"You should only be watching beef and succession right now"
This texted direction from one of my closest TV advisors is accurate.
I’ve come out of my Vanderpump Rules troll-hole1 to find TV I’m equally, if not more, excited about, and it’s Beef and yes, Succession. Do I take back what I said about season three smelling and tasting like vegetable medley?! I do not! But season four was already quicker, better, and more exciting before we even got to last Sunday’s earthquake of an episode. Credit where credit is due: my friend Becky prescribed “You should only be watching beef and succession right now,” over text to me and she was correct!
I’m three episodes into Netflix’s Beef and the only reason I’m going so slow is that apparently even preschool has a Spring break and this show is unfortunately inappropriate for a four-year-old. If you haven’t heard of Beef2, it’s a half-hour dramedy starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as two LA residents who escalate a road rage incident.
Admittedly, when I first read about the series, the premise seemed thin. I was wrong, because this show is equally as much about pettiness and rage as it is about forcing you to actually think about strangers as real people and forcing you to be empathetic for them. “You never know what someone else is going through,” George, the husband of Wong’s character tells her as he cleans up a disgusting mess in the second episode. It’s an idiom many of us have used without practical application of it; for me personally, it’s a sentiment I’ve had to invite into my own life to feel empathy for a person who had hurt someone I loved. But enough about me!
The cast makes the show. Wong’s stand-up comedian roots serve her well—this show is a lot funnier than you might expect—but she’s also very layered, and she makes her character’s interiority so clear in just a few scenes. She’s “aggressive” while also being “likable” (I use quotes to show my discomfort in using these words about a female character; if you read enough about TV you understand).
And then there’s Steven Yeun, someone whose talent matches his likability. I know an actor crying is cliche to appreciate, but damn: His breakdown in the third episode stunned me, a reaction I only had because of the groundwork he’d laid in the previous episodes. Also: I was not prepared for his cover of “Drive”!
The flip-flopping of the two characters’ stories keeps everything moving at a clip, and shows you the duality of each individual. Dozing off? It’s just super entertaining, trust me! (And Becky!)
But what people are really talking about is THAT episode of Succession
I swear no spoilers. All I will say is that I am SO EXCITED about the rest of the season and what this means, where it will go… Also, even before this episode I was already feeling like:
The Roys are so affectionate. All the touching and hugging made sense this week, but this whole season, the kids have been so… nice to each other. They were checking in with each other. They didn’t leave Connor to do karaoke alone. It almost felt off to me but I didn’t care because I like warm hugs too and I wanted this for them!
I’m not resisting it anymore: Tom Wambsgans looks hot this season. It’s the hair!
That wedding moment was really sweet.
I’m still very into it, but have slowed my roll to make space for other things, don’t worry!
I have a complicated relationship with the name. It works, it’s simple, but it’s also just like, BEEF. “Have you heard of Beef?” “Are you watching Beef?” have been sentences I’ve felt weird about saying this week.