[MAJOR SPOILER WARNINGS FOR THE ENTIRE SHOW.]
“Have you seen Beef yet?” is one of the hottest questions right now, and for good reason.
Lee Sung Jin’s “Beef” was released on April 6 and has maintained a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It currently holds a spot in the top 10 section on Netflix for television series. The 19th show to be produced by A24, the show stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, who were also executive producers.
The darkly comedic psychological drama follows Southern Californian businesswoman Amy Lau (portrayed by Ali Wong) and failing contractor and handyman Danny Cho (portrayed by Steven Yeun) after a road rage incident permanently intertwines their lives and the lives of everyone around them. The show features a fantastic ensemble cast including Ashley Park, Joseph Lee, Young Mazino and David Choe.
“Beef” throws the idea of a fateful first encounter on its head. In pop culture, positive connotations are usually associated with a random first encounter, especially romance like with the common “meet-cute” trope. “Beef” looks at what potentially horrible fate could manifest from this encounter with Amy and Danny.
“Beef” is not just a tragedy about revenge, it is also a social commentary and satire on classism and ethnicity as well. Lee Sung Jin created an amazing balance between social commentary and entertainment. The writers of the show touch on a very specific dynamic with Amy’s husband, George. Amy, the daughter of Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants, struggles to be a mother to her daughter because of intergenerational trauma and being the breadwinner. She secretly deals with depression. George is on the opposite side of this dynamic. He is Japanese, has always come from money, and his mother, Fumi, speaks perfect English and is well-assimilated to the States.
The disconnect between Amy and George is reiterated in the last episode of the series when Amy speaks of how she felt so alone and never at home with him. Joseph Lee portrays George effortlessly, matching Ali Wong’s chemistry.
The show also dives into the dynamic of family dysfunction between Danny and his brother Paul (Young Mazino). At the beginning of the series, the viewer sees that Paul is living rent-free with Danny. Danny has been dealing with the fallout of losing the family motel due to illegal activity from his cousin Isaac (David Choe). It seems that Danny feels he is a burden to his family and simultaneously his family is burdening him.
I’m of the majority opinion that “Beef” has one of the most perfect television show endings to date. “Beef” does not need another season to explore any of the characters we were introduced to. In the ending episodes of the show, we witness Amy and Danny drive their cars off of a cliff, both managing to survive the crash. The ending of the show solidifies the idea once again of an unknown fate for this duo.
After spending an unknown amount of time wandering the wreck sight, Amy and Danny cross paths again. They give their feud one final fight before succumbing to forgiveness through poisoned berries. The conversation sequence while Amy and Danny are tripping is such an important conclusion to their beef. Even though their lives are altered permanently because of road rage enabled by stress, they were able to see past each other and their own pain. There were moments of peace and understanding for each other and themselves. Their trip makes them work together to find a way out of the deserted area they wrecked into. They finally make it back onto the main road and run into George, who ends up shooting Danny as he believes he’s done something to Amy.
The ending of the series finale shows Danny, unconscious, lying in a hospital bed. The viewers are uncertain of what will happen to him, or any of his family. Amy is there too, watching over Danny. She’s also uncertain of what is going to happen with Danny as well as herself. The finale is cathartic in its presentation. It explains that the show doesn’t owe it to the viewer to wrap up Amy and Danny’s lives with a bow.
The entire point of ‘Beef’ is to show how unpredictable, volatile and unforgiving the human experience can be at times. There isn’t any way this show could’ve been wrapped up to make the ending more tolerable for those who wish to see a fully happy ending.
“Beef” is objectively one of the best limited series I have seen in a while. The show managed to bend genres every episode and deliver hyperrealistic anger and passion. “Beef” will have you thinking about the characters and your own fate long after the last episode.
Overall Rating: 9/10
