Hello everyone, welcome to episode four of Sweet Tooth! Our heroes, Gus and Tommy Jeppard, were freed from armed soldiers. however, they’re freed by a rebel militia known as “Animal Army” led by their fearless leader Bear. So let’s just jump right in and see what happens in “Secret Sauce.”
1. Animal Camp
After being rescued by Bear and her Animal Army, Gus is taken around and shown their base. It is filled with VR video games, camera feeds, and bumper cars. The army is all children and it feels very reminiscent of Hook, with a lot of kids following one who has been named the leader and not questioning them because they have led them well so far. As hard as Bear tries to convince Gus that this should be where he stays, it’s clear that Gus has no intention of staying and wants to find his mother. More important than that, he wants Jeppard to be free so that they can leave together.
Gus’s interaction with the people in the camp would be classified as more cautious than he has been in previous environments. After a close call with the armed men at the Market, it is good to see the growth in Gus. He’s not going to just walk blindly with people, he’s going to ask more questions and stick to some of the lessons Pubba taught him.
2. Aimee
Aimee is a side character that has been living in a zoo since the world got shut down. The last glimpse of her showed that a hybrid pig-child was left in the front of the zoo and she raised her as her own. The daughter is now a small child, probably between 8 and 10, and they’re both still living in the zoo. Aimee has some CB radios that she uses to listen for the news around the world concerning “the Sick” and hybrid-children.
Aimee’s life in the post-sick world feels like a person who survived a zombie apocalypse, they have their small routines but always have a shotgun within grasp in case anything goes south. Aimee’s adopted daughter acts suspicious throughout her scenes as if she is hiding something. The audience’s suspicions end up correct when it is revealed she has been feeding a hybrid child. Aimee’s story is still a question to how it connects to Gus’ until the final moments when we see her creating a message to broadcast about a preserve for those hybrid children trying to survive.
3. The Last Men
We finally get a name for the armed men from the Market and confirmation that Jeppard was once a part of them. Bear realized quickly that Jeppard was a part of them and, once she saw the scars, she made sure he would admit his past to Gus, so he could know the truth. His reasoning has been consistent in that it was a kill or be killed world. Gus hears it all, but still stands up for his friend because of everything he’s done for him. This is a pivotal moment in their relationship because Gus is a little naïve to the world, but he’s never been dumb. He understands what Jeppard used to do and though it may have been bad, he knows that he has changed some of his ways. Gus still stands by him because he knows it is the right thing to do.
Jeppard is also rough around the edges when it comes to Gus. Yes, Gus annoys the hell out of him at times, but he still wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to him. Especially if it means getting captured by the Last Men and ending up falling off the face of the earth. It hasn’t been revealed how he got out of the militia, but this moment helps prepare for that eventual reveal.
4. Annoying Neighbor
Nancie is the neighborhood annoyance for Dr. Singh. She helps lead the neighborhood watch, so she is especially alert. She unexpectedly shows up at Dr. Singh’s to discuss protocols moving forward, since one of their neighbors was found to have the Sick. He does his best to move the conversation along and use his experience being the new town doctor to his advantage, but of course, she’s stubborn as a mule.
Continued belowShe is a more annoying to Dr. Singh because he’s trying to protect his wife, while she is trying to protect the neighborhood. Her reasoning for doing everything makes sense on paper, it’s just her execution of them is colder and more stuck-up. She’s a perfect adversary for Dr. Singh as he is much more quiet and reserved, especially as he has seen the grey parts of the Sick after taking care of his wife this whole time. She does get hit with some karma in the form of a horse kick, so we’ll see if she can survive that.
5. Tiger’s Vengeance
Bear decides to let Jeppard live instead of a public execution, like most of the poachers they encounter. She realizes the relationship he has with Gus and how much of a protector he has been, instead of trying to kill or get rid of him. This would be an understandable reason to most, but one of her Animal Army disagrees. Tiger decides that Bear is wrong and Jeppard isn’t worthy of living because he may be helping Gus, but who knows how many he killed before him. This public confrontation causes the army to become divided immediately and everyone begins to fight. The goal of protecting hybrid children has been taken over by the idea of vengeance for those that stand in their way.
This divide is similar to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, where the leader is trying to make a more rational decision for the long-term of the group but stopped by a second-in-command who wants blood. Given that the soldiers immediately started to listen to Tiger shows that there were enough questions of Bear’s decisions to lead an easy coup. Gus and Jeppard escape during the chaos and so we wait to see where they may end up next and hopefully closer to Colorado to find Gus’s mother.
