Critic Reviews
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Some “limited series” are better off left limited.
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While both seasons of Beef revolve around a different dispute, we can probably all agree that Season 2 is an amusing but unfortunate step down in quality.
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We’re not sure the second season of Beef is going to be as satisfying as the first season was, but the story has a lot of places it can go, so we’re hopeful we can connect to it as the season goes along.
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In increasing the number of central characters from two to four — five, arguably — in jumping back and forth between America and South Korea, and in trying to say more thematically about income inequality and various forms of economic anxiety, Beef creator Lee Sung Jin's reach has exceeded his grasp this time around. There's still some good material here, and one fantastic episode that's the equal of anything in the first season. It's just not as focused, nor as potent, as it was when Yeun and Wong were going at it.
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A-listers notwithstanding, it’s a surprisingly slight return engagement.
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Overall, Beef feels like an entertaining potboiler rather than the dark march towards truth that the original was. Not enough meat on the bones.
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By the final couple of episodes, when the action pinballs to South Korea, things have veered from unpredictable to near-deranged.But let’s not quibble too much. When it’s being funny (such as Austin’s blagging as he fakes it as a physical therapist), being perceptive about neediness and dissatisfaction within a long-term relationship, or being simply downright entertaining in the country club, this beef can still be something rare and delicious.
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Season 2 is by no means bad, but it's a step down from what this series can accomplish, and I can only hope that if there's a Season 3, the series will course-correct, because this just isn't working as well.
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Aside from Lindsay and Josh’s early blowout fight, the tensions in this season of “Beef” never quite boil over again. Ultimately, keeping all the competing characters’ diabolical deeds at a low-level simmer means that this installment as a whole feels undercooked and unsatisfying.
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The new bosses’ high-class problems are always tertiary to the Josh-Lindsay-Ashley-Austin quadfecta and never stop feeling tacked-on, even when plot contrivances transport the entire ensemble to Seoul for the finale. But they’re just present enough to distract from the core conflict, transforming the season from a group character study into a corporate espionage thriller such that neither half feels fully fleshed-out. It’s a shame, because before they peter out, there are threads worth following.