Over the extended weekend, I took the opportunity to binge the 2023 Netflix original Beef. I went into it without much knowledge. My mom recommends me almost two shows a week, but I don’t typically get around to watching them. However, when she recommended Beef to me, I decided to trust her judgment. I am so glad that I took this leap of faith.
The show follows two strangers that get into a road rage incident. This incident that seemed so minor at the beginning of the show ends up plaguing their entire lives. The defining incident of this show occurs at the beginning when Danny Cho is backing out of his grocery store parking spot, but fails to see the other main character, Amy Lau, driving past. While he does not hit Amy’s car, Amy is frustrated at the close call so she slams on her horn. This causes Danny to honk back. The two continue honking until Amy eventually sticks up her middle finger at Danny and drives off. This frustrates Danny so much to the point of him deciding to follow Amy’s car home. The two continue honking and yelling profanities at each other until they ultimately drive away. While this encounter already seems outrageous, it only gets worse.
Throughout the duration of the show, the pair obsessively terrorize each other’s lives. From Danny pretending to be a carpenter so that he can enter Amy’s multi-million dollar home and pee all over her bathroom, to Amy catfishing as a white girl to lure in Danny’s brother and have an affair. What started off as something so small and petty eventually deteriorated both of their lives. The beef went so far as breaking up Amy’s marriage, burning down Danny’s house, and causing a home invasion that killed Amy’s investor and many other people.
Watching this show made me realize that temporary anger can cause permanent damage. As someone who used to struggle a lot with being mad over small things, this show definitely put life into perspective for me. Seeing Amy who had a multi-million dollar business and a beautiful, loving family let everything that she worked for go down the drain seemed so outrageous, but it is actually very realistic. It is very easy to let your emotions get the best of you, especially when the people around you aren’t regulating you. With all of this being said, next time you go to honk your horn just think to yourself: Is the “Beef” worth it?
