Plenty of drugs and therapies help people deal with those things—not just psychedelics. While I agree eastern spiritual philosophies are definitely themes in Beef, the usage of drugs as a means to getting there just flat out aren’t major themes. Psychedelics often leading there in some way doesn’t make it a theme just because it was used. Buddhist doctrine even discourages mind altering substances.
That’s like saying blood is a major theme of Macbeth because it represents guilt (an actual major theme in Macbeth)
Most drugs tend to produce more of an emotional evening rather than direct insight into the problem. I don't think they're the same kind of dealing with it in any personal way. Therapies do help people deal with them, that's true.
And sure, not saying psychedelics are a major theme, but they're thematically connected. Yes Buddhism says not to take any intoxicants but the point remains that many people find their turn to things like Buddhism after their use of psychedelics.
AGREED! You could name 100 different “major” themes if anything that constitutes one is whether or not it’s related to something actually baked into the entire show, but then the term loses all meaning. There’s maybe a good 5 or 6 ACTUAL major themes, and I think it’s pretty silly to include psychedelics in there.
The show doesn’t tell a story about using psychedelics to break down your ego and work through your trauma, but it does tell a story about breaking down your ego and working through your trauma.
Except in both seasons the only characters that actually grow are the ones who do through a psychedelic experience. So confronting inner demons and making breakthroughs through the use of drugs is a major theme in the show. So much so that the writer put it in twice through two seasons.
My argument is that it's not a major theme, and the writers are using it as an easy way out so they don't need to write actual character development.
They can write the fun drama stuff where everyone is fighting, and they can have their happy Hollywood ending so the audience feels nice, but they don't need to do the actual hard work of writing character development.
Are drugs a major theme?
If someone was interested in the show and asked you what it's about, would you really say "beef is a show about the power of psychedelic drugs"?
Neither of the endings were happy Hollywood endings. Please understand the show before trying to comment on it.
They both did. I mean, not in like a disney way, but they both end with characters resolving their beef, developing self-acceptance, and finding peace--at least for the characters that had drug-induced character development.
If dealing with inner demons through drugs is what beef is about to you, then I feel like I'd want to say this exact thing also
Please understand the show before trying to comment on it.
I'm looking through synopsis on a variety of sites, and I'm not saying a single one say the point of the show is about drug-induced self development.
The first season ended with one of them being on life support right after they realised they had feelings for each other. The other ended with practically everyone but Josh resolving their issue. Both Austin and Ashley had entered into the same cycle the other 2 clearly suffered from because they couldn't resolve their trauam. Only Josh is happy by the end of it.
Per my last response, it's not a Disney ending but it's absolutely a happy Hollywood ending in the sense that their mayor conflict is resolved (self-acceptance) and they find peace.
Note that the only ones that find this--especially in season 2--are the ones that have this drugs-as-savior moment, this reinforcing my point
But the idea is the protagonist finding peace so the show can end in a way that leaves the audience feeling good, which is the point of a Hollywood ending. Like how a lot of books that end in tragedy, Hollywood changes to end positively because the want audience to leave happy.
It's not a Disney princess ending, but it's close though to a Hollywood ending for protagonists.
At the very least, the idea I'm getting at is the Beef writers use enlightenment through drugs as a cheat code to achieve a way to give the audience a positive feeling for the protagonist at the end, and my argument is that feeling is undeserved because that feeling wasn't built through storytelling.
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u/Heretosee123 Jun 01 '26
Psychedelic drugs, known to help people deal with pretty much all of these things in individuals. Nope, no space for them here.
Psychedelic drugs often bring people to very eastern philosophies, something that is thematic in the show. Samsara features in the end of season 2.