On Dec. 26 Season 2 of Squid Game premiered with the biggest debut in Netflix history. Filled with twists and turns, the South Korean series attracted 126.2 million viewers in its first 11 days according to dailymail.co.uk.

Overall, Squid Game 2 was not as captivating as the first season. At some points, the plotline dulled, such as the numerous drawn-out shooting battles, whereas Season 1’s success relied on clever writing which put the games at the center of the plot. The series also continued the “alternate plotlines” of characters outside the games. However, by the end of Squid Game 2, which ends on a cliffhanger, viewers are left confused as to what purpose these disruptive narratives had on the story, other than to fulfill Netflix’s one-hour screen time requirement.

Since its debut, the show faced controversy that has weighed down its success, especially outside the United States. When one character mentions that his father fought in the Vietnam War, another player responds, “[He] must be a great guy.” Although the show makes a political statement about inequality in Asia, this scene shows a double standard for the civilians who were brutally killed in Vietnam. This oversight undermines the series’s commentary on the struggles of society’s most vulnerable.

The season also has questionable casting choices. The actor, Lee Jung-jae, who plays the main character, has faced backlash for abusing women, drunk driving and homophobic remarks in the early 2000s according to yahoo.com. Other actors include a cisgender man who played a transgender woman, a man who was jailed for drug use, a man convicted for paying an underage prostitute and two more men accused of sexual harassment. These appearances alienate viewers who do not want to support these actors, distracting from the show’s progressive message.

Nevertheless, Squid Game 2 provides a meaningful commentary on income inequality in South Korea. The characters’ struggles show that while big corporations may claim they provide an opportunity for the poor to achieve economic advancement, they are really forcing the less fortunate to fight among themselves.

After each game, the players have the opportunity to vote to stay or to leave the game. However, each time the desperate players, fearful of becoming victim to lone sharks when they returned to civilization, vote to stay and play in “just one more game.” Despite its issues, Squid Game 2 is worth the watch. The series shows the difficult decisions humans make when their lives hang in the balance and allows viewers to reflect on societal injustice.