unrelated rare fun fanart stuff these days, i like both shows for many culturally related reasons, but for THE BROTHERS SUN? Would love to see a second season being greenlit please, that show's good and not bc I'm a bias for Michelle Yeoh lol
Give it a watch if you like Taiwan triads matters with dysfunctional Asian family problems with 2 brothers living 2 different lives in 2 different sides of the world (yes it's very much a US series with the whole cast being Asians, we love representations in this house)
the brothers sun is such a good show but goddamn do the politics suck ass.
it has meaningful things to say about intergenerational trauma, misogyny, and patriarchy. but it's just so bogged down by its determination to uphold the systems at play.
spoilers below
the constant assertion that alexis kong isn't police but she works for a racist, white supremacist system is absolutely hilarious. she upholds the laws that put marginalized people at risk. her being a prosecutor is no better. skip intro's video on law and order and how prosecutors uphold the system is a great video essay to look at this issue in particular. she's says she's not police but acts like a fucking cop. she works with police, with the fbi.
grace. good god grace. i wanted her to be done better. the idea that the boxers are in the wrong for retaliating against their oppressors with violence, when they are constantly met with violence, is so neoliberal and unfair. her reaction to fighting back is reasonable. and furthermore, there's an implication that the immigrants in the community centers that the boxers set up are basically indoctrinated into the boxers. the show implies that community care and support leads to people trying to kill other people.
the systems at the end of the show are upheld. there's no disruption, no overhaul. systems of oppression, at the end of the day, need to stay. it's fucking insidious to promote that message in a show that wants to talk about breaking cycles and freeing themselves from the influence of oppressive power structures.
it's not actually even about freedom. it's about getting to the top and wielding the power of the oppressor. and the show never wants to go into how that's just a veneer used to continue oppression. just not. for. you.
a tumblr post cannot dive fully into this show. i have so much to say about it. good things, bad things, and ugly things. but like this summarizes my thoughts on the show's misguided politics.
After the head of a powerful Taiwanese triad is assassinated, his eldest son, killer Charles "Chairleg" Sun, heads to LA to protect his mother Eillen and younger brother Bruce, who's been sheltered from the truth about his family. "But as Taipei’s deadliest societies and a new rising faction go head-to-head for dominance — Charles, Bruce and their mother must heal the wounds caused by their separation and figure out what brotherhood and family truly mean before one of their countless enemies kills them all." (Netflix)
The Brothers Sun stars Michelle Yeoh (Eileen), Justin Chien (Charles Sun), and Sam Song Li (Bruce). The drama is created by Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu.
*feral* the show is so good, excellently paced and well-acted…. plus, it has all the stuff we enjoy the most:
whump, crime family, family drama, daddy issues (MAJOR!), mommy issues (MAJOR!), well-done action sequences, trauma, “protect the family” sense of duty mindset, lots of baking (by my poor blorbo charles as a coping mechanism), sibling issues, oldest son vs youngest son dynamic (- two brothers, who have both spent their lives competing for attention, approval, and freedom; in their own different ways -), conflicted tortured oldest son, did i mention major daddy/mommy issues and PLENTY OF THE GOOD OL’ EMOTIONAL WHUMP.
and oh their troubled mother is played by THEE MICHELLE YEOH !!!!!!! ✨MOTHER✨
ahhhh charles, his father brainwashed him, turned him into a ruthless killer and put him through so much trauma. my man just wants to have a normal life, bake pastries etc and reconnect with his mother and brother. like look at him (HE NEEDS A HUG AND SEVERAL CHURROS)
i am a sucker for this type of genre. 10/10 no notes. HIGHLY RECOMMEND MY FRIENDS, GO WATCH IT 🎉.