Contains spoilers for the Netflix show Beef.
THIS is what I wanted Everything, Everywhere All At Once to be. The way that people were talking about mommy issues and sobbing their hearts out in cinemas for EEAO — I feel like Beef was the show that did that for me — although there were no tears, it's more like a rude awakening about my internal anxieties and the quality of life you have when you live like that. I felt the life-changing emotional, gut-wrenching, and visceral experience that really for the first time made me feel seen. Some of the things that Danny and Amy said and did, were things that I would say and do so I just wanted to pen down some of these thoughts —
First of all, Steven. Steven, Steven, Steven. The character Danny aside, the way that Steven carried Danny, in his eating, in his dialogue. The close-ups. That scene where Danny comes to Amy’s house for George’s party — it's such an inconsequential filler shot but when I see him sit down and start eating, his loneliness, the emptiness he feels. Danny trying to make conversation with the bartender — the way the writers portrayed his loneliness is painful.
Danny’s traditional mindset at the start was exhausting but the truth is that while I feel the things that he was aiming towards weren't what I had in mind, I do see the arbitrary rules in my life making me feel like I can’t turn off my brain. Is this how exhausting it is to be around a person like that? Although it makes me feel like that same Danny would never throw away Paul’s college application.
One of the other characters say about Danny — “He always works so hard for everyone but himself.” — This made me wonder if my own unhappiness manifests like this. Of course, with the exception that I am working for myself.
Ali Wong was great but I do feel like Steven was the one who carried the show. I do wish that we saw the entire road rage incident from Amy’s POV but I don’t know how well she would have done.
Two of the big themes that stood out to me — were the idea that there is always going to be something. I started feeling this phenomenon (either after my poly or uni admissions) that there’s always something new to be paranoid about. Did I send this on time? Did I address it to the right person? Okay, admissions are done now I have to worry about the health check-up and the courses I need to take. It never ended. So when they introduced that idea with Amy sitting in her garage right after the road rage incident. I KNEW.
“When do I get to enjoy something?” — Amy Lau
The last episode of course — a part of me is torn about all the telling and not showing that they did but there were some very good quotes that tied back to the overall themes of the show —
“Why would a God make it like this?”
“Why is it so hard for us to be happy?”
The personification of the cheating monster was also another thing I loved in the show — especially in the portion where the monster mentions how no one would love Amy if they knew all her secrets. Which is a real and legitimate fear that I have — just did not know that other people felt that way too.
One minor flaw in an otherwise perfect series — the idea that Amy doesn’t realize how much work people like George and Naomi put into taking care of the house is a bit far-fetched. Maybe it's just personal for me but I feel like a character like her understands how she gets to go to work every day?
Another thing that I felt early in the series, although this is a little heavier — there’s a bit of an implication that both Amy and Danny are in the same position from the start because they’re going through the whole “what’s next?”/”When can I catch a break?” but I think it's a little flawed to assume that the resources that they both have are the same.
All in all, cine was perfect, wardrobe and art — beautiful. I think I always fall into this “Am I happy?” sinkhole and I think this is the first time I’ve seen characters in a show that actually personify that. 10/10.
