Sugar's fears for the safety of his friends lead him to a clandestine gathering where he learns a dangerous secret - and the truth about Olivia.
Sugar awakens on the floor feeling human. That isn't his natural skin though. He's learned to be comfortable enough in it. Moreover, he doesn't have to explain his natural appearance to Melanie. Instead, that's information solely offered to the audience. The group he belongs to is actually a collective of aliens assigned to observe humanity on Earth. They follow orders in this mission. Sugar's day job complicated their well-being. They have to protect their secret no matter what. Even amongst each other, they have to be careful about what details they share. Some fear they have spent too much time on Earth. They have become more human as the years have gone by. That explains their sudden intrigue in violence. It's much easier for Sugar to call out that hypocrisy in others than look inward at himself. That introspection is necessary. He has to be held accountable for his own actions. He fears his friends want to kill him. He has become a threat to the mission. The truth is more complicated than that. He just has to calm down long enough to listen.
Of course, the audience gets lured into this threat against Sugar's life as well. Ruby and Miller receive an order. It's understood to be a signal to kill Sugar. He can no longer continue his investigation into Olivia's disappearance. He has compromised so much already. He has become a liability. It's not because he threatens to expose their identities. He still holds firm to the sanctity of the secret. He has never wanted to share the truth with anyone. That has changed because of how close he has gotten with Melanie. She wants answers too. She is tasked with looking after him. He pledged to find Olivia. His answers only cause more pain and outrage. He reveals that his group is protecting the person who took Olivia. It's frustrating. Sugar can't make sense of it. This isn't who they are. He professes that over and over again. Melanie simply assumes Sugar is a foreign spy. That's the only rational explanation. Her mind can't fathom the truth. Sugar allows that suggestion to be believed. She stays by his side throughout the day. And yet, he still carries so much of this burden by himself.
Sugar's life is threatened. Miller tracks him down to his hotel. He lifts him up with one arm not caring who witnesses this improbable feat. No one questions that for very long either. The action immediately goes to the next investigative beat. Sugar and Melanie never have enough time to catch up and share the severity of the situation. Instead, they are constantly on the run. Melanie doesn't feel safe simply staying alone in the car. She has to join Sugar as he breaks into a house. Nothing dangerous lurks inside. It simply reveals how this criminal operation is tying up loose ends. People are eliminating those who have access to the truth. It still requires Sugar to put all the pieces together. He does ultimately find those answers. He's desperate to find Olivia. Henry finally provides him with her exact location. Sugar confronts the man who took her. He's a son of a U.S. Senator who abused his authority as law enforcement to abduct and torture women. That gruesome nature is on firm display in his basement. Sugar witnesses all of it. He also finds Olivia. She's finally rescued. That's a massive victory.
Yet all of this is meant to reveal why these characters cling desperately onto this story. Sugar's constant search for others is based on his unresolved feelings about what happened to his sister. She's the figure he calls out to while he's sleeping. Everything he does is in response to that. None of the people he finds can fill that hole of agony in his life. His obsession with films provides him with clarity as to how to behave in a rational way. He's adept at going through the motions of human life. He doesn't have the space to grieve or truly analyze his behavior. He previously suggested the city of Los Angeles was twisting his nature. He took actions he never would have taken before. He killed three people. Two he can genuinely admit were in self-defense. The third was because he was blind in his rage. He wanted to exact that punishment. He needed to kill the man who destroyed the Siegel family. Of course, this isn't the only pain being carried by the Hollywood dynasty. They mourn Davy. Olivia missing the funeral is what convinces Bernie that something truly is wrong. He refused to believe it before. Meanwhile, Jonathan doesn't have any more clarity to offer. The segments of the narrative have been separated. Sugar is more desperate than ever. However, he also uncovers the answers he has long sought out.
Sugar's friends are only forthcoming with him now because they have received the news they will be returning home. In a matter of days, they will all be off this planet. Their job of observing has come to an end. Now, they get to reunite with whatever awaits them elsewhere in the universe. It's a response to this chaos. The decision was made for the group to cut their losses. They can't risk exposure. Some humans already know the truth. That information was used to blackmail the collective into protecting this heinous individual. With that clarity, Sugar better understands why his friends behaved the way they did. Everything suddenly has an answer. That's refreshing. That allows him to breathe. He empathizes with their struggles. His mission isn't complete yet. He remains devoted to the search for Olivia. Henry just learned the truth. He's willing to share it. No one stops him. That's almost besides the point though. It's all meant to reveal how much Sugar has compromised himself and his identity in order to commit to this path. Everything knew this mission was personal. It became the priority. Sugar can't stand by and let this inhumanity prevail. He's selfless. He remains destructive too. Others have to be kept at a distance. Otherwise, they will get injured. Those are the consequences now. Sugar doesn't condone violence. Plenty have died following interactions with him now. He can no longer say he was merely observing. He engaged and significantly changed life for several humans.
