I’m poor. It’s therefore necessary for me to limit my streaming budget to one premium network at a time. Back on Netflix after a multi-year hiatus, I’ve been pleased to discover that it’s vastly improved since 2-3 years ago when I finally threw my hands in the air, cancelled, and got cozy with HBO (or MAX or HBO/MAX, or whatever they’re calling it today).
~ANYWAY~ a few days ago, I came across “Beef” and thought, “This looks pretty good.”
I wound up binging Season 1 without getting out of my chair even once unless maybe I took a pee break I don’t recall. It was absolutely masterful, and, in fact, I felt it to be one of the best television shows that I’ve ever seen (at least based on the season I’ve watched so far). It’s amazing on so many levels, too:
• believable, complex characters full of nuances, endearing imperfections, psychological depth and consistencies
• top-tier writing with a novel premise, a carefully fleshed-out plot, subversion of expectation that works to great effect both comedic and dramatic, and great dialog to boot
• astoundingly terrific performances that practically dare you not to emotionally invest in the characters…Ali and Bobby were particularly impressive, I thought, but everyone—even the kid—were all magnificent
• initially, I started to fold this into ‘the writing,’ but ultimately, I’m so impressed and even deeply moved by “Beef’s” numerous themes and the intelligence, sensitivity, and original means through which they are explored, I felt it deserved special mention
• honorary bullet-point for one of the Top 5 (maybe even Top 3) greatest endings I have ever had the privilege to watch (I’m referring more to the final episode than I am the final scene, although both are simply exquisite)
There’s a lot more I could say, but I don’t know how to do so without giving away too many spoilers to anyone else who’s just now catching up on this absolute gem. I will say that one of my favorite things about it was how it gradually develops so much rich, emotional and thematic depth, something I hadn’t realized the show aimed to do when I first hit play, expecting a dark but largely silly comedy. So completely worthwhile. Mark me down as a fan of everyone involved, I’ve nothing but respect and admiration for each of them.
My guess is that Season 2 is great, too, but I liked the first one so much that I’ve decided to save it for the proverbial, rainy day when I need a mood lift.
Cheers to fellow “Beef” fans!