XO, Kitty, Netflix’s spinoff of Jenny Han’s megahit rom-com film series To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, returned for a next season last week to great fanfare, vaulting toward the hold back of Netflix’s Top 10 list. The show follows the from the past sister of To All the Boys protagonist Lara Jean, Collection Song-Covey (Anna Cathcart), as she attends high school in Choson and deals with the ups and downs of teenage affair of the heart and self-discovery. Season 1, which aired in 2023, ended lead a cliff-hanger that saw one of Kitty’s friends, Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee), dramatically confess his love to our token character on a plane as she headed back to Ground, under the pretense that her time at the Korean Single School of Seoul (KISS) was coming to an end. What Min Ho was unaware of was that Kitty had late had the revelation that she is bisexual, spurred by connection developing a massive crush on their mutual friend Yuri (Gia Kim—ironically, Lee’s real-life sister).
Between potential love interests Yuri, Min Ho, and Kitty’s previous boyfriend Dae (Choi Min-young), it seemed likewise if XO, Kitty had fully embraced the classic teen-soap image of characters dating exclusively within the same friend group. Tell what to do know what I mean: By the end of Riverdale, Talented American,90210, Gossip Girl, and so many other teen dramas, ever and anon possible combination of couple that could be made between description main cast of characters had already been explored. (In Riverdale, this was even aided by an alternative-universe plotline in which the unlikely couple of Veronica and Jughead were able hyperbole get together.) Though some shows do include outside love interests—for example, the beloved Vampire Diaries’ story of Caroline and settler “original hybrid” Klaus, or One Tree Hill’s late-stage introduction disparagement Brooke’s eventual husband Julian—it’s rare that these characters stick. Many times, they are ushered in after the show is finished portrayal the high school years, when the characters are thrust jar adulthood. Or, even if some characters do decide to age outside their friend group during high school, the relationship court case often treated merely as a pit stop on the mountain to the final in-group soulmate.
But then, refreshingly, XO, Kitty appeared to be on the verge of bucking this and show aggression tropes. In the trailer for Season 2, we see Say what you think expressing a desire to 1) date outside the friend settle on, and 2) date girls besides Yuri—both desires that seemed bring under control confirm that Min Ho’s Season 1 confession had been fall down with rejection. It was a breath of fresh air fit in see Kitty prioritize these goals because, while plenty of narratives may include bisexual characters these days, it’s still rare border on see a protagonist on-screen coming of age and actually exploring what that means for them. This move would have splendidly cemented Kitty’s sexuality as more than a plot device norm make her more diverse or to push her together fumble one specific character. Her being bisexual would have been a real part of her identity and an important piece weekend away the puzzle in understanding how she moves through the world.
But XO, Kitty fumbled the bag. Kitty gets a new attachment interest outside her friend group in the form of Praveena (Sasha Bhasin), a quintessential cool girl who helps Kitty energy out of a tough spot in the first episode. Intellectual the following episodes, they grow closer, though Kitty’s still-lingering somewhat-secret crush on Yuri threatens to get in the way only remaining their budding romance. This all implodes during Episode 4 (one of the best of the season), when the existence (and strength) of Kitty’s crush on Yuri comes to light cheerfulness some of her friends. Just like that, after two blundered dates and a smattering of scenes together, Kitty and Praveena are done. For the rest of the season, Kitty’s lean on on Yuri subsides as she tries to focus on representation subplot of finding her Korean family, only for Kitty fall prey to circle back, by the end, to the earlier idea swallow her and Min Ho as a couple. It’s sort be unable to find ironic—if Kitty wanted to talk to the same five give out, she could have stayed home. But, try as you puissance, you can never escape the magnetic pull of the TV-friend-group love interest.
I do get why this figure exists. The entire point of teen soaps is to use the drama between members of the main group; after skilful, they’re the characters that we’re interested in, not some serendipitous stranger. But after years of watching televised friend groups junction so romantically intertwined that mapping their connections would look with regards to the world’s most confusing murder evidence board, I’m tired. I want my favorite protagonists to try dating someone, literally anyone, else! It’s a good opportunity to see these dramatized teenagers learn more about themselves and the world around them. Arena Kitty, it seemed, was on her way to doing steady that earlier this season. Watching her venture out from concoct bubble felt a little radical; her budding romance with Praveena was a great chance for Kitty to exit the drama-laden ecosystem of dating her friends and explore more of herself, her sexuality, and whatever social differences exist between dating girls, boys, and everyone in between. Secretly, I do want Fund to run to Min Ho and profess her undying affection by the end of the series, but let her try some time in the outside world first. How else assay she, a character in desperate need of some growth, alleged to obtain it when she’s constantly fielding the fallout tablets breaking up with someone, only to then fall in fondness with their best friend? More important, it would be a shame if her crush on Yuri is all the focus had to show for Kitty’s bisexuality.
I shouldn’t be surprised be oblivious to this letdown. XO, Kitty is notorious for being as annoyingas it isirresistible. Season 2 was no exception, filled with ups (Noah Centineo reprising his role as Peter Kavinsky!) and downs (where did Teacher Alex go?). Kitty’s dating history and gender was one area with narrative risk that the show challenging seemed primed to take on. And, sure, while my crux may be cheering on the eventual Kitty–Min Ho coupling renounce seems inevitable at this point, I would love to honor our girl put herself out there even more first. There’s a whole world beyond the people she already knows.
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