Warning: The following contains spoilers about Beef.Beef‘s opening road rage scene sets up the plot of the series. The new Netflix series premiered on April 6 and has already received critical acclaim and is expected to return for a second season, though Netflix hasn’t confirmed this yet. The show was created by Lee Sung Jin and stars Steven Yeun as Danny and Ali Wong as Amy. The series consists of a primarily Asian cast and portrays the angst society typically doesn’t allow Asian people to showcase. The car scene between Danny and Amy perfectly portrays two people allowing their anger to take over.
At the beginning of Beef, Danny goes to the store to return grills only to realize he doesn’t have his receipt. He goes back to his car, and when he’s backing out of the parking lot, someone in a white Mercedes pulls up behind him and starts honking, angry that he almost hit them. The scene does not reveal the driver’s face, only their hand as they hold up a middle finger to Danny before pulling away. Danny chases after the driver as they throw things at his windshield. Eventually, the car gets away, but Danny memorizes the license plate. He only later learns Amy is behind the wheel.
Beef’s Car Scene Perfectly Explains Why Neither Danny Nor Amy Can Win
The situation isn’t Danny’s or Amy’s fault. Danny couldn’t see over the supplies in the back of his truck when he was pulling out, which means he didn’t see Amy pull up behind him. Amy didn’t know this and assumed he was a reckless driver. She flips him off because she thinks he is in the wrong, but from his perspective, she’s the one who made a mistake. The car scene itself isn’t important, but the meaning behind it is. Both Danny and Amy are unhappy with their lives. They both feel insignificant and unseen, so things escalate when they get into an altercation because they’re acting on their emotions.
Danny and Amy feel like they can’t win in life, so neither really won in the car situation. They both let it consume them and drive them for the remainder of the series. Amy is miserable in her marriage, and Danny is unhappy with his life and career. Because Danny has money troubles, having a white Mercedes honking at him is extremely triggering. He assumes Amy has it all and is another entitled woman from Calabasas, but he doesn’t understand how much she struggles in her life.
Beef’s Car Scene Hints At Why Amy & Danny Really Fight
Often when people can’t get along, it’s because they’re mirrors of each other, reflecting the aspects of themselves that they dislike or haven’t accepted. This is the case with Danny and Amy in Beef. The two think they couldn’t be more different, especially because Danny sees Amy as privileged but has a lot of pity for himself over his money issues. However, the two are battling their demons, personified as each other. If they had been able to see this from the start, they would have saved themselves a lot of trouble and worked on themselves instead of taking their anger out on each other.
