Episode three of Beef “A Cry inhabits Me” jumps right into a couple’s therapy session that Amy, played by Ali Wong, and George, played by Joseph Lee, are having. George is honestly sharing his feelings, and Amy is holding in all of her real thoughts, telling George and their therapist what they want to hear. Amy gives just enough information about her childhood to make George and the therapist think she’s making progress and being open, while also not expressing what is truly bothering her daily or what she thinks of the subject matter. Amy is trying to do everything right; she’s smiling even when she doesn’t want to; she’s agreeing with what the therapist is saying even though she doesn’t believe it; and when she answers a question the therapist gives her, she uses the same terminology as the therapist.
While Amy is in her therapy session with her husband, George, Danny (Steven Yeun) is attempting to get revenge on Amy for vandalizing his car. Danny covers Amy’s car in gasoline, and right when he lights a match, he realizes that Amy’s daughter Junie, played by Remy Holt, is in the backseat. As soon as Danny realizes what he has done, he wipes off the gasoline with the sleeve of his hoodie and runs off. When he gets home, he tells his brother Paul, played by Young Mazino, what happened, but because they are still in an argument, he doesn’t pay Danny much attention, and he leaves. Feeling guilty about almost killing a child, Danny goes to church and cries during service. We have seen Danny cry before in past episodes of the show; however, this time is different because this is a desperate cry for inner peace. One could hope this is his wake-up call that getting revenge on Amy is not worth getting into trouble or losing his business.
Amy doesn’t show personal growth in the same way Danny does. She is still catfishing Paul; at the beginning of their conversation, her motivations for talking to Paul seemed to be only about getting back at Danny. However, as the conversation with Paul continues, it seems she is now motivated by the way Paul makes her feel. He compliments her and acknowledges her in ways other people in her life, like her husband Geroge, do not. Paul asks her questions about herself that Amy says no one else has ever asked her, and she answers them honestly. In this scene, Amy is more willing to be vulnerable about her thoughts and feelings than she was in her therapy session. This is interesting because she is more comfortable being her true self with a stranger than with her husband, which perpetuates Amy’s marital problems even more.
In this episode, both Amy and Danny show personal growth by being vulnerable. Amy is open and honest with Paul, and Danny is open at church as he cries in front of other people. In the moment, each of them being vulnerable feels like progress. However, towards the end of the episode, new stresses get in the way of Danny and Amy’s husband George seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Which causes them both to make morally wrong decisions.
Rating: 8/10