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 Revenge is best served raw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFPIMHBzGDs https://www.netflix.com/title/81447461 Starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Only on Netflix.
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Apr 12, 2023 23:43
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My favorite show of the year. I was hooked as soon as the final scene of the first episode ended. Never thought a Hoobastank song would do what it did for me. I did learn today that while this was meant to be a limited series, there may be future seasons. It just may involve different characters. Think True Detective style, with new main characters every season. So, it may be one and done or we may get season 2 or season 3, and we might get more Danny and more Amy, or we might get a new set of characters that have beef.
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Apr 12, 2023 23:48
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haven't watched this yet but i've been seeing it talked about around a lot so it's probably worth taking a look eh
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Apr 12, 2023 23:50
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Brilliant show definitely a highlight of the year so far
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Apr 13, 2023 00:35
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Definitely worth a watch, for anyone that’s curious. Great performances, some good humor although it’s not straight comedy. It’s more of a dark, sometimes quirky type of humor a la Barry, or Fargo. It made me LOL several times but it also goes to some pretty dark places, especially near the end. I just finished it a few minutes ago and need to let my thoughts percolate some before I post more. It’s ten episodes and each one is just a tad over thirty minutes, so I think I’m actually just gonna rewatch it and see how it hits the second time.
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Apr 13, 2023 00:55
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Oh drat, I was just wondering if someone should start a thread on this. Watched the first two episodes yesterday and was riveted. Small spoilers for the first two eps: One thing I love is that as these people start destroying their lives with self-destructive wanton violence, they're clearly drawing life energy from it. It's giving them purpose and meaning. I love that. Fantastic work by Yeun and Wong so far
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Apr 13, 2023 01:15
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I found the ending to be tonally perfect, but left me with questions
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Apr 13, 2023 10:16
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Just finished binging this show and UGH, it is so good. Great acting, great and lovely nostalgic music, just overall a wonderful show. I want Ali Wong's house.
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Apr 13, 2023 22:06
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Norse Code posted:I want Ali Wong's house. The kitchen is timeless! (Steven Yeun’s performance is truly amazing, just endless manic energy and horrible decisions, you can’t look away.)
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Apr 14, 2023 00:57
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I just finished watching this and the entire show is a true masterbeef the whole way through. Great credits music every time too.
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Apr 14, 2023 05:24
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Whew.... just finished the last episode. The music was so great throughout. I don't even know what to say, amazing series.
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Apr 14, 2023 05:36
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Really didn't get the hype during the first half of the season. I'm sure I was missing a lot of interesting Asian American diaspora commentary but otherwise it just seemed like all it had going for it was a unique vibe and funny butt rock needledrops. Really came together strong for the second half though.
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Apr 14, 2023 06:41
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I'm 7 in and I love it. Always been a big fan of David Choe.
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Apr 14, 2023 14:10
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The first ep is the highlight so far, its so perfect.
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Apr 15, 2023 00:47
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Episode 1 and 2 spoiler: 99% of the show is understandable to non-Asians but one or two things are Asian inside jokes Most Asian American millennials had parents who grew up in the shadow of Japan’s colonization and invasion, being told Japan = evil and they told their millenial kids not to have Japanese friends or enjoy things of Japanese culture growing up. For most millenial Asian americans, Japanese imperialism was not something they took seriously because they grew up so far removed from WW2 and had Japanese friends growing up and enjoyed anime. But there are some like Danny who still hold a grudge against the Japanese, which is why he tries to hide his surprise that Any married a Japanese man. All of this is going through his head when he says “He’s Japanese?” Amy picks up on this, which is why she tells George later that Danny didn’t like the fact that she was married to him
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Apr 15, 2023 00:52
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I got that one, but is there also more to read into when it comes to a Chinese/Vietnamese woman marrying into a Japanese family? Felt like that informed some of Amy's and Fumi's relationship.
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Apr 15, 2023 00:55
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Henchman of Santa posted:I got that one, but is there also more to read into when it comes to a Chinese/Vietnamese woman marrying into a Japanese family? Felt like that informed some of Amy's and Fumi's relationship. Nothing comes to mind other than that Vietnam was also swallowed up in the Japanese empire, maybe a Viet person has more to say Another question to anyone who knows: is does Amy speak Mandarin or Cantonese? All the Chinese-Vietnamese people I know are Cantonese on the Chinese side Edit: oh poo poo I didn’t know Ali Wong was half Vietnamese until now. The Cantonese did all the sailing and exploring and setting up merchant outposts across Southeast Asia over the previous several hundred years so there are plenty of Chinese-Southeast Asian mixes out there Steve Yun fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Apr 15, 2023 |
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Apr 15, 2023 01:09
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I watched this entire show is two evenings. Holy hell what a perfect, wild ride. I feel like I'm somehow changed as a person. I thought for sure the end of episode 9 was the end of the show, which would have still somehow been perfect and dark. But it needed that last episode to unpack everything before it. Truly the wildest piece of media I've consumed in ages. I really love the title cards as well. They're these perfect chapter announcements that yes, you're watching a piece of art, but without being pretentious about it (if that makes sense). I love when a show has a proper, big climax. It's something you can't really get from movies in the same way. Episode 9 is all set up throughout the series, and just takes all the elements to their logical conclusion. These two morons have caused so much damage with their pettiness, and people died or lost a foot as a result. And it was beautiful. The final episode totally changed the tone though. When episode 9 ended I laughed and went "what the gently caress haha good work, A24" and then another one started and I was like "ohhhhhh cool". They finish their confrontation and finally just trip on berries and unpack everything in a way that completely worked for the show. I just love a good catharsis, and Beef provided it.
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Apr 15, 2023 03:13
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I took about a week to binge through this show, mostly because the episodes were so heavy and I needed to think on it. Goddamn it was good though. I'm aware that there likely is subtext for Asian-Americans that flew over my head in lots of spots, but the absolute misery of the characters was so universal that I think I still saw parts of myself in it. Ironically, I think the most poignant part of the show was only a short blink and you miss it moment. It was when Naomi zips herself inside the suit bag, and watches the video of Amy's bullshit "You can have it all!" speech and posts about how much of an inspiration Amy is while at the same time muttering "Stuck up bitch". It was just layers of bitterness and misplaced anger all sealed up into a single moment where one overwhelmed woman seethes at what she sees as an unfair situation while faking at how great the situation is, while also being aware that Amy herself is also an overwhelmed woman faking it. It was a lot like watching the White Lotus, where everyone is a miserable piece of poo poo, but so much more interesting for a lot of reasons.
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Apr 15, 2023 03:40
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Finale spoilers: it’s a pretty good way to sneak in an argument for drugs and therapy. I have a friend who was SA’ed and she said mushrooms did more to help her than years of therapy
Steve Yun fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Apr 15, 2023 |
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Apr 15, 2023 04:37
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MokBa posted:I watched this entire show is two evenings. Holy hell what a perfect, wild ride. I feel like I'm somehow changed as a person. There certainly are a lot of things to think about. I’ve watched the whole thing twice now, and noticed a lot more little nuances, themes, and stuff that was thought-provoking that second time around. The first time I was struck by the overall changing tone, the way there are hugely funny moments, and then jaw-dropping holy poo poo moments, and then of course lots of mayhem at the end. The second time through I thought a lot more about the themes of feeling trapped, honesty (or lack of) in relationships, therapy, childhood trauma, and the like. Man, there’s a whole lot going on in this show. e: Also, I guess there was no reason I *should* have known this, but I was surprised Steven Yeun could sing like that! The musical selections were interesting too. I think everything is from the 90s. Maybe because these were the teenage years of the Danny and Amy characters? I dunno. MrMojok fucked around with this message at 05:01 on Apr 15, 2023 |
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Apr 15, 2023 04:40
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Episode 3 spoiler: The scene of Danny crying at church really struck a chord with people. It’s very striking how different the interpretations of it are Christians talk about how well it represents the emotions of worship Atheists talk about how well it represents the manipulation of organized religion The one thing they both agree on is that it’s accurate
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Apr 15, 2023 06:41
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This show totally captures the toxicity of anger. As someone who used to have an anger problem and is now with someone who has it, gently caress man this was too real. When he reminded her to “say nice things” it broke me a little.
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Apr 15, 2023 09:06
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Episode 9 spoiler: I can’t stop thinking about what a perfect song All Is Full Of Love was for the ending. It’s two different versions cut together into a bass drop version I always wished existed On the surface, the lyrics seem dissonant to what’s happening on screen; it’s a song saying “all is full of love” playing while the characters are feeling peak hatred But the lyrics are actually about their situation if you listen to the second voice: All is full of love You just ain't receiving All is full of love Your phone is off the hook All is full of love Your doors are shut All is full of love
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Apr 15, 2023 10:39
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Welp this sucks https://twitter.com/aurabogado/status/1646505812586823680?s=46&t=Kzmv5HsyFqNWsBcA-dIRLA Earlier in the podcast he talked about how he forced himself sexually on his masseuse in graphic detail Now he’s claiming he made it up
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Apr 15, 2023 12:34
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Ahhhhhhh I'm going crazy watching this show, just got to the end of episode 8 and ahhhhhhhhhhhhh I'm not saying anything original or profound but I love the tonal whiplash of almost crying watching Danny throw Paul's college applications in the trash and five minutes later exploding in laughter as he accidentally commits multiple felonies. Characters and stories like this make me want to be a better person, realize my own issues and try to work through them in proactive ways that don't end up with a shoot out with swat forces.
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Apr 15, 2023 17:17
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When I first saw the trailer I thought "this movie looks good!" but then I saw 'limited series' and almost didn't watch. Not everything needs to be a ten hour story Netflix! Beef gets the one conditional pass though. Phew, what a loving journey. It's so satisfying to see these people escalate from petty grievances to life-ruining actions and have to sit in the aftermath of their consequences—absolutely perfect character arcs. I did not know Ali Wong had that in her. This show also made me really want to have Burger King for the first time in like 20 years 
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Apr 15, 2023 20:40
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Burger King thoughts (forgot what episode it was) Just a wild guess but I think that Burger King was probably the one he grew up near. He kept going there just to get hits of childhood nostalgia dopamine Song selection thoughts: Although the story is happening in the present day, the 90’s music suggests that their childhoods shaped who they are now, as if the 90’s is still playing in their heads in the present Episode 10 spoiler about episode 1 needle drop: Although the lyrics of The Reason are dissonant against the image of Danny and Amy fighting over a vandalized bathroom, the lyrics come to mean something different over the course of the season. In a twisted way, the fight between Danny and Amy may have kept the suicidal Danny alive by giving him a reason to live, even if it was for revenge. Then by the end they both have a breakthrough and realize they need to let go of their hate. Maybe in the end, despite the poo poo people they were in the short term and the tragedy they caused to bystanders, Danny and Amy became better people by meeting each other that they otherwise would not have
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Apr 15, 2023 21:14
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Steve Yun posted:Song selection thoughts: Yeah, this was my reading as well. Steve Yun posted:
Yeah, this sums it all up pretty well IMO.
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Apr 15, 2023 21:24
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Steve Yun posted:Episode 10 spoiler about episode 1 needle drop: Oh absolutely. The whole point of the last episode, especially when they're tripping balls and can't remember which is which, and start speaking in unison, is that they're essentially the same person. I think a lot of us find ourselves in conflict when we come across someone else who is TOO similar to us. All our worst attributes get amplified, and the small differences become an enormous amount of conflict. Danny and Amy are two notes that are vibrating are less than a half step apart. When played together, the dissonance is unbearable. In the last episode, they finally, truly confront each other (and therefore themselves), and are "tuned" to the exact same frequency. They needed each other to see their own worse impulses and overcome them. Amy and Danny are two pretty rotten, miserable people, but who have good hearts inside them and WANT to be better. They just needed the mirror of one another, and psychedelic berries, to get all the way there. I love that it doesn't end with any kind of romantic relationship between them, but instead a very intense bonding experience. It wasn't about learning to love their enemy, but to love themselves. By forgiving each other, they forgive themselves. I don't want a follow up to this story, as I find it very complete. But my headcanon is that Amy and George patch things up, and that Amy's wealth and testimony keeps Danny out of prison. When I thought episode nine was the end of the series (as they both plummeted down the side of the road), I thought "good, this is what their hate and anger has led to and what they deserve". But episode ten totally recontextualized everything as you saw how sad and penitent they are for their terrible behavior, and that they really came out of the experience as better people. I'm a little bummed we never saw what happened with Jordan after the panic room incident. That was really hosed up in the best way and such a perfect capstone to her character. We needed Jordan and Isaac to make Amy and Danny more sympathetic, because they are so much worse by comparison, and we get to have karmic justice with their fates at the end.
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Apr 15, 2023 22:08
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The thing with the 90's music makes sense after I saw someone describe this show as "Millennials hitting middle-age and having existential angst at realizing they aren't the person they thought they'd be as children." They're both kids born in the early 80's raised in the 90's, and now hitting their 40's and realizing they haven't made it. I feel like lots of people here on SA (and myself) are this exact demographic, which is why the show is hitting so hard. We all grew up thinking we were going to be better than our parents, but also just as secure, and we're both not as secure as them, nor have we really changed the world in the ways we imagined. We're all just Danny and Amy, getting more frustrated as poo poo piles up and never being able to get to the top of the mountain we feel like we're stuck climbing.
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Apr 15, 2023 23:19
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MokBa posted:Oh absolutely. The whole point of the last episode, especially when they're tripping balls and can't remember which is which, and start speaking in unison, is that they're essentially the same person. So good
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Apr 16, 2023 00:56
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I do enjoy in retrospect that (full series spoilers) George was describing the relationship that Amy and Danny have when he talks about connecting to someone on a cosmic level. and that Amy says she hasn't done psychedelics in a long time and was looking forward to it when they're going to the dinner at Jordan's house. just little things that read differently on a second view.
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Apr 16, 2023 01:33
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ONE YEAR LATER posted:I do enjoy in retrospect that (full series spoilers) George was describing the relationship that Amy and Danny have when he talks about connecting to someone on a cosmic level. and that Amy says she hasn't done psychedelics in a long time and was looking forward to it when they're going to the dinner at Jordan's house. just little things that read differently on a second view. Ah those are great observations. I think all the characters would benefit from just having open and honest friendships would help them immensely. But everyone has so much shame and is so guarded that they aren't capable of it. George and Mia probably don't really "connect on a cosmic level" and are just mistaking a good friendship (with a lot of sexual attraction) for something deeper. But if Amy and George had a healthier relationship, then he and Mia could potentially have a perfectly fine, platonic friendship. Everyone is just too miserable to be happy with what they have. That's why I love the ending where Amy and Danny actually do have that cosmic connection, without any hint of sexual overtone. Like I said in my last post, by learning to love each other they learn to love themselves. The rest of their lives are going to be so much better than what came before because they've finally torn down all their walls. Where western therapy failed, near-death and psychedelics worked. Anonymous Zebra posted:The thing with the 90's music makes sense after I saw someone describe this show as "Millennials hitting middle-age and having existential angst at realizing they aren't the person they thought they'd be as children." They're both kids born in the early 80's raised in the 90's, and now hitting their 40's and realizing they haven't made it. I feel like lots of people here on SA (and myself) are this exact demographic, which is why the show is hitting so hard. We all grew up thinking we were going to be better than our parents, but also just as secure, and we're both not as secure as them, nor have we really changed the world in the ways we imagined. We're all just Danny and Amy, getting more frustrated as poo poo piles up and never being able to get to the top of the mountain we feel like we're stuck climbing. Another show I just watched that dealt with this really well is Fleishman is in Trouble. The characters are technically younger gen x (they're in their early 40s but it takes place in 2015/2016) but it's all about making it to middle age and achieving the success you've been working towards but still being miserable because it's not what you imagined, or it isn't enough. Very different, tonally, than BEEF though.
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Apr 16, 2023 02:01
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"LAST STAND IS THE BEST X-MEN!"
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Apr 16, 2023 02:13
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Steve Yun posted:Episode 1 and 2 spoiler: 99% of the show is understandable to non-Asians but one or two things are Asian inside jokes He said that line in exactly the same way my Belgian grandparents would say "they're Germans". It was pretty clear what was meant.
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Apr 16, 2023 17:10
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I don’t think many Asian-Americans today really look at Japanese people that way anymore. To me it was more of a general swipe: you married this person from outside your culture? The spouse might as well have been hispanic or white or Cambodian or whatever.
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Apr 16, 2023 18:12
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Still thinking about this show and also thinking about how Danny is the only person who legitimately feels anything from George's sculptures and resonates with the failson sadness inherent to them.
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Apr 17, 2023 00:03
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Was Danny serious about that, or was he just continuing to try and butter up George?
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Apr 17, 2023 00:05
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Vegetable posted:I don’t think many Asian-Americans today really look at Japanese people that way anymore. To me it was more of a general swipe: you married this person from outside your culture? The spouse might as well have been hispanic or white or Cambodian or whatever. Yeah, and he doubles down on this reading later in the show, when he talks to Paul about the difference between White girls and Korean girls.
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Apr 17, 2023 00:10
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