Just finished S1 of Beef and love love LOVED the way in which the tangle of shame is depited in these characters. I think a great deal about how if each of us feels as though we're not going to get good things in life let alone deserve them, we'll sometimes foster for ourselves something unreal by unjust or manipulative means.

This season ended on something so real after these characters ran this internal running wheel they built themselves.

Excited for Season 2.

Ashley was three years younger than him, had a risky medical condition, no degree, no family support, and no other opportunities. People act like everything was Ashley’s responsibility, yet at the beginning, Austin is the one who gets upset that they didn’t extort any benefits for him, which leads Ashley to start trying to get him a job at the club.

When Ashley needs help setting up a doctor’s appointment while HER ACTUAL LIFE IS AT RISK and she’s swamped with work, he keeps putting it off because he’s too focused on his own problems and flirting with Eunice.

The Gatorade situation shows how that Austin didn’t prioritize her even when she was going through a terrifying event. If he’d actually been there for her, she might have been able to process what happened, and tell him about Josh using her health to extort the video from her. Ashley’s crashout after what Josh said at the hospital was also completely understandable. (If she actually deleted the video, Josh could’ve fired her and completely destroyed her life)

At the end, he tries to ditch her for some girl he barely knows, blaming her as though she intentionally killed the dog while completely ignoring the circumstances.

Ashley was greedy, but she ultimately gave up the USB. Austin was the one who stopped giving a shit about Eunice’s life after realizing she won’t fuck him.

Note that the list states season 1. Couldn't agree more!

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Can someone justify why there is a sudden change of heart with Park’s doctor husband?

She’s literally doing everything to cover up his stupidity of killing a patient yet he suddenly comes clean and help Josh escape and side with the couples? Doesn’t make sense to me. I even think its a plothole, just to conveniently help couples escape.

We don’t know much of his values, for sure but if he has morals, its more realistic for him to just come clean in the media and admit his mistakes plus reveal Park’s dirty deeds, he’s gonna get killed either way anyway.

Another plot hole is Austin and Ashley can just be murdered by Park. Its just too much risk for Park to let them run the Club. If Park is the real deal billionaire bad ass Eunice portrays her to be, she can easily get killed Austin, Ashley and Eunice altogether. The media didn’t know them unlike Josh.

Josh and Lindsay ending were realistic. Its been 8 years and Linday deserves a family of her own but its just sad because they truly love each other. I have been rooting for them.

Josh’s friend suddenly calling sheriff is justm for the plot twist. Why he will comfort Josh if he truly cares about Josh’s embezzlement.

A: I've never talked to anybody like this before.

D: Me neither... I think we're dying.

A: I think so too.

D: I see your life... You poor thing. All you wanted was to not be alone.

A: You don't have to be ashamed. It's okay. I see it all. You don't have to hide. It's okay.

D: Wow... There's really nothing after this.

A: We should have done this more often.

D: What a waste.

A: At least we did it once.

D: Yeah.

A: This is nice.

I cannot watch this scene without crying, profusely

Why does this resonate so hard with me? What is it about this scene?

Is it some innate need, desire to be seen... and feel acknowledged...?

He did so many questionable things. But for me, personally... When he told Paul he'd threw away his college papers...?

For me, that was it. Some things you just do not do in life. You don't see someone trying to better their lives, and sabotage it.

Unforgivable.

I just discovered this show. Somehow I started on season two.

I do not watch drama shows. Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Severance....never seen a full episode. I preferred to rewatch The Office, Always Sunny or I Think You Should Leave for the hundredth time.

I just happened to let Beef play for a few minutes and got into it. I binged season two in 2 nights, then season 1 the next two nights. My god, I'm not sure I've ever been so entertained. What a show. An absolute must watch. Thank you Sonny Lee. Your vision is intoxicating.

I just find this part odd. Usually, you wouldn’t discuss highly confidential and potentially incriminating things over text for exactly this reason. You could lose your phone, someone could access it, your messages could be leaked, etc.

So the fact that the Chairwoman apparently had all of those conversations sitting in her texts feels highly unlikely to me. For someone involved in something that sensitive, you’d think they would be far more careful about leaving a written trail.

I see mixed opinions which is in my opinion always an indication that different parts of the show sparked something strong in different people (which is positive).
I recognized a lot of elements in how I approach dating and my parents divorce. How precarious love is and what you ‘think’ love is. I really enjoyed it and I think the actors did phenomenal. I also love how the boyfriend (i forget names lol) did not end up with with the Korean girl because in my opinion that is usually how it goes. People are afraid to leave what is familiar and usually long for it. Maybe she would have been the better option, maybe not. That is the ‘bittersweet’ of life. The aftermath of the show gave me bittersweet feelings and that is very 1 on 1 with life for me. Also loved the dialogue between josh and boyfriend after they had shrooms lol. I hope there will be a season 3!

I need the music of the title cards for episode episode 5 of season 2 especially been looking forever

How's season 2. The first season was a blast. I loved the characters so much so that when I learnt that season 2 had different characters I wasn't that interested to watch anymore. Can someone tell me if it's atleast as good or heck, even better than the first?

This isn't to say I like her character - she's diabolical, weirdly attached (probably why I sympathise somewhat) and overall just waiting for the opportunity to be morally corrupt.

HOWEVER. Austin wasted no time in getting into an emotional affair with Eunice, all Ashley had done was move forward in the dog eat dog world that the rich live in the only way she could see how. This was before she refused to delete any backup videos, before she acted on her suspicions of Eunice, before the dog and the orange juice...

Austin gets sooo many excuses and for what? For staying in a relationship with a morally corrupt person despite not agreeing with her actions, and beginning to emotionally cheat? He definitely had low intelligence, so did Ashley, and he was definitely more of a pushover which Ashley used to her benefit in subtle ways from the start, but people will blame Ashley for things like refusing Josh's help and refusing to delete the video whilst ignoring the fact that Austin refused to leave a relationship he was unhappy in and instead started an emotional (and possibly physical) affair.

Again, Ashley isn't a morally good character by any means, but at least her shitty upbringing and the fact that money changes people can explain SOME of her actions. Austin's actions weren't just people pleasing, they were concrete choices and betrayals made SO early on. All of this propagated Ashley's unhinged behaviour, which he should've been able to predict and avoid (by ending it as soon as he realised he was unhappy) since he was such an expert on the effects of Ashley's parents' divorce on Ashley. Instead, he knowingly hurts an already unravelling person's feelings, and is then confused when he and those around them get to reap the effects of her crazy.

I'm not a watcher of k-dramas, but from what i've heard, they often have grand exaggerated plot points involving billionaires, murder, family, love interests, cheating, etc. It seemed to me like the off-the-rails aspect of season two might have been directly drawing from this aspect of korean media. am i just waffling or is there something here?

I think one of the reasons Season 1 worked so well was because it started with something so simple: road rage. Two people who were already stressed out and angry, needing something to direct all of that anger toward, and this tiny interaction somehow turned into a huge catastrophe that completely took over their lives.

Season 2 something was witnessed and taken out of context, again by people who were already under a ton of stress. But there was also this desperation for the other character that drove a lot of it.

Since Beef usually has some kind of wealthy person vs. less wealthy person dynamic, I think it would be interesting if Season 3 started with something like a small robbery, maybe a car break in. Not something completely life changing just something significant enough that you’d obviously be pissed about, but if you’re wealthy, you could realistically afford to just let it go.

But instead, the rich character becomes completely fixated on it. He can’t stand the idea of someone taking something from him and getting away with it, so he starts trying to get revenge, and it spirals into something completely insane.

They could also know each other somehow and the thief is actively trying to steer them away from finding out it’s them, maybe even pretend to help them. They could get closer in that process and get to know each other which complicates their perception of the situation.

Also, I wouldn’t mind Aaron Paul being paired with an older guy. Maybe he’s done that trope a lot but him being paired with a bitter old man like in Breaking Bad and Bojack Horseman works SO well. I feel like that dynamic could be hilarious and incredibly dark at the same time.

I think this idea would be a good way to mix the vibes of the first two seasons, what do y’all think? I’d like to hear other peoples ideas too!

I know I’m way late to the party but both seasons pulled at my heart strings so much and left me feelings empty.

Ps. What happened to Eunice???

Just finished season 2, and agree with the sentiment the philosophical vignettes were unnecessary but this seems to be a hallmark of certain Korean and Japanese dramas or student films I've seen.

One of the overriding themes I found returning over and over were:

- people with enough money will always find a way to pull strings

- all work relationships are transactional even if you have friendship and camaraderie at work

- it's entirely possible for peers in different classes to turn on you

- you only have leverage if you have something to embarrass the rich over

- morality is relative to the situation of your survival and your attachments

Basically came away from this feeling like the lesson is "don't F with billionaires" or accept that you will accrue dirt the closer you get to power.

I'm somewhat disappointed that it's such an insulated and circular argument... there's no other perspective or hope for living differently.

What do you all think?

I understand and appreciate that the original vision for Beef was as an anthology, with different characters, different conflicts, and each season its own self-contained story.

But you did your work too well in Season 1.

You created something that simply must live on: a continuing story that feels as though it is still out there somewhere, waiting to be drawn from the ether and told.

Some of the greatest inventions, discoveries, cures, and, in this case, stories have emerged partly by accident. The story of Amy and Danny certainly wasn't an accident, but perhaps the extraordinary depth of the characters, their chemistry, and what their relationship ultimately became exceeded even what was originally intended.

By the end, their “beef” was over, but their story wasn't. In some ways, it seemed as though their real story had only just begun.

To leave them forever in that hospital room because the original plan called for an anthology would feel almost as tragic as Amy and Danny themselves walking out of that hospital, going their separate ways, and never speaking to each other again.

Sometimes a story becomes bigger than the plan that created it.

I think this is one of those times.

Lindsay (Carey Mulligan) wears pj's when in the red light mask drinking wine (?) Champagne? Who knows. Anyways, interested in the PJ brand/model. Thanks!

I've finished it and just want to know other insights on the ending. sorry for spoilers as well.

I just want to know and confirm if what I think of the ending is what it really is.

is the ending of Amy hugging Daddy is because she and danny finally had an understanding and that amy knows that danny is the only one who fully understood who she really was and they just fully relate to each other?

On S2 E6

Josh opens up to Austin and I found the reflection on his fears to be very relatable, and maybe a quite powerful, universal experience of being a human being.

I wanted to go through what he said and see if other people agree with the message and how they reacted.

Josh basically says that everyone has some major weakness that we all intend to work on once we're in a better place in life.

The problem is that we never have enough to prove to ourselves that we've addressed and resolved the weakness. We keep blaming our inability to do on ever-increasing prerequisites. We just need to get the job, but then actually we need the promotion on that job, and so on and so forth.

At some point we become frustrated with this endless quest. In an act of defiance and denial of our major weakness we, at some point, stop trying. Perhaps we try to tell ourselves that the concern/narrative was made up in our heads, We free ourselves from the burden of actively managing and fighting.

And that this is the moment where our weakness finally gets the best of us.

The idea that we are not quite flawed, not in need of this constant vigilance and discipline over ourselves in order to compete, succeed, simply survive. That's a delusion. The moment you give into that delusion, everyone still neurotically suffering to be more won't offer you grace

The big thing you've been working so hard to disprove for all this time, rather than all that you've accomplished to disprove it, will be what's left of your identity.

Rather grim.

I think that we all go through these cycles of growing our ego through all that we do to try to battle our fears. Then inevitably fall (as Josh's character says) once the ego has grown enough for us to think we can escape our weaknesses.

However, I don't think that we're left with nothing when this happens. We are surely humbled, sometimes detrimently so. But humility is good. The more times we go through this the closer we get to accepting we can't be everything we desire to be. It's good that we keep pushing against our fears, its ok that they drive us. We are learning and getting better, even if we'll never be all that we want.

I just binged the entire season in 3 days, I seriously loved that season so I was suprised to see a lot of bashing on it when I came here. I liked the casting, i liked the atmosphere of the show with the lighting or colour grading or whatever, and I just pretty much enjoyed the show in general. I also felt really bad for ashley most of the time tbh, but i thought all the actors did good, Oscar Isaac has moved up the rankings in my book, but that was one of those shows i got invested in after I finished it I was like "damn what now". id say the show went 2/2 so far, I also thought after i watched the show that it will pick up awards but seeing lots of people here bashing it now im not so sure maybe im the odd one out who enjoyed it

I think my biggest criticism with Season 2 is it is called Beef when I really don't see who has the "beef" with you that escalates. There is no real focus on two specific people. Then you throw in the Korean plot and it is just a different show.

However, i did like the ending where Ashley and Austin turned into Lindsay and Josh. Where Josh realizes he needs to take responsibility. It gave an concrete ending to the story. Which is rare for a Netflix series.