As bullets and knives fly in every episode, the secret weapon in Netflix’s “The Brothers Sun” is the family at the heart of its story.
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“The Brothers Sun” Plot Summary
“The Brothers Sun” opens in Taipei, Taiwan, with a man baking in his luxurious kitchen. “The Great British Bake Off” plays in the background as the mysterious man takes his time with his precious pastry. Suddenly, the man is attacked by multiple masked assailants. So proceeds a long, violent, and well-choreographed fight scene through the man’s apartment as “The Great British Bake Off” continues to play. “The Brothers Sun” proudly wears this bloody and silly contrast throughout the show. As bullets and knives fly in every episode, the secret weapon in Netflix’s “The Brothers Sun” is the family comedy at the heart of its story.
Created by Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu, “The Brothers Sun” is an action-comedy that follows two estranged brothers who reunite to keep their family safe. Bruce Sun (Sam Song Li) is a struggling college student who enjoys spending more time with his mom than going out. His life in sunny Los Angeles is undisturbed, and his biggest trouble is lying to his mom about taking improv classes. Meanwhile, Charles Sun (Justin Chien) is a trained assassin who is the primary leader of his father’s notorious gang in Taipei. But when Charles’ father is shot and his entire family is threatened by a masked and mysterious rival gang, he heads to Los Angeles to warn and protect his mom and brother.
Both Charles and Bruce’s lives are turned upside down when they reunite, and they are forced to work together to discover who’s hunting down their family. While Eileen “Mama” Sun (Michelle Yeoh) initially wanted Bruce to be safe from a world of crime, Bruce is thrown into the family business to humorous and outrageous effect. From club shootouts to lethal fights in dinosaur costumes, “The Brothers Sun” is a family comedy with a lot of heart and a lot of blood.
Content Information
“The Brothers Sun” is rated TV-MA due to occasional cursing, gun and sword violence, murder, dismemberment, and some sexual content.
Other Noteworthy Information
- This is co-creator and writer Byron Wu’s first show.
“The Brothers Sun” General Information
| Network | Netflix |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Noted Characters | |
| Charles Sun | Justin Chien |
| Bruce Sun | Sam Song Li |
| Eileen Sun | Michelle Yeoh |
| Alexis | Highdee Kuan |
Renewal Status
As of this writing, there’s no renewal, but the cast and crew have expressed interest in doing a second season.
Directory
(Series Page | Character Guide)
“The Brothers Sun” Review
Our Rating: Positive (Watch This)
Notable Performances, Moments, or Episodes
Sam Song Li as Bruce Sun and Justin Chien as Charles Sun
“The Brothers Sun” cherishes the comedy trope of opposites forced to work together. Charles is brooding and quick to fight; Bruce is sensitive and quick to panic. Justin Chien and Sam Song Li have strong comedic chemistry together, but they also add empathy to these characters by presenting Charles’ sensitivity and Bruce’s determination as well. Both actors create vulnerable portraits of brothers we’re just happy to spend time with.
Episodes To Anticipate
- 1.1, “Pilot” establishes the tone of the show, the main mystery, and the character dynamics. 1.2, “Favor for a Favor” provides potential love interests and fun fight scenes.
1.4 “Square” introduces Sleepy Chan and expands our knowledge of the Jade Dragons.
Highlights
Inventive Action Sequences
From the moment we see someone weld a sword in a dinosaur costume, you know “The Brothers Sun” is committed and ambitious in its ridiculous action sequences. But due to stellar choreography, stunt work, and camerawork, “The Brothers Sun” knows how to deliver a cohesive, engaging, and entertaining fight scene. “The Brothers Sun” actually has fight scenes you look forward to seeing.
Characters You Want to See Succeed
In episode 6, “Country Boy,” there’s a scene where the characters are singing karaoke together. The scene is fun, but it also reveals how the characters and their relationships are progressing. “The Brothers Sun” is so engaging because it invests its time with characters, developing who each person is, what they want, and how they need each other. While the show is called “The Brothers Sun,” that family grows throughout the series in a fun and organic way.
On The Fence
Confident Comedy Can Reduce Drama in Action
“The Brothers Sun” knows what show it is and how it wants to tell its story right from the start. It never takes its violence too seriously and often acknowledges, through Bruce’s character, the absurdity of any situation. While I see the show’s tone as a strength, sometimes it comes at the cost of empathy for the characters, like the death of a supporting character midway through the show. “The Brothers Sun” wants its violence to be fun but lethal, and while it succeeds most of the time, it can trip as well.
Good If You Like
- Action comedies or dark comedies.
What I Hope To See
I hope to see the whole family back with more intricate action sequences and more improv for Bruce in season 2.
Recommendations
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