‘XO, Kitty’ just might take the cringey cake

By Amelia Morris

From the mind of Jenny Han, “XO, Kitty” is a spin off of the book and movie series “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” Following in the footsteps of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” also by Jenny Han, the cringe is back with “XO, Kitty.”

“XO, Kitty” is Kitty’s turn to shine as the younger sister to Laura Jean, the star of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” The third season of “XO, Kitty” follows Kitty beginning her senior year while she navigates further boy drama and the pressure of graduating. 

We learn at the beginning of the series that Kitty’s mom passed away when she was young, leaving Kitty with endless questions about her Korean lineage. The series began with Kitty receiving an acceptance letter from the Korean Independent School of Seoul (K.I.S.S.) in South Korea. Her primary motive, however, was to reunite with her long distance boyfriend there, with a side dish of learning about her mom.

Every season comes with its own set of issues, mainly love triangles, that the students at K.I.S.S. find themselves in. 

This third season in particular focuses on Kitty’s newest relationship with Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee). For several episodes, the series plays on the viewers emotions with the “will they won’t they” tactic. 

Kitty has made a life for herself in Seoul by making new friends, meeting family members and enjoying all that the city has to offer. Still, her future plans remain undecided.

The series balances K-drama and rom-com themes that craft a new breed of cringe. Several scenes made me cover my eyes in second-hand embarrassment.

“XO, Kitty” has an interesting tone that differs from the “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” movies. I do not fully understand the K-drama aspect. In the series, the K-drama seems so forced and unauthentic to the series which is so clearly American made. Some people enjoy it but the mixture for me makes the series even more cringy than the average rom-com. 

When an episode fluctuates between K-drama and American rom-com, it takes me out of the story and I would honestly rather fast forward through those scenes. 

While “XO, Kitty” is not based directly on the book series “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” I do appreciate how Kitty’s character in the book shares characteristics with the spin off version. Kitty’s energetic spirit, unique style and bubbly personality continues to shine in her own series.

After seeing the “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” movies several times, I realized how important colors are to the overarching story. In the book, each Covey sister is represented by a color. Kitty is yellow, Lara Jean is pink and Margot is blue. I love how “XO, Kitty” was able to show Kitty’s love for yellow in her dorm, clothes and accessories. Details like that show care for the original Kitty from the books.

As Kitty tackles the stress of graduation requirements, college and friend groups—the chore begins to weigh on her. She knows she only has so much time left in Korea so to make the most of it, Kitty creates a “sunset list.” The list contains anything and everything Kitty wants to do before senior year is over. 

I enjoyed this aspect because it made Kitty’s character real and even more like her older sister Lara Jean. The “sunset list” was a list of expectations Kitty had for the year. Like Lara Jean, Kitty needed help seeing the blessings in her life rather than the bad. 

Fans will also be excited to hear that Lara Jean returns in season three. This is the first time that she reappears since the conclusion of the last “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” movie. It’s obvious fans weren’t done with “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “XO, Kitty” gives them another taste of that universe. 

The series overall is entertaining. I would say that the seasons are getting better as time goes on. Season three has been the easiest to watch, but it was not without its cringy moments. Still, this season lacked the usual twisting highs and lows the previous seasons provided. 

Nonetheless, Kitty has become a well established character and the audience can see her growing in her final two years of high school. With the publicity of this release and long-term fans, I think we will be seeing a fourth season coming soon.

“XO, Kitty” is currently streaming on Netflix.

Amelia Morris is a freshman journalism major and writer for Cedars A&E. She loves reading, writing and being in nature with her dogs.

Images courtesy of Awesomeness Productions, ACE Entertainment and Paramount.