Why Bake Off is essential to Michelle Yeoh's The Brothers Sun

Murder and gangster warfare are as far removed from the tent as Paul Hollywood is from actual Hollywood, yet that didn't stop the team behind Michelle Yeoh's new series from bridging those two worlds — and in its opening scene, no less.

The Brothers Sun begins as many a Tuesday night does for us in the UK: with an episode of Channel 4's beloved baking competition, except this viewing takes place in a gloriously expensive flat with an incredible view of Taipei's skyline.

And while most of us just sit back and watch Noel Fielding do his thing with a cup of tea in hand, the mysterious man watching the show here is also doing some baking of his own.

As footage of a Bake Off contestant stacking three layers of chocolate sponge airs on the big kitchen TV, the man slices strawberries and tops his own cake with a creamy middle.

The top layer isn't quite ready, though, needing a few more minutes in the oven. But as he pops it back in, masked henchmen suddenly appear via a private elevator.

With just an apron on and no weapons to hand, the baker is still bready, crumb what may. And so he uses his physical brawn to fend off the assailants, killing them with their own weapons, which he turns against them.

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At one point, a gangster knocks into the TV, spinning it around on its stand, so that we get a perfect view of the Bake Off episode that's still running as the fight continues. "Bakers, you only have one minute," says Fielding as an invader is beaten to death in the background.

The show then announces that the contestants' "time is up", just as our protagonist follows a man up the stairs to kill him before he can escape. "Oh God, no," they cry as said man lands dead on the kitchen table nearby.

With everyone now dispatched, our baker can finally tend to his own strawberry creation, but frustration sets in when he's rudely interrupted by the smoke alarm. While he was dealing with the intruders, his top layer burned to a crisp, leaving him with the polar opposite of a soggy bottom, which is when we see his face for the first time.

His expression is one of anguish, with the ruined cake far more of a concern to him than the violent attempt just made on his life.

Soon after, we discover that Justin Chien's character is named Charles Sun, and he's next in line to run his father's gangster empire in Taiwan. But when the Sun dynasty is threatened by outside forces, Charles seeks help from Mama Sun AKA Michelle Yeoh, who now lives in LA with her youngest son, Bruce, who knows nothing of the family's shady past.

That all sounds pretty heavy - and it is, to some degree. Across eight episodes, The Brothers Sun deals with everything from secrets and lies to neglect and grief, with some incredibly vicious fight scenes to boot. But as the inclusion of Bake Off in this first scene suggests, The Brothers Sun also doesn't take itself too seriously.

Just as Charles navigates two worlds an ocean apart, the show itself also switches back and forth between different genres, bringing in laughs during brutal murder attempts and heavy-hitting dramatic beats amid Bruce's improv and comic relief.

It's a tricky balance to maintain, just as it's risky to embellish a home invasion scene with commentary from amateur bakers. But thankfully, The Brothers Sun nails these major tonal shifts.

And, if anything, they're actually the show's biggest strength, because it's not just The Brothers Sun that's torn between different worlds - the entire family is also struggling with which direction to take next in their own personal lives.

Bruce wants to pursue his dream of becoming a famous comic, but now there's the family business to consider. Meanwhile, Eileen has aspirations to take over the Sun criminal empire, although is such a thing even possible without putting Bruce in danger?

And then there's Charles, who's trained all his life to take over his father's business, yet all he wants to do is bake cakes and eat churros. Relatable? Yes. Easy? No.

Symbolically, but also in a very literal sense, Bake Off's surprise appearance at the start of the series establishes these key themes in the most random and unexpected way - and yet it works brilliantly, because The Brothers Sun knows exactly what kind of show it wants to be from the get-go.

Unlike a soggy bottom — or a burned top, for that matter — The Brothers Sun has cooked just the right amount, giving us eight delicious, perfectly formed episodes you'll be desperate to devour.

The Brothers Sun is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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