Follow Kitty as she showcases her matching skills internationally! Netflix premiered the much anticipated To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before spinoff series, XO, Kitty, on May 18. The first season only contains 10 episodes, but I’m already debating whether this will be one of my favorite series of the spring season.
Kitty travels to Seoul to be reunited with her long-distance boyfriend, Dae, by attending the same school as him, the Korean International School of Seoul, or KISS for short. While the initial plan appears to be flawless on paper — or in Kitty’s case, a nicely prepared presentation slide — once she arrives, she discovers that all that awaits her is drama. Spoiler warning: Spoilers for XO, Kitty Season 1 follow.
We see Kitty officially break up with Dae, be dismissed from KISS, and receive a romantic confession from Minho all in the last episode. Yes, I can’t believe all that happened either. With the first season of the show ending on what appears to be a major cliffhanger, I’m left with more questions than answers. If you need a refresher or just want to talk about the season finale with me, you’re in luck. So, let’s go over some lingering questions from XO, Kitty Season 1.
Will Dae’s scholarship be revoked?
In Episode 10, as the final grades for the fall quarter were published, Florian took the top rank in the class, knocking Dae to second place. No. 2 doesn’t sound so bad until Dae tells Q that if he doesn’t finish first in his class, he will lose his room and board scholarship.
We all know Florian has been cheating on his finals in order to stay at school for Q, so the question now is whether Q would stand up to his boyfriend and protect his best friend’s scholarship or turn a blind eye. Maybe someone else will also discover Florian’s wrongdoing, allowing Dae to reclaim his scholarship. Only time — and hopefully a Season 2 — will tell.
Will Kitty be able to return to KISS before the spring quarter?
Kitty was expelled from KISS before winter break after being caught violating school policy and residing in the boys’ dorm. All hope appears to be lost for Kitty as she boards the plane bound for the United States, until we watch Yuri make a phone call. Yuri calls her mother (Professor Lim) and requests that she reconsider her decision to expel Kitty. She also wonders why Kitty is the only one facing discipline and why the boys — Q, Dae, and Minho — aren’t facing expulsion as well.
Yuri also briefly lived in the boys’ dormitory during her argument with Professor Lim, so it makes me wonder if Yuri will bring that up to her mother when pleading for Kitty’s case.
What was up with Principal Lim and Kitty’s mother’s relationship?
In Episode 10, Professor Lim tells Kitty that she was so much like her mother, Eve, and that she never backed down from what she believed in. The many pictures of Principal Lim and Eve together throughout the series suggest they were best friends in 1994 when they were both KISS students, and the most significant event was when Eve permitted her to use her name when Professor Lim gave birth to a son in high school, which we now know is Teacher Alex.
The major question is what led the two to drift apart, and why Professor Lim is so determined to forget her former best friend. I’m hoping for a flashback during a potential Season 2 to tie up all the loose ends from Eve’s time at KISS.
Who is Simon?
Speaking of a hopeful flashback, Professor Lim gives Kitty a letter from her mother that she never replied to, something she always regretted. As Kitty reads the letter, it details her mom’s time as a KISS international student, the relationships she formed, and, most importantly, how her world expanded thanks to Professor Lim and Simon… wait, who is Simon?
Kitty, for one, has no idea, and she remembers her first guess that her mother had another first love who wasn’t her dad. If you recall, in the first episode, Kitty was going through Eve’s old possessions from her time at KISS when she came across a photo book capturing a specific picture of Eve pulling at the arm of a mystery boy whose face was hidden by cherry blossoms. Could this be Simon?
Will XO, Kitty have a Season 2?
With the first season only recently airing, it may be some time before we find out if the show is renewed for a second season. The first season definitely leaves a few unresolved answers, which can be explored further if the show continues.
It’s only a matter of time before we learn about a possible confirmation. Meanwhile, I’ll be re-watching the series for the fifth time.