As a seasoned ScreenRant.com writer with a deep passion for the cinematic universe, I can’t help but be captivated by the To All the Boys franchise. Based on Jenny Han’s trilogy, the story follows the love life of teenage girl Lara Jean, who writes love letters to her crushes but never sends them. Her life takes a turn when her younger sister Kitty sends these letters, leading to the creation of three films and the first season of a spinoff TV show, XO, Kitty.
Of the four media productions in this franchise, it’s the latest installment, XO, Kitty, that tackles more serious and socially aware topics. The lead character, the meddling Kitty Song Covey, sets out to South Korea after receiving a scholarship to the prestigious but fictional Korean Independent School of Seoul. By doing so, she encounters numerous lessons that force her to confront the real world and grow in the process.
XO Kitty Takes a Stand Against Homophobia
Gay characters are not new to the To All the Boys franchise. One of the boys Lara Jean had a crush on when she was younger grew up to be gay, living proudly and freely. However, when the story shifts to South Korea, viewers are presented with a less tolerant society. This fact serves as the basis for one of the show’s main themes. Kitty travels to South Korea for two reasons: to learn more about her mother and to foster a better relationship with her long-distance boyfriend, Dae. Upon arriving, she discovers that her boyfriend is in a fake relationship with the most popular girl in school, Yuri.
This relationship exists because Yuri is gay and hiding it from her parents, who prioritize their reputation over their daughter’s happiness. The extent of this issue is highlighted by another character, Q (Anthony Keyvan), who tells Kitty that while he is out of the closet, he is more cautious in South Korea because “compared to the US, Seoul is not exactly gay-friendly“. For Q, this caution extends to his family in Iran and the Philippines. The writers of XO, Kitty effectively demonstrate that homophobia remains a significant part of many gay people’s lives, and while certain freedoms exist in some places, it’s not the same everywhere.
Addressing the Difficult Subject of Teenage Pregnancies
Teenage pregnancies may not receive as much negative attention as they once did, but that doesn’t erase the experiences of those who faced the stigma of being a pregnant teen. One of the subplots in the show revolves around a teacher named Alex, who comes to Korea to meet his father, another teacher at KISS, after being adopted by Australian parents. Kitty joins him on this quest and learns that his mother is none other than the school’s principal, Yuri’s mother.
This revelation follows a false start where Kitty believes Alex is her brother because the name of his birth mother in the hospital records matches her mother’s. Jina, his real mother, had been friends with Kitty’s mother at KISS, who was also at the school on a scholarship. To avoid the shame of being a teenage mother, Jina uses Kitty’s mother’s identity to have the child and then gives him up for adoption. The fear of shame and disgrace drives this behavior, and it remains prevalent in Jina’s life as an adult, as she strives to maintain appearances.
Kitty’s Culture Shock Offers a Valuable Lesson
From the original trilogy, it’s clear that Kitty Song Covey is known for her peppiness and intrusiveness. These traits drive most of her actions and give her the courage she needs to lead the life she does. Upon arriving in Korea, she learns that while peppiness is a great trait to have in America and among family members, the more reserved behavior of South Koreans is what she needs to adopt. This includes respecting the lives of others, something she didn’t do in America, leading Kitty to learn to tone down her peppiness and be less intrusive.
XO, Kitty may be a spinoff, but it covers much more serious topics than its predecessors. Set in South Korea, a country where the protagonist has no living family members, Kitty is forced to learn to be a better-behaved person. The show isn’t afraid to tackle serious issues, and it also achieves what many shows struggle to do with characters like Kitty: it allows them to grow and become better, despite their well-intentioned nature.
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