The afters are the main course in Beef (Netflix), a windmilling revenge drama for the 21st century that begins in the unlikely confines of a hardware store car park.

Created by Lee Sung Jin for hotshot production company A24, the concept is simple but effective: Amy (Ali Wong), a well-to-do yuppie, and Danny (Steven Yeun), a builder down on his uppers, find themselves locked in a hilariously petty feud after they clash on the road, lose their cool entirely and refuse to back down. It’s out of character for them both, but then the question becomes: what is their character?

Their dual smiles at the end of episode one suggest that a little bit of unconstrained spite and the renewed purpose of an arbitrary nemesis might be good for them both. Wong and Yeun are both superlative from the first scene and the script is terrific too: wickedly funny, deft and smart. There is nary a false note in the opening episodes, which are as more-ish as chocolate biscuits.

Yet beginning with such a structured set-up – people will talk about “the road rage drama” – inevitably leads to questions about where Beef can go after a couple of episodes of chaotic squabbling. After all, by definition a revenge cycle goes round in circles. If you binge-watch all 10 episodes there’s definitely a sense in the middle of a show essentially on hold, even as Danny and Amy’s manic doom spiral is gleeful pandemonium.