Episode 6 opens by answering one of the season’s biggest questions: Who is Peg? The story flashes back 11 years, where Sugar, newly arrived on Earth, walks into a rooftop bar and spots Peg chatting with her colleagues. The moment she sees him, she quietly leaves the table and walks over. Sugar tells Peg that her actions on Earth have violated their species’ code of conduct, meaning she’s being sent back to their home planet. During the drive, Peg grows emotional, admitting how much she’ll miss her life on Earth. They stop at a gas station to grab her some tissues. While Sugar is inside the convenience store, he notices Peg spraying the car with gasoline before stepping into the vehicle. He rushes outside, but he’s too late—Peg ignites a lighter, and the car erupts in flames.

Back in the present, Sugar visits Ji in rehab and tells him it’s still too dangerous for him to leave, knowing Vega is still suspicious. As he empties Ji’s backpack, he discovers a phone with the same case as Chuy’s mother’s. Ji then reveals that he took Chuy’s phone from the hospital the night he entered his room. Later, Tom reviews the footage from Chuy’s phone with the district attorney. The video secretly captures Chuy and Guapo discussing Fire Sale with Vega. Afterward, Tom reports back to Sugar, explaining that even with the footage, building a strong case against Vega could still be difficult. The news leaves Sugar frustrated.

Later that night, Sugar takes Charlotte to the movies. Afterward, they sit outside beneath the night sky, admiring the stars and constellations. Charlotte gives him a kiss, but Sugar gently pulls back, admitting he’s not quite ready. Charlotte understands, not taking it personally.

The following day, Sugar receives a voicemail from Tammy, the assistant who helped him compile Ji’s death records. She apologizes, confessing that when Vega questioned her, she panicked and told him everything. Sugar immediately heads to Danny’s apartment, where Danny is celebrating his upcoming fight with a party. Pulling him aside, Sugar explains that the safest thing they can do is send Ji back to Korea. Danny pushes back, pleading with Sugar not to send him away because Ji is the only family he has left.

That night, while researching Fire Sale online, Sugar comes across an interview with Dr. Peter Bruno, whom he recognizes as one of the medical examiners he met at the morgue in the previous episode. Digging deeper into Bruno’s background, Sugar discovers a photo of him and Vega together from their time serving in the Marines. Finally, Sugar pieces it together: Vega has been flooding the market with cheap fentanyl, buying off local gangs to ensure their cooperation in order to increase overdose deaths, allowing Bruno to use the victims’ identities to fraudulently secure government housing grants. The two then profit by collecting money for apartments that remain empty and unoccupied.

Knowing he has the power to end everything, Sugar drives to Vega’s house and sneaks up behind him, holding a gun to his head. When Vega steps away to grab food from the microwave, Sugar has a moment to act—but by the time Vega returns, Sugar is already gone. He realizes he has to resist the urge to give in to his darker instincts and become the very thing he’s trying to stop.

When Sugar returns home, he heads straight to Charlotte’s room. He sweeps her off her feet and kisses her, with the door closing behind them. Later, as he steps out, he finds Vega waiting for him in the lobby.

The episode ends with a tense confrontation between Sugar and Vega. Sugar assures him that Ji won’t testify in court, but Vega isn’t willing to take any chances. He demands to know where Sugar is hiding Ji, revealing that he also has Danny in custody for the robbery he was involved in several episodes earlier. As Vega walks away, Sugar reveals that he was inside Vega’s house earlier, standing right behind him with a gun aimed at his head. He admits that he could have killed Vega in that moment, and Vega simply responds: “You should’ve.”

Episode 6 of Sugar delivers crucial answers to the season’s biggest mysteries while reinforcing the show’s central theme: Sugar’s struggle to maintain his identity as he confronts the cruelty and darkness of humanity on Earth. The episode opens with a flashback revealing Peg’s story, showing an alien who has become so accustomed to life on Earth that she would rather take her own life than return to her home planet. As Sugar uncovers Vega’s role in Fire Sale and the true purpose behind the operation, he realizes he has the ability to end everything by killing Vega himself. However, he resists the urge, knowing that giving in to violence would mean becoming no better than the people he’s fighting against. On the other hand, Sugar and Charlotte’s relationship finally reaches a satisfying turning point, culminating in a long-awaited kiss between the two. As the season’s central mystery continues to escalate, however, the show begins to move away from its noir-pastiche style, particularly through the stylized editing choices that defined the series in the beginning. Still, with tensions between Sugar and Vega reaching a boiling point, viewers can expect a major showdown between the two in the episodes ahead.

Rating: 7/10