“XO, Kitty,” created by Jenny Han, follows Katherine “Kitty” Song Covey, Anna Cathcart, as she navigates life beyond her older sister Lara Jean Song Covey’s shadow. A spinoff of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” the show centers Kitty’s high school career at KISS, a Korean boarding school.
After two seasons of heartbreak, grief, emotional growth and self-discovery, the third season, released on April 2, begins right where season two left off with Min Ho Moon (Sang Heon Lee) leaving to join his father, Mr. Moon, Philippe Lee, on a summer tour. As their junior year comes to an end, Kitty has “eight hours and 10 minutes” to confess her feelings to Min Ho before she returns to the United States and he departs for the tour.
The first episode begins with Mr. Moon hosting a lavish yacht party, which doubled as a launch event for Eunice Kang, a rising pop star and KISS student. High-profile guests mistake Kitty as part of the waitstaff, highlighting her struggle to fit into the glamorous lifestyle of her peers. Attempting to help Kitty find a more fitting outfit, Yuri Han, played by Gia Kim, Kitty’s former love interest, unknowingly gives her Eunice’s dress. As Eunice’s producer, Min Ho needs to do damage control on the situation as Mr. Moon tells Kitty to leave Min Ho alone.
After a tension-filled moment, the episode ends with a kiss between Min Ho and Kitty, the two leaving for the summer. Min Ho heads on tour with Eunice and his father while Kitty visits Lara Jean, portrayed by Lana Condor, in New York. Lara Jean’s feature sparked fan excitement on social media, especially those who’d been keeping up with the franchise since the first film in 2018.
Despite cringeworthy moments and awkwardness throughout both this season and the show altogether, audiences cannot get enough. When approaching her relationship with Min Ho, Cathcart’s dialogue, if not executed correctly, could be considered annoying and over-the-top, but Cathcart’s delivery is effortless.
“XO, Kitty” offers audiences great representation, mixing K-pop and western music and adding to the show’s ubiquitous appeal. With songs like “Moral of the Story” by Ashe, “About Love” by Marina and “Skyfall (THE 8 Solo)” by SEVENTEEN, the soundtrack carefully crafts each episode’s tone.
However, the show’s main flaws lie in handling side characters. While Kitty’s plotlines carry the most weight, the series likes to introduce conflicts between side characters only to leave them unresolved. The lack of follow-through, in certain moments, weakens the story.
The ending is satisfying, but does not fully make up for previous underdeveloped plotlines. Still, the third season of “XO, Kitty” makes a pleasurable watch.
3 kisses out of 5
