By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Netflix’s television series, “Beef,” has hit its groove with season two. Similarly to season one, we’ve got a slew of characters who are really bad at being grownups. A strong Asian American lineup and a brand new story that grabs you from the get-go make this a show to watch.
“Beef” season one was hard for me to take. Now that I’ve seen – and enjoyed – season two, I understand why. The main characters in season one, played by Ali Wong and Steven Yeun (who are also heavily involved in production of the series), were not likeable. Neither one of them had any redeeming qualities, imo, and they were digging their own graves – with gusto. In season two, we’ve got a brand new story and a brand new “beef.” The new characters have redeeming traits that allow you to feel empathy and intensify your interest in their fate. These characters are digging their own graves, too, yet they are doing so with much more, dare I say, innocence.
The fight that started it all. Oscar Isaac (left) as Josh Martin, and Carey Mulligan as Lindsay Crane-Martin (Courtesy: Netflix © 2026)
This time around, we’ve got two couples who become entangled with each other, and with their workplace—– a country club owned by a Korean mogul (Yuh-Jung Youn). At a party, we meet the “rich” married couple, Joshua and Lindsay Martin (Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan); and the “poor” engaged couple, Austin and Ashley (Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny). We are given to understand the artificiality of the Martins, who glow in public and explode at home, as well as the earnestness of the youngsters. That night, Austin is asked to return Joshua’s wallet, Ashley tags along, they witness a fight between the Martin’s, and voila, the story takes off.
Austin (Charles Melton) and Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) used to be a cute couple. (Courtesy: Netflix © 2026)
The “beef” is class related. Joshua, although he is the manager of the country club, is still under the thumb of the owner. Austin and Ashley, uneducated and with small prospects, itch under their boundaries as well. Even the owner, Chairwoman Park, is hitched to an inept husband (Kang-Ho Song), who she loves but probably married her for the money. The hierarchies are clear. Everyone is caught up in their own versions of what’s going on and scrambling to keep the upper hand. As the story progresses, Austin and Ashley become distrustful of each other, while the Martins experience a burst of marital revival, only to be cast back down by their own self-doubts and the fact that there are people out there who are richer and more successful than they are.
Youn Yuh-jung as Chairwoman Park (Courtesy: Netflix © 2026)
Song Kang-ho as Dr. Kim. (Courtesy: Netflix © 2026)
Maybe you can see that there is likeability there. There is innocence in four people who used to have, or still have, dreams bigger than where life is taking them, who used to love each other, or still do, but also are extremely susceptible to paranoia, social pressure, and one-up-manship. At one point, the blackmail schemes are going in so many different directions it’s hard to keep track. The youngsters realize they have gold in the video of the Martins’ fight. Ashley, especially, turns out to be really good at using this leverage, but also really bad at understanding that she still doesn’t know what she’s doing, or how the Martins’ are getting back at her. Austin keeps sticking his neck out where he shouldn’t, with the good intentions of a kind of dopey Golden Retriever, and then locks in when he realizes he has some latent interest in what it means to be Korean.
Actor Charles Melton identifies as both Korean and American. He was born in Alaska and his mother is a Korean immigrant. “I didn’t even realize we were a mixed race couple,” says Ashley, while wining and dining Chairwoman Park’s pretty assistant, Eunice (Seoyeon Jang). “I just thought of him as Arizonian.” It’s an interesting concept. Race had not played a part in Ashley and Austin’s relationship until Eunice and the rest of Park’s entourage came along. Now, Austin admits he finds himself drawn to the Korean part of himself that he had formerly not known much about. That’s charming, and understandable, but the way he gets sucked in, not so much.
Austin (Charles Melton) might be into the owner’s assistant, Eunice (Seoyeon Jang). (Courtesy: Netflix © 2026)
South Korean American screenwriter and director, Sung Jun Lee, is still at the helm of the show, for which he won an Emmy in 2023. Lee has acknowledged to interviewers that several of the ideas for season two came from real life experience. He has also said that he’d love to stop talking about class conflict – and he will as soon as there isn’t any. The fight between the Martins, for instance, comes from a realization that Lee had about how different age groups view such a fight differently: for older couples, it’s just what marriage entails; for younger couples, it’s deeply disturbing. That’s the surface take. We definitely should be disturbed by the deep-seated issues in the Martins’ marriage! At the same time, we should be worried about how Austin and Ashley respond to the fight, and how it sews discord where there previously was none.
The culture clash comes out over Chinese food. (From left) Seoyeon Jang as Eunice, Charles Melton as Austin Davis, and Cailee Spaeny as Ashley Miller (Courtesy: Netflix © 2026)
If you’re wondering, yes, the show is still creepy. It verges on horror at times and keeps you filled with tension most of the time. Like season one, it just all of the sudden hits you with something outrageous, frightening, or disgusting at least once per episode. There is a running theme of insects, either crushed underfoot or crawling across the oranges at the bar. Multiple meanings could be garnered from this. Crushed underfoot seems an obvious symbol of how the rich “crush” the people under them heedlessly. The ants on the oranges might suggest that all is not what it seems, i.e. there is corruption at the seemingly untouchable country club. It reminded me of how famous Surrealist artist, Salvador Dali, incorporated ants and decay into much of his work and I think the inclusion here is similar in intention and feel. There are worse, and more horrifying examples, but I don’t want to ruin the jump scare that’s coming for you.
“Beef” season two grabbed me from the get-go. Time flew while watching and it was easy to let that arrow proceed right onto the next episode without hitting “pause.” The main characters, or even all of the characters, were intriguing and layered, with both distasteful and appealing traits. As cCompared to season one, I think this time around we might see much more of ourselves.
Kai can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.
Leave a Reply