BEEF Sizzles To The Bitter End (*Spoilers Ahead*)
Source: Netflix
Netflix’s BEEF is a screen-sizzling series of scandalous shenanigans that snowball into a diabolical deluge of dysfunction over the course of 10 endlessly chaotic yet brilliant episodes.
It’s hilarious and heartbreaking–sometimes, simultaneously–while perfectly encapsulating the seething rage some people seem to have after struggling through the fading pandemic.
‘We wrote it during Covid, and we were seeing headlines like: “Because of Covid, road rage up.” So yeah, it was in the air,’ said series creator, showrunner, and executive producer Lee Sung Jin in an interview with the New York Times.
But even aside from the rage, the thing that gets exacerbated with Covid is this sense of isolation and loneliness. When Amy talks to George in the intimacy exercise scene about this feeling she’s had forever, that came from me telling the writers’ room about my own low points.
I was talking about my goddaughter, Lily—she was 4 at the time—and how I just hope she never has this feeling, and I started crying because it was very sad to think that she’s going to have to deal with it. I think that the show is really getting at the core of this feeling that a lot of us can’t escape.’
Fueled by Emmy-worthy performances and a stellar soundtrack (remember when MTV played videos?), BEEF follows the aftermath of a road rage blowup between Danny Cho (Steven Yeun)–a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder and Amy Lau (Ali Wong)–a self-made entrepreneur with a picturesque life who get entangled in a devious web of lies, kidnapping, armed robbery, property destruction, messy catfishery, and more.
Lives unravel until there’s nothing left. Relationships crumble into disaster. Generational trauma boils to the surface. Two steps forward turn into a thousand steps backward. What could’ve been and almost was devolves into tragedy.
Amy and Danny are made for each other idc lmao#BEEFNetflix #Beefpic.twitter.com/73DrgtLF5i
— Rose 🥩 (@rxsecv) April 8, 2023
BEEF, in many ways, is a deranged Documentary of post-pandemic society that rages to raucous levels of ridiculousness while poignantly delving into the complexities of humanity.
oh he got bills to pay and kids to feed rent was due and pipes were leaking around the house #BEEFNetflix pic.twitter.com/Rwm1egqAXG
— ʚiɞ (@i556zl) April 7, 2023
What’s clear is Danny and Amy are terrible human beings who mirror the strangers we’ll inevitably meet in life. And that’s the scariest reality of BEEF. You’ll never really know what seemingly normal people are capable of when pushed beyond their limits.
‘In our pursuit for wholeness or betterment, there’s this attempt to almost extricate our shadow selves and not look at the dark side of things,’ said Jin in an interview with TIME.
‘It’s really in the messiness and in the cracking open of things and being just naked in front of one another that you really start to see, ‘oh, there is an ugliness in all of us.’
When the smoke clears, almost everyone loses in a faintly hopeful finale that may actually warm the coldest of hearts.
‘We rage until we loop out to the other side,’ Yeun told TIME. ‘And you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m the same as you. We’re broken in the same way” with Wong, adding, ‘it’s just really important to connect with people, in a healthy way, when you can.’
Whether you relate to BEEF on a personal, professional or pathological level (or not), there’s no doubting the addictive series is one of Netflix’s best original anythings ever.
‘Ultimately, at the end of the day, we’re all just kind of hoping for someone to look at us, transparent and naked, all our warts and all, and still accept us,’ said Jin in an interview with TheWrap.
What was your fave moment of the series? Do you think there should be a Season 2? Tell us down below and enjoy the funniest, wildest, and p tweets from the Netflix streamer below.
