XO, Kitty is like a massive bag of my favorite candy, Nerds Gummy Clusters. They’re addicting, and if I get my hands on a bag, it will be gone almost immediately. That’s how I felt watching this show. All of a sudden, it was 3 a.m., I was finished with season two, and I was left with more questions than answers. Warning, this is not spoiler-free.
As you can tell from the title, I am quite a fan of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. It is one of my favorite modern rom-coms, and every time I watch it, it feels so cozy. It’s like an old friend I haven’t seen in a while, but the moment we see each other, everything clicks. That movie is the epitome of high school romance (I’ve been told; unfortunately, high school romance was not in my cards). Maybe that’s why XO, Kitty never fully fit with me. Lara Jean was like me. Quiet and a bit unsure of herself. Kitty, on the other hand, is bold and unafraid. They’re traits I can admire, but never fully relate to.
I’m going to be honest, when I started watching season one after it came out, I never finished it. I don’t entirely know why. I think I felt that Kitty was very pushy, and even though she had only the best intentions, her lack of emotional maturity annoyed me. And then I thought about when I was 16/17, and I cut her some slack. But still, going from a movie as beloved as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before to a show not focused on Lara Jean at all was an adjustment. Maybe I didn’t give XO, Kitty the consideration it deserves. So, when season two came out, I decided that I was going to watch both seasons one and two just to give it another chance. And goodness did it give me drama.
Season One
First of all, the characters are all so fun and unique. In the first season, I thought the focus on figuring out whether Kitty had a brother or not was very interesting, and it got me invested. I was shocked when it turned out that Alex was actually Yuri’s brother. The Dae/Yuri storyline was so captivating, and I never knew where the show was going at any point. Min Ho is my favorite; he’s so funny. Madison was hilarious. I know we’re not supposed to like her character, but it’s just so fun. Kitty was outright embarrassing at some points, but you can’t help but root for her. Q is the supportive best friend we all need. After this season, I was really looking forward to the next one.
Season two
Season two was both better and worse than season one. First, what I didn’t like. There were too many love interests. Dae, Min Ho, Yuri, Praveena, I couldn’t tell who I was supposed to be rooting for. I think they tried to do too many things in only eight episodes. Another thing: I swear Netflix is allergic to creating ten episodes. Season one was ten episodes, so why couldn’t season two be ten episodes? I guess we’ll never know. Some pretty big characters from season one also didn’t have as much screen time, like Q and Madison, which is a shame because they were a couple of my favorite characters from the first season. Also, the whole Stella plotline was not my favorite. It seemed like it was only there for Min Ho’s character development, and Kitty seemed pretty far away from that part of the show. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely parts that I liked. The finale, for example, was so fun. And I think they’re gearing up for Kitty and Min Ho to be endgame, which is what I was hoping for. Eunice was a standout. I know she was in season one, but season two made me obsessed. I loved how Kitty found her family, and I’m glad they were able to reconcile. I just hope that there’s a season three so we can finally have a satisfying conclusion.
Future Hopes
My biggest hope for potential new seasons is that they don’t add unnecessary drama. The whole Yuri/Juliana breakup seemed pointless if Yuri and Kitty were going to end up just being friends. All along I could tell that Yuri loved Juliana and not Kitty, so the whole thing being drawn out was pretty frustrating. In the end, it’s like I said, the show is addicting, and I enjoyed binge-watching it. But it’s not one of those shows that is so amazing that it sticks with you. Ultimately, it’s a fun watch to get your mind off of how crazy the world is right now, so if you’re looking for some teenage drama, definitely check out XO, Kitty.
XO, Lauren