Review: ‘Beef Season 2, Episode 1 “All the Things We’re Never Going to Have”

A couple is standing on a podium at a country club: Josh and Lindsay portrayed by actors Oscar Issac and Carey Mulligan. They are giving speeches about how well the fundraiser went today and how much they love each other. They both work hard. Behind the scenes, it’s completely different. After everyone leaves, the couple immediately starts bickering about money and how far behind in life they are. The country club isn’t turning out the way they hoped it would; they thought it would be more grand, and Lindsay wants to be farther ahead as an interior designer. Lindsay also came from a very wealthy family, and she feels that Josh took that from her. She explicitly says that she hates him. 

Another couple, Austin and Ashley, are employees of the country club. They’re engaged, and everyone around them knows it. One of their bosses notices that Josh left his wallet behind and they instruct the couple to go and return it to him. The bickering between Josh and Lindsay has turned into a full on screaming match, and Austin and Ashley hear this as they’re driving into their driveway. Josh and Lindsay throw  wine at one another and smash glasses before grabbing golf clubs and breaking objects while screaming. After Austin drops the wallet at the front door, Ashley takes her phone out and records the couple screaming. Josh and Lindsay see Austin and Ashley outside their house for a split second before they bolt. 

Lindsay starts cleaning everything up as Josh freaks out. He knows that Ashley was taking a video of them, and if that leaks it could ruin their lives and careers. This causes Lindsay to be more sympathetic and she assures him that things will be fine. Josh gets a call from one of the higher ups, and they inform him that the owner is coming to examine everything. They have to lock in. 

The next day, Austin goes to Josh and Lindsay’s house unannounced to check on Lindsay. He offers her help, but she immediately shuts him down. During a big meeting that Josh is holding with his employees, Ashley texts Austin the entire time. She wonders if they are going to get in trouble because they didn’t report him to the police. Josh gets  closer and looks Ashley dead in the eyes. When he approaches her, he simply tells her to not be on her phone during meetings. Josh later flags Ashley down while she’s on her shift on the golf course. He tells her that he knows that Austin was at his house and he basically threatens to fire her if she doesn’t keep a good attitude. He even bribes her with hundreds of dollars, but she doesn’t take it. He just puts a bad feeling in her gut before he leaves. 

Josh and Lindsay put on their fake smiles as their boss arrives all the way from Korea to check on the club. She is not impressed with anything at all. She wants all of the interior spaces done by someone else, not Lindsay. Josh is in a better position as he just goes along with whatever she wants, which of course upsets Lindsay. 

While Ashley picks up golf balls, she vomits. She then goes to the doctor and he tells her that she has ovarian cysts and her tubes are prone to twist. This will make it harder for her to have children, not to mention that she doesn’t have health insurance. She tries to FaceTime her family, but they are too preoccupied with themselves to listen. She decides to hide this information from Austin, but he is eventually able to get it out of her. He lets her know that no matter what happens, he’ll be there for her. In sickness and in health. This causes her to rethink everything. Why are bad things happening to them? They’re the couple that works hard, doesn’t fight, and most certainly doesn’t use violence, unlike their bosses. The episode ends with the engaged couple showing up to the married couple’s door with a tray of sweets in their hands and fake smiles. Cut to black. 

This was a very interesting way to open up a season. This is clearly going to be about two couples and their vastly different dynamics from one another. One couple can barely make it through one conversation without ripping their heads off, while the other will go to the ends of the earth for each other. Ashley’s decision to take a video worked very well because we don’t know if she will hold onto it for blackmail or not, which will  show a lot about her character. Oscar Issac and Carey Mulligan are such a dynamic duo. Their acting portrays good chemistry and comedic elements within the chaos. The pacing is also something that worked well. There wasn’t too much back and forth between all of the characters. They were able to have their moments before we got to the next storyline. Solid start.     

7/10