I didn’t think I was going to post this XO, Kitty review, but after completely binging all 8 episodes for the story… I actually have a lot to say.
In this season, Kitty is in her senior year at KISS, a school she has been attending for almost three years now. Between studying, applying for colleges, and trying to plan her future, she’s also dealing with a growing crush on Minho and hoping to finally define their relationship.
She’s got a huge “Sunset List” she’s determined to complete, hoping to make some memories with her friends before their lives change.
But of course, nothing is ever that simple, and her life quickly spirals into a chaotic start after a heated moment with love interest Minho.
This season of XO, Kitty really delivers what so many fans have been waiting for. Minho and Kitty are finally getting closer.
I also love how much the show has evolved over the seasons – it feels more romantic, colourful and just more fun overall. But that’s not to say that this season completely met my expectations.
If you want to read my thoughts, continue on and comment down below what your thoughts on XO Kitty season 2 is too.
This post contains spoilers for XO Kitty season 3.
Rundown of XO Kitty Season 3:
- Genre: Romance, Coming of Age
- Star: Anna Cathcart
- Episodes: 8
- Air date: April 3
- Where to watch: Netflix
Who returns to XO Kitty Season 3 and who is new?
Okay so in XO, Kitty season 3, we have had some of the same main characters and supporting characters returning as well as some new faces.
Marius (Sule Thelwell) and Gigi (Christine Hwang) are introduced as new love interests, who make an appearance in this to create conflict and drama.
Marius and Q have had a fling in the past, meanwhile, Gigi is Minho’s first love.
Also, we have an unexpected but most anticipated cameo from Lana Condor, who plays Lara Jean Covey.
She is obviously a fan-favourite character, so it only makes sense that she would return to this world once again!
We’ve also had past cameos from the To All the Boys World – including Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) and Margot (Janel Parrish).
How did XO Kitty Season begin?
So as you probably already know, the series takes us back to KISS in Seoul, picking up where Kitty and Minho decide to spend some time together over the summer before she returns home.
Things are complicated as Minho decides to intern at his dad’s entertainment company, where he’s thrust into the crazy world of glitz and glam—red carpets, parties, music video recordings, and so much more.
Meanwhile, Kitty goes back to the States, where she is reunited with her family.
She stays with her big sister Lara Jean as she navigates the murky waters of her relationship with the love of her life, Peter.
In this review, I’ll be discussing what worked and, sadly, what didn’t. FYI, this post contains spoilers – don’t say I didn’t warn you!
I love that Laura Jean is back
Like I’ve already mentioned in this blog post, Lara Jean Covey has returned. I love how they didn’t change her at all – she’s still the loyal sister who loves baking.
Lara is the type of person who cares deeply, and seeing her support her sister really reminds me of my own relationship with my sisters.
We get so many sweet and relatable scenes with her, not just when she’s in New York with Kitty, but also when she comes to Seoul. And Lana Condor hasn’t aged a day—she looks so youthful, and her outfits are absolutely adorable.
Kitty is still struggling with Korean
It’s been three seasons of XO, Kitty, and somehow Kitty is worse at speaking and reading Korean than when she first came to Seoul.
If you’ve noticed, there’s a lot more Korean spoken this season between characters like Yuri, Minho, Yuri, and even newcomer Gigi. And yet, Kitty is still struggling to understand conversations, especially in her scenes with her grandmother and cousin. But despite this, she manages to put together some Korean by the end.
The pregnancy storyline was meh
I was really expecting the series to focus more on their friendship and how they navigate senior year. But somehow, it ended up revolving around a side character’s pregnancy plot.
It was quite boring at times. The pregnancy storyline felt like a poorly executed plot device -especially when you find out who is actually pregnant in the show.
Too many random side plots
We ended up focusing on random characters who weren’t really important in the first two seasons. I was also rooting for Q and Jin and Mario, but another love triangle felt a bit excessive.
For Marius to come in between Minho and Kitty, only to retreat again, and then introduce a random storyline about him having a nude photo of Q on his phone was just strange.
What does Minho having a girlfriend have to do with him anyway?
And if there had been a stronger backstory between him and Q that wasn’t about the photo, it might have made sense.
I’m glad they didn’t end up together, though. Firstly, he’s a cheater, and secondly, it seemed like he was only interested in Q sexually. Just because he ended up in his own relationship doesn’t mean Q would or should do the same.
The friendship between Kitty and Q is so warming
Something I’ve loved as someone watching XO, Kitty is the friendship between Q and Kitty.
I know a lot of people might argue that she wasn’t at her best when she ruined Q and Jin’s relationship by blurting out his previous fling, but this season did a great job of showing them by each other’s side despite having their own love interests.
I don’t know what I would’ve done if they had gotten rid of that.
I liked the Korean spoken this season
I really like how the actors who play Minho, Dae, and Yuri were speaking more Korean in this season.
It made it seem more authentic – like they’ve grown up in Korea and are living there, so why wouldn’t they speak Korean to each other?
It makes sense why they wouldn’t around Kitty, so thankfully it just seemed to flow more naturally.
Yuri’s unrealistic storyline
Due to a lawsuit with Dae’s dad, Yuri goes broke and struggles tremendously with it, including almost quitting KISS. However, thanks to her first job, she manages to stay.
I get that she has an industry connection through Minho, but for her to showcase designs as an amateur was totally unrealistic.
When I tell you I cackled over Yuri being poor, you better believe it.
The pacing was slow, and we were served an unrealistic character storyline
The pacing was incredibly slow. Yes, there was a lot going on in the first few episodes, but then it soon began to die out. I was expecting a bit more drama sprinkled in.
As viewers, we knew that Minho would never cheat on Kitty, but somehow she didn’t seem to think so herself. It would’ve been completely out of character, so their breakup felt unnecessary.
Also, it took so long for Kitty to realize who the actual father of Eunice’s baby was. It was just so frustrating.
Dae was awful
Apart from his perfect Korean, Dae was a disappointment this season.
Even when he was meant to give advice to Q when he was very troubled, he didn’t seem that bothered.
And since his family became rich, he’s just been watching Yuri struggle on the sidelines, which I knew Season 1 Dae wouldn’t do. And the fact he got Eunice pregnant—boy, did that good boy image disappear fast. I’m shocked but not surprised.
The miscommunication trope wasn’t interesting
I absolutely love a good romance story where the love interests finally get back together—but the number of times Kitty and Minho could have easily resolved their issues is so frustrating!
Like, when Kitty went to New York, couldn’t they have just talked about their relationship status?
Or the fact that Minho couldn’t bring himself to tell her how he truly felt until the very last minute—it drives me crazy.
But… Minho and Kitty’s reunion was everything
I’m such a sucker for cheesy, grand gestures of love, and the scene of Minho running through the train station to get to Kitty was so cute.
It’s the kind of classic moment you see in movies, and I absolutely loved it. I also loved how they shared that kiss at the end, especially after Kitty finally realized her own feelings for him.
And when they got on a flight together to spend time with Kitty’s family? The reunion was just perfect.
That said, I really hope the next season gives us more of their relationship.
It felt like viewers were deprived of seeing the day-to-day moments and the growth between them, and I’m excited to see that explored further.
