Season 2 of Beef has been released on Netflix – the series doesn’t continue the events of the first season, but rather turns into an anthology. Each new part will tell how the heroes go crazy and destroy each other under the influence of the capitalist world. This time the main stars of the show are Oscar Isaac and Carrie Milligan – they play a near-bankrupt couple who pretend to be successful. At first, it’s impossible to stay away from “Gryzny” Season 2, but by the end a lot of things go wrong. What exactly, says critic Alexei Skvortsov.
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Josh (Oscar Isaac) and his wife Lindsay (Carey Mulligan) run the posh Monte Vista Country Club together. The couple seems happy and thriving, but one evening, left alone after a meeting with fundraisers, they fight. It turns out that the couple has been in debt for a long time and is completely disillusioned with their marriage – they don’t even remember the last time they slept with each other. Plates and musical instruments are smashed and golf clubs are used. In the midst of the quarrel, the couple notice that their young employees, Ashley (Caille Spaeny) and her fiancé, Austin (Charles Melton), are watching from the street. They brought Josh a forgotten wallet at the party.
Suddenly, they witness an altercation between their bosses, which their subordinates automatically film on their phones. The video of Josh, stained with red wine, screaming at his wife with a hockey stick in his hands is instantly transformed into a tool for blackmail. Very quickly, Ashley and Austin are promoted to Monte Vista – without any education or experience – but the struggle does not end there. The couple’s bickering takes on catastrophic proportions when the club is bought by a Korean billionaire (Yoon Yoo-jung), who plans to launder money through it.
In 2023, everyone fell in love with the series “Gryznya”, one of the first television projects of the distinguished studio A24. Showrunner Lee Sung Jin created a captivating journey that dealt with revenge and contract, masterfully blending genres and subverting audience expectations. The project won eight Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, so it is not surprising that it has now turned into a full-fledged anthology about modern neurotics who fight to the death over trifles. The budget and scope of the second season have increased significantly, and the main and secondary roles (including several cameos) no longer go to independent actors, as last time, but to major Hollywood stars. However, the new “Gryznya”, unfortunately, is weaker than the previous one.
The story of Monte Vista Country Club has a strong White Lotus feel at the beginning, as the book immediately introduces the conflict between the rich and those they serve. The young couple dreams of having a baby, but Ashley has problems with her ovaries – and so far the chances are very slim. This could be fixed if we only had medical insurance – the heroes themselves would not be able to pay for the operation. Of course, in this case, the spouses hate those who, without knowing any concern, throw money away.
The video containing incriminating evidence against the general manager gives them a chance. It’s all fair, says Austin, a former football player and now a not-so-smart physical therapist, because they write on Reddit that the rich should participate. It is true that the bosses, although they pretend to live beautifully, are on the verge of bankruptcy, and they themselves are willing to do anything just to join the real elite – that is, to steal more money. Blackmail after blackmail, and all the characters in “Grezny” find themselves severely restricted. Including in love relationships.
The second season poses a question that can be formulated as follows: “Is love possible under capitalism?”
Both the couples belong to different generations and are at different stages of their relationship. Forty-something Josh and Lindsay have already seen it all, and now, facing a midlife crisis, they’re estranged from each other: he’s addicted to watching OnlyFans, she’s searching in vain for a potential lover in everyone she meets and dreams of plastic surgery. It seems that the situation has reversed between Ashley and Austin – and now their feelings have reached their peak after a year and a half of relationship. However, they are generally angry with the world, believe that adults owe them money, and derive their knowledge primarily from ChatGPT.
Both spouses also react differently to problems (which often arise on their own). For example, the young people see this fateful fight as an act of domestic violence, but for Josh and Lindsay themselves, it’s a generally ordinary evening – they’ve had too much wine.
There’s also a third couple in “Grease”: arrogant billionaire Park and her famous Korean plastic surgeon husband, Dr. Kim (played by Song Kang Ho, star of “Parasite”). There was no rapprochement between them for a long time, and almost unlimited strength convinced the heroine that the most important thing in life was to fight for her well-being.
The series constantly paces the words and actions of the three couples, showing similar character patterns and motivations. Each of them, in pursuit of an illusory dream of wealth, discards everything human, layer by layer. The characters dig themselves into a deeper hole – it’s very difficult to sympathize with the couples, given all their crazy antics. But at first it is impossible to break away from the series.
First of all, this is the merit of the actors – in particular, the quartet of Isaac, Mulligan, Spaeny and Milton. They played well and were able to convey completely different feelings towards each other: from fierce hatred to sympathy and even deep sympathy. This dynamic is so fascinating that it is initially easy to turn a blind eye to some of the flaws and conventions in the text. Everything changes in the last two episodes, which greatly blurs the impression of the entire season.
Let’s try to tell without spoilers. For some reason, the creators, without coming up with anything better, shoot from all the hanging guns at the same time, which is why any effect of surprise is lost. Plot lines are cut, and everything turns into a mess – not just plotly, but stylistically as well. For example, there is one action battle in the spirit of John Wick, which is necessary for no apparent reason. And so many things will appear that it will be completely impossible to believe what is happening. It’s unfortunate that the creators didn’t have enough time or energy to come up with a decent ending.
Although the second season was worse than the first, “Gryznya” still holds its place among other popular series anthologies. The main theme of both parts – loneliness in a harsh capitalist world – is still attractive and will continue to be attractive, especially if it continues to be played by first-rate actors. However, it is no coincidence that the Wheel of Samsara appears in the final episode: everything in the world runs on the same rails, including serial production.
Alexei Skvortsov