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Beef Review

Beef is a black comedy television miniseries created by Lee Sung Jin and starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong. It premiered on Netflix in 2023 and it’s one of the best shows of the year.

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“I hate pretending that I don’t hate things“

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It is about two strangers whose involvement in a road rage incident escalates into a prolonged feud. Acclaimed by critics and awards bodies, I entirely agree with the assessment that this is a masterful series. I could see more seasons in this universe, but it ended so well, so it’s better to leave it as it is. It’s a show that was tonally very unique as it jumbled so many different tones and storytelling approaches, which ultimately all clicked into place.

Beef is a black comedy first and foremost. It also has its dramatic and crime elements (the latter being the weakest) while benefitting from some surreal moments too. But primarily this is a comedy and a very dark one at that. I laughed out loud so many times throughout this season of ten thirty-minute episodes that I quickly lost count. The humor is mined from real life situations that annoy all of us as well as from the hilariously deranged and yet compelling dynamic between its two heroes/antiheroes.

Steven Yeun and Ali Wong are the ones who made this show as brilliant as it is. This series is among the best-performed shows of the year with everybody delivering splendid work, even including the supporting cast. Joseph Lee was excellent as George, Amy’s clueless husband who is way too good for her. Their marriage felt quite realistic and ultimately you feel their separation as it hit them both so hard.

Young Mazino is fantastic as Paul, Danny’s younger brother. He is a misunderstood guy who just wants to be seen and respected. How both protagonists treated him was horrible. Ashley Park was quite memorable as Amy’s frustrated colleague while David Choe was your standard gangster guy and this is the only character whom I didn’t care for. Maria Bello is very effective as the annoying Jordan, but her death was too preposterous.

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But going back to our main stars, I was shocked how good they were on this series. I was especially surprised to see Ali Wong grow into a genuinely incredible dramatic actor. Yes, her comedic delivery has always been strong, but this is also a very dramatic, serious role that has its humorous sides and she delivered at both fronts. She was mesmerizing and compelling at all times. Same praise should be directed toward Steven Yeun. He got an Oscar nomination for his overly understated turn in ‘Minari’, but this is his career-best work. Similarly to his co-star, he delivered in both the dramatic and the comedic beats and he made his character feel very real.

Danny and Amy are instantly iconic television characters. Through these two people the series explored the theme of rage. As somebody who experiences outbursts of rage sometimes, I related to both of them to a degree. The show explored the Asian-American experience while not making a big deal out of it, which was refreshing. Amy is wealthy while Danny is quite poor, but the two share the same kind of dissatisfaction, anger and frustration with life that characterizes how most people feel in the world right now. Thus, it’s a very relevant series for this era, one that will forever be a great showcase of what life was like in the 2020s.

If there is one thing wrong with Beef it’s the pacing and structure. It felt rather prolonged in the second half of its run and I do think that an eight-episode count would have fared better for this particular story. The flashbacks were too familiar. The penultimate episode was too deranged, but not in a good way. So many things happened in that troublesome episode that were difficult to buy. It put the entire show in jeopardy.

Thankfully, the finale made up for that and delivered in spades. It was an unforgettable, absolutely ingenious finale that capped off the season with so much style. The surreal nature of it was unique for television and the wilderness setting was fitting for the characters’ feelings of alienation and dissatisfaction. The dynamic between these two characters is throughout superb, though they aren’t paired nearly enough, but in the finale the two reached genuine friendship and that last scene was genuinely touching.

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The debut episode was also instantly iconic as the road rage sequence was hilarious and so memorable while the revenge toward the end was just hilarious. Watching the rivalry between Amy and Danny never ceased to entertain me. The directing, editing, cinematography and score were all excellent in this technically outstanding miniseries.