The title of The Brothers Sun’s Season 1 finale is more than just a name—it reflects the core message of Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk’s action-packed drama.
After 15 years of being divided by Big Sun (Johnny Kou), who believed he was protecting his crime family, Eileen (Michelle Yeoh), Charles (Justin Chien), and Bruce Sun (Sam Song Li) finally decide they have had enough.
By the eighth episode, they take a bold step out of Big Sun’s control, choosing to redefine what family means on their own terms. For the first time, they carve out their own path—one that leads them back to each other.
Michelle Yeoh’s Eileen Sun rises to power with a bold new vision in the triad world (Photo: The Brothers Sun/Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision)“This is a story of a family that has been broken apart but is working to find their way back to love,” said executive producer and director Kevin Tancharoen in an interview with Netflix.
What Becomes of the Suns?
With Big Sun no longer in control (at least for now), there is a renewed sense of respect among the family members. Falchuk noted that each of them achieved something meaningful by the end of the season.
Mama Sun now has the freedom to board a private jet, setting her sights on becoming the Dragon Head among Taiwan’s triad gangs. After Charles fulfills his dream of opening a bakery and perfects his churro recipe, he decides to return to Taiwan with his mother, hoping to reconnect with her and back her new leadership role.
While they share certain similarities, Wu pointed out that they had many unresolved emotions in Season 1—Eileen wrestled with guilt and shame for leaving Charles behind, while Charles carried deep resentment toward her.
Early in the season, he was reminded of an age-old truth: “The eldest child gets the most respect but the least love.” Now that his mother and brother are openly showing him the love he always longed for, he is ready to embrace it.
Bruce, on the other hand, remains in San Gabriel Valley, finally standing on his own and pursuing his passion for improv comedy. Falchuk and Wu deliberately chose to end the season with a sense of happiness and contentment for the Suns. “We wanted to take viewers on a thrilling, sometimes intense ride, but the goal was always to leave them smiling by the end,” they explained.
Are Charles and Bruce Truly Brothers Again?
Season 1 focused on Charles and Bruce reestablishing their bond after spending 15 years apart. Li believes Bruce was intimidated by Charles when they first reconnected, but over time, he developed a deep love for his older brother.
Chien also noted that at the beginning, Charles found Bruce frustrating, almost resenting him because Bruce represented the life he could have had.
Instead of secretly baking, Charles could have openly watched The Great British Baking Show without fear. As they grew closer, Charles began to admire Bruce and saw in him a life that deserved protection.
What Does “Protecting the Family” Really Mean?
For Wu, this was one of the central questions of the season, particularly for Charles and his mother. They both made sacrifices to keep the Jade Dragon crime family strong, but was it worth losing their own dreams in the process?
Blood Boots (may he rest in peace) always claimed that Mama Sun was the true mastermind behind the Jade Dragons. She had orchestrated her move to America, taking Bruce and a wealth of information with her, all to safeguard her husband’s power among the triads. However, she always aspired to something greater.
Falchuk highlighted how Michelle Yeoh’s performance brought depth to her character’s power struggle. “Michelle can play someone who holds back for so long, and when she finally unleashes her power, it feels completely believable,” he said.
At the same time, Chien described Charles as a deeply wounded individual—an assassin shaped by his father’s strict training. The legend of how he earned the name “Chairleg” Sun was not about an assassination attempt, but rather a brutal test to see how far Big Sun could push him.
“Charles’ main conflict is figuring out how to be more than just his father’s son,” Falchuk noted. “Bruce, on the other hand, never understood that burden, which is why he has the freedom to be rebellious and independent.”
Once Charles and Bruce begin to support each other in ways their parents never did, they realize that protecting the family also means looking after themselves. “Bruce helps Charles embrace vulnerability, while Charles teaches Bruce to be tougher,” Falchuk added. Through their bond, they become stronger men—even if it puts them in danger. “But for them, it’s worth it.”
Did Big Sun and Mama Sun Ever Love Each Other?
Perhaps there was a time when they did, especially when she helped him transition from a village boy to a feared gang leader. However, Eileen’s mother made it clear in Episode 6 that she never approved of Big Sun. Falchuk suggested that in their younger years, Big Sun and Eileen might have mistaken their shared ambitions for love.
That illusion eventually faded, particularly when Big Sun failed to honor the only request she made while she was away: to inform her if her family in Taiwan needed her. Because of this, she missed the chance to say goodbye to her sister, who passed away from pancreatic cancer.
Wu emphasized that Mama Sun’s experiences taught her that she had her own goals and ambitions—ones she didn’t need to share with anyone else. Her new vision is to reshape the triads in her own way.
“Smarter, more organized, and more legitimate,” she tells Bruce in the finale. With Bruce’s help in eliminating the old triad leaders by tipping off Grace’s Boxer faction, she now has the perfect opportunity to consolidate power.
Why Did Grace Want to Eliminate Bruce’s Family?
At first, Grace appeared to be just an innocent schoolgirl with a crush on Bruce. In reality, she was using him to get closer to the gangsters responsible for killing her father and her friends’ families.
“We needed someone who could seem harmless at first, someone viewers would believe was genuinely interested in Bruce,” said Tancharoen. “But when the truth came out, she had to embody the story’s real antagonist fully.”
Hu, who played Grace, is convinced that her character did have genuine feelings for Bruce. “Both Bruce and Grace are struggling with similar issues,” she explained. “They are children of immigrants, trying to figure out their place in the world.”
To develop Grace’s character, the creative team worked closely with Hu to ensure that she didn’t come across as an exaggerated villain. Instead, they wanted her to have a certain depth that justified her actions. She wasn’t simply driven by revenge—she wanted to eradicate the triads that exploited vulnerable Chinese families.
Why Didn’t Bruce Kill Big Sun?
Bruce’s loyalty comes into question when he betrays his family by giving Grace information about the triad leaders’ secret meeting. Big Sun then orders Charles to execute Bruce in front of their mother.
But Charles refuses. Instead, Big Sun instructs his soldier, Xing (Jenny Yang), to carry out the task—only for Mama Sun to kill Xing herself using a phone cord.
Bruce steps out of the family shadow to chase his dreams in improv comedy (Photo: The Brothers Sun/Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision)To bring an end to the conflict, Bruce confronts his father in what Wu described as one of his favorite scenes of the season. It was a defining moment for both the character and for Li as an actor, given that this was his first major role.
Bruce proves himself to be far more intelligent and resourceful than others had assumed, and even his father notices. “He’s always the one finding a way to get them out of trouble,” Falchuk remarked.
Instead of accepting Big Sun’s offer to rule Taiwan alongside him, Bruce chooses to shoot him—not to kill, but to wound. This way, Big Sun is forced to call for medical assistance, only to end up arrested at the hospital.
But Mama Sun has her own plans. Disguised as a nurse, she alters his hospital records so that he receives daily insulin doses, leaving him unable to move or speak. And with that, the once-powerful crime lord is silenced.
What’s Next for the Sun Family?
Although Season 1 concludes on a high note, a post-credits scene suggests that the danger isn’t over. Big Sun’s right-hand man, Yuan, is already plotting his next move.
Wu and Falchuk wanted to ensure that while the season wrapped up with a moment of happiness, it was clear that peace would not last forever. “Life as a gangster means you can never fully relax,” they explained. “And Big Sun is not the type to accept defeat easily.”
