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Inspired by an actual event, where creator Lee Sung Jin was yelled at by a fellow road patron, Beef chronicles the ever-evolving danger that comes from repressed anger and holding a grudge. The series is more about the main characters’ feelings for each other. Sure, there are shenanigans from both parties, multiple attempts to assert dominance over the other, and sabotage that has grave consequences, but the series is far more nuanced and analytical when exploring their individual struggles and the common ground they unexpectedly find with each other. The catharsis they experience when they egg each other on only complicates their situation, but Sung Jin, who served as creator, director and screenwriter on the series, manages to capture the essence of these raw, unfiltered emotions in such a captivating way that the audience cannot help but want to see more.
Beef follows two Asian Americans who could not be more different. Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) is a struggling contractor who intends to succeed and help reunite his family after a financial hit. Amy Lau (Ali Wong) is a successful entrepreneur whose picturesque life is slowly crumbling as she climbs the socio-economic ladder. As she is surrounded by her expensive belongings, a beige and brown modern home aesthetic and a hot stay-at-home dad, Amy carries within her a dark side. Danny exists on the opposite side of the socio-economic spectrum as he is callously thrown aside by clients, regularly disrespected by his younger brother, and is overall struggling to keep his head above water as he tries to hustle his way out of living in a motel. Danny and Amy’s lives are forever changed when a seemingly innocuous parking lot situation escalates quickly into the road rage incident of the century.
Beef is a project that can live off of good writing and directing, but the enthralling nature of it would be lost if it were not for Steven Yeun and Ali Wong’s grounding performances. Yeun is no stranger to emotionally charged projects, especially ones that follow a young Korean man fighting for his American dream. Unlike his highly praised, controlled and nuanced performance as Jacob Yi in Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari, his performance as Danny Cho is a hurricane. It’s utterly captivating as it is sad and anxiety-inducing. Danny is a mess of a character whose good-natured persona is irreparably changed when his financial situation worsens. His anger and fears chip away at his moral compass, slowly corrupting him from the inside out. The pressure of his situation erodes his optimism and genuine desire to succeed the right way. This road rage incident catalyzes a downward spiral that Danny may have never expected. Yeun’s performance is challenging in many ways, as he is tasked with playing someone who is pathetic but still endearing. As time passes, Danny devolves in ways that can be challenging to root for. Yeun lays bare his arsenal of skills, tapping into a fiercely dynamic and complicated character, unlike anything he has played before.
Ali Wong, on the other hand, is playing a character that has shades of previous characters she has played before. Amy is not too dissimilar to Sasha Tran in Always Be My Maybe. However, Amy is a lot more troubled. Amy is desperate to excel and succeed as she comes from humble beginnings — unlike her husband, who has only known wealth and privilege. Her desire to sell her company to be with her daughter is all-consuming until her encounter with Danny unleashes a bounty of repressed emotions that will inevitably shake up her pristine world. Wong is darkly funny as her natural inclination is to be comedic. But the depth of emotion and her incredible range speak to a skill-set and talent that has not been tapped before. The beef between Danny and Amy acts as a rebirth of sorts for the characters, as they are not the same people they were before “the incident,” and the series has a similar effect on Wong.
The ten-episode series is a wild ride, putting the actors through the wringer as they express the vast and complicated range of human emotions. Luckily, they are not alone; the creative team assembled worked overtime to give a stressful, intense, sometimes funny, ever-changing series. Beef has three directors, Hikari, Jake Schreier, and Lee Sung Jin, and the screenwriting team has a few different voices, though Sung Jin anchors it all by being given the sole writing credit for the first and final two episodes. With a decent number of chefs in the kitchen, Beef comes out like a delectable, bloody, raw steak — it’s very apt.
The writing is sharp and precise, elevated exponentially by the performances. The characters that orbit Danny and Amy are so distinct and offer layers to their personal experiences while being relatively three-dimensional and compelling characters in their own right. The exception is Maria Bello, who plays a rich woman with a kink for lording power over Amy and her in-laws. Ashley Park, Joseph Lee, Justin H. Min and Young Mazino are commendable as their characters expand Danny and Amy’s arcs and explore other facets of the Asian American experience. In particular, Park’s Naomi contrasts and compliments Amy and Danny compellingly.
The show has a compelling visual narrative as well. The environments Amy and Danny inhabit are as detailed as their characterization. There is no mistaking how different their lives are and how drastic their economic statuses are, as it is so apparent in how they dress, the cars they drive, the people they associate with and, of course, their homes. Beef is exceptional, but the layered storytelling is what captures one’s attention.
As this will be platformed on Netflix, the need to binge will be hard to avoid. The show is addictive and relentless, drawing in its audience deeper into Amy and Danny’s beef. The anticipation for what happens next can only add to the show’s appeal, and there is something sad about this not being a weekly excretion. However, despite this minor criticism, Beef is set to be a hit. It’s a challenging series with even more challenging protagonists. There are no clear answers or satisfying conclusions. It ends on a shocking note that is as dissatisfying as it is infuriating, but all the while perfect for the series as a whole. Beef is a series designed to make one experience the gravity of the darkest human emotions, all while being immensely entertaining.
Beef premieres on Netflix on Thursday, April 6. It consists of ten episodes and is rated TV-MA.
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