It happens to all of us: You’re having a bad day, and somebody says or does something that throws your already fragile world out of whack, and anger takes over.
That might make me sound like I’m the kind of person ready to fight at the drop of the hat, but that would be a grand overstatement—I’m much more likely to snap back with a shady comment that probably would have been more cutting had I workshopped it first. But I digress. Those moments of anger fade, and you move on with your day.
In Netflix’s outstanding new series Beef, that moment of anger doesn’t dissipate. Instead, it grows at an astonishing rate and takes over the lives of Danny (Steven Yeun) and Amy (Ali Wong). It starts with an innocuous incident at first: In a store parking lot, two cars nearly collide. Well, they actually don’t come that close to touching—but the person in the pristine white SUV can’t stop themselves from honking at Danny, incurring his wrath.
Most people would let it go, but Danny is not that person, taking the bait and letting road rage take over, chasing the car down in a frightening scene that sets up this wacky, twisted, and hilarious show. While I don’t drive myself, I have played a lot of The Simpsons: Road Rage on PlayStation 2, so I know how dangerous reckless driving can be.
The chase is unsuccessful, and Danny loses track of that white SUV—but we the viewers quickly learn that it’s Amy behind the wheel. The average person would let go of the hunt from that point on. But Danny is no ordinary man, and he’s determined to find the person behind the wheel and make their life hell.
What happens from there on is thrilling to watch. But where Beef cements itself as a must-watch is right at the end of the first episode. The final scene is punctuated by a sensational needle drop, one that’s thoughtful, surprising, and a perfect encapsulation of Danny and Amy’s lives. It is not a song you’d expect, and you’re going to chuckle to yourself when you hear it. It’s so thoroughly ridiculous, yet it makes perfect sense. And if you listened to the radio in the 2000s, you’ll recognize it instantly and laugh—and if you’re like me you’ll be singing (screaming?) along at a fever pitch.
The first episode of the series establishes who the people behind the wheels are. Danny runs an unsuccessful construction company, while Amy runs a super-successful plant store. Amy is on the brink of closing a massive deal to sell her company for immense riches, while Danny is striving to build a home for his parents, who currently live in Korea. While both characters live extremely different lives by just about every imaginable status marker, they actually have a lot in common: They both feel a sense of longing for purpose, which suggests they’re more kindred spirits than natural-born enemies.
These kindred spirits are about to meet, as Danny memorized the SUV’s license plate. By paying to search through a database, he discovers the identity of the driver and is keen to enact revenge. He appears at Amy’s home, posing as a contractor (technically true) to get inside, as he’s noticed some issues with the rooftop (probably not true). Amy lets him in, but there’s no sudden, shocking burst of violence—because Danny is convinced that it’s Amy’s husband that he’s looking for.
When Danny learns that it was Amy in the car that day, it seems like he might do something disturbing—assault or kidnap her, perhaps. But Beef delights in subverting expectations. Danny asks to use the bathroom and then leaves peacefully, just before Amy can notice a pool of liquid coming from the bathroom—Danny has pissed all over the place.
“What the fuck?” Amy rightfully questions, as the camera focuses on the badly stained mat. After a second of silence, a familiar piano beat beckons: the opening of Hoobastank’s “The Reason.” And that’s how this pilot episode ends, with one of the most iconic one-hit-wonders.
Like an early-21st-century deity, Hoobastank gifted us with “The Reason” in 2003, giving us all a… reason to celebrate (I’m not sorry). The band more or less faded off from our collective memory immediately afterward, but “The Reason” lived on. The song actually earned a Grammy nom for Song of the Year (it lost). The song is cheesy, on the nose, yet it’s scientifically impossible to not get it stuck in your head. It’s also had a major resurgence on TikTok, and nobody knows why. And that’s the magic of “The Reason.” Sometimes, there isn’t one. But in Beef, it couldn’t make more sense.
As the song plays, Amy runs out of her house and begins to chase after Danny. He turns to see her and takes off. While Amy is overcome by fury, Danny is in hysterics, laughing and beaming from ear-to-ear with satisfaction over his prank. But Amy’s shouting is completely inaudible, as it’s drowned out by ”The Reason.” Instead of whatever F-bombs Amy’s likely dropping on Danny, we hear these emotional lyrics instead:
I’m not a perfect person
There’s many things I wish I didn’t do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so, I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
As that final line of the song’s first verse rings out, Danny successfully drives away, but Amy is able to memorize his license plate. Her absolute fury makes way for something truly stunning: a twisted but unmistakable smile, before the show cutting to black. As the credits roll, the chorus of the song kicks into full gear:
I found a reason for me
To change who I used to be A reason to start over new
And the reason is you
This perfect song pairing doesn’t just work because Danny and Amy hate each other. It’s also great because the show is telling us that they need each other. Underneath all that anger is a sense of motivation—and from there, the possibility of joy. Despite “having it all,” happiness seems to elude Amy as much as it has Danny. But now, finally—finally—the pair have something to strive for, even if that thing is mutual destruction. They have both found their “Reason.”
