Lee Sung Jin marinates BEEF for a second course with a wider global scope and deeper emotional impact, asking a brutal question of a world driven by money: can a person actually be selfless in love, or will their ego always get in the way? It’s heady stuff, held together by award-worthy performances from Oscar Isaac as Joshua and Carey Mulligan as Lindsay, who sit in direct juxtaposition with Austin (Charles Melton) and Ashley (Cailee Spaeny).
Just like season one, the characters you think are good can get swallowed by greed and ego, while the ones you think are bad might actually be good. I know that’s an odd sentence, but I’m doing my best not to spoil the complexities at foot between Joshua, Lindsay, Austin, and Ashley. It plays out like a KNIVES OUT mystery, where half the fun is guessing which character finally cracks and does something awful.
I would also be remiss not to call out the stunning and hilarious oner fight sequence in the final episode. It’s brilliant blocking and shows how absurd season two becomes while also staying grounded in characters’ emotional needs around regret and love.
Final Thought: I have no beef with season 2 of BEEF. It’s top-notch binge-worthy TV that’s worth your time.
It’s available on Netflix.
