I might have chanced upon a litmus test for long-form screenwriting. A majority of the shows span in the five-six hours region—they’re bound to lose steam at some point, or unable to retain the focus they begin with. As the narrative falters and the plot goes around in circles, are the characters still intriguing? Even as they merely exist? If the answer is yes, then we might be watching a show featuring some strong writing. I had this realisation while watching the recent seasons of The Bear, Riz Ahmed’s Bait, and now the second season of Lee Sung-jin’s Beef. Picking up from season one, where a case of road rage between two characters (played by Steven Yeun and Ali Wong) morphs into a petty and increasingly hideous game of revenge, the second season sets itself around three couples from different strata of society.

Josh (Oscar Isaac) and Lindsay (Cary Mulligan) are the ‘it’ couple at a country club in Montecito (California), where he’s the General Manager. As Josh tends to his multi-millionaire/billionaire clientele, it’s Lindsay, who accompanies the wives and girlfriends, ensuring that Josh’s club offers them the excellent service they’ve been promised. She doesn’t get paid for it, but it’s her part in maintaining their high-flyer lifestyle. They’re good at keeping up the facade of a ‘power couple’ in front of their country club audience. However, behind closed doors, they are both an incredibly dissatisfied and bitter couple – who have........

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