
[grunts]
Sorry, man.
[panting] Come on! Let's go!
Ji!
I said no cops!
Fuck!
- [groaning]
- Sugar, are you okay?
- Here you go.
- Oh. Thanks.
Ji did that.
Yeah?
Wow, it's-it's beautiful. Is it your mom?
Yeah, just before she died.
She was diagnosed six months
after we came here.
And died six months after that.
Ji was 16, and I was ten.
Welcome to America, right?
Wow, you were just kids.
What about your dad?
My dad stayed in Korea.
He's why Mom took us away
in the first place.
It's just us.
For a while now, it's just…
just me and Ji.
[John] Strangers in a strange land.
I know the feeling.
[chuckles] He may even live long enough
to see his big drug deal.
The guy he was with in the club,
do you recognize him?
No.
Don't give up on him.
I don't know, Sugar.
I think he's given up on himself.
[somber music playing]
Uh…
[sighs] Fourteen suits, by the way.
Damn. [chuckles]
You went back and counted?
Yeah, of course.
I mean, you made me think.
[chuckles]
Fourteen suits.
Not including the ones I got in storage.
Huh. Baller.
[laughing]
I'm sorry about your…
Ah, it's okay.
[John] Siblings are complicated.
Everyone knows that.
Doesn't matter where you're from.
My sister and I,
we drove each other crazy sometimes.
But I'd do anything to get her back.
That's why this case matters to me,
why they all do, I suppose.
[John] "Fire Sale."
That's what Sandra Jaquez said
got Chuy killed.
[actor 1 on TV] I'll tell you why.
Because you warned him.
That's why he came early.
That's why he came in the back way.
[actor 2] But you heard me tell him
the front door would be open.
- And the key to let him in the back way?
- He must have had one made.
- Why don't you tell us the truth?
- Marty.
[TV continues, indistinct]
[phone buzzes]
Hey.
[Val] This is actually pretty boring.
I know. [chuckling] No sign of Ji?
Nope.
You're all right?
If he's on the run,
then why would he show up here?
Uh, maybe he won't.
But he's on the run
with a lot of drugs to unload,
so maybe he'll need help with that part.
What else?
What do I do if I need to pee?
Well, if you gotta go, you gotta go, Val.
Right, no, yeah. I just…
I don't know, I thought…
Maybe there were some specific rules
that I need to follow.
Good night, Val.
Good night, Sugar.
[on TV] Maybe Martin will
come back for it, then we can ask him.
Here. Nevertheless,
I want a 24-hour tail put on Reeves…
[John sighs]
…and I want a watch
on his home and his factory.
[piano music playing]
[sighing]
[water crashes]
[John] I wanted a case to keep me busy,
and this one's doing the trick so far.
That's the good news.
Still, that woman at the club.
I just hope I'm not seeing ghosts again.
[exhales]
Are you stalking me or am I stalking you?
Uh… [chuckles] Neither, I hope.
Or both would be better.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Can I talk to you about something?
Sure.
One nice person to another?
[chuckles] Yeah, that's us.
Ethical question. Work question.
I'm curious your opinion. You ready?
Go ahead.
I love my job.
Good people trying to do good things
to make the world a better place
for the most part.
You're passionate humanitarians.
And for me, it's true.
I believe in what I do.
[John exhales sharply]
But do certain ends justify any means
is the question.
Uh, sounds like a slippery slope so far.
I mean, any means?
[chuckling] No, no.
It's nothing scary or illegal.
- [chuckles]
- We're not… It's nothing like that.
They just had us sign this NDA out of,
like, George Orwell,
otherwise I'd be less whatever it is
that I am currently being. [chuckles]
Mysterious?
Uh, obscure? Cryptic?
I was gonna say annoying, but fine.
But I hear you on the slippery slope part.
It's always something to watch out for
in the world of good intentions,
so thank you.
That's it? That's what…
You swam over, and you're…
You're satisfied with slippery slope?
I am completely satisfied.
You're a hard person to read.
[chuckles] Yeah, I've heard that.
That's another thing they say
about you, huh?
Mmm. All the time.
Only, I don't get it.
I think I'm pretty open-and-shut.
I mean, you can read me now, right?
Yes…
["Dear Mr. Dee Jay" playing]
…and no.
Yes and no?
You're not so easy to read yourself.
[lock clicks]
[door closes]
[sighs]
[sighs]
[John] There are rules one has to follow.
Guidelines.
Things we're warned not to do.
We are not them, we're told.
[alarm rings]
- [water running, turns off]
- But still, that was fun.
[phone buzzes]
Hey.
[Tom] Morning. I got some news for you.
I heard from my guy in the Anti-Gang Unit
about these Ez4s.
- Uh-huh.
- Yeah. Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.
They're a heavy fucking crew.
All right.
Territories?
Roughly between Union and the park.
Downer Town.
Which by and large
makes them a Mexican gang.
But your missing kid is Korean
who made their list because?
Because of reasons
as yet to be determined.
Roger that.
Help me drill down on these Ez4s.
I mean, if I want a better understanding
of their reasoning.
I go to Downer Town, who do I talk to?
- Fuck, man.
- What?
You're a long way from Beverly Hills
with this crew.
I'll drive. I got a car. Who do I talk to?
Head of the gang is a guy
by the name of Jose Alejandro Cortez.
- Mm-hmm.
- But everybody calls him "Jose Guapo."
And he ain't your typical banger.
He's a killer, he got a sheet, all that,
but he's disciplined, he's smart.
And, on top of all that,
he moves product for the Universales.
Your old friend, Sergey.
Sergey was many things,
and we were friendly for a moment in time,
but he ain't no friend of mine.
- No, he is not.
- Uh-uh.
So to sum up…
wherever your on-the-run kid is,
he better keep fuckin' runnin'.
[coughing]
I'm fine.
You quit, right?
Yeah, pretty much. [coughs]
Yeah, here we go.
Another one
of your fuckin' Chinatowns, man.
- All right.
- Yep.
Thanks, Tom.
Hey, what about your dog?
Ah, he's gone.
Yeah. I just like comin' here.
[John] We meet again.
Uh-huh.
How's that pension plan coming along?
Stackin'. Putting it in crypto.
- I know who I'm looking for now.
- Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
Guapo.
You know him?
[chuckles] Do I know Guapo?
He's el jefe around here.
Good.
He's who I wanna talk to.
Passed it along. No one got back to you?
[chuckles] Yeah, they did.
They, uh… They tried to kill me.
- Oh, word? That's cold.
- Uh-huh.
It is what it is.
And so what? Back for more?
Uh, I'm back because I…
Yeah, I believe there's a way for us…
for, uh, Guapo and I to clear this up
without anyone else getting hurt.
Nonviolence.
Nice. Righteous.
Or, I mean, I could just ask him
about the Fire Sale in Downer Town.
Oh, man.
That's some open sesame shit right there.
It is what it is.
All right.
- Take you to him. Come on.
- Good.
["I Must Be High" playing]
[Spanish rap music playing on loudspeaker]
[volume increases]
You're Guapo?
[chuckles]
You, uh…
You dropped this.
[sighs] Who told you about Fire Sale?
Saw it written on a wall somewhere.
[chuckles] You're hard. That's cool.
That's what I heard,
but won't get you outta this room.
[Guapo sighs]
[hammer cocks]
So's you know, all this?
Chuy Jaquez. Fire Sale. Not my idea.
Whose idea was it?
- [police sirens wailing]
- [shouting in Spanish]
- [gunfire]
- [people screaming]
- What the fuck?
- [officer] Move, move, move.
[pounds on door]
- [gunfire continues]
- [police shouting]
How did you find me?
[grunting, breathing heavily]
Sheriff's Department! Show us your hands!
[somber music plays]
[police radio chatter]
[police radio chatter]
I got him. Cut him loose.
Thank you.
Come with me.
[helicopter whirring]
- Hey. You all right?
- [John] Yeah, I'm all right.
Lucky man.
What are you doing in this neighborhood?
Uh, private investigator
looking for a missing kid.
- Have some ID?
- Yeah, sure.
[John sighs]
Driver's license and P.I. license.
[officer] John Sugar.
[ominous music plays]
["Buggin' Out" playing]