Inspired by a real-life conflict experienced by creator Lee Sung Jin, “Beef” follows the escalation of a road rage incident between wealthy entrepreneur Amy (Ali Wong) and failed contractor Danny (Steven Yeun), as the pair are torn apart. But she sets her mind. life apart from each other.
Despite the far-reaching amplification of their feud, which begins to implicate Amy and Danny’s families in their subsequent plots of revenge, the Netflix comedy series touches on a deeply human emotion: Amy and Danny hide their true feelings.
“They’re both really, really fed up — they’re really fed up and overwhelmed,” Wong told TheWrap, adding that their characters share repressed shame and anger. “It’s just at their threshold point … Sometimes when you look at people … they’ve come down from being overwhelmed, but they’re both right here, it’s ripe.”
In the show, which premiered Thursday, April 6, Amy and Danny walk past a home improvement store for the first time as both are within the margin of their breaking point. Amy is closing a deal to sell her small business to a home improvement giant, and Danny struggles to return the tools he argued with about ending his life.
“Even in that overwhelmed state, it feels very isolating, you feel very alone,” Yun said. “Maybe they’re looking for someone to relate to.”
After these intense moments, the anger building inside Amy and Danny unleashes itself in a tension-induced car chase that leaves everything except the pair’s sanity and a freshly gardened lawn. After Danny fails to apprehend Amy, he tracks down her white SUV and eventually shows up at Amy’s doorstep in the guise of a concerned contractor.
Danny’s mask works as Amy lets him into her house, unaware of his identity, and until Danny learns that it was Amy who gave him the bird in the parking lot, not her husband as he For the first time, anarchy spread.
Yoon said, “Danny’s in a really tough place—the world feels like it’s crushing her.” “I think he’s really petty at the time, and he just wants any kind of victory.”
As the pair slide down a vengeful spiral, Amy hides the extent of her anger to her happy-go-lucky husband, George (Joseph Lee), who encourages her to focus on the positive when she talks about the incident. which shuts down any slight chance she had of leaning on her husband through the nerve-wracking ordeal.
As Amy nears a deal to sell her business – at the fickle whims of boss Jordan (Maria Bello) – and plans her revenge with Danny Hyten, George becomes a compassionate and trusted companion during Amy’s struggles. fails, a quality Lee credits for George’s own trauma as the son of an acclaimed artist.
“I think she has been forced to create this veneer that everything is fine and everything is fine,” Lee told TheWrap. “I think, at a certain point, that he probably, in his development, just realized that ‘I will live and die in this livery’.”
George’s mother-in-law’s snide comments also add to Amy’s mountain of stress as Fumi (Patti Yasutake) shares endless suggestions about ways to improve her son’s wife’s household and their daughter, June (Remy Holt). Is. While each piece of Fumi’s advice digs into Emi’s already full plate, Yasutake assures that her recommendations are not meant for “anything negative”, but instead sees them as a way to help the family.
As Emi’s business propels the couple into even greater affluence while George pursues his less-than-profitable sculpture business, Yasutake also states that Fumi’s actions serve to “restore the balance” of their marriage. Can be a way of
Yasutake told TheWrap, “When it started, the character of Amy was a lot more reticent.” “The fact that she’s changed, the power has changed … My son’s concern is that he’s not fed up in those things, so I think that’s how it’s evolved to be a little hard on Amy. “
Even though their revenge fantasy ends with some brutal consequences, their shared repression and anger lead Amy and Danny to develop a deep bond that draws them back to each other, as Wong says, “There’s clearly something that connects them that’s really unique and they just keep going back to it.
“Sometimes it seems that, at least for Danny, Amy is the only person keeping it real her whole life,” Yoon said.
As Amy and Danny head full force down a path of destruction that threatens to invade every part of their lives, the pair find comfort in knowing they are not alone in their discontent.
Producer Lee Sung Jin told TheWrap, “Ultimately, at the end of the day, all we’re hoping for is someone to look at us, transparent and naked, all our warts and all, and still accept us.”
All episodes of ‘Beef’ are streaming on Netflix now.
