Sugar (2024) s02e07 Episode Script

1
[tense music playing]
[John] I tried.
I did, I put everything on the table.
[person] No!
[John] I tried my best.
[person pants]
[grunts]
[John] But some people here
live by violence.
- [person grunting]
- [John] And for them it seems…
it's the only language they understand.
[music fades]
[theme song playing]
[Tom] Sergey Ojeda?
I'm telling you, I don't like it.
Bad idea.
[John] You keep saying that.
[Tom] Because I keep thinking it.
Fucking Satan owes him money.
[John] Exactly.
He knows all the right people.
[Tom] He'll want
his pound of flesh in return.
Look, I say we take our chances,
put it in the system.
You have the evidence,
more than just the video now.
Sound the fucking alarms, man.
Look, who's gonna come
running to the rescue? The cops?
I mean… [chuckles]
City Hall?
You know? I mean, this Fire Sale goes way
above the head of some Sheriff's Deputy.
[sighs] If we make
the wrong decision, Tom,
Danny's dead.
[groans]
Vega's got me in a corner.
We're out of time, I need Sergey on this.
Make the call.
Set it up. I'm gonna go see Danny.
Make sure he's okay.
All right, start your engines.
Remember, that's Sheriff's territory.
They'll be listening.
- Yeah. Eyes and ears.
- [Tom] Mm-hmm.
See ya.
[Tom coughs]
- [person] Vera Novak?
- So what if I am?
- Got something for you.
- Yeah?
Eyes and ears.
[phone ringing]
- Vega.
- [John] I wanna see him.
[Vega] And I wanna see Ji. Tomorrow.
[John] All right, before I do anything,
I wanna see him,
I wanna make sure he's okay.
Yeah, you have my word on that, but okay.
- Come on down.
- I'm on my way.
[line beeping]
[Vega] Rabineau!
[deputy] Door!
[John] Hey.
- Hey.
- [John] How you doin'?
I'm all right.
[John] Yeah?
Yeah, I didn't sleep much,
but I'll be fine.
It's good to see you.
[Danny] Thanks for coming, man.
Sorry you had to come out this way,
I must be one of
your worst clients ever, huh?
No, Danny, you're not. Not at all.
[Danny] Yeah, but I don't pay you.
I pick fights, I don't listen.
You make me count my suits.
Well, you should have been
keeping track from the start.
That's true.
So, uh…
We have a problem.
What do you…
What do you mean? Is… Is Ji okay?
Yeah, he's all right. For now.
But all this, you being in jail,
being arrested.
It's a pretense.
This is all about Ji and Vega.
He knows about Ji?
[stammers] Okay, then.
What is he doing, the cop?
What does he want?
Danny, listen to me.
You're gonna have to trust me, okay?
What the fuck does he want, Sugar?
He wants to trade.
[Danny] What?
- [deputy] Moon. Wrap it up.
- Hold on, I just got here.
- You're not gonna do it, though, right?
- Danny, listen to me.
[Danny] No, please, I…
- [deputy] Time to go.
- Yo, just… I'm serious, you can't do it.
Danny, listen, no matter what happens,
no matter what it looks like…
Do not trade… [grunts]
Whoa! I just fucking…
- Hey! Hey!
- [Danny] No, do not do it!
Sugar, do not do it!
- All right, all right! All right!
- [deputy muttering]
[Danny] Don't!
[screams, grunts]
[phone ringing]
[John] Hey, Stanley, what's up?
[Stanley] Uh, I am so sorry
to bother you. I…
- [John] You okay?
- Um…
I didn't know who… who to call, so I just…
[John] All right. Where are you?
Just a silly bird.
No, you loved him.
My daughters are grown, gone away.
My wife left me
for a humanities professor.
Humanities.
Whatever that is.
Do you notice… notice the spines?
Yeah, 'cause that's how they protect
themselves from the herbivores.
There's a Picasso quote about youth…
Uh, some… I'm trying to remember it.
[sighs] You know, my mind, uh…
You wanna sit down?
That would be good. [sighs]
Come on.
Oh, man.
[sighs]
Stanley, I'm not a tax attorney.
- What?
- I don't live in Covina.
Okay, where do you live?
I wanna… I wanna talk to you, Stanley.
I wanna talk to you about Senator Pavich.
- Pavich?
- Yeah,
he hired you to work
on something with him.
It's a project of some kind.
[sniffs, clears throat]
Sorry to disappoint you,
whoever you are,
but, uh, I'm not gonna tell you.
Yes, you are, Stanley.
Stanley, Stanley, wait, listen to me.
Please.
So, talking about TV shows,
caring about plants,
pretending like you give a shit about
my parrot, Monty, that-that was all a lie?
No.
It wasn't a lie.
I enjoyed being your friend. I still do.
I like you so much, Stanley,
I just need your help.
[sighs]
All right, the four circles.
What are they?
They keep turning up.
I don't know what they mean.
I think Pavich, with the help of
a man named Henry Thorpe…
I think he betrayed
a lot of people that I love.
He forced them into hiding, and I…
I don't know why.
I don't know why,
I don't know what happened,
but I think it's gotta do with
these four circles, and I need your help.
[sighs]
Please. The four circles.
[sighs]
They're not circles.
[stammers]
The circles are tropospheric nodes.
Tropospheric nodes?
[tense music playing]
- To be used as what? A weapon?
- No.
Not at all. No, it's to help the climate.
[thunderclap]
- To help the climate in what way?
- Whatever way we want.
[beeping]
Dispel greenhouse gases,
raise O2, lower CO2,
optimize crop yields,
suppress wildfires, prevent flash floods,
and on and on.
John, this can change the world.
Literally.
You invented this?
Oh, my good God, no.
I'm just one of the engineers.
[stammers]
I helped to scale it up, put it together.
I've theorized about…
But this technology is beyond
another level. It's not a weapon.
No, I-I would never…
Yeah, but it scares you.
It does, I've seen it on your face.
Even now, you're… you're conflicted. Why?
Yeah, well, we have to do something.
[stammering] The planet's dying!
The world's on fire because of us.
That's what scares me.
But yes, a power like this? Playing God?
You'd be a fool not to be scared, so…
[phone buzzing]
- [John] I have to take this…
- I'm-I'm gonna be leaving now.
[stammers] Stanley…
- Hey.
- [Tom] All set.
- You're on with Sergey. Be careful.
- All right, good.
[line ringing]
- [Val] What's up?
- How's Ji?
You know, bitching and moaning
like he's the one in jail.
Well, he's detoxing, you know?
Mood swings are normal.
Yep, I know all about it.
It's important you're there, Val.
All right, I need you
to keep an eye on him.
- All right, Boss.
- All right, I gotta go.
I'll call you later, okay?
- Mr. Sugar. What a pleasure.
- [John] Diego.
I was in my office doing God knows what
when Papa comes in to tell me
that you reached out to him.
[chuckles] His face.
He was so happy.
May I?
You know I don't carry a weapon, Diego.
I know.
I'm sorry.
It's for precautions.
[John] Sergey Ojeda.
Head of a cartel called Los Universales,
which, loosely translated,
means "we're everywhere."
I did a job for him once, years ago.
Of course, he would say
I did half a job for him,
and he is not a man you do half a job for.
You look good.
- Thanks.
- Sit.
How do I look?
- Old.
- [scoffs]
[speaks Spanish]
[scoffs] Look, I'm trying
to be nice to you. Hmm?
You came to me.
Don't you want me to be nice to you?
I suppose, but it's inessential.
You have things you want done,
and sometimes
it's in my ability to do them.
You know,
our relationship is transactional.
Seems to me that, in the past,
that's when trouble came.
You know, when we forgot that.
You're honest with me.
I didn't always agree with you,
but, uh, you are.
It is a rare quality.
Do you know this, uh, uh, Bad Bunny?
I've heard of him.
I'm meeting my granddaughter in Miami,
uh, to see him.
Nice.
She's sweet, but, uh…
not looking forward to it.
So, uh, a policeman?
Uh, what is his, uh…
Ray Vega. He works for you.
He's an enforcer
for your Fire Sale business.
So many businesses,
uh, in over 50 countries…
Yeah, identity theft, housing fraud,
and building kickbacks.
Hundreds of millions in federal contracts,
all on the backs of
the homeless and the addicted.
I mean, it's a nasty business, Sergey,
even by your standards.
[speaks Spanish]
[scoffs] John,
the whole world is a nasty business.
Let's not have that argument again.
Please?
[clears throat]
So, what do you want me to do
with this policeman?
- Uh, I kill him?
- No, no, no.
- He's got a client of mine in jail.
- Ah.
And he's been trying to squeeze me,
so, you know, just get him to back off.
Let my client out.
That's all?
That's it.
And me?
What do I get?
I'll finish the job.
Adiós.
[speaks Spanish]
[tense music playing]
[John] And just like that,
I'm back in business with Sergey Ojeda.
[line ringing]
Looks like someone went crying to Dad.
We do what we gotta do, Ray.
Release him.
[laughs] Release him?
You're watching too many movies, Sugar.
Nobody talks like that.
It's over, Ray. Sergey can have you
in a barrel at the bottom of the ocean
without blinking an eye.
All right. Now, it's gonna take you
a minute to, uh, cover your tracks.
So, dummy your paperwork,
do what you gotta do.
But I want Danny out,
and I want him out tonight.
It's over.
[line beeping]
[phone ringing]
Yep.
[Charlotte] You know,
I realized I don't have your number.
- Not many do.
- I see. Dinner?
[John] Uh, it's not even 5:00.
The restaurant ain't open yet.
Ah, okay. So, room service?
Yours or mine?
[piano music playing]
[water whooshing]
[Charlotte] "We wind along the Pacific
Coast Highway turning west once more.
The ocean now forever
in your view as you move
along the breezy byways
toward historic San Simeon."
"Breezy byways…"
Hmm. Sounds lovely.
[piano music continues]
Cactus.
Yeah, uh… A friend of mine gave it to me.
- It's sweet.
- Mmm.
My room doesn't have a record player.
Why did you get a record player?
I don't know.
Do you own any records?
I do not.
And yet you get the record player?
Doesn't seem fair.
Where are you from?
Ooh. Questions. Here we go.
Merion, Pennsylvania.
Just outside Philadelphia.
Brothers? Sisters?
No brothers, no sisters, no kids.
Just me.
Parents?
We don't talk.
How come?
A million reasons. [sighs]
They don't like what I do.
They don't like
passionate humanitarianism?
[chuckles] Can you believe it?
They're conservative.
Ah.
They want me to live
in some world of years gone by…
[inhales deeply] When everything was…
I don't know what.
Uncomplicated?
But I can't do that, and I won't do that,
so we don't talk.
I'm sorry.
I shouldn't be telling you this.
[chuckles]
No, wh-why shouldn't you
be telling me this?
[chuckles] 'Cause you're a stranger.
I only just got your phone number.
[chuckles]
- And my favorite ice cream is mint chip.
- Noted.
Your turn. Where are you from?
- Can we skip that one?
- What? That's like the easiest one.
No, pistachio being my favorite
ice cream is much easier.
[inhales sharply] Family?
Uh, sister.
Djen.
What's she like?
She's, uh…
She's not…
She was… She was smart.
Beyond anything.
She was…
Loved puzzles, you know, solving problems,
and she was opinionated.
[inhales deeply] I mean, she had
her opinions, and she wouldn't rest…
[gulps] …until you saw things her way.
Which you might have
because she was so convincing.
Yeah.
She was kind.
Loving. You know,
she could be so loving, but tough too.
I think the first memory I have…
The first kind of feeling
I can recall is just
you know, not wanting to let her down.
She was…
She was something.
What… What happened to her?
I don't know.
She just… She died.
I'm sorry.
That's terrible.
Yeah. It is.
[inhales deeply] Yeah.
You wanna get an ice cream with me?
- Hell yeah.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- All right.
Let's do that.
["I Like the Way You Love Me" playing]
[music ends]
[phone buzzing]
- Tom?
- [Tom] Sergey's dead.
[tense music playing]
- Can you meet?
- Yep, I'm in the lobby.
- [line beeping]
- [sighs]
[grunts]
So, yeah, a plane went down
near Lake Charles en route to Miami.
Some fog in the area, some lightning,
but too soon to know anything yet.
They know no survivors, right?
You said no survivors?
That they do know.
He's dead, the crew.
What about Diego? The son?
- He always travels with him.
- Uh, let's see.
I bet he wasn't on the plane.
I got three killed, was told two crew.
- So, yeah, you win that bet.
- [sighs]
- [coughs]
- [chuckles]
Fire Sale's Diego.
It's not Sergey, it was never Sergey.
Why didn't I know that?
I should have known that.
Okay, so you're good, not perfect.
Yeah, I know. I know.
But Danny's not gettin' out now, Tom.
You understand that?
I gotta meet Vega with an answer before…
In eight hours.
So, yeah.
[sighs]
[Tom] Talk to me, brother. What can I do?
I don't know.
[breathing heavily]
Sergey was never a sure thing.
[mutters] Um, I mean, we-we knew that.
So, I guess now we… we go to plan B.
[gunshot]
[Tom] Okay, good.
[tense music playing]
Hey, it's gonna work out.
It was always gonna go this way, right?
[breathes deeply] Yeah, I know. I know.
[breathes shakily]
[Ji] I was the fighter first, you know?
Way before Danny.
Youth Sectionals.
Youth Regionals.
[inhales deeply] This dude once said
I could be the next Myung-Woo Yuh.
[chuckles] Maybe the next Pacquiao.
- The hype was real, you know?
- You keep fucking shooting me.
Oh, sorry.
But I fucked it up. [sighs]
Broke my hand, and so, you know,
"Here's some meds for that."
Then I had this other shit going on,
like, Ma getting cancer
and Dad being a whatever.
Then I broke my hand again and,
"Here's some more shit for that,"
and so on and so on.
- You guys been doing this all night?
- Don't look at me.
Insomnia, bro. I can't sleep.
[sighs] I still had Danny.
Being with him and seeing his life go.
It's the only good thing I have left.
- About to fuck that up too.
- No, you're not. You'll be fine.
Everything I touch turns to shit.
Fuckin' A, man. You sound like my sister.
Sister?
All your excuses set up in a row.
My mom, my hand, my pills.
Like you're the only person in history of
the fuckin' world that goes through shit.
So everyone needs to feel fuckin'
bad for you and pick up your mess.
- Fuckin' baby.
- Whoa.
Do you know what Sugar's
getting ready to do for you right now?
What he's willing to sacrifice for you?
Why?
Because you're such a great person?
'Cause he's willing to do
something for someone else.
You should really try it sometime.
You're a fuckin' bitch, man.
[inhales] Well, you're a fuckin' loser.
Rather be a loser than a fuckin' bitch.
Spoken like a fuckin' loser.
[gunshots on TV]
Dude.
Dude. You gotta cover me.
[John sighs]
[sighs, mutters]
No brother?
We're not doing that.
No? What are we doing?
Panamanian passports, huh?
[John] Yeah, there's one for you,
one for your daughter.
There's also one for your ex-wife
in case you want her to join you.
[chuckles]
That's the deed to a villa
in Playa Coronado.
It used to belong to a friend of mine.
He no longer needs it.
Now, it's beautiful. It's on the beach.
Golf course down the road.
- That's a bank account.
- "Banco Banistmo."
[John] Yeah, 'cause money's important.
[chuckles]
It's a real offer.
It's a bribe.
That's not the way I mean it.
Everyone's good.
You know,
that's what I was taught. [sighs]
At the beginning, everyone's pure.
And then life happens to us,
and we go out into the world
and maybe we make choices
that lead us from our true selves.
And if we don't… [sighs]
…turn back from those choices in time,
if we don't turn it around,
you know, we're… we're changed forever.
This is a chance to turn it around, Ray.
You know, it's true what you're saying.
A lot of it. It's true.
Yeah.
I remember the look on my pop's face
the day that I graduated from the academy.
Man, he'd been waiting so long
just to be proud of me.
But that one moment, you know. It's…
You were on the right side of things.
You could be again.
You had potential. You still do.
[chuckles]
Take it. Take it and walk.
Just make a new life.
Yeah, you know…
[sighs]
Thanks, man, but LA's home for me.
Don't do that. After everything?
Just to be given this?
Please.
- [sighs]
- Take it and walk.
- Where the hell is Ji?
- I said we're not doing that.
Then I'm gonna go back to County,
I'm gonna open up Danny's cell,
and I'm gonna ring the dinner bell.
How's that?
And I hang on to Ji.
And you take your chances
that his testimony doesn't put you away
for the rest of your life.
There's no sheriff guards in state prison.
You're gonna be real popular
in Pelican Bay.
[sighs]
So, what do we do?
Oh.
Oh, look, there's your friend.
I wonder what she wants, huh?
She can wait.
Nah, you know what? [sighs]
Let's put a pin in it for now.
She looks worried.
Maybe you guys should talk, you know?
Ray.
All right. I'll see you around, pal.
Last chance.
You know, you keep saying that,
but I don't think so.
[tense music playing]
[no audible dialogue]
- …video games…
- You were playing video games?
- It was the one thing I asked you to do.
- I know. I'm so sorry.
[stammers] It's all right.
We're gonna have to…
He could be… He could be anywhere.
All right, we're just gonna have to
go back to square one.
We're gonna have to go to
all the places that he… he frequented,
places he scored drugs,
the pool hall, wherever.
[officer] Well, you were right.
They lost him.
Play it again.
- The whole thing?
- Play it again.
- [John] What are you doing?
- [Val] He's gone.
- [John] What do you mean he's gone?
- I mean, he fuckin' left.
He took my car. He's gone.
[John] Val, you were
supposed to watch him.
[Val] I know. I'm so sorry.
[stammering] I was watching him
and then we stayed up really late.
- We were playing video games…
- You were playing video games?
- It was the one thing I asked you to do.
- [Val] I know. I'm so sorry.
- Boss.
- [John] It's all right.
- We gonna have to…
- Phone call.
[John] He could be…
Lieutenant Vega.
[Ji] What's your number?
Who am I speaking with?
You know.
Give me your number,
I'm gonna video call you.
[phone ringing]
Hey. Nice to see you again.
I bet.
Thought you were with Sugar.
- Nope.
- Well, where's he at?
Fuck him. Fuck you. Fuck me.
[Vega] Okay.
[sighs]
I'm so tired of this shit, man.
Being the loser fuckin' fuckup.
One time, one fucking time
I wanna do something right.
That sounds good. What are you…
What are you thinking?
You want a trade?
Let's trade.
Me for my brother.
No tricks, no, like,
fuckin' double crosses.
Just me and you and Danny.
Well, that seems fair.
Where you at, bud?
[suspenseful music playing]
Hey, sorry about your brother. It sucks.
To be real though, this is, uh,
sort of him trying to do right by you,
you know, which you gotta respect.
Sort of a dying wish sort of thing,
you know?
[screaming]
- [tires screeching]
- [Vega] Jesus Christ!
- [Vega] What the fuck are you doing?
- [grunts]
You're gonna hurt yourself.
[panting]
[grunting]
How's that? Better?
[Vega sighs]
I'll be right back.
Hey, Ji?
Hey. Your brother's here.
[object clanks]
[objects squeaking]
[squeaking continues]
[door slams]
Fuckin' junkie.
[door closes]
All right, change of plans.
[engine starts]
[Vega] Motherfucker!
[both grunting]
[tires squealing]
[both grunting]
[grunting continues]
[John groans]
[Vega straining, coughing]
[choking, grunting]
[John] I told you.
- [choking]
- I told you.
[panting, choking]
[John panting]
[distorted panting]
[panting]
[Danny] Ji!
[Ji] Danny!
- [Ji, Danny laughing]
- [John panting]
- [hopeful music plays]
- [both clamoring]
[both screaming, laughing]
[Danny] I thought I wasn't gonna
see you again, bro!
- [exclaims]
- [Ji] Hey, what happened?
[Danny] No, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay.
- [Danny cries]
- [Ji] I'm so sorry.
[John breathes heavily]
[chattering on TV]
- [Max Corkle] Okay, Joe, that's enough.
- Come on, Maxie.
Only had five rounds.
Can't I have a couple more?
You heard me. I said that's enough now.
[Tom] Remember,
that's Sheriff's territory.
They'll be listening.
Yeah. Eyes and ears.
[Joe Pendleton]
Cremated, that's what I said.
While you guys kept me up here gabbing,
that Corkle gets my body out of
the plane and has me cremated.
- [John] What do you mean he's gone?
- I mean, he's gone.
- He stole my fuckin' car and he left.
- Val, you were supposed to watch him.
[Val] I know, but fuck, we stayed up
really late playing video games.
- [Mr. Jordan] I'm taking you back.
- Yeah, but you can't.
Didn't we just tell you?
I haven't got a body anymore.
What of it? I'll get you another body.
- You'll do what?
- Another body?
Well, that's what I said.
Come along, Joseph.
No, wait a minute, wait a minute.
What kind of a deal is this?
[messenger 7013]
Couldn't we have him reborn?
[Pendleton]
I'm not going to go through that again.
[Ji] No tricks, okay?
No fuckin', like, double crosses.
Just me and you and Danny.
[Vega] That seems fair.
Where you at, bud?
I want you to get
in the trunk of that car.
Okay.
[panting]
Mr. Jordan, I've never seen anything
as beautiful as that, not even in heaven.
She's in a tough spot.
Got a lot of courage to come all the way
up here alone to fight for her father.
She worships him.
She's no match for those buzzards.
She needs help. She's in trouble.
You better go to work.
[Pendleton] Farnsworth is the only one
who can help her, Joe.
And he's dead.
[Mr. Jordan] But you can be Farnsworth.
[Peg] You're quiet.
How are you feeling, John?
I'm fine.
You know what this means, right?
I did what I had to do.
[stammers] I had no choice.
[breathes shakily, sighs]
[Charlotte] What'd you say?
Nothing.
Come to bed.
I'm sorry,
I keep on staring at you like this.
That's okay.
I'm doing a little staring myself.
I'm all mixed up.
In fact, I didn't come here
so much to thank you, as to…
Because I had to see you again.
[Pendleton] Well, that's wonderful.
- That's wonderful!
- [Bette Logan] A miracle.
[Pendleton] A miracle? Why?
[Logan] Well, that a man like
Bruce Farnsworth could actually
think the way I was brought up
to think about people.
That he could have a real feeling
for the happiness of others.
[Pendleton] Well, that's as good a way to
go through life as any other, isn't it?
[Logan] Yes, that's all I meant.
Except, when you find that in somebody,
it's a great discovery.
[giggles]
I guess that's why I keep staring.
I can't help it.
I suddenly feel so warm
and alive and happy.
It's something in your eyes
and what's behind them that…
that I keep trying to see.
["666" playing]