So, I’m a bit late to the party when it comes to Sunny, the new dark comedy (very dark comedy) on AppleTV+. I saw the basic premise – that would be woman is given a robot and it sends her on a journey to try and find her presumed dead husband and son – and admittedly rolled my eyes and opted to sit this one out. It didn’t help that Apple’s track record of late has been . . . spotty, at best. But, after seeing some positive reviews for the series from critics I trust, I figured, why not? And I spent the weekend binging the series (Apple provided all ten episodes to critics for review – the first two have aired thus far). And you know what? I was swept up in the series’ charms and thoroughly enjoyed the series – even when it got a bit in the weeds along the way.
As I mentioned, the basic premise is that Suzie (Rashida Jones, doing great work as a not-wholly-likeable leading character), an American ex-pat in Japan, loses her husband, Masa (Hidetoshi Nishijima), and son, Zen, in a plane crash, shattering her world. A loner, she doesn’t have any discernible friends in Japan – she has never tried to learn the language, despite living there for over a decade – and the only other person she speaks with is her mother-in-law, Noriko (Judy Ongg, deft at comedy as well as the dramatic moments she’s asked to portray). In her despair, Suzie heads to the local restaurant she and Masa would frequent and strikes up a friendship of sorts with Mixxy (annie the clumsy, really great in the role), the new bartender at the establishment. And then, without warning, a homebot – a robot that helps you out at home – is delivered to Suzie, apparently at the behest of Masa, who was a programmer who created this robot to be the perfect companion for his wife. Sunny, the bot, joins Suzie and Mixxy in the quest to discover what truly happened to Masa and Zen, and just what Masa had gotten himself mixed up in (it certainly looks like it involves the yakuza – led by hopeful future clan leader Hime (You)).
The mystery at the heart of the series – are Masa and Zen alive and just what was Masa working on that led to his apparent death – is far less interesting than the journey to find those answers. Because Sunny only works as well as it does because the writing, direction, and key performances (those would be Jones, annie the clumsy, and Joanna Sotomura, who voices Sunny) mesh so incredibly well. I’m not someone who can easily be won over by cute robots, but damn it if I wasn’t completely taken in by Sunny by mid-season, immediately pressing play after each episode to make sure that she was going to end up alright from whatever predicament the series left her in. And Jones, who is asked to take on some truly complex story beats (Suzie isn’t the nicest, and it’s pretty clear why she hasn’t made any friends since she made it to Japan all those years ago), really sells it as a woman whose entire world is shattered with nowhere to turn for solace or help. The relationship that develops between Sunny and Suzie – again, a key element that makes the series shine – feels earned. This isn’t a case of a robot rolls in and by the end of episode two the pair are besties. No, it takes time. And Sunny doesn’t smooth over Suzie’s rough edges.
Similarly, the nascent relationship between Suzie and Mixxy builds slowly. With the threat of the yakuza lingering in the background of the series, there’s always a question as to just who Suzie should be trusting, but we see the moments wherein both women realize they’re building a genuine friendship between them. Again, their rough edges – because Mixxy has her own baggage – don’t become softened with one another and they occasionally hurt each other along the way to becoming friends, but you can understand why these two women mesh well and make a good team. Even if the writing makes it clear you cannot be 100% certain you can trust Mixxy throughout the season.
Which brings us back to that central mystery. The series knows what it’s doing when it comes to slowly doling out the clues as to just what Masa was messed up in, and once the breadth of it is revealed, it all tracks beautifully with the clues we’ve been presented. And, similarly, every person Suzie comes across maintains an air of suspicion around them throughout the season, allowing us to put ourselves in her place, wary of trusting after spending so long self-isolating herself away from everyone. The lack of easy answers allows the series to keep us interested – and there are plenty of unanswered questions by the season’s close, making you crave a second season, which I really hope is on the docket.
Is the series perfect? No. It withholds a few big revelations a bit too long – allowing the audience to get ahead of the story in ways that make certain episodes feel a bit redundant. But the performances are excellent, the characters are resonant, and the writing manages to hit the sweet spot between comedy and drama perfectly. If you’ve been wondering if you should be keeping that AppleTV+ subscription while you wait for Severance to return next year, give Sunny a look. I suspect fans of that twisty Apple series will find a great deal to love in this one.
Sunny is currently airing on AppleTV+. The first two episodes are currently available. All ten episodes of the season were provided for review.
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