After nearly two years, “XO, Kitty” is back to bring more drama to Netflix.
The series, a spin-off of the “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” franchise, stars Lara Jean’s younger sister, Kitty Song Covey, played by Anna Cathcart. Kitty is on a mission to learn more about her late mother in Korea. She attends her mother’s old high school, the Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS), hoping to make discoveries about her mother’s past and character.
Season two picks up with Kitty’s return to KISS for her second semester. Despite her expulsion at the end of season one, Yuri pulled some strings to bring Kitty back. Kitty swore she would be “Kitty 2.0,” distancing herself from the drama and focusing on her primary objective: learning more about her mother’s side of the family and concentrating on school.
Overall, the show was interesting to watch. While it had its cringey moments and the writing could have been better in some areas, it remained entertaining. There were several new characters introduced this season, the most notable being Juliana (returning from season one), Praveena, and Eunice.
Unfortunately, these characters didn’t serve as large of a purpose as expected. Juliana and Praveena seemed more like placeholders in the romance-driven drama that plagued the friend group. After fulfilling their roles, they faded into the background, when they could have contributed more. Both characters were strong, witty, and intelligent, and their strengths could have added more depth to the dynamics within the group.
The entire cast faced shaky relationship issues this season, with Kitty’s circle of friends often tangled in drama. The main relationships that remained unaffected by her meddling were with her ex-boyfriend Dae and best friend Q.
Kitty’s relationship with Min-Ho, however, saw rising tension. Viewers learned more about Min-Ho and his family life, and he grew as a character throughout the season. Min-Ho’s personality was heavily influenced by his background as a rich child of famous people, but this season, he became more mature and aware of the impact his impulsive actions had on those around him.
He went out of his way to help Kitty with her family and made amends with other characters. His humor also landed better this season. Overall, Min-Ho was a better person in this season than he was in the first. Hopefully, Kitty will experience a similar amount of development that helps her avoid relationship-ruining drama in the future.
Another highlight of the show was the parallels between “XO, Kitty” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” The iconic fainting on the track scene, the hot tub scene, and the way Min-Ho constantly addresses Kitty by her surname, Covey, all mirror Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky’s love story.
It’s clear where Min-Ho and Kitty’s relationship is heading, and viewers are eager to see how it will unfold.
Despite all the amusing moments throughout the show, there were concerns about whether Kitty would truly dedicate herself to learning more about her mother as she had promised before the drama began. Thankfully, she did. Kitty found pieces of her mother’s past inside the school, and this storyline provided the most emotional moments of the entire show.
She got back on track to uncover her family’s secrets, bringing her closer to her relatives in unexpected ways. This heartwarming and tear-jerking storyline provided a beautiful moment of closure for the Song-Covey family.
While “XO, Kitty” could have been stronger in some areas, it was not a terrible show. This season improved upon the areas it lacked in the first.
