Two Villains Disguise Anger & Loneliness With Road-Rage ¡®Beef' Only To Find Life's True Meaning

If you drive a car, I'm pretty sure that more often than not you have experienced a fellow driver¡¯s unruly behaviour especially while overtaking. It¡¯s a common sight on the roads. Sometimes it ends with a cat-and-mouse chase and exchange of verbal abuses, other times the one with a high tolerance level lets it slide and shakes it off without giving it a second thought.

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Now imagine a show that is based on just that! Ten long episodes of an over-stretched beef over who gets to pass by first? Sounds unreal, right? Beef is just that with so many layers that it¡¯ll make you gape in wonder.

What comes across as a small everyday incident turns into a full-blown mess with confrontations and empathetic and relatable exchanges between two villains - one who has nothing, the other who has everything in life!

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Meet Danny Cho, a Korean man who has been struggling to make ends meet, let alone fulfilling his American dream. The first episode opens with Cho trying to return a purchase at a big store only to be met with disappointment. While he¡¯s dealing with the setback, his frustration hits the top spot when he nearly bumps into a white SUV while trying to reverse his car. Till now, it seems pretty mundane. However, the person behind the wheel of the luxury car doesn¡¯t pass by.

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The driver keeps honking even after Danny stops to give way, almost to the extent of mocking him. This provocation doesn¡¯t end at that, the driver then rolls down the window to flip Danny the bird before speeding off. Instead of letting it go, Danny then tails the white SUV in his old truck while risking several people¡¯s lives. Thus begins the beef which takes several twists and turns, most of them unanticipated.

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Later on, Danny finds out that it wasn¡¯t a man but a lady called Amy Lau who was driving the white SUV and callously exhibited unwarranted rage towards him. Danny makes it his mission to take revenge and one up his opponent. During his snooping, he finds out that Amy is a successful entrepreneur living in a posh house along with her husband, young daughter and a frequently visiting mother-in-law.

Amy is in the process of selling her decorative-plant company for a shit load of money to Jordon Forster played by Maria Bello, who btw is the super rich owner of the store chain where Danny was trying to make a return in the first scene!

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(Spoiler Alert: Consider yourself warned!)

The many layers behind a ¡®dismissive road-rage incident turned into a full blown Beef¡¯

Now, it doesn¡¯t take an expert to understand that both Amy and Danny had other frustrations before their unexpected encounter. It was pent-up anger over family pressures, capitalism, racism and emptiness that came out in a displaced manner. Their run-in with each other probably triggered these issues and thus, opened the pandora¡¯s box.

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The ten episodes consist of several sub-plots - be it Amy¡¯s hollow marriage, her fixation with running after money, Danny¡¯s unsuccessful business and his complicated relationship with his family and his faith in god. However, the one thing that is constant is their hold on each other - the constant urge to seek revenge and have the last say in it all.

Beef is a peek into maimed humanity, self-destruction & finding the root cause of the duo¡¯s existence

This Lee Sung Jin directorial is a profound take on the radical change in humanity. There¡¯s no hero in this series. Two villains, both on the opposite side of the spectrum with their own set of troubles, stoop to extreme levels to win the battle of egos and cause self-destruction in the wake.

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In this quest, they end up finding the meaning and purpose of their life. From blood-sworn enemies to companions of sorrow, their life comes a full circle after a chain of jaw-dropping events. Both Amy and Danny¡¯s viciousness turns into a unspoken connection which takes them on a path of redemption.

Ali Wong and Steven Yeun have given beyond excellent performances and their animosity maintains a solid grip over the viewers

Many of you know Yeun from Minari or The Walking Dead, even in Beef he has given a memorable performance of a man who easily turns the viewers against him with his assholery and sometimes-unwarranted frustration but at the same time, maintains his deeply buried goodness which comes to the surface at the right moment.

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Wong, on the other hand, is famous for her comedy. It was a breath of fresh air to see her dramatic capabilities and range of emotions apart from her impeccable comic timing. There are plenty of little things to notice in this entire series which have a deeper meaning that it appears to be - For instance, Amy¡¯s house is exquisite yet there¡¯s a sense of gloom that lingers despite extravagant renovations to reflect their upscale lifestyle. Another very interesting character is Amy¡¯s hair! The constant changes reflect different stages of her mental state of trying to blend in with the American culture, trying to stand out and then finally going completely bonkers.

Danny and Amy have similarities in terms of dealing with their disappointments and daily-life humiliation which they have built up ten-fold in their own heads

There¡¯s no denying the racism or different treatment but just like some people who strive in misery, this duo fails to see the brighter side of the picture and instead concentrate only on the negative aspects.

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While Amy has it ¡®all¡¯, Danny has a living paycheck-to-paycheck struggle. More than their present situations, their outburst is probably to do with displaced emotions which didn¡¯t find the right outlet at the right time. Danny is battling his wasted potential, while Amy considers herself not worthy enough for her husband George while pursuing an unsatisfying career and hence, goes overboard to prove her worth.

Interestingly, through each other, they eventually face their demons in a well-crafted scene where Danny and Amy find themselves stranded after a horrifying accident.

Beef Ending: Explained

For those of you who are wondering what¡¯s Danny and Amy¡¯s fate ultimately as the series ended on a complex note - here¡¯s some food for thought:

Possibility One - Danny and Amy have fallen in love

This is one of the very obvious conclusions. After having a heart-to-heart, their beef finally transforms into love. It is pretty evident from their time in the desert as they both feel that the other person sees them for who they really are. In fact, the very last scene right before the rolling of credits, we see Danny embracing Amy while he is on the hospital bed which possibly hints at a love connection. Reflecting on the same, showrunner Lee said in an interview with Elle,

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¡°Yeah, I knew that some would [see that] for sure. I think any time two people have that deep of a connection, it¡¯s easy to extrapolate that. But I honestly don¡¯t know. I¡¯m very curious what would happen to Danny and Amy once they leave that room. I have my own feelings on the romantic side of their relationship, but I certainly welcome all interpretations.¡±

Possibility two and three combined - They probably died or this was all but a dream sequence!

One of these is a practical approach. Let¡¯s not forget Danny and Amy not only crashed their cars but they fell off a cliff! What¡¯s more, they were stranded around a desert for an undisclosed number of days without food and water. On top of that, they consumed questionable plants which led to violent food poisoning and yet, they survived it all? It¡¯s quite a possibility that they never made it out of the wilderness alive!

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The least likely one could be that one of these two characters, imagined it all in their head, maybe?!

It remains to be seen which theory turns out to be true, if we are presented with a second season of ¡®Beef¡¯!

You can stream Beef on Netflix.

(To read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading Indiatimes BINGE)