When “Beef” gets this experience so right
Now a Golden Globe and Emmy-winning series, Beef is a limited series on Netflix starring Ali Wong and Steven Yuen. Every single time they won an award, including Outstanding Limited Series, and Wong and Yuen taking home personal awards themselves, I help thinking “Yes, they deserved this.”
Photo credit: Netflix
Over the course of ten episodes, the story shows handyman, Danny Cho, and well-off Ali Wong as Amy Lau in an ever-escalating incident of road rage. Imagine two incredibly broken people pushing the boundaries to the point that everything in their lives completely implodes. There are bits of humor and odd cuts in that kind of show in a tragic, dark limited series that A24 is known for. Each episode layers more complexity and intensity than the previous. This series is violent and activating in a way that feels subtle and familiar, especially for Asian Americans.
I really liked this article talking about some big themes in the series. I have added some additional reflections below as well.
Representation does, in fact, matter
When we think about stories being told and pandering to the majority, this is not that. Sure, it was proven to have universal appeal (as seen by the awards and accolades) but let’s be clear, this story is made by Asian Americans, for Asian Americans. It captures the complexity of being Asian American in a way that is beautiful and natural. With 90% of the cast being Asian American and being set in L.A., it captures this experience so effortlessly.
Asian-American identity
It captures the complexity and nuance of being Asian American and captures details that might not immediately be familiar to others the way it is to an Asian American. How can we understand the complexities and centuries of history between the different Asian countries when it doesn’t matter in the American-context? In this series, we see the tensions between Amy (Chinese) and her husband George (Japanese) and his mother. Even George and his white-washed approach to therapy evokes the tension of being Asian and American. Danny’s desperation for his Korean parents to come stay in the United States so he can prove the American dream is crushing and relatable for many.
To take this thought a step further, I see Danny and Amy as two stark examples of the Asian American struggle and the Asian diaspora. Tension between their ancestry, childhood trauma, societal expectations, they are fighting against who they truly are. Their messy, crazy, selves is repressed resulting in poor decisions that pushes away everything and everyone until the only people they have is each other, in their own pursuit of self-preservation.
Universal truths
Especially since the pandemic, we all seem to be struggling with our own pain, suffering, and internal beef. The show shows us just how for those who are unable to engage meaningfully in their lives, trapped by trauma and life choices, can feel liberated in their rage and even bond over it. Perhaps in some sick, cathartic way, we are all a little bit like Amy and Danny, holding all of our pain in until we implode. Or perhaps, Beef can serve as a cautionary tale about the importance of grounding and connection to our roots and what happens when we aren’t.