Lee Sung Jin’s groundbreaking first iteration of Beef was a smash success for Netflix and lauded him three Emmys. he promised himself he’d only revive the concept for the right idea. He found one.
Season 2 of Beef follows two couples (Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan; Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton) navigating the messy inner workings of a luxurious, members-only country club catering to the uber-wealthy in California. One pair stumbles upon a secret, setting off the ‘Beef’ that unravels them all. The anthology is less splashy, quieter, with more characters and threads to pull than the first go-round, but the observations about class, identity, marriage, and the modern American Dream are just as searing, and arguably, even more devastating.
Episode 4, “Oh, the Comfort, the Inexpressible Comfort,” directed and co-written by Jin, is set primarily in the E.R., and ripped from Jin’s personal life. It is a relentlessly uncomfortable—and unfortunately accurate—depictions of the American healthcare system. And a very well-crafted, stylishly executed, impactful, episode of television. A season of television that reverberates beyond a single viewing.
In his conversation with Awards Buzz, Jin discusses returning to Beef, assembling its remarkable ensemble, the season’s central themes, and the social observations that continue to make the series one of television’s most compelling dramas.
