Victoria Spagnulolo '25
As I started this anxiety-inducing, ten-part series, I questioned how good could a show about road rage possibly be. While I’d never seen a show about the subject before, I questioned how long it would take before the theme would get redundant.
As soon as I pressed play I was absolutely captivated, and hooked by each episode. Each episode was more unpredictable than the next, leaving me unable to see where this prolonged “beef” would end, and whether it would actually end at all.
Netflix’s dark existential comedy brings two people living completely different lives in LA, who would most likely never cross paths, together by the potential crashing of their cars. Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), is a struggling contractor who provokes our other protagonist Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a rich artist, after he nearly backs into her car.
Our protagonists engage in a series of dangerous and impulsive decisions on the road that manage to spiral out into a prolonged feud of one-upping each other in ruining the other’s life.
Throughout a sequence of anger-driven decisions, the show emphasizes how one decision can change the course of one’s entire life. The series manages to take such uneasy and dangerous events and turn them into a beautifully structured, existential masterpiece.
The series reveals that Amy and Danny are not so different after all. While living completely different lives, Amy and Danny share a deep sense of pain and loneliness that fuels their tempestuous anger. What started as a life-ruining feud leads to Amy and Danny finding their true purpose in life.
The series manages to exhibit feelings of anxiety through unpredictability, while simultaneously diving into the complexities of our protagonists, allowing us to see their faults and empathize with them.
What made the show truly stand out, besides its incredible writing, were its remarkable performances. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong deliver impeccable performances in their characters, allowing viewers to feel an array of emotions when watching from anger and stress towards their characters to pure empathy.
Beef has been one of the most memorable shows Netflix has produced in past years, and generally one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while. I applaud the series on its originality and ability to draw viewers in to receive ten totally unexpected, yet beautifully written episodes.
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