Beef
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Have you noticed that onBeefno one unexpectedly dies?
It wants its characters to keep living and face the music.
Crash and burn, a giant ball of flame, they go down in hellish glory, etc.
But then I must remind myself that the show isnt interested in their death.
Its fundamentally interested in portraying their lives with all their flaws and failures.
Episode nine, The Great Fabricator, opens with Danny frantically trying to pack to leave for Mexico.
Hes accidentally kidnapped June and doesnt know what to do.
Paul, who is there with him, isnt much help either.
Isaac is murderous with rage; his cousin stole his money and left him to rot in prison.
So Isaac hatches a scheme to get his money back before the Filipinos can castrate [him].
(I guess Isaac also owes money?)
He calls Amy, who is at Jordan Forsters home on her tour of truth-telling.
Jordan doesnt seem to care at all about Amys road-rage incident or her infidelities.
She tells Isaac to come to Jordans home, which has a collection of ancient crowns.
I just want to pause here and say this conversation is indicative of so many idiosyncrasies in the characters.
Has he not seen theOceans Elevenmovies?
Isaac agrees to Amys plan.
Meanwhile, Amy calls George and tells him about her deal with Isaac.
Jordan gives Amy a tour of her crowns and notices Amy is distraught.
Something resembling a realization breaks across Amys face.
Then, with as much ceremony as a game of ding-dong-ditch, the heist begins.
will make me laugh forever.)
Isaac panics and accuses Amy of calling the cops.
What ensues is pure and utter chaos.
Naomi and Jordan make a break for their panic room.
(I take back what I said about no one onBeefdying; only white people die, apparently.)
Michael dies, and Isaac and Bobby are marched to police vehicles.
Naomi is shaken but fine.
Finally, Paul hears what Danny is saying.
Paul drops down from the wall, leaving Danny alone.
But just as Danny can breathe a sigh of relief, he hears a cop shouting and two gunshots.
He calls for Paul to see if hes still alive, but horrendous silence is the only reply.
When Danny manages to shimmy through a grate and escape, Paul is nowhere to be found.
Danny steals one of Jordans cars and tries to call Paul, but theres no answer.
As he drives, he pulls up next to someone who is also sitting in their car.
A chase ensues, reminiscent of the first episodes road-rage incident, but this time its Amy chasing Danny.
Together, they drive recklessly in the dark.
Danny walks around, carrying Amy piggyback as she tries to find their way out of the wilderness.
Their dynamic has devolved from grown-up enemies to sibling hostility.
Anyway, Danny finds what feels like elderberries, and the two eat them.
Theyre poisonous, possibly hallucinogenic, bringing Danny and Amy to their knees to vomit viciously.
A sequence where two characters get oddly high in the desert and learn to see past each others facades?
Just typing it out sounds corny, but these scenes are far from schmaltz.
They continue to vomit.
Night falls and exhaustion, hunger, and dehydration set in.
In their utter defeat and surrender, Amy and Danny curl up side by side like sleeping children.
Its a beautiful acceptance of each characters circumstances, heartbreak, and limits.
But, as I said,Beefisnt interested in Amy and Danny dying.
Theyve found their way to understanding in the night, and together, they climb out of the mountain.
Chekhov, are you watching this?
The screen fades to black.
And yet, Danny, somehow, still is not dead.
Amy climbs into Dannys bed and curls up next to him.
They played on each others fears, anxieties, depressions, and terrors.
But in doing so, they also became less alone.
So much so that something like love permeates the screen as Amy clutches Danny.
Its not romantic and its not platonic its something deeper.
Maybe its that unconditional love Amy was looking for all along.
The sun rises, another day dawning on Amy and Danny.
Whatever happens next, Danny Cho and Amy Lau now have each other.
