Written by Nynoshka Vazquez Suazo
The To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Trilogy, based on the novels of the same name written by Jenny Han, followed the story of Lara Jean (Lana Condor, Boo, Bitch), her fake-turned-real romance with Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo, The Recruit), and all the drama in-between. Now its sequel series XO, Kitty follows the story of the youngest Song-Covey girl, Kitty (Anna Cathcart, Odd Squad), as she travels to South Korea on a journey of self-discovery. There will be spoilers ahead, so read with caution!
This fun, coming-of-age series, created by Jenny Han, tackles self-identity, education, love, and sex. After stumbling upon some of her late mother’s belongings, she realizes her connection to her long-distance boyfriend Dae (Choi Minyeong, Twenty-Five Twenty-One), who we meet in the third film. Fun fact, the actor who originally played Dae in the film was Jeon Hoyoung. Dae and Kitty’s mother attended the same international school, the Korean Independent School of Seoul [KISS]. Kitty receives the same scholarship as her mother and convinces her father that this could be her opportunity to connect to her mother, who she never met, and her culture while finding her own adventure like her two older sisters already have. While this may be a decision based on identity, in it lies the desire to spend more time with her boyfriend and experience romance on new levels on her own terms.
After arriving in Korea to surprise Dae, Kitty discovers he had been cheating on her the entire time. However, that relationship was just a coverup for the real relationship his supposed “girlfriend” Yuri (Gia Kim, Happy Ending), a millionaire hotel heiress, was trying to hide.
One of my favorite TV shows is New Girl; so the idea of living with three guys seems like a blast, and having personally experienced being in a friend group that consists mostly of guys, this writer feels like it’d be a lot of fun. Seeing Kitty have that similar dynamic gave me a sense of comfort. It also allowed for her connections with her roommates, Dae, Q (Anthony Keyvan, Love, Victor), and Minho (Sang Heon Lee, Gran Turismo) to reach deeper levels.
The title, XO, Kitty, comes from how Kitty signs her update emails to herself and her sisters. The connections between the series and the original films don’t stop there. Kitty mentions the events that occurred during the films on a regular basis. The first episode of the series also includes cute flashbacks to the films even to where she meets Dae for the first time, where Minyeong was digitally edited onto the previous Dae’s face. We also get to see familiar faces as John Corbett returns as Dr. Covey, as well as Sarayu Blue who returns as their step-mom, Trina. Jenny Han, the author and creator, even makes a cameo appearance.
Another one of this writer’s favorite shows is Love, Victor the sequel series of the film Love, Simon. Therefore, seeing that Anthony Keyvan was on this show, it instantly became a must-watch. Watching him play the best friend will make you want to be his best friend, desperately (please Anthony, if you read this, follow me back on Instagram).
While Sang Heon and Minyeong are now on the top half of the celebrity crush list, Anthony will always be slightly higher in yours truly’s heart. It’s also important to commend the LGBTQ+ representation, including Anthony and Gia’s characters, and also within Kitty’s dream. It is understood that this topic is touchy in countries like South Korea so it was really nice to see on screen.
Another fun fact: did you know Gia and Sang Heon are actually siblings? The relationship between Dae and his little sister made my heart melt. The first thing he did when he received his first big Han paycheck was buy her new sneakers, which is a tear-jerking moment.
The soundtrack is golden and is a K-Pop lover’s dream. Their inclusion of the group SEVENTEEN – a personal favorite – is perfect. Playing “Hot” when we were introduced to Minho was a chef’s kiss moment. The use of the Korean language within the series is also great. It is definitely 50/50. While the films mention the family’s Korean heritage, they rarely touch on it. It was nice to see Kitty fully immersed in the culture and language.
If I had to pinpoint something negative about the series, it would have to be the plot twist on Kitty’s family line. While the possibility of having a secret brother did add to the plot, it did put to question everything built on her mother in the films – whether or not this is true is just something you have to watch out for. However, it tied into the theme of family, as everyone was going through something with their parents. Additionally, the last time we saw Kitty she was in middle school. In my mind, she’s still very young so the time jump was really trippy.
As a K-Drama watcher, XO, Kitty, takes the style of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and perfectly blends it with the K-Drama genre, creating Kitty’s own style. Her matchmaker “career” continues to shine, and while she develops her own story, her origins are never disregarded. The show makes for a fun binge, and it’s exciting to see where the Song Covey girls are taken to next.
XO, Kitty is now streaming on Netflix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP9C33H6G3E
