I love it when a sophomore season betters the first since it’s very difficult to do. And as terrific as the first American dramedy series BEEF was, the Netflix series created by Lee Sung Jin has topped that Emmy-showered show with the second season that premiered this past week. It’s more ambitious too, with four leads, and a global scale even, but it’s also more satisfying and even more sympathetic than the first year’s story. I didn’t feel too sympathetic for the viciously battling characters played by Steven Yuen and Ali Wong the first go-round. Part of the humor came from them fighting over such a dumb thing as a fender-bender that then turned into a car chase and accident. However, the four at the center of the controversy this time – characters played by Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny, and Charles Melton – kept both my interest and pity from first frame to last. And their battle is over money, status, and self-worth, both in their jobs and their couplings. It’s more complex, but the rewards for the viewer are even greater.
The central theme of BEEF once again is a “disagreement” between parties that gets way out of hand. In this series, there are actually two incidents that start off the consternation. First, Josh and Lindsay (Isaac and Mulligan), the married professionals working in management positions at an exclusive country club, have a knock-down, drag-out fight at home over the failures in their careers and marriage. It starts out with insults and quickly leads to violence, with plenty of broken furniture, dinner ware, and more in the wake. See, their marriage has grown loveless and sexless, and they’re just itching to blame the other for all the problems. The second beef, however, comes when country club employee Ashley (Spaeny) and her fiancé Austin (Melton) witness the fight and decide to use it to better their financial situation. The simple act of returning Josh’s left-behind wallet gives the minimum-wager Ashley a golden opportunity to use the cellphone recording they made of the fight for leverage to climb the company ladder. Soon, to avoid having the tape ruin their careers, Josh and Lindsay are going along with Ashley and Austin’s extortion. In addition, however, both couples start to angle on how they can turn these unfortunate events to more of their advantage. The twists and turns that follow are hilarious and often harrowing, as this simple beef turns into a game of wills, if not chess, with internal problems between each couple figuring into the strategizing as well.
Throughout the series, both marriages, all careers, and, dare I say, even their lives, start to hang in the balance, and most of it plays as understandable, even as the climax of the series moves to some big maneuvers with all of them taking on various powers that be which don’t want to be meddled with. And along the way, almost every calculation and action has impactful consequences. Some funny, some tragic, but it makes for a wonderfully involving story, and one that never paints any of the four as singular villain or hero.
To say any more about the plot would be to ruin the fun, so suffice it to say that once again the writing, direction, and production values are first-rate, and all four leads are exemplary, giving exceptionally nuanced and layered performances. If I had to single out one, it would be Spaeny as her character pays a physical price for some of the shenanigans that occur and yet she manages to make Ashley’s agony amusing and angsty, often simultaneously. In addition, Academy-Award winner Youn Yuh-Jung (MINARI) shines in a great supporting part as the tough, new owner of the country club. She manages to earn some of the show’s biggest laughs with the drollest of line deliveries and the most withering of stares.
Netflix famously drops all episodes of their series at once and indeed this is likely one series you’ll want to binge all at once as each hour’s cliffhanger keeps you itching for more. That’s quite an accomplishment in an era where too often audiences can get way ahead of a narrative. But this one is exceptionally clever, involving, and hard to predict exactly where any of it will end up.
Now, let’s see if Lee Sung Jin can top this stellar season of BEEF with a third time whenever that may be in the future. I’m sure he will relish the challenge. And I know I’ll be waiting with bated breath.
