At the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, this show was nominated in 13 categories. It won 8 of them, including Outstanding Casting, Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing, Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. The show's creator Lee Sung Jin is Korean-American and the first season centered on a Korean-American man and his brother who get into a feud with another Asian-American in Los Angeles. The title doesn't refer to the meat product from cattle. It refers to this idea of someone who has a complaint or grievance against someone else. That first season had an inciting incident of road rage and that season could be argued as an exploration of rage or what can drive people to commit violent or physically desperate acts. In my review of that first season, I concluded that "Lee Sung Jin's thesis statement... might speak to how everyone is capable of lying and manipulating, as well as having to do so in order to survive or to achieve whatever status one desires... There's also a theme here about loneliness and... how loneliness and isolation can push people to do crazy things." That same thesis statement is essentially at the core here, but despite what happens in the opening episode of the second season, rage isn't really in the center.
Oscar Isaac (Dune and Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as Joshua Martin or Josh, the general manager of the Monte Vista Point, a country club in Santa Barbara, west of Los Angeles. He works to serve its wealthy clients who come there for golfing, fine dining, live entertainment and health spa amenities that members can enjoy. He's married but he and his wife don't have any children. Josh loves music, particularly rock music, and he had aspirations to be a musician himself. He perhaps knows that those rock star days are far past him now. He has a new dream with his wife that encompasses them starting their own bed-and-breakfast or some kind of boutique hotel or resort. That's going to take money, which they are trying to save and raise. However, Josh is Cuban and has family back in Cuba are having financial troubles. His mom seems to be having some kind of medical issue. Josh is trying to send cash back home to help them. Yet, he's starting to sink in debt and in order to keep his head above water, he's starting to embezzle funds from the country club.
Carey Mulligan (Maestro and An Education) co-stars as Lindsay Crane, the wife of Josh. She works as an interior designer. She's done some stuff for the country club and she's hoping to continue doing so when the country club gets bought by its new owners. It's clear that there is distance and growing resentment between her and Josh. They're not having sex or they haven't had sex in a long while or only rarely do so. She's looking at younger guys in longing or lustful ways. When she's not working, she's filling her time by associating with the wives of the wealthy couples who attend the country club. There are various charity events that she helps to organize. As such, she's learned how to manipulate them to maintain her social status. Many of these wives get younger, as the men who are the true members tend to remarry with younger women. This makes Lindsay self-conscious, and pushes her to look into plastic surgery in order to keep up her appearance.
Charles Melton (May December and Bad Boys for Life) also co-stars as Austin Davis, an aspiring, personal trainer who also does some work for the country club. He does various odd jobs for the place. We first see him working as a server, carrying a drink tray at an event at the club. Later, we see him doing janitorial work where he's picking up trash after a party at the club. He's in great physical shape and he's online constantly learning about various personal trainer techniques. He'll even post on his social media videos about him doing or teaching certain physical exercises. Austin is Korean-American. He was born and raised in the United States. He speaks a little Korean but he's not very fluent. He can understand it a little because his mom speaks it, but his mom speaks English for him half the time. Austin has never dated a Korean girl and there's parts of him that wants to connect more to that side of himself, even though he's totally Americanized.
Cailee Spaeny (Alien: Romulus and Priscilla) also co-stars as Ashley Miller, the girlfriend of Austin. In fact, she's his fiancée. They probably met at the country club, given that she also works there. She does janitorial work and is part of the wait staff. She hopes to one day rise up the ranks and possibly be the general manager of the country club. She wouldn't mind the job, even though there is a bit of a resentment that she harbors toward the wealthy people there. Hers may be a bubbling rage like the character in the first season. The difference between this season and the first is that the inciting incident isn't a violent act between two strangers. The inciting incident is a violent act but it's not aimed at a stranger.
Ashley and Austin catch Josh and Lindsay in a highly charged moment, an arguably violent one. That charged moment isn't aimed at Ashley and Austin. They simply spy on this more privileged couple and then decide to use the fact that they've recorded it to pressure Josh and Lindsay into helping them climb up at the country club. The first season's battle stemmed from an actual grievance between strangers. This season isn't a grievance between strangers. It's Ashley taking advantage of a vulnerable moment between Josh and Lindsay and in subtle ways blackmailing them. Before anyone sheds any tears for Josh and Lindsay, it's revealed in short order that they're not saints and are not above committing crimes. The show sets up a rivalry of how Josh and Lindsay will get back at Ashley and Austin for the blackmail. That's not really the route this series goes.
Isaac was in HBO's Scenes from a Marriage (2021), which was about deconstructing a relationship between spouses. Instead of leaning on the thriller aspects, a lot of this show is about deconstructing Josh and Lindsay's wedded bond. At the same time, there's also a deconstruction of Ashley and Austin's relationship. The two of them are constantly telling each other that they love one another. They're extra attentive and polite. At times, it can seem like they're cosplaying as the perfect couple, much in the way Josh and Lindsay are. Ashley and Austin even think their relationship is better. Ashley comes to think that at first. Austin doesn't necessarily share that view. He might come across as simple-minded and perhaps not as intelligent, but he sees the complications and nuances, or at least he's more willing to give space for that and not necessarily judge others so harshly. For both couples, it's more or less an examination if either should stay together or split up, and there are good reasons in both directions.
Youn Yuh-jung (The Wedding Banquet and Minari) plays Chairwoman Park, the high-powered business woman who ends up buying the Monte Vista Point. She's a billionaire with her own veritable empire. Yet, like most billionaires, she didn't get to where she is by doing things by the book. At times, it's not clear if she's running a legitimate company or a criminal organization. There are of course legitimate things her company does, but it seems as if there are also shady things and purchasing Monte Vista Point is perhaps a way to cover-up her shady dealings. Because Josh and Lindsay, along with Ashley and Austin, are doing their own shady things at the country club, they invariably cross paths with Chairwoman Park. It's only then that the thriller aspects of the show return, but that's not until the final two episodes.
This is not really that far flung from how the first season played out. The insanity was saved for the last three episodes. The insanity was arguably more insane than any insanity is here. There's fun action, particularly in the last episode. Lee Sung Jin is arguably more efficient because this season's story is told in fewer episodes than the first season. Yet, it could also conversely be argued that Lee Sung Jin had more to say and more to explore in that first season than this one. I lean on the side of efficiency on Lee Sung Jin's part. I also simply lean on the amazing performances from the cast here. All four of the main actors here, Isaac, Mulligan, Melton and Spaeny all give Emmy worthy turns.
I have to say that the number of guest stars this season feels a lot higher than last season, which makes sense given the nature of the story. There are a lot of celebrities playing themselves, such as Olympians like Michael Phelps and Suni Lee, as well as rock stars like Finneas O'Connell and Benny Blanco. However, in a really great supporting role, there's Song Kang-ho (Parasite and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) who is a legendary actor in Korean cinema. The show also spotlights Matthew Kim aka "Big Matthew," a K-pop star who plays the character of Woosh, a professional tennis player and Chairwoman Park's stepson, although that aspect isn't played up as much.
Rated TV-MA.
Running Time: 1 hr. / 8 eps.
Available on Netflix.
