Critic’s Rating: 3 / 5.0
3
We’re past the halfway point through Sunny now, folks, and things are starting to feel less than fresh.
The plot and premise felt new and exciting at the start of the series.
However, now that audiences are past the season’s midpoint, there needs to be some payoff.
There are subtle plot suggestions behind the story, but more is needed to supplement the decline in pace.
As I have said in many other reviews for other shows, it’s not uncommon to experience the dreaded decline of pace.
Stories have an ebb and flow. There’s the big, flashy beginning that hooks viewers.
Related: Sunny Season Premiere Review: Rashida Jones is a Force Among Bots, Blood, and Bad Booze
But before a show can get to the epic climax, it has to recalibrate the story around the middle mark.
If you ask most people who haven’t finished a season or series, they’ll usually tell you they stopped watching about halfway through.
Sunny’s Light Still Shines Bright Despite A Clear Decline In Pace
That’s not to say Sunny isn’t a fantastic show; rather, it was inevitable that the story would slow down.
It’s been on a steady decline since the pilot episode due to the amount of new information thrown at the protagonist.
While that did set up a lot for audiences to look forward to, the payoff hasn’t been substantial.
There are so many unanswered questions in this Apple TV+ that should’ve been answered by now.
What is the “Dark Manual?”
Is Masa and Zen for sure dead?
There’s clearly something significant about Sunny, but the writers are barely giving breadcrumbs.
The story as a whole is still fascinating, but this episode and the previous one did little to add to it.
But considering how incredible the show is, I’m willing to forgive a couple of filler episodes, but it’s time to get back on track with the plot.
Related: Sunny Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Mmmm, Hinoki
Suzie is still trying to watch out for the yakuza. She still has no idea who or what Masa did, and her relationship with Noriko seems only to be getting worse.
Suzie And Noriko Are Cut From The Same Cloth Regardless Of Their Rampant Friction
Speaking of one of the shadiest mother-in-laws in Japan, what in the world is going on with Noriko?
She blatantly and rather obnoxiously robbed that convenience store with clear intent to get caught.
Also, did any other viewers catch how quickly that kid snatched up the erotic manga Noriko threw away when her first attempt at stealing failed?
I guess one woman’s trash is another teenage boy’s entire afternoon.
However, subtle hints of comedy keep Sunny’s balance between comedy and thriller, much like a Black Mirror episode. And Noriko needs something she can smile about.
Is the woman so lonely that she would rather not only go to jail but stay there as well?
Granted, she has been through a lot, but that’s extreme.
Noriko is obviously a proud woman because she’s only tried to hang out with Suzie voluntarily once. Granted, she was drunk as a skunk and would’ve settled for the home bot’s company.
And if we’re being honest, Suzie has been a little wrapped up in things to give her mother-in-law any spare attention.
It’s a shame, too, because Noriko and Suzie are going through the same thing and handling it just about the same.
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Despite Its Namesake, Sunny Is Still So Full Of Dark Secrets That Need Answering For The Sake Of The Story
Oh, Suzie. Mean, sarcastic, grouchy Suzie.
This girl has zero interest in pulling herself out of her downward spiral.
It doesn’t take a psychiatrist to see that she’s thrown herself into danger and booze to avoid dealing with her issues.
She was pretty much dead inside until she was clued into Masa leading some double life.
Since then, Rashida Jones‘ Suzie has run toward danger without a single hint of hesitation.
It begs the question, what happened in Suzie’s past that made her this way?
As viewers, we know absolutely nothing about Suzie’s life before she came to Japan and met Masa.
They had a kid together and started a happy little home with enough good memories for Suzie to block out all the clues that Masa wasn’t entirely honest.
To be fair, it has been a wild ride of secrets, robots, and mafia mayhem.
I’m unsure how the writers would work in Suzie’s back story now unless it somehow relates to what’s happening.
Was Masa and Suzie’s courtship random?
Related: Sunny Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Sticky
Considering everything we’ve learned about Masa, every decision he made seemed to be calculated.
Between Suzie and Masa, so much of the past is still unknown, but it could shed some light on where Sunny is going.
Like what is Hime’s connection in all this, and what was her relationship with Masa?
We Hear You Hime, But You’re Not Giving Us Much To Work With
Hime has to be one of the most intriguing characters of the series.
The character herself strikes an outstanding balance between campy comedy and the kind of crazy you don’t turn your back on.
As an A24 series, that’s not surprising considering it’s from the same production company that brought us shows like Beef and The Idol.
However, Hime is another one we know little about. We know she’s the daughter of the yakuza boss, and that’s about it.
There seems to be a power struggle going on amongst the Japanese mafia.
No real surprise there since that’s the kind of plot device the yakuza usually fulfills in most scripts.
They’re either there as an endless supply of sword-wielding assassins, or it’s all about who gives out the orders and controls Japan.
However, these yakuza are very proactive. Did you see how quickly they snatched up Suzie from the vegetable stand?
Related: Sunny Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Joey Sakamoto
I hate to say it, but that was effective storytelling because sometimes you want the bad guys to get on with it.
This is why the interaction between Suzie and Hime took too long.
They spent a solid chunk of time just trying to hurt each other’s feelings.
From a regular viewer’s perspective, I think Hime was Masa’s half-sister or something.
Masa and Hime shared a soft, intimate connection, and we know family is important to Hime.
And speaking of family, this episode was not the same without Suzie’s newest addition to her home.
They did Sunny dirty by having her be absent for the whole episode, only to bring her back broken and junked up at the end.
And who should find her, but the person probably likes the least, Mixxy, played by annie the clumsy.
There are so many unanswered questions that there’s no way of predicting what might happen next.
The only thing we can hope for is a resolution to at least one question that will boost the series’ pace.
Either way, you know I will be glued to a screen, watching every minute of the next episode.
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Where do you think the story is headed with so many things left in the air?
Who do you think Hime was to Masa?
Drop a comment below to let us know, and join me again when I review the next episode of Sunny!
