Created by Lee Sung Jin, Beef is a dark comedy series that follows two strangers whose lives converge during a road rage incident. Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) is a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder, while Amy Lau (Ali Wong) is a self-made entrepreneur with a picturesque life. Throughout the 10-episode series, their feud consumes them as their lives and relationships become intertwined in more ways than one.
A24 has delivered several incredible films over the years, being one of the few studios to deliver some original works from many talented individuals in the industry. They have also been involved in a number of different shows over the years including the currently famous/infamous series Euphoria. This is the newest series brought to us by A24 in association with Netflix and I have to say I was very interested in watching it, not only because of the people involved but also because the premise caught my interest.
After watching all ten episodes I can say this is easily one of my favorite original shows to come out this year, as well as one of the wildest shows I’ve seen. It’s a darkly hilarious drama with phenomenal powerhouse performances, unexpected turns, adrenaline-fueled tension, well crafted technical elements, and is also a fascinating character study of two people with complicated lives who decide to take out their anger and stress on each other as a result of a road rage incident between them that becomes an all-out war.
Lee Sung Jin created a unique series that kept me completely engaged from start to finish as well as managed to surprise me with the direction it takes, never once feeling predictable in the slightest. This series features a fantastic ensemble cast with the main leads being the tip of the spear delivering the strongest performances of the series and quite possibly the best performances in their careers.
Steven Yeun has always managed to deliver consistently amazing work but this performance in particular was very unique because he really got to show more of his emotional range as the character of Danny. Danny carries a massive chip on his shoulder as the result of living a very difficult life and believes he and his loved ones deserve so much better. This makes him an emotionally layered tinder box ready to burst at anyone and anything but chooses to take it all out on this one woman believing that it will somehow make his life so much better, not realizing what he started.
You go through this crazy journey with him that has him coming up with various schemes to get back at the one who he feels represents everything he hates in life, and you can actually get where he is coming from, even when presented in a dark and somewhat satirical fashion. But he is by no means a malicious character despite how he builds himself up to be one, as proven by his frequent moments of regret and hesitation during this feud. Yeun does an amazing job giving this character so much depth rather than making him your typical one-note asshole that’s motivated only by toxic masculinity.
Opposite him is Ali Wong who is equally outstanding, delivering depth and emotional layers but in a different way as the character of Amy. Unlike Danny, she lives a seemingly perfect and privileged life with a great family as well as being on the cusp of making an important life decision that would set her up for life. But through the story and Ali Wong’s magnificent acting talents we get to see that beneath all of that she is a woman who hates the life she is currently living, due to it not being in her full control, and she is struggling to keep everything together.
She has spent years bottling up a lot of stress about her life and hiding her true feelings she’s never been able to let it all out until Danny enters her life via the road rage incident. She goes on a destructive path against him that throws everything she has worked for at risk and gives her the chance to let out her true self after being behind a false face for years. Just like Danny you completely understand where she is coming from with this aggression, and that despite how awful some of the decisions she makes might be they all make sense in a way given the reasons behind them.
Ali Wong truly is a force to be reckoned with on-screen, especially with how she’s able to switch emotions on a whim and make you feel everything she is feeling in the exact moment. I absolutely loved her performance as this character and she’s a perfect match-up with Steven Yeun.
The supporting cast also delivers equally compelling characters with their performances that play a large part in the story of our two leads. Some of the most notable performances I can name are Joseph Lee as George Lau, Young Mazino as Paul, Patti Yasutake as Fumi, and Maria Bello as Jordan.
But easily the most stand-out supporting performance was David Choe as Isaac, Danny’s cousin, who brings a lot of unfiltered but perfectly timed humor that made him such a fun presence every time he comes around and shares such an interesting dynamic with Yeun. How I never heard of David Choe till now is shocking to me and I hope to see him in other works going forward.
The narrative gives us a very interesting deep dive into the lives of these two characters, seeing what they are struggling with in two different states of living. We also see how much they have in common with how the various stresses of their lives cause them to have all this built-up rage that they use as fuel for their feud rather than dealing with it in a more logical manner.
Their story may seem mean-spirited on the surface but it manages to be really investing, especially when the layers of these characters get peeled back and you get to experience everything they are going through on an emotional level individually and together. And as their wild feud with each other spirals out of control when they go to various extremes you can see it clearly impacts their lives and the lives of their loved ones in a very negative way, showing that this kind of behavior doesn’t make things better for them no matter how much they think it helps.
The way the tension and insanity escalates every episode is incredibly well done especially when it all pops off in the final episodes. Just when you think things are going in a certain predictable path the series throws in surprisingly crazy turns that make this series even more engaging, as well as make it feel like a breath of fresh air compared to other feud-based stories.
Even for a series with a mostly grounded premise and personal stakes, it looks absolutely outstanding from a technical perspective in terms of directing, editing, and cinematography. This looks and feels like an A24 production and never once had the feel of Netflix’s occasional cheapness.
The directing is stellar for every episode but I can definitely say that my favorite episodes were all the ones directed by Jake Schreier. I really liked his style of directing combined with Lee Sung Jin’s vision for the series and this makes me more excited to see their next collaboration together, which is Marvel’s Thunderbolts.
This series also features a solid score as well as a great selection of songs that fit with the themes of the series. The music elevates the tension and comedy equally without taking away the impact of either one, which can always be a risk with having a soundtrack to a drama series like this.
This was such a chaotic but absolutely amazing series on every level that had me hooked from start to finish. And based on the way it concludes with an open ending it does offer the possibility of a second season that I’d totally be down for. But given Netflix’s track record of canceling good shows that are not a popular IP, I worry that may not happen. So I encourage people to give this show a shot and spread the word about it cause we need more original shows like this and everyone involved in making this series deserves as much recognition as possible. I’m going to give Beef an A+ = 99.
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