"Beef" Be Prepared to Watch It


     Oh my God where do I even start with this TV show. The concept of Beef is simple, and if you've grown up in a traditional immigrant household, or have strict parents, you will absolutely understand instantly what this show is about. Pride, it always somehow comes back to pride, because pride cometh before the fall, and I can confidently say this show is about pride. Yes, Beef is also about rage, and how these two people have so much of it, but ultimately it is pride that what fuels them, both of them are too stubborn and too proud to let their rage go, and ultimately it drives them to the edge. I mean I see it in so many people around me, myself included. My parents grew up prideful and stubborn people, and I can see it line the roots of my family tree, as practically everyone I know has a dash of it. I suppose you could say Beef, as absurd as it can seem at times, is a bit of a cautionary tale of what happens if you let things go too far.

    My first warning shot to anyone hoping to watch this show is please, and I mean please do not watch this show when you're stressed. It's relatively short, about 30 minutes per episode, but when I say that I had to pause the first episode like fifteen times, I mean it. This show is really that stressful. I remember people saying they felt that The Bear was really stressful, but honestly I never really got that feeling for that show, oddly enough I just really loved it, and watched it going to sleep. With Beef, I can finally what people mean when they say a show is intense, I don't know if it just hit too close to home, but you just can't stop watching this car crash, and every time you click away, an even stronger desire to jump right back in just kicks in. I think first and foremost that is the most defining feature of Beef, just how stress inducing it constantly is, there's no moment of reprieve, but that's the point.

    I mean if you're looking for a show that makes you feel good, or has characters you can root for I say look away, because this is not that show. Oddly enough, despite how self-destructive he is, and how much shit he gets wrong, is it bad I sympathize with Danny. I think it speaks to the power of the underdog, and just how much I resent rich people. I mean I really did hate Amy, and felt like she was really at fault for the first five episodes of this show, but eventually I just couldn't turn a blind eye to Danny any longer, especially when I found out he threw away Paul's applications. I'm not saying Amy is much of a saint either, she has all this rage and repression built up, from this generational trauma she had to endure, and she just lets it rip at this dude who was trying to kill himself. Also I hate everyone she's surrounded with and rich people in general so I find it hard to sympathize with her.

    In spite of it all, as hard as you try to leave it, this is one rollercoaster that once you enter, you will not be able to leave. Was it hard for me to get through the last couple episodes? Yes, but not because it was bad, but because I was afraid of what was going to happen to the characters I kind of cared about. I mean do I think the two main characters deserved what they got? I mean I'm not sure, sadly Danny will have to pay for his crimes even if a small part of me wants to see him win. I suppose my Asian bias is significantly smaller when all the main characters are Asian, but I related to Danny more. Even if there was going to be a sequel to this series would I want it to be about Danny and Amy still? Would there be much value in them piecing together their broken selves back together? I don't know.

Final Score: 80/100

    Look, I've been putting off this show for way too long, and I finally got to it and I loved it. If that's you then you should definitely go watch it. I mean hey, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is coming up. If you ever felt like you needed to see more content made by Asians featuring Asians then maybe check this show out. You have been warned though, this show can be a lot to stomach and frankly as much as I liked it I think it was a bad idea to watch it while I'm so stressed. Now that I'm finished with it am I feeling relieved? Not really, I still have all my own stress to deal with so I suppose that's part of why I slightly regret watching something so intense.


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