‘The Brothers Sun’ is Fun

A story of family, triads, and baking.

After his father is nearly assassinated, Charles Sun (Justin Chien) travels to L.A. to protect his mother and brother, whom he hasn’t seen in years. Throughout the season, we are taken into the world of the triads and learn more about this secret organization operating throughout the world.

The Brothers Sun is a blast to watch. There are some pretty great highly-stylized action sequences coupled with compelling characters that you want to root for. The story is part gangster drama and part family drama, with a thread of humor running all throughout.

The entire reason why I watched this show is because of the incredible Michelle Yeoh. She plays Eileen, aka Mama Sun, who had to leave Taipei with her youngest son, Bruce (Sam Song Li), in order to protect them. But we learn that she is just as sharp as she ever was.

The chemistry between Mama Sun and her sons Charles and Bruce helps make this show so fun. Honestly, I just wanted to keep spending time with this family. Each of them also has strengths and weaknesses that complement the others well, which makes for some fun and hilarious antics.

Charles is a skilled fighter who has been steeped in the world of the triads, but he doesn’t know what he wants and is very emotionally repressed (understandably so). Bruce is pretty emotionally intelligent and knows what he wants, but struggles to go after it because he fears disappointing his mom. Mama Sun has sacrificed so much for her family and their safety that she hasn’t thought of what she wants or needs and, over the course of the season, begins to interrogate those things.

Though The Brothers Sun is centered on this one triad family, the things they are struggling with and the self-discovery they go on are universal. It’s so relatable to be unsure what you want or to sacrifice for your family. And this emotional arc is delivered between hilarious lines and bouts of action.

Another interesting element of this story is that, in many ways, both Charles and Bruce are fish out of water.

Charles is used to being in Taipei and in the world of the triads, so when he comes to L.A., he’s in a new place with new customs. Things are just different in this city, and even though he’s still well-known in triad circles, it’s not the same. This leads Charles to begin questioning the way that he’s always lived. He begins to discover new facets of himself.

Bruce has lived in L.A. for quite some time but didn’t know anything about his father being the head of a triad. This, of course, leads to some zany and hilarious moments as this regular guy is thrust into this world of gangsters, violence, and ancient customs. Along the way, Bruce also discovers a great deal about who he is and some strengths he didn’t even know he had.

These two sons couldn’t be more different, but they both go on some serious emotional journeys throughout the season.

And what’s most impressive to me is that the ending of this season is incredibly satisfying. The Brothers Sun manages to tie many different threads of the story into a nice little bow. But it’s not overly happy. While Charles, Bruce, and Mama Sun all experience growth and there are clear victories, everything isn’t perfect in the end.

That final episode also leaves room for a second season, which I’m kind of hoping Netflix will green-light. If they don’t, that’s okay; this season is good enough on its own, but I really enjoyed being in this world. I would love to see these characters as they continue to grow and change and, undoubtedly, get into more trouble.

The Brothers Sun is an incredibly fun show! It uses this action-adventure story to explore what it looks like to learn who you are and what you want in life. Of course, it’s never that simple — many other factors might prevent you from getting what you want in life, but the understanding and pursuit of those things is worth it, even if it doesn’t always work out.

Plus, it’s just a ton of fun to watch. It has great action, truly hilarious moments, and characters you can’t wait to spend more time with.

I can’t recommend The Brothers Sun enough!

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