Beef star Carey Mulligan on season 2’s “gross” revenge scenes: ‘I’m disappointed, but I’ll do it’

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for Beef season 2.

Carey Mulligan, known for her role in the second season of the show ‘Beef,’ has spoken about a disturbing scene where her character goes to extreme lengths to get back at someone she dislikes.

Recent episodes of the Netflix show center around a new competitive dynamic between two couples: Lindsay (Mulligan) and Josh (Oscar Isaac), who are established and comfortable, and their younger, financially struggling colleagues, Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton).

The story opens with Josh and Lindsay having a very heated argument that risks damaging their standing with the important members at their country club.

Ashley and Austin try to blackmail them using a recording of their argument, which leads to a series of increasingly chaotic and unpredictable consequences.

Season 2 of Beef features two especially shocking moments that are likely to upset viewers. Keep reading for detailed spoilers, including how Mulligan responds – but be warned, it’s pretty intense.

In the second-to-last episode of Beef’s second season, Lindsay finds out that Ashley was the one who let her dog, Burberry, escape, which led to the dog being attacked by coyotes.

Just when it looked like Lindsay and her rival were starting to make peace, a shocking discovery pushes her to do something more drastic than ever before.

On a flight to Seoul, she offered to get Ashley a drink when she noticed she was upset, but then secretly spiked it with something harmful.

She deliberately dirtied a glass and drink with residue from the airplane toilet, then happily gave it to Ashley, urging her to drink it.

Mulligan shared in an interview with TopMob that the surprising scene took even her off guard. According to showrunner Lee Sung Jin, nicknamed ‘Sonny,’ it was added to the script relatively late in production.

She remembered that after filming for a bit, Sonny told her he had written it. She said she was upset with him, but that she would still go ahead and do it.

Filming was actually quite difficult because Sonny kept adding things that didn’t need to be there,” Mulligan explained. “He was constantly grabbing props to pile onto the toilet seat, and I thought it was completely over the top.

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Ultimately, Ashley only takes one sip before Lindsay herself throws up in disgust.

Mulligan wondered if getting revenge was worth it if it ended up making you feel just as bad, asking, “If taking revenge makes you feel sick, is it really a victory?”

Isaac, another actor on the show, chimed in, explaining that revenge is like harming yourself in the hopes of hurting someone else – essentially, ‘poisoning yourself and expecting the other person to be the one who dies’.

It’s not just Lindsay – many characters in Beef season 2 lost their cool and acted terribly when they were angry.

Halfway through the season, Ashley had emergency surgery because of a twisted ovary. Afterwards, she accidentally got blood from her surgical wound into the fruit juice at Lindsay and Josh’s house.

Honestly, I’m really frustrated with Josh. It seems like he deliberately delayed her getting medical help. He knew about a doctor who could have treated her, but he wouldn’t tell her unless she agreed to get rid of the blackmail stuff he had. It’s just awful that he would put her health at risk like that.

Mulligan saw Ashley’s impulsive act in a positive light, believing it was always destined to happen and that it was a clever idea.

Okay, so I just discovered this app called TopMob: What to Watch, and it’s pretty cool. They’re really pushing this show called ‘Add Beef’ right now, and honestly, it looks amazing. You should definitely download the app if you’re like me and always looking for what to watch next – they give you daily recommendations and have all sorts of features. Seriously, check it out!

Authors

David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig writes about TV dramas and comedies for TopMob, keeping readers up-to-date on the best new shows and series. Before joining TopMob, he worked at Starburst Magazine, hosted the Winter King Podcast for ITVX, and earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Sheffield.

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2026-04-16 22:43