Sunny Season 1 Episode 7 Review: There’s Been a Shift

Sunny Season 1 Episode 7, “There’s Been a Shift,” kicks the action up a notch, with Suzie and Mixxy butting heads and Himé grieving a massive loss. The narrative wheels are turning, and we finally have movement on the story front. It’s a step up from the previous outing. 

There’s Been a Shift 

Tensions come to a head between Suzie and Mixxy in episode seven. It feels like it’s been a long time coming. Mixxy finally puts Suzie in her place, something we haven’t seen anyone do yet on Sunny. 

There’s something profoundly relatable about Suzie’s “grief shield,” as Mixxy puts it. It’s so easy to use your grief as a crutch — an excuse to behave poorly and treat those around you like dirt. Suzie represents the mercurial, intensely dark, and rage-filled side of grief. Rashida Jones taps into Suzie’s anger so beautifully. 

Another crucial facet of the Suzie/Mixxy argument is Suzie’s refusal to learn the native language of the country in which she lives. This really speaks to Americans and our penchant for co-opting other cultures without truly honoring them. If Suzie truly cared about living in Japan—her forever home—she’d make an effort to learn Japanese. 

What’s Up With Sunny? 

Sunny returns to its technological roots, digging deep into our reliance on AI and how quickly it can turn on us. Suzie gets her homebot back from the Yakuza, but at what cost? Our eponymous bot isn’t quite the same as before. It speaks to Joanna Sotomura’s immense vocal talent that she can make Sunny sound like a completely different robot than before. 

Sotomura’s excellent performance lends itself to the underlying tension regarding the show’s AI. It also makes it easy to see how our titular homebot is capable of murder, as evidenced by the pilot’s first scene. 

Himé’s Story

Himé’s plot gets a nice kick in the rear in “There’s Been a Shift.” It’s exciting and narratively stimulating. YOU has an incredible onscreen presence — she’s equal parts imposing and elegant.

Himé having the rug pulled from under her showcases the rampant misogyny even in the Yakuza. She was meant to take over, meant to inherit her father’s leadership role; however, an envious man decided he couldn’t let a woman be in charge.

It’ll be fascinating to see how her storyline continues to weave with Suzie’s arc and Noriko’s prison plot. While the latter feels inconsequential, the tracking device angle from “There’s Been a Shift” will undoubtedly inject new life into it. 

Learn the Truth

“There’s Been a Shift” ends on an intriguing cliffhanger with the return of Yuki Tanaka. Sure, we still have countless questions needing answering: Is Masa really dead? Where’s Zen? What’s the Dark Manual? Is Sunny a murderbot? However, episode seven feels like a step in the right direction. 

The story is heating up. It moves with an easygoing energy in this outing. Episode seven maintains a steady clip, pacing-wise, deftly balancing a nice mix of character growth and plot development. It feels like the series is finally hitting its stride. 

Here’s hoping it keeps that momentum for the remaining three episodes. 

Stray Observations: 

• Suzie’s shoe game is always on point in every episode, and “There’s Been a Shift” is no exception. 
• I’m convinced that Yuki Tanaka has been doing his laundry since the beginning of the series. 
• Suzie and I would undoubtedly bond over our love for Sailor Moon (I even have a tattoo). 
• Those blue handheld communicators are so cute. I’d like us to move in this technological direction. 
• Since Himé and the Yakuza rewired Sunny, could our titular homebot try to murder Suzie? I wouldn’t be surprised. 

What did you think of this episode of Sunny? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Sunny drops new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV+.

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