The new Netflix series “XO, Kitty” is a drama-comedy television series greatly influenced by Korean dramas and a spin-off to the popular trilogy “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han. The show centers around the younger sister of the former main character, Katherine “Kitty” Song-Covey (Anna Cathcart) and her chaotic, romantic adventures.
The story begins with Kitty attending an international Korean boarding school in order to reunite with her long-distance Korean boyfriend and learn more about her late Korean mother while exploring her heritage.
Before the release of season two, the official social media page had introduced fans to several new members of the cast whose characters brought more drama to the story. At the beginning of the newest season, Kitty is characterized as a bubbly and nosy matchmaker with her own failed love life. She stresses out the viewers with her impulsive decisions and rash conclusions when it comes to her romantic, platonic and familial relationships.
This season begins with Kitty attempting to get her life back in order after the multitude of unfortunate events that occurred in the last season, and trying to avoid several romantic issues within her internal friend group. Her goal is to refocus her life towards learning more about her mother and her Korean ancestry.
However, Kitty quickly fails as her interest in her mother’s mysterious past is overshadowed by her obsession with love and other people’s business. Kitty’s problematic actions regarding her love life make it hard to root for the titular character.
The show chooses a course that makes several characters develop negatively, effectively ruining friendships and relationships. In addition to this, the lack of episodes in the season overall meant that there was not enough time to properly utilize and develop their larger cast of characters.
The queer representation in the show was especially hurt due to the controversial scriptwriting and shorter season. One of their new characters, who was practically added overnight, had character development that did not make much sense. Another disappeared halfway through the series after being used to further the popular heterosexual ship, only to appear again at the end to pair her up with the other queer character, even though they had no on-screen interaction. Season one was criticized for the way it fetishizes Korean culture, and although season two was a slight improvement, this theme seems to continue.
Despite all of these flaws, the show is filled with dramatic twists and events that entertain the audience and keep them wanting to watch more. The cast is filled with talented actors that bring every character to life and incredible chemistry that keeps the audience obsessed. Although there was a lack of scenes involving Kitty’s exploration of her Korean identity and family, the scenes that did exist were filled with drama, anticipation and a hope for Kitty to succeed. It brought great warmth and emotion to the series and also provided several more references and parallels to its original source, “To All the Boys I Loved Before,” exciting fans of the former trilogy. Their guest stars this season brought great excitement to viewers, especially those well-versed in Korean entertainment.
Season two saw improvements in soundtrack, fashion and storytelling, having a more consistent storyline and allowing the primary relationships to develop. The pacing and moments of the romantic relationships was well done and leaves the viewers only craving more, as they anticipate the release of season three.
3/5 stars
skwok@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @xokittynetflix, Instagram
