Feuding couples and class clashes fuel climactic Season 2 of ‘Beef’

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As a total film and TV buff, I was completely blown away by the first season of “Beef” last year – the way a simple road rage incident spiraled into this full-blown feud was incredible, and it rightly won a ton of awards. I was really hoping for more with Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, but the creator, Lee Sung Jin, has gone in a different direction. Instead of continuing their story, he’s giving us a brand new one, starting this Thursday on Netflix. It’s a completely fresh cast, but the premise is similar – two people just built for conflict, constantly clashing but with occasional moments of peace. It sounds like a real emotional rollercoaster, full of tension, letdowns, and hopefully, a few breaths of fresh air.

This show is likely to frustrate you – you might find yourself questioning the characters’ choices and even wondering why you’re watching. However, the problems lie with the characters, not the show itself, which is skillfully made, well-acted, and clearly knows what it’s doing, even if it doesn’t always appeal to you. Ultimately, the new season of “Beef” can be considered a success. And thankfully, it’s a bit shorter this time around, with only eight episodes instead of ten.

Television

The new shows ‘Beef,’ available on Netflix, and ‘Am I Being Unreasonable?’, starting Tuesday on Hulu, are both remarkably realistic depictions of people dealing with frustration, making them truly compelling to watch.

The story follows two couples – Josh and Lindsay, who are older millennials, and Ashley and Austin, representing Gen Z – as they navigate their own internal struggles and complex relationships with each other. Alliances shift frequently, with members of one couple sometimes finding common ground with someone from the other. The setting is an upscale country club in Montecito, where Josh is the popular general manager and Ashley works in food service, facing limited opportunities due to not having a high school diploma. The series explores different paths to success, highlighting how ambition can lead to schemes like blackmail, theft, and fraud, and how these paths intertwine the characters’ lives.

Just like in the first season, differences in wealth create tension between the couples. While Josh and Lindsay enjoy a more lavish lifestyle – a celebratory dinner for them might be at California Pizza Kitchen – neither couple is financially secure. Both are struggling with money issues, a theme reflected in the season’s early episode titles like “All the Things We’re Never Going to Have” and “A New Starting Point for Further Desires.” Josh used Lindsay’s inheritance to help his mother, and Ashley simply wishes she could afford health insurance.

The story starts after a “Save the Frogs” fundraiser at the country club, an event organized by Josh and Lindsay, who also works there as an interior designer. On the drive home, they get into a fight – Josh forgot Lindsay’s birthday and is excited about a trip to Vegas with his wealthy friend, Troy. We see glimpses of happier times – they have matching tattoos from a concert they attended together – but now their relationship has stalled, including a lack of intimacy. Simple things, like planting a garden or Lindsay pursuing her dream of opening a bed and breakfast, have been put on hold, as have Josh’s musical ambitions. Lindsay is reaching out to an ex, and Josh seems more connected to his computer than to her. Meanwhile, Austin and Ashley constantly profess their love for each other, to the point where it feels excessive.

When I got back, Josh and Lindsay were really at it – things were flying, stuff was getting broken, it was intense. Then Ashley and Austin showed up, trying to return Josh’s lost wallet, but they immediately heard the fight. Ashley, like so many of us would, started filming the whole thing through the window. After they left, Ashley and Austin were debating whether to call the police. Ashley blurted out how awful rich people are, and Austin, who seems to think his college days were the best of his life, launched into a discussion about wealth inequality and the need for everyone to vote. It felt very…of the moment, honestly.

“What you’re really saying,” says Ashley, “is that we’ve got to take it back from everyone.”

When a wealthy Korean businesswoman, Chairwoman Park (played by Yuh-Jung Youn, known from “Pachinko” and “Minari”), arrives with her assistant Eunice, it throws the staff into a state of unease. Josh fears for his job and starts manipulating the finances to get a raise he believes he and his family need. Ashley has cleverly secured a promotion and also managed to get her boyfriend, Austin, a job as a physical therapist, despite him not being qualified. Meanwhile, a charming tennis instructor named Woosh is secretly directing women to the Seoul clinic owned by Chairwoman Park’s husband.

The journey is filled with unexpected events: medical emergencies, a psychedelic experience, and a lavish trip by private jet to a secluded Hot Chip concert in the mountains. There are also difficult moments, like an upsetting incident involving a dog, as well as deeply personal conversations and moments of questioning life’s meaning. Throughout it all, attention wanders, returning again and again.

It often feels like the show’s characters are being made fun of, both by the person who created the show and by each other. We’re encouraged to not take them completely seriously – their goals and talents seem diminished. For example, Austin constantly brings up a football award he won in school, and Josh boasts about knowing important people, but Lindsay quickly points out he’s just doing his job. Even someone as kind as Troy will find something to complain about, like the quality of the food at the club.

The actors deliver believable performances, and despite their characters’ limited growth, the story brings them together for a thrilling climax. The series then evolves into a conspiracy-driven plot before jumping forward eight years to show where everyone ends up. Like the first season, it feels designed to give the characters satisfying conclusions and leave the audience feeling good about the time they spent watching.

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2026-04-16 22:32