Kitty Song Covey (Anna Cathcart) has returned to the Korean International School of Seoul (KISS) for season two of XO, Kitty, and it made us more emotional than we anticipated. After poor grades and lots of drama in the fall semester, Kitty vowed to be more focused in the spring. We’re not sure how her grades ended up, but we enjoyed the drama and growth the youngest Covey sister experienced in XO, Kitty season two.
MORE: Need a little refresher? Read our review of XO, Kitty season 1.
Diversity and drama from fresh faces
Spring is a season of change and transition, and season two of XO, Kitty definitely embraces that. Unresolved conflicts from last season took center stage, incorporating old and new characters. Consequences from season one shook things up for the new semester. This let XO, Kitty season two bring viewers to a familiar place while maintaining our interest.
A few new characters joined the cast this season, including Stella (Audrey Huynh), Praveena (Sasha Bhasin), Jin (Joshua Lee) and Eunice (Han Bi Ryu). It may seem like a lot considering last season’s core cast of five, but Jenny Han and her XO, Kitty creative team did a good job at finding ways to ensure that the new faces supplemented the KISS students we’ve known and loved. Of the newbies, Stella certainly played the biggest role in XO, Kitty season two. Her mysterious storyline definitely amped up the drama we’ve come to expect from the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before spinoff series.
The new characters also added more diversity to the show, which has done an excellent job so far at including characters of different backgrounds — be it race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality or socioeconomic status. XO, Kitty continues to show viewers coming-of-age stories that appeal to all kinds of people. Each character is different and unique while being relatable.
Maintaining motifs
From Kitty exploring her newfound bisexuality and Q’s (Anthony Keyvan) dating life to Yuri (Gia Kim) and Min Ho’s (Sang Heon Lee) respective family drama and Dae’s (Minyeong Choi) financial woes, XO, Kitty season two made it clear this is a show about love, culture and family. Kitty has said a few times that going to Korea was not all about a boy. Season two proves that.
For Kitty, being in her ancestral homeland was always about connecting to her heritage and her mom. She even attends KISS on the same heritage scholarship her mom received. Seeing Kitty connect with her roots, learn about her Korean family and finally feel like she made progress with that part of her journey was wonderful. Like the rest of her Korean adventures, it wasn’t easy, so we were emotional to see the familial roller coaster come to a resolution.
Speaking of family, XO, Kitty season two gave us more in-depth looks at Yuri, Min Ho and Dae’s family life. Each of their familial storylines allowed us to see each of them grow in their own ways. Yuri’s coming out to her parents affected her relationship with each of them, and she particularly seeks to repair her relationship with her mom this semester. Min Ho’s father comes into the picture — and school — this semester. Both Min Ho and his father are forced to evaluate what roles they want to have in each other’s lives. Dae continues to have a good bond with his dad and sister, but because money continues to be a challenge for them, new issues arise.
With all this family talk comes more Korean culture. XO, Kitty season two continued to immerse us in different Korean celebrations, traditions and lifestyles. It even embraced the growing popularity of K-pop, which was fun to see incorporated in one of the storylines.
What’s Old is New in ‘XO, Kitty’ Season Two
As any good spinoff does, XO, Kitty kept up with the To All the Boys references in its second season. Not only did we get a Peter Kavinsky cameo, but the other familiar faces from the movie trilogy warmed our hearts and helped bring things full circle. Even specific scenes were referenced. We got a Covey fainting on the track, a ski trip complete with drama and a hot tub scene and a love letter that was never meant to be seen. These moments and callbacks paid homage to where it all began while serving their own purpose. It never felt like they were making a reference just because they could.
XO, Kitty also continued to mirror a K-drama in season two. Early in the season, Q even referred to Kitty’s life as such. We got classic K-drama elements like a dream sequence, secret family drama and a pregnancy scandal in addition to classic romance tropes like enemies to lovers. By making XO, Kitty a teen rom-com meets K-drama, we get an entertaining show that pays tribute to the roots of the genres it’s combining.
XO, Kitty season two is now streaming on Netflix.
