Ending Explained

Netflix’s ‘Beef’ Ending Explained: Do Danny and Amy Survive Their Rivalry?

Beef: It’s what’s for dinner, but more importantly, it’s the title of one of the best new shows of 2023.

Created by Lee Sung Jin, the first season of Netflix’s captivating new scorched-earth dramedy explores the aftermath of a road rage incident between Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong), two strangers who become entrenched in an intense feud resulting in dire consequences for all involved. 

The ten-episode season has earned rave reviews, currently boasting a 99% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Beef only premiered last week, but many streamers have already binged the entire season, with many viewers questioning what went down during the final moments of the season finale. You got questions, and Decider’s got the answers. Grab a fork, because we’re about to dig into some scorching hot Beef.

Netflix’s Beef Ending Explained:

There’s a really good Ram Dass quote that says ‘We’re all just walking each other home.’ And I think that feeling is probably something that we’re trying to capture.” Beef creator Lee Sung Jin

The season finale of Beef (Episode 10: “Figures of Life”) is a surreal installment that includes talking crows, poisonous berries, and even a little bit of mind-melding. The episode begins with Amy pointing a gun at Danny moments after the car accident from Episode 9. He escapes thanks to a helpful murder of crows, but Amy’s in hot pursuit. Danny eventually pushes Amy down an embankment, Amy breaks Danny’s arm, and the end result is the quarreling duo lost in the wild and in desperate need of help.

The two eventually decide to eat some berries, but they turn out to be poisonous (cue Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day”). “We had to figure out a different way for these two people to be stuck together,” series creator Lee Sung Jin said during a recent interview with Netflix’s Tudum, “so poison felt like the natural thing to do.”

It turns out that being strung out on poisonous berries can do wonders for a blood feud. Danny and Amy eventually find common ground, with Lee saying that he “knew that these two characters had to come together at the very end.”

With their beef finally squashed, Danny and Amy finally find their way back to civilization. But they’re met by Amy’s husband George, who shoots Danny. The season ends with Danny lying in a hospital bed in critical condition. Amy is by his side replaying the events of their rivalry in her mind. Overcome with emotion, she climbs into Danny’s bed and hugs him. Danny musters just enough strength to put his arm around Amy.

Lee mentioned during his Tudum interview that the hospital bed moment was actually Ali Wong’s idea.“That scene, [Lee] was just like, ‘I want the feeling of two people coming home to each other,’” Wong said. “It’s what you see. It’s two people who have been through a lot holding each other.”

Added Lee, “That hospital bed moment is a little something to make the audience lean in at the very end, and just a little glimmer of hope.”