XO, Kitty review: Netflix’s To All the Boys spinoff goes full K-drama

The secret to having fun XO, Kitty, Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before spinoff show: The sooner you realize it’s actually a completely different ballgame from the mainline To All the Boys movies, the sooner you will enjoy it.

This trilogy is a collection of romantic comedies that are based on coming-of-age stories. While they have some whimsical moments, the films’ main focus remains grounded in reality. XO, KittyThe show, on the other hand, is a teen-drama. It’s Degrassi The K-drama is given a makeover. And somehow, despite all that, it’s also still incredibly PG-13, with very chaste makeouts and no one raring to go underage drinking. The one time that they did, however, is when it became a huge problem.)

It’s common for high school shows to be over the top than their film counterparts. But this case study is especially interesting because it allows a direct movie comparaison. This movie’s plot starts out more complex and over-the-top than the To All the Boys movies, which were relatively straightforward. Lara Jean’s younger sister Kitty (Anna Cathcart) decides that she wants to reconnect with her long-distance boyfriend and also learn more about her Korean heritage, so she applies to an international school in Korea. It doesn’t waste time getting Kitty on the plane, as she did all of her application work without telling anyone. Sure!

Photo: Park Young-Sol/Netflix

Anyway, Kitty’s in Korea and she finds out that her boyfriend is actually dating a rich socialite! Gasp! That would be dramatic on its own, but there’s something It is not a good idea to use it. about that relationship that’s hiding a bigger secret (and Kitty, with her superior matchmaking senses, detects this from one press conference livestream). Also Kitty’s mom might have a dark and stormy past, and also Kitty was accidentally placed in the boys’ dorms, and also Kitty might just fail all her classes.

It’s a lot, and if you’re still mentally comparing Kitty’s story to Lara Jean’s, it feels very jarring. It’s especially noticeable when you look at the characters. Everyone in Lara Jean’s life acts pretty much like a normal, albeit maybe a smidge dramatic, teenager. However, everyone in Kitty’s story — and even Kitty herself — is completely unhinged. Only one character behaves like a human who cares about others. The other characters are usually selfish, Machiavellian or incapable of basic communication.

Make no mistake — this is not a bad thing, especially once you realize that it’s simply a genre feature. They can’t have a hilarious misunderstanding if they don’t. What if we talked it through like reasonable individuals? Bah! Bah! XO, KittyHyperbole is used to extremes. Each relationship is exaggerated. Like other shows like Never Have I ever,The drama is grounded even if the characters react in a dramatic way. XO, KittyIt is still a long way from becoming a fully-fledged K-drama.

Photo: Park Young-Sol/Netflix

You end up liking them all in the end because everyone in this show is bad. You’ll want to see the next episode immediately because every episode has a huge cliffhanger. It commits to the extremes, and in that way, it’s more tonally cohesive than the To All the Boys movies, which switch to a more straightforward coming-of-age story after the rom-com hook of the first movie gets resolved.

The show may try to tone down some of its over the top elements. XO, KittyThe show embraces all the hyperbole in this genre to create a roller-coaster high school production. Coming all together like this, these aren’t faults but instead add up to some ricocheting fun. It’s the sort of show that makes you scream at your screen when a character makes a completely ridiculous choice, and then immediately click “next episode” because you have to see just where the hell this is going next. Be sure to strap yourself in and hold onto your baseball caps. XO, Kitty Launches at high speed and does not slow down.

XO, KittyNetflix has the latest episodes available.