A24’sBeef, starringAli WongandSteven Yeundropped on Netflix on April 6, and, like all things A24, it is positively engrossing. With a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s easy to see why. It’s not every day that television manages to be so visceral. Wong and Yeun deliver stellar performances that encapsulate what it feels like to be underappreciated or misunderstood. More profoundly, though, it speaks to what happens when personal frustration goes unchecked. What makesBeefso powerful is that the inciting incident is so trivial and, ultimately, relatable.
Beeffollows Amy (Wong) and Danny (Yeun) as they nearly collide in the parking lot of a home improvement store. Amy and Danny both retaliate infits of road rage, leading to escalating acts of retaliation that are far more pervasive than they ever needed to be, considering that it all started with an accident that did not happen.
Being thatBeefis a show that rests its storyline on boxed-up emotions, from the beginning, itsets its tone with music that immediately takes its target audience back to the pinnacle of boxed-up emotional moments: the angst-filled teenage years.While the trailergave us the misleadingly optimistic “Today” by The Smashing Pumpkins, Episode 3 gave us another foreboding alternative-rock song that was tremendously appropriate.
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How Incubus' “Drive” Relates to Amy and Danny
Episode 3 ofBeef, “I Am Inhibited by a Cry,” closes with an acoustic version of Incubus' “Drive” as covered by Yeun’s Danny. During one ofBeef’sfirst dramatic zeniths, one of our deuteragonists closes with a song whose title is entirely on the nose. However, likeBeef, the placement of this song, in particular, feels intentional and more than meets the eye because it most likely is.
“I feel the fear of
Uncertainty stinging clear
And I, can’t help but ask myself how much I’ll let the fear
Take the wheel and steer
It’s driven me before and seems to have a vague
Haunting mass appeal
But lately I’m beginning to find that I
Should be the one behind the wheel”
The lyrics of “Drive” speak intensely of fear. This fear is so impactful that its narrator likens it to someone else driving, the paralyzing fear of someone who means to cause harm driving a car the narrator is riding in. Pretty unsettling. The underlying tone, though, is the realization that it’s time for the narrator to regain control of their life’s direction. So what does this have to do with our beefing protagonists?
Amy and Danny Have More in Common Than They Think
Over the course of the series, it becomes apparent that Amy and Danny are both deeply unhappy with their current place in life and frightened of what may be required to be happy. Amy’s life is perfect on the outside. She is a wealthy business owner, living with her mild-mannered husband and adorable daughter. However, Amy is misunderstood and underappreciated by those around her. She is completely overwhelmed by playing the role of the girl boss and the perfect wife. Her cheating husband, George (Joseph Lee), doesn’t recognize nor empathize with her plight and, therefore, does not support her. He frequently gaslights Amy and belittles her righteous frustration with unhelpful suggestions like meditating. In so doing, he either doesn’t know or doesn’t care that the solution to her discontentment would require more participation from him than clichéd suggestions. At the same time, her mother-in-law, Fumi (Patti Yasutake), frequently challenges her. While all this is occurring, she’s also fielding racially charged comments from a colleague with whom she hopes to make a profitable sale (Maria Bello).
Ultimately, Amy is yelling, bellowing on the inside. She needs to be listened to, but those around her lack the depth to hear her cries. Amy hides her pain behind a smile and suppression of trauma, but she is rightfully afraid of being assertive for fear of how it may affect her life and, more importantly, her daughter. In the kerfuffle between her and Danny, which goes far beyond her troubled personal and professional life, she finds a sort of reprieve because it allows her to act out misplaced anger and intrusive thoughts. Nevertheless, in Episode 3, she seems to regain some control when she meets David’s brother, Paul (Young Mazino), whom she has been catfishing. Fueled by the realization that he finds her attractive, Amy begins the first, albeit slightly misguided, step to get her emotional strength back. Previously overpowered but more competent than everyone around her, this fierce defiance gives her a more decisive say in her life’s direction.
Danny is also suppressing trauma as he grapples with the responsibility of being the oldest child. Danny feels he has a duty to his family, both financially and personally, but does not believe he’s succeeding in either of those duties. Unable to make his way, disrespected by his family and clients, Danny is fuming internally. His attempts to make an honest living are thwarted at nearly every turn, leaving him defeated. At this point, Danny’s recoup appears to be more virtuous. He attends an ex-girlfriend’s church, finding intense relief in worship, but uses the church for his own needs. Like Amy, Danny is committing a misled act of defiance that allows him to begin gaining control of his life.
How Episode 3’s Song Choice Fits Danny and Amy’s Journey
The irony for Danny and Amy is that these acts lead to the unraveling of their lives. Both characters are no longer as afraid as they used to be, but only because they feel they have less to lose. Episode 3 functions as their first act of rebellion, the first step these two protagonists take in dismantling their lives where they’ve been overlooked and mistreated. “Drive” by Incubus encapsulates the characters' inner conflict as they both attempt to start living for themselves. Analogies to physically driving are sprinkled throughout the dialogue by writerLee Sung Jin,reminding us of what brought us here: a simple act of road rage felt by two people with intense inner turmoil.
Beefis one of the most profoundly affecting shows released by any streaming platform as of late. It is so layered and nuanced that discussing each theme could fill a film podcast’s content for months. What ultimately makesBeefso deep-seated is the effective use of intention, right down to its soundtrack choices.
