The Huffington Post
Season two of Beef centres around a whole new feud After a gap of three years between seasons, the latest iteration of Beef has now crash-landed on Netflix . Rather than continuing the story of Steven Yeun and Ali Wong ’s warring duo in the Emmy-winning show’s first outing, creator Lee Sung Jin has turned Beef into an anthology season, with the new episodes focussing on a whole new conflict in a completely different setting. This time around, the action takes place between two feuding couples with different levels of privilege, the first played by Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac , the other by Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny . Overall, critics seem pretty impressed with the new run of episodes, which they’re saying are just as binge-worthy as the show’s first incarnation – although they’re a little more divided on whether or not it lives up to its predecessor. Here’s what critics are saying about the new season of Beef so far… The Guardian “The narrative is constructed with scalpel-sharp precision, teasing out the neuroses of the characters and the appalling behaviour they induce. A dark delight.” USA Today (4/4) “A propulsive hurricane of misery and cringe [...] unwrapping each episode like a Christmas present is one of the joys of watching the series, even as it ratchets up the tension and anxiety. Its themes are layered and thought-provoking.” Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac play a wealthy couple whose life is turned upside down in the new season of Beef British Vogue “Beef is still supremely watchable. And for anyone in the market for a good Netflix binge, it remains pleasing television. “But if Beef season one felt like a rare delicacy – nuanced, existential, tragic and comic in equal measure – this season feels more like a light-hearted, big-budget, Netflix-y caper. Fun, of course, but that’s about it.” The Telegraph (4/5) “It all makes for an exquisite melee, but one that’s founded in our skewed notions of what’s fair, what’s right and how to deal with perceived wrongs.” The Times (3/5) “No, it’s not as exquisite as The White Lotus, but when it’s being funny, being perceptive about neediness and dissatisfaction within a long-term relationship, or being simply entertaining in the country club, this beef can still be something rare and delicious.” Time “Imperfect but still thrilling [...] While the new episodes don’t offer quite the same depth of character or adrenaline rush as the original, the show remains a sharply observed, virtuosically acted, and artfully shot study of human behavior at its ugliest.” Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny's characters make a startling discovery about their employers in season two of Beef The Hollywood Reporter “Prime performances by Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan make for a juicy season two of Netflix’s smash [...] the second season of Beef can’t reproduce the sneak-up-on-you brilliance of the first, but without many direct connections this eight-episode story feels very much of a piece.” AV Club “Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan devour Beef‘s worth-the-wait return [...] the Drive co-stars are in beast mode here, effortlessly switching from making their characters appear loathsome to garnering immense empathy. It’s impossible to peel your eyes away from the two, whether they’re hurling insults at or running toward each other.” IndieWire (A-) “Season two focuses on a timeless font of outrage and its multifarious sources: namely, relationships, their thin line between love and hate, and how the trappings of late-stage capitalism (which gets name-checked twice in the first episode) contribute to a breakdown in trust within once-happy couples. It’s a bigger season and, defying the odds, a better one.” Slash Film (8.5/10) “You won’t know whether to recoil in disgust or laugh at the absurdity on display, but such unpredictability only makes this even more appealing to binge in as few sittings as possible.” Collider (6/10) “Where Beef season two starts to unravel, though, is when it becomes overly filled with concepts it wants to tackle. From the widening socioeconomic divide to impossible beauty standards to discussions involving race and identity, there’s simply too much for eight episodes, and the result is an ambitious but bloated sophomore season [...] Season 2 is by no means bad, but it’s a step down from what this series can accomplish.” Variety “Over eight episodes, Beef loses focus and overcrowds this already expanded premise. By the closing credits, season two is no longer mainly about the acrimony between its antiheroes and what it brings out from within them. Which begs the question: even if a follow-up allows [creator Lee Sung Jin] to attract bigger names and film in far-flung locations, was Beef ultimately worth turning into a franchise?” Both seasons of Beef are now streaming on Netflix. MORE NETFLIX: Everywhere You've Seen The Stars Of Netflix's New Hit Series Big Mistakes Before Nicola Coughlan Opens Up About Her Stranger Things Audition
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