Beef season 2 has finally landed at Netflix, and fans have waited a long three years for the second instalment of the revenge anthology.
Season 1 followed the increasingly chaotic and violent ways Amy (Ali Wong) and Danny (Steven Yeun) found to get back at each other after their initial 'beef,' drawing on themes of depression, meaning and repressed rage.
While the rage is still very much present for season 2, the main focus will be the complexities of relationships at different stages of life.
Released on April 16, season 2 viewers meet Austin (Charles Melton) and Ashley (Cailee Spaeny,) who work in a country club and are young and in love. They're infatuated in the way that makes them feel that passionate, butterflies-in-your-stomach headiness will last for ever.
Josh (Oscar Isaac) and his wife, Lindsay (Carey Mulligan,) are much higher up in the country club employee rankings. They've been there and done that with the naivety of young love, and the pressures of life and long-term commitment mean they're questioning why they're still together.
When Austin and Ashley witness a massive fight between their bosses, their complete lack of understanding about how relationships look a lot different in later life sparks the 'beef' for the season.
While season 1 was outright, occasionally visually horrifying war, season 2 will be less overtly aggressive, taking a more passive-aggressive approach to the unravelling of a marriage.
Is Beef season 2 a true story?
Beef season 2 takes inspiration from real events that happened to creator Lee Sung Jin. While season 1 was based on a real road rage incident he was involved in (the catalyst for Amy and Danny's original beef, if you're struggling to remember back that far,) season 2 is also based on a real fight between a couple that he was also in earshot of.
"Much like Season 1, this season was ripped from the headlines of my life," Lee tells Tudum. He adds, "It was based on a loud argument overheard from a neighbour’s home - the varying reactions from everyone who heard fascinated me."
However, he wanted to change the setting from somebody's home to a work place, to allow for more relationships to be examined.
"I wanted to explore the boss-employee dynamic more," Lee explains, continuing, "Rather than a ‘boomer couple versus younger couple’ setup, which we’ve seen a lot before, we thought, what if we actually made them a little bit closer in age and highlighted the generational divide between the millennial couple and the Gen Z couple?"
While the second instalment of the anthology is completely separate to the first, Lee has also revealed that the season 1 cast were still involved in season 2 in a subtle way.
"They checked in on me constantly," Lee explains of Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. "Ali visited set. Steven and Ali got popsicles and different food trucks for the crew," he shares.
Casts from both seasons also had a night out together to bond, and pass the baton from one season's cast to the next. "We had a big dinner at Mother Wolf with Steven, Ali, Cailee, Charles, Carey, and Oscar," says Lee.
Carey Mulligan suggested doing an escape room together, before they all had dinner. "It was a nice way to start the season with a passing of the torch," concludes Lee.
Beef season 2 airs on Netflix from April 16.
