Can I allow you to all in on just a little secret?
I watched the whole lot of XO, Kitty Season 2, and by the point the credit rolled, I had forgotten the whole lot vital that had occurred.
It genuinely sucks when that occurs, nevertheless it’s worse when it’s one thing that occurs with a present that genuinely has nice potential.
XO, Kitty is One of many Few Teen Sequence in a Disappearing Market
One of many greatest takeaways from XO, Kitty is that the season got here to a fast finish by the point it began to seek out its rhythm, which sums up the collection itself.
Kitty is a cute and enjoyable teen protagonist in an age that lacks them.
Critically, to not sound like an outdated, cranky Millennial, however once I was developing, I used to be as much as my eyeballs in teen and younger grownup programming of all calibers.
The WB part of tv had me in a chokehold, from Well-liked and Dawson’s Creek to household dramas like seventh Heaven.
I couldn’t relate to a single facet of Clueless on the floor, however I beloved Dionne, and Felicity was the right scorching mess and a collection I couldn’t get sufficient of watching.
Boy Meets World nonetheless scratches the nostalgic a part of my mind for all issues Shawn Hunter, Angela, and Topanga.
Let me not go on a tangent about Veronica Mars, who was the right popularity for us teenagers who casually grew up in households the place having burner telephones round was useful.
There was a lot selection in younger grownup programming, starting from pre-teens to co-eds.
However now, I nonetheless take pleasure in watching that style as an grownup, nevertheless it’s sorely missing in that division.
XO, Kitty Has the Bones for a Strong Teen Drama
Consequently, XO, Kitty is thrilling, and its premise must be nice. It has the bones, as Anna Cathcart is a charismatic main girl.
Kitty is among the most annoying characters, nevertheless it’s endearing and feels genuine for that stage in life.
However XO, Kitty can’t solely experience on the laurels of Cathcart and Sang Heon Lee’s charisma. Or, in the event that they’re going to take action, then the present must focus extra solely on it and take full benefit.
XO, Kitty seems like an excellent gateway introduction to Okay-dramas and Okay-pop. It rides on the wave of that reputation, nevertheless it doesn’t essentially do all of the work to totally embrace it, making this weird, unplaceable Korean-American hybrid.
The second season uncovered this to the collection’ detriment because it launched a zillion new characters and targeted on them on the expense of those we possible discover extra compelling or with out growing others a lot.
Kitty’s coming to grips together with her bisexuality was a defining second within the first season, and the second season doesn’t know what to do with it.
Kitty’s Bisexuality Exploration Missed the Mark
XO, Kitty faces two points in tying Kitty’s newfound attraction to ladies to Yuri solely.
For one, it isn’t the perfect try at permitting Kitty to discover that attraction to ladies when she’s immediately jumped to being in love together with her greatest buddy and pining after her to the exclusion of different doable love pursuits just like the cool however misused Praveena.
And it additionally dances on the road of the same old problematic tropes of bisexual people or queer relationships when it introduces an infidelity element with Yuri and Kitty’s habits leading to a season of rigidity and drama amongst Kitty, Yuri, and Juliana.
Kitty additionally needed to juggle one other household storyline that felt half-baked and didn’t have practically the identical emotion or urgency as the primary season. A lot in order that it barely registered as a plot, even when it concluded with a neat bow within the finale.
However the second season teased that Kitty would spend her semester attempting to do and be higher and enhance, after which she principally acquired misplaced in plots with no “oomph.”
The season additionally fell aside as a result of she needed to spend a lot time with different characters spinning their very own tales.
XO, Kitty Doesn’t Know What to Do with Half Its Characters Whereas Specializing in New Ones
The season rapidly reveals that XO, Kitty doesn’t know what to do with characters like Dae and Q. But, they connected Eunice and Jin to them, solely one among whom ought to’ve had extra improvement and had spark (Eunice).
All these characters get misplaced within the shuffle of seemingly meaningless plots that swallow them entire.
I can’t really inform you a lot about their storylines due to the beforehand talked about forgetting them as soon as the credit rolled factor.
A lot of the season additionally hinges on Stella. Over time, investing on this new character regardless of her very important function turns into tough.
A vibrant and genuinely alluring character like Yuri, who was one of many most interesting points of the primary season, is boring compared and easily fades away all through the second season.
She spends a lot of her sophomore season slinking after Juliana.
I perceive why they needed to develop Juliana’s function and even respect it on some degree, however provided that it resulted in a extra muted Yuri, right here we’re.
Min Ho is the one character who survives the second season with precise character improvement and an honest plot.
As soon as they positioned Alex, Professor Lee, and the household arcs surrounding Dae and Yuri within the background, Min Ho needed to carry it, and he did that effectively.
Min Ho Carries Character Growth and Constant Plot
Min Ho and Moon’s father/son relationship evolution from the beginning of the season to its finish is satisfying and genuine.
Many teenagers, particularly younger males, wrestle with issues like residing of their older siblings’ shadows or not feeling they meet their mother and father’ expectations.
Min Ho balances this ongoing arc effectively with the others he partakes in, together with helping Dae and being an excellent buddy to Kitty throughout her newest household mission whereas maintaining their spark alive.
The truth that Kitty and Min Ho’s connection is but once more the perfect facet of the second season reveals that the collection would do sensible to heart that and them extra shifting ahead.
My consideration was piqued throughout these closing moments of the season after they teased an journey between the 2, and I solely want the complete season had that very same power within the first place.
At XO, Kitty’s heart is Kitty herself as she grapples with identification, highschool, friendship, and “discovered household.”
It’s greatest when the collection leans into these points of Kitty extra, grounding that focus relatively than sending Kitty on random sidequests or going off on tangents with different, usually newer characters.
If XO, Kitty Continues, It’ll Profit in Centering Kitty and Min-Ho
Min-Ho usually walks away with the strongest and most developed story arcs, and his chemistry with Kitty carries a lot of the collection.
XO, Kitty must restructure, focusing extra on these two characters, individually and collectively, after which increasing to different key figures as supporting characters and roles.
XO, Kitty could be one thing actually particular with correct outlines and focus. Anna Cathcart and Sang Heon Lee may put it aside at any time when the collection provides them high quality storylines and writing.
We wouldn’t need to resort to gimmicks like random and meaningless Noah Centineo cameos meant solely to capitalize on the To All of the Boys franchise and nostalgia.
Come on, Netflix, you guys are higher than this!
How do you price XO, Kitty Season 2? Let’s hear your entire ideas beneath.
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