Sugar Rush: Episode 4 Recap

Welcome back to SheWired's Sugar Rush recaps. The breakout BBC show, currently airs on here!  

Episode four of our British import addiction Sugar Rush begins with Kim giving us all a brief recap of where her life stands. Let’s review: Kim’s a lesbian virgin in love with her best friend Sugar. She has become so desperate to “shag” Sugar that she considered date rape in the last episode. In the process of all of the date rape considerations, she accidentally nearly killed her brother who thinks he’s an alien. Her dad is clueless, her mom is a floozy. And the nearly killing little brother incident, according to Kim, may have had a silver lining. As voice-over Kim tells us, “At least it got my parents talking. And it got me a whole night, albeit a frustratingly platonic one, in the same bed as the woman of my dreams.”

Cut to signs near the ocean where Kim’s dad and brother are flopping around in flippers and wetsuits enjoying the rain and gray weather in, as one sign describes, “Sunny Brighton.” Meanwhile, Kim sits, lovesick as usual, in the backseat of the car, tracing the name “Sugar” on the fogged up window. Stella, self-absorbed as usual, sits in the front, applying lipstick to the slutty lips that tell so many lies.

Nathan waddles over to Stella’s window. She opens it and he inquires about perhaps going to the cinema together later. Stella responds by shaking her head with a nonchalant, “Busy…” and then proceeds to roll the window back up and ignore her husband so she can text her carpenter/decorator sex toy, Dale.

Voiceover Kim comes on saying, “It was time to make a break. It was time to come clean. The way I saw it, I had a simple choice…”
And now we are no longer in the backseat of the beachside car, we are at Sugar’s apartment complex and Kim is walking up to the front door. After four episodes we are used to Kim’s fantasy flashes, and so they begin.

First, Kim rings the bell on Sugar’s door and when Sugar opens it, she blurts out, “I love you.” In mental option two, Kim says, “It’s over between us. We can no longer be friends.” Both fantasy options are followed by a somewhat horrified and confused look on Sugar’s face.

In the real world, Kim rings the bell and Sugar answers wearing only a bra and short shorts, covered in some sort of cream on various patches all over her legs and body. I kind of love it when Kim’s fantasy sequences are more realistic than what actually happens. Such moments do a great job of demonstrating what a mind-fuck life can really be.

So, are you dying to know why Sugar is covered in cream? Don’t get too excited – she has crabs. Yes, the STD crabs.

Kim follows her into the house and up to her room where Sugar begins rattling off the various guys she could blame for this misfortune. Voiceover Kim interrupts the scene to announce the very obvious: “The situation was hardly romantic…”

Sugar, meanwhile, is wondering why Kim has come over. Clearly not a good time for our young, lovesick lesbian to pour her heart out, Kim shrugs and says “Nothing.” Sugar goes on being totally self-absorbed and talks about getting her “Brazilian” on Saturday and how, after that, “at least they’ll have less to hold on to.” Gross.

Kim is distracted momentarily trying to light a cigarette, until Sugar snatches it, unlit, out of her hand and scolds her because the medication that is now everywhere is totally flammable 

Next thing we know, we’re seeing Kim walking down near the beach, alone. Voiceover Kim informs us that, perhaps for the first time, she’s having genuine second thoughts about being in love with Sugar. She says, “Something about the whole situation made me uneasy. I’ve always known what Sugar was like, but…”

As she trails off, we next see her in front of her computer, looking up crabs to get all the information she can. As she reads, she becomes progressively more disgusted and then questions, regarding Sugar, “Is that really the sort of person I wanted to be with?”

She reads on and finds out that crabs can be spread through sharing bed linens, towels, clothes, and other such items. Oh shit, the sleepover. That “frustratingly platonic,” torturous evening of bliss when she shared a bed with the object of her affection may have now caused an infection.

Kim holds a magnifying glass and inspects herself all over.

Next thing we hear from Kim, “Oh god…”

And voiceover Kim comes on to give commentary: “Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, you’re a virgin with a sexually transmitted disease.” She glances at the screen where there is a large, blown-up photo of a crab, and then back at herself. “Thanks a lot, Sug- ” she begins, but is interrupted by Nathan calling her to supper.

The seafood paella on the table looks particularly unappetizing and as they sit to eat, Stella saunters around the foyer, preparing to go out. Nathan explains that she’s on her way to meet a friend named “Elaine” whose mom just died. Insert the weekly eye-roll over how horribly gullible Nathan is.  

Stella enters the room and Kim looks at her, mildly horrified:
“What are you wearing?”
Stella is wearing Kim’s jeans. The jeans that we all know, and Kim knows, but Stella does not know, are infested with crabs.

“Thought I’d make an effort, cheer her up a bit…” Stella responds.

Nathan walks her partway to the door to see her off and Stella does the usual cold, brush-off goodbye and hurries out the door with her ringing phone in hand. Nathan looks mildly confused but shrugs it off and walks back inside.

Later, Kim does something very strange. Her laundry. Nathan is shocked at the sight of his daughter washing clothes and asks what is going on. They exchange a half fantasy, half reality conversation in which, in the first instance, Kim explains the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to account for why she is doing the laundry. In real life, Kim shrugs and says -- fairly angrily -- that Stella never does a damn thing and so someone has to do the wash. Nathan then tries to defend his wife, making him look even more pathetic than usual, and Kim gets so fed up with the bullshit swirling around her that she marches upstairs in typical teenage fashion and escapes to her bedroom. Sugar calls just as Kim sits on her bed and for once, Kim sees the call coming in and ignores it.

Flash to where Stella really is…I’ll give you a hint, there’s no one there named Elaine. She and the dirty decorator are about to go at it in a hotel room, and briefly, when we first see them, it appears they are already doing it and Stella is in some sort of pain. Pan back and it turns out that pulling the jeans of a 15-year-old off her body is what is so painful. Dale helps and once Stella is bottom-less, he dives in for…oh shit. He sees them. Dale’s look of complete and utter disgust is priceless. He reels back and starts spitting into the sink behind him. Stella is confused and bottomless on the bed. Dale explains, “Stella, we are not alone…”

She realizes what he is talking about and immediately blames him for giving her crabs. He refutes and pulls down his boxer briefs for a totally unnecessary display of male pubic hair and proves to Stella that he is nit-free.

She storms out to go to the “chemist” and Dale is left with a hefty hotel bill and possibly an STD.

Later, Kim is at home waiting for her laundry to finish. She pulls it out into the basket only to encounter Stella, herself holding a bag of laundry, when she turns around. The two stare awkwardly at each other and then continue on in their opposite directions. Voiceover Kim notes her surprise at seeing Stella washing her own clothes. Does Nathan really just do EVERYTHING around there? He must, because a second later, he walks in and expresses his shock at seeing his wife washing laundry.

Upstairs, Stella and Kim encounter one another once again, this time in the hallway. More awkward, suspicious staring.

Voiceover Kim quips, “This wasn’t really the kind of situation you could prepare yourself for – giving your mother an STD.”

Kim goes to her room and shuts the door. Stella does the same, but in the bathroom. On opposite sides of the wall, they each take out a bottle of crab killing medication and begin to spread the lotion all over their bodies. Finishing at the same time, the see each other exiting and waddling away.

That night, the three (don’t ask me where creepy alien brother is all this time) sit on the couch watching a Discovery Channel-esque piece on, you guessed it, crabs. Not the STD kind, the beach and sand and ocean life kind, but you see the irony. Both Stella and Kim look utterly miserable.

Nathan begins sniffing around and asks Stella and Kim if they smell anything strange. “Hair remover,” they respond, in concert. More awkward staring. Pretty certain at this point they both know they both have crabs.

The television drones on with the crab documentary.

Later, Stella itches in the hall and knocks on Kim’s door. “Can we talk?” She asks as she enters. She goes on to say that she “couldn’t help but notice….”

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Kim looks briefly horrified, scared her mother is going to accuse her of giving her crabs, but then Stella continues apologetically with, “My poor baby, what have I done?”

Kim’s expression changes slightly as she realizes what is going on. As Stella babbles on about the unfortunate consequences of her actions, voiceover Kim notes, “This was turning into a very interesting situation.”

Stella explains in more detail, stumbling over her words a bit, “Dale…I…wasn’t thinking and borrowed some of your clothes and may have given you crabs.”
Voiceover Kim’s response: “This was too good to be true.”

Stella goes on and on, embarrassed, and Kim takes the opportunity to act particularly cold to her now -- supposedly disease-spreading -- slut of a mother. And then, Stella adds the inevitable: “You won’t tell your dad?”

Kim looks at her in disbelief and decides to make a power play, stating an ultimatum, “Stop borrowing my things…and you need to stop seeing him.”

Stella reaches for a hug and Kim recoils. Serves you right, Stella, you won’t even kiss your own husband without a miserable grimace on your face. The conversation clearly over, Stella leaves the room, itching away.

That night, the whole family is in the kitchen (even creepy little brother, Matt). Nathan irons, Kim sips tea, Matt cuts the hair off a Barbie doll and Stella stands near the table. Suddenly, Nathan is itching. Kim notices. And then it happens again. Stella notices. Oh God, poor unsuspecting Nathan.

“I can’t seem to stop itching,” he announces to the room.

Voiceover Kim tells us, “That’s the thing about infections, just when you think you have them under control, they spread like bush fire again.” Nice play on words.

Kim approaches her father and suddenly I am certain, totally positive, that she’s finally had enough and is going to spill the beans about Dale the decorator and Stella’s dirty ways. Instead, after standing in front of him silent for a moment (while Stella looks on horrified, thinking exactly what I was thinking), she says, “Night Dad,” and then goes up to bed.

Stella and Nathan argue alone in the living room while Kim tosses and turns in her bed. Lightning flashes outside, lighting up the entire room every few seconds. In one flash of light, Matt is suddenly there with a small army of disfigured Barbie dolls. Rather than be freaked out by her bizarre little bro, Kim sits with him on her bed and the two semi-comfort each other in silence while their parents have at it downstairs.

So why are Stella and Nathan arguing so loudly? Nathan has finally figured out the truth for himself. He discovered the reason for his itching and, no longer able to deny what is going on, is confronting Stella.

He continues to be positively heartbreaking though. Stella smokes nonchalantly as he fumes. He turns to Stella in his disbelief and insists, “You are the only person I have slept with in 18 years. Now can you please tell me what is going on here?!"

Kim appears in the doorway of the room to witness the climax of the scene – Stella finally coming clean about her affair with Dale. Nathan is positively devastated, repeating, “Not the decorator! Please no!”

Matt is sitting on the stairway and Kim is still watching from the door.

Not able to take it in her own home during all of the chaos that is breaking loose, Kim escapes to go see Sugar, who, if you’ve noticed, has been notably absent during the majority of the episode.

Voiceover Kim tells us, “I’d promised myself I wouldn’t see Sugar. At least not until I’d plucked up enough courage to tell her.”

And there Kim is, at Paradise, ringing the bell on Sugar’s door. Should we assume she’s going to continue with the theme of the evening and come clean about her own secret love?

Nope. Voiceover Kim continues, “It was just that right now, she was the only person I wanted to see.”

Sugar answers the door and Kim promptly bursts into tears. Sugar comforts her outside briefly and then moves the two up to her bedroom to mix a cocktail of sorts for her friend of “Tango, pro plus and vodka.”

Sugar starts smoking on her bed and asks Kim, “Think she’ll leave?”

Kim then notices a small pile of flowers and a teddy bear in the corner of Sugar’s room and looks at Sugar inquiringly.

Sugar explains smugly that they are from Ray and Donkey. Apparently, once she told the litany of gentlemen she’d been fooling around with that she had crabs, they all became so paranoid that she’d turn them in for sleeping with a minor that they became extra sweet to her and started sending gifts. Master manipulator that one is.

Voiceover Kim articulates our thoughts exactly, stating, “Sugar was still totally shameless…”

Sugar notices Kim’s itching and declares, “It’s always the same with you Kim, isn’t it? All the pain without the pleasure.”

Wow, you can say that again.

Sugar instructs her friend to take her clothes off so she can properly rub her down with the medication.

Our fourth episode ends with jeans, bra and t-shirt being thrown to the side of the room and voiceover Kim telling us, “She was living proof that no matter how bad things are, you can turn any situation to your advantage.” Devious little Kim will take any opportunity to get a mostly naked rubdown from the object of her lusty affection. Even crabs.

See you next week.