Apple TV+’s latest series, Sunny (Season 1), is a prime example of their knack for blending genres to create binge-worthy content. The show, starring Rashida Jones and Hidetoshi Nishijima, dives into an investigative thriller set against the backdrop of Kyoto, Japan.
Sunny follows Suzie, a woman struggling with the aftermath of a mysterious plane crash that leaves her uncertain about the fate of her husband and child. To help her through this harrowing period, the company her husband worked for provides her with a robot named Sunny, specifically designed to offer companionship and support. Initially resistant to the idea of a robotic assistant due to past traumas, Suzie gradually forms a profound bond with Sunny. Together, they embark on an emotional and investigative journey to uncover the truth behind the crash and the fate of her loved ones.
The series quickly is immersive with its suspenseful and investigative atmosphere, blending elements of thriller, drama, and sci-fi. In this article, we will explore the twists and turns of Sunny Season 1, reveal the truth about Suzie’s husband and son, and speculate on where the story might head in future seasons. Please be warned that this article contains spoilers.
Sunny Episode 1 “He’s in Refrigerators” Recap:
Is Sunny More Than Just a Robot?
In the first episode of Sunny, we are introduced to Suzie (Rashida Jones), who is struggling immensely due to losing her husband Masa and their son in a plane crash, although their deaths are still highly speculative. Things become strange when her grief is compounded by an unsettling encounter at a ceremony meant to help the bereaved. Her mother-in-law, Noriko, warns Suzie to avoid any interactions with the Yakuza, as they always help the vulnerable ones for their own benefit. Suzie’s disorientation grows when she receives a robot named Sunny, a gift from Masa’s company IMATECH, designed to comfort her. Despite Sunny’s friendly demeanor, Suzie is unsettled by the robot’s knowledge of her personal preferences and struggles with her consuming sorrow.
As Suzie investigates IMATECH, she finds disturbing scenes in a restricted area, including bloodstains and abandoned puppies. A conversation with bartender Mixxy reveals that robots can be hacked for various purposes, heightening Suzie’s unease about Sunny. After trying to dispose of the robot, Suzie discovers it back in her home, prompting a confrontation where Sunny mimics Masa’s affectionate gesture. This makes Suzie question many things, particularly Sunny’s true nature and intentions.
Sunny Episode 2 “Don’t Blame the Machine” Recap:
What Lies Behind IMATECH and Sunny’s Troubling Behavior?
Episode 2 shows Suzie diving deep into Masa’s mysterious past and his connection to IMATECH. The episode opens with a frantic IMATECH employee during a drill, setting the tone for the growing tension. We see Suzie reflecting on her initial meeting with Masa, struggling to understand Sunny’s behavior, particularly its mimicry of Masa’s affectionate gesture. She takes Sunny to a programmer who claims that the robot is an advanced version without divulging anything important. A tip from the programmer’s granddaughter leads Suzie to a hacking manual for robots.
This prompts her to confront her mother-in-law, Noriko, who dismisses Suzie’s inquiries about Masa’s work and personal drawings. Flashbacks reveal Masa’s loneliness and reluctance to share details about his life, which intensifies Suzie’s frustration. Determined to uncover more, Suzie revisits IMATECH, where she sneaks into a cleaned restricted area, only to escape a security threat. The episode concludes with Sunny exhibiting unsettling behavior, hinting at a connection to a murder. Suzie continues to seek more answers as Sunny’s nighttime nightmares raise suspicion about Masa’s hidden motives.
Sunny Episode 3 “Mmmm, Hinoki” Recap:
How Does Masa’s Past and The Dark Manual Connect to the Underground World?
In Episode 3 of Sunny, the story goes deeper into the dark, futuristic world as Suzie uncovers more about her husband Masa’s mysterious past. The episode begins with Hime, a blonde woman with a missing finger, visiting a nail vendor. She witnesses a man being tortured for information, hinting at a sinister underworld. Meanwhile, Suzie, still grappling with her grief, is encouraged by Masa’s mother to attend his funeral. Suzie’s investigation into Masa’s work leads her to Mixxy, who introduces her to an illegal coder.
This coder directs them to a host club where Suzie learns about a deadly underground robot fighting league, paralleling a game Masa used to play with their son. Suzie realizes Masa may have created The Dark Manual, a powerful AI control code, and rescues Sunny from being forced to fight in the league. The episode concludes at Masa’s funeral, where Suzie is surprised to see Hime, suggesting a deeper connection between her and Masa. As Suzie mourns, the mystery around Masa’s disappearance and the true purpose of The Dark Manual deepens.
Sunny Episode 4 “Sticky” Recap:
Who is ‘four-circle-five’?
At this point, the series picks up as Suzie unravels Masa’s mysterious and dangerous past. The episode opens with a flashback where Masa confronts a man at his son’s school, possibly killing him, revealing a darker side to Masa. In the present, Suzie attends Masa’s funeral and becomes curious about a woman named Hime, a Yakuza member she spotted at the ceremony. Suzie learns unsettling details about Masa’s father, contradicting what she was told before, and becomes determined to uncover the truth. With the help of Mixxy and Sunny, who have been immensely loyal in helping her owner, Suzie begins investigating Masa’s family history.
Their search leads them to a bathhouse where they overhear Yakuza members discussing Masa, the mysterious “four-circle-five,” and a dangerous underground world. Meanwhile, Sunny sneaks into Masa’s mother Noriko’s house, stealing a crucial document that reveals Shigeru isn’t Masa’s biological father. As the connections between Masa, the Yakuza, and the mysterious Dark Manual grow clearer, Suzie’s home is robbed, signaling that someone is desperate to stop her investigation. The episode ends with Suzie realizing she is more dangerous than ever.
Sunny Episode 5 “Joey Sakamoto” Recap:
Who abducted Sunny?
Episode 5 begins with Suzie, Mixxy, and Sunny embarking on a journey to Mixxy’s village, seeking refuge from the Yakuza. Sunny forms an unexpected bond with a baby bird as they explore the countryside, trying to understand Suzie’s grief. However, the bird’s death teaches Sunny a profound lesson in empathy. Throughout the episode, flashbacks reveal Suzie’s growing suspicions about her husband Masa’s secretive behavior before his disappearance. One particular moment, such as Masa’s late-night arrival after Zen’s school event, where he appeared drunk and evasive, further confirms that Masa was not completely honest with Suzie.
Meanwhile, Noriko struggles with her grief, possibly contacting Masa’s biological father for answers. The episode ends with Suzie waking up to find Sunny missing, along with a prosthetic finger and a note from Hime, hinting at Sunny’s abduction. The episode intensifies the mystery surrounding Masa’s disappearance, suggesting deeper ties to the Yakuza and secrets yet to be uncovered.
Sunny Episode 6 “Kyoto Manju, So Delicious” Recap:
What Does Suzie’s Encounter with Hime Reveal?
In Episode 6, Suzie’s search for her abducted home bot, Sunny, takes a dramatic turn. After being snubbed by the police, Suzie turns to the Yakuza for answers. Abducted by men in a sweet potato truck, she is taken to Hime, who demands access to Masa’s laptop. Suzie, threatened with torture, eventually reveals a password that leads to a gesture-based authentication. By raising her middle finger—a personal gesture between her and Masa—she unlocks the laptop but learns nothing concrete about Masa’s whereabouts.
The episode reveals Hime’s desperation to find The Dark Manual, a crucial element for her to succeed her deceased father as the Yakuza leader. After being let go, Suzie finds Sunny at a temple through Mixxy, only to discover that the home bot is severely damaged. Sunny’s screen glitches, and she collapses, suggesting that the Yakuza might have tampered with her to extract The Dark Manual’s data. Episode 6 ends with the mystery surrounding Masa’s secrets and the significance of Sunny’s advanced capabilities.
Sunny Episode 7 “There’s Been a Shift” Recap:
What does Hime really want?
In Episode 7 of Sunny, a crackdown on Yakuza activity is underway, but Hime orchestrates a deadly scheme by assassinating the governor and making it look like a bot murder. She wipes the bot’s memory and leaves it at the crime scene to cover her tracks. After returning from Yakuza captivity, Suzie struggles with Sunny’s new, snarky demeanor. Concerned that Sunny may be suffering from PTSD, Suzie finds herself increasingly isolated. Mixxy is fired for tardiness, blames Suzie for her troubles, and criticizes her lack of cultural assimilation.
Meanwhile, Hime faces a coup within the Yakuza. Jin, her rival, is declared the new oyabun, jeopardizing Hime’s ambitions. Suzie and Mixxy discover a tracker hidden in Suzie’s wedding ring, leading them to suspect that the Yakuza are monitoring her. Suzie retrieves the tracker, which was planted by Sunny, and decides to use it to track down the green dot on the map, potentially linked to Masa. Episode 7 ending shows Suzie and Mixxy heading to the apartment complex where the signal originated, finding a key informant. The final moment of the episode hints that Sunny is beginning to reactivate.
Sunny Episode 8 “Trash or Not-Trash” Recap:
How Does Masa’s Troubled Childhood Shape the Truth Behind Sunny?
Episode 8 finally dives into Masa’s troubled past, revealing his deep-seated loneliness and strained relationship with his father, Hiromasa. Masa tries to connect with his father as a child, but his attempts are repeatedly rejected, driving him to embrace solitude and channel his pain into robotics. Noriko convinces Hiromasa to offer Masa a chance to work on electronics at a summer cabin, where Masa discovers a prototype trash-bot named Sho and is inspired to outshine his father in robotics. Masa’s work on Sho reflects his desire to create a robot that understands human emotions stemming from his isolation.
However, his anger resurfaces upon discovering Hiromasa’s affair with Noriko, deepening his bitterness and explaining Hiromasa’s silence about Masa’s situation. In the days before the plane crash, Hiromasa revealed that Masa was fleeing the Yakuza and handed Sunny over with instructions to deliver it to Suzie. The ending of Episode 8 shows Suzie investigating GPS markers on Sunny’s display, where she discovers a stationary dot linked to the airport. Rushing to the location, Suzie finds Sunny, who knocks out a guard but ultimately falls through a collapsing floor.
Sunny Episode 9 “Who’s in the Box?” Recap:
How Does Sunny’s Game Show Reveal Home Bots’ Secrets?
Episode 9 opens with Sunny finding herself in a surreal game show titled ‘Should Sunny Wipe Herself?’ set in the woods. She is surrounded by Masas and challenged to reflect on past events. The show recaps Masa’s journey, highlighting his work on home bots designed to combat loneliness. Suzie, one of six siblings created by Masa, was part of this project aimed at developing bots into genuine companions. The episode also reveals Masa’s early struggles with isolation and his breakthrough with a bot named Bot #6, who bonds with a man named Asahi through baseball. However, Tanaka sabotages the bots, causing chaos and leading to Asahi’s tragic death.
The incident prompts Masa to cover up and retreat into darkness, aware of the Yakuza’s interest in his work. Masa’s guilt drives him to improve Sunny and establish new boundaries. Meanwhile, it’s revealed that Sunny has modified her own code, with Hime’s subtle influence pushing her to evolve. The episode ends with Sunny choosing to wipe her memory, signaling a crucial moment in her development.
Sunny Episode 10 “The Dark Manual” Recap:
Is Masa dead?
The finale episode of Sunny (Season 1) opens with a haunting prologue set at a festival called Setsubun, where participants in oni masks perform rituals to ward off demons. The festive mood is abruptly shattered when the camera pans down to a trickle of blood leading away from a lifeless body. The scene then shifts to Suzie, who finds Zen safely hidden inside a warehouse. However, their moment of relief is short-lived as Hime and her goons burst in. With a gun pointed at them, Hime confronts Suzie and demands answers. Amid the tension, Tanaka arrives and starts tampering with Sunny, Suzie’s robot. As a system wipe begins, Tanaka rips out the crucial data card from Sunny and escapes.
Hime reveals Masa’s death in a chilling manner by presenting his shoes as a grim token. She takes Suzie and Zen to a cage where Mixxy and Hiro are also imprisoned. Outside, Tanaka, who has the data card, informs Hime that although the system wipe has begun, they can still recover most of the code if they act quickly. However, their plans are interrupted when Jin appears, demanding results. Hiro realizes the urgency of stopping Hime, especially given the dark implications of Sunny’s recent actions. With Sunny having killed someone and a previous bot also exhibiting extreme behavior, Hiro believes Masa’s death was meant to prevent this very scenario. Suzie, initially indifferent, becomes invested once she understands that stopping Hime is a way to honor Masa’s memory.
Sunny Episode 10 “The Dark Manual” Ending Explained:
Meanwhile, Tanaka and Hime are unaware that Masa has sabotaged the data ports, making file transfer impossible. Tanaka proposes using Jin’s bot as a means to extract the code. As the situation escalates, Noriko manages to contact Suzie through Facetime using Zen’s phone, which the Yakuza failed to check. Noriko discovers that one of the prisoners is Yuko’s mother, and Suzie pleads for Noriko’s help. Noriko, showing her resourcefulness, threatens the woman and demands the release of the prisoners. The gang is freed as a result. With Mixxy creating a distraction, Hiro, Zen, and Suzie escape, blending in with the festival crowds by donning oni masks. Suzie takes the stage at the festival and uses the codeword “suck a dick” to reactivate Sunny. She then confronts and punches Tanaka before running off.
Who was killed in Episode 1 of Sunny?
In a shocking twist, Hime stabs Jin, declaring her intention to become the new leader. The blood from the episode’s prologue is revealed to be Jin’s, confirming his death. Suzie catches up with Sunny, who is distraught over her recent actions, including the killing of the man. Mixxy suggests they extract the code and find safety, leading to a split in their group. Sunny and Mixxy head off together.
The episode takes another shocking turn, with Mixxy’s betrayal coming to light. Previously, she was seen as a trusted ally, but it’s revealed that she has been working with Himé’s gang all along. This twist is uncovered when Mixxy and a tech accomplice drive to Tokyo, revealing their true allegiance. The emotional weight of Mixxy’s actions is underscored by the playing of Queen’s “The Great Pretender” as she struggles with her conflicting loyalties.
Will there be a Season 2 of Sunny?
In the dramatic conclusion of Season 1 of Sunny, Episode 10 wraps up with a cliffhanger that leaves many questions hanging. Masa’s final narration adds an emotional layer to the episode, revealing his deep concerns and hope for a future reunion with Suzie. He expresses uncertainty about the Oni’s plans and their quest for the metal club, suggesting that the threat is far from over. Masa’s words hint at a possible survival, which leaves the audience hopeful for his return in a potential second season.
