'Beef' review: A compelling spiral into rage and bad choices

A chance encounter sets off an escalating rollercoaster of rage and vengeance in the thrilling and tragic Netflix series

If you're pent up from May's academic chaos and the endless stream of term papers, submissions, and frustrations, be careful. As Beef, the latest masterpiece from Netflix, shows, you never know where an ill-considered explosion of anger can take you.

Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong) are having days where everything has seemingly gone from bad to worse. Danny, determined to bring his parents from Korea to California while supporting his brother Paul (Young Mazino), is running out of money. Amy, a successful entrepreneur, is scrambling to balance her responsibilities as a wife, a businesswoman, and a mother. 

When the two nearly crash into each other in a parking lot, their frustration and resentment erupt into a bout of road rage. Consumed by their emotions and unwillingness to relinquish their anger, the two set off a dangerous sequence of events marked by mounting fear and revenge, from the petty to the vicious and violent.

Beef is a spiral, a vortex of fury that consumes our dual protagonists and the people around them. Danny's schemes quickly draw in his crypto-obsessed brother and sketchy cousin Isaac (David Choe). At the same time, Amy's machinations further strain her relationships with husband George (Joseph Lee) and daughter June (Remy Holt).

The crashing of these lives is tense, exciting, and sometimes darkly funny. 

It's also elevated by exceptional performances from our talented leads. Wong and Yuen infuse their characters with authenticity and genuine emotion. Danny and Amy have a dynamic synergy that elevates the show's unpredictable storytelling to new heights. Their on-screen chemistry is palpable, bouncing off each other in thrilling ways and evoking a rollercoaster of emotions. The depth of these portrayals allows Beef to transcend the screen and draw us into a world where their triumphs, heartbreaks, and choices feel achingly real.

The series also pulls off the delicate balancing act of navigating the audience's sympathies. Both of our protagonists are deeply flawed. Some of their actions are morally ambiguous at best and outright horrible at worst. And yet, because they feel like real people, we are drawn into their webs of irritation, embitterment, and desperation instead of being repelled. Through the exceptional character work, we plumb the depths of these tormented souls, unravelling their layered motivations, fears, and insecurities, even as we are shocked at the moral lines they cross.

It's a bracing reminder of the consequences of our actions and the inherent price of behaving without regard for others. It's a tense, thrilling, and tantalising story, surpassing the usual, predictable Netflix drama.  

This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.