Kitty’s Senior Year Struggles Amidst Dramatic Plot

As an OG fan of the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before universe, I’ve been excited for Netflix’s XO, Kitty season 3, but a dramatic semester at KISS left me feeling underwhelmed. XO, Kitty season 3, which dropped all 8 of its episodes on Thursday, April 2, sees a grown-up Katherine Song Covey (Anna Cathcart) approaching her senior year at KISS after a summer in New York.

To me, the best parts of XO, Kitty have always come from the family Kitty’s found for herself in Seoul. Whether that be the group of friends she’s made at KISS or the long-lost relatives she’s discovered along the way, the heart and soul of XO, Kitty comes from Kitty branching out from her life back in Portland while finding a way to connect with her roots.

XO, Kitty season 3 continues that trend, but is often bogged down by storylines that don’t seem to connect for both Kitty and the rest of her classmates at KISS. This season, it feels like XO, Kitty lost its identity in the process of striking out on its own. While the relationships in and around KISS are, for many, what this show is all about, and the vibes are consistently high in the friendship department, XO, Kitty season 3’s romances often struggle to find their way to a satisfying place.

Yes, there are resolutions to everyone’s burning questions about Kitty and Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee), but romance is more of a struggle to maintain than I expected. There are high points in the season, like XO, Kitty season 3 episode 5’s Chuseok celebration is one for the ages, and the drama is fun. However, the resolutions to season-long arcs felt disjointed. By the end of XO, Kitty season 3, I couldn’t help but wonder if there’s more to come despite Netflix’s consistent assertion that this is the final chapter.

XO, Kitty Season 3’s Cast Shines In Big Ensemble Moments

The best part of XO, Kitty, to me, has always been the dynamics between characters. The XO, Kitty season 3 cast doesn’t disappoint on this front, bringing a fun and supportive dynamic to several big moments throughout their senior year at KISS. While I definitely felt there were moments of this season that didn’t live up to the hype, the cast’s big scenes together were an intensely bright spot.

For Kitty, Yuri (Gia Kim), Min Ho, Dae (Choi Min-yeong), and Q (Anthony Keyvan), who have been the core of XO, Kitty throughout its run, the excitement of getting the chance to share senior year-style moments together bleeds through the screen. The glowing, happy energy that the cast emanates as they move through sweet scenes together, celebrating their friendship, is always heartwarming.

XO, Kitty Season 3 Presents Too Much Drama Without Providing Satisfying Payoff

Although XO, Kitty has long been modeling itself after the intensity of k-dramas, the show’s final season does too much, too frequently. While watching Kitty sift through her issues along with her friends is still fun, seeing the struggles of each and every character individually often feels like too much is happening all at once, without a break to catch up.

The show artfully skips chunks of time, with episodes jumping weeks and months ahead to focus on specific events rather than the ins and outs of Kitty’s senior year. While it’s not a bad idea generally, the issue with this comes from the fact that, as viewers, we keep getting dropped into new moments that require a catch-up. Instead of showing us the story, XO, Kitty season 3 spends a lot of time telling us about it.

One of the other issues with the drama of the season is that it’s often too broad to pin down. In past seasons, XO, Kitty has provided viewers with a central villain to focus negative energy on. Whether they looked like Jina Lim (Yunjin Kim) in season 1 or Stella Choi/Esther Shim (Audrey Huynh) in season 2, XO, Kitty has given the audience clear direction on their villain figures each season.

XO, Kitty season 3 does paint one character in a more villainous light early on, but within a few episodes, the facade is dropped, and it feels like the role of the villain is spread over too many stories. With a host of drama, not having a clear-cut villain often makes allegiances feel a little gray, which puts more of an onus on the audience to take sides.

XO, Kitty’s influx of drama feels like too much for an 8-episode season, especially when so much of the payoff isn’t playing out on screen.

XO, Kitty Season 3 Spends A Lot Of Time Calling Back To Big To All The Boys Moments

Throughout XO, Kitty season 2, which deepened the familial plot between Kitty and her Korean family (including Jiwon Ahn, played by Hojo Shin), I was struck by the feeling that Kitty being the one to explore her roots was the most gracious decision for her character. As the one Song Covey sister who didn’t have a relationship with their late mother, Kitty getting to find her relatives brings her a sense of closure that wouldn’t necessarily mean as much to Margot (Janel Parrish) or Lara Jean (Lana Condor).

Letting Kitty explore her Korean roots felt like a great way to continue a thread that began during the To All The Boys films, but carrying the movies into XO, Kitty has always been a more minor chore…until now. XO, Kitty season 3 pays homage to the films a bit more than expected, and I’ll be honest: oftentimes, the callbacks felt clunky. While I loved finally getting the chance to see LJ again, the Easter egg moments felt like they were doing too much.

From repeated songs and lines to stylized graphics, Kitty felt less like herself and more like Lara Jean at times. I love the dynamics between the Song Covey sisters, and I adored seeing their interactions, but part of what has made XO, Kitty feel so fun has been exploring Kitty as a standalone figure. Likening to her sisters, sometimes, felt like a reminder of where the franchise started, one that viewers didn’t really need.

XO, Kitty Season 3 Is A Fun, Though Slightly Frustrating, Potential Finale

Although it hasn’t been confirmed if XO, Kitty season 3 will serve as the finale of the series, it feels likely that the show is coming to an end. While the season has some moments that feel more orchestrated than others and, at times, struggles with the way it chooses to tell its story, XO, Kitty season 3 is still a fun ride.

Getting the chance to see Kitty and the KISS crew once more during a pivotal moment in their lives allows XO, Kitty season 3 to push its way through more difficult, drama-filled moments, ensuring that the family Kitty’s built through the years is what matters most.

All 8 episodes of XO, Kitty season 3 are available to stream now on Netflix.

Release Date

April 2, 2026

Network

Netflix

Episodes

8