MoonCovey, More Drama and Make Room For A Season Four?

Written by Daphne Bryant

All images courtesy of Netflix

Warning: major spoilers ahead!!! 

If you know me, you know that I’m an XO, Kitty stan down. There’s just something about this show that feels really, really good. It makes me laugh, it makes me swoon, it makes me cringe (in the best way), and most of all, it makes me feel like a kid again. Nostalgia’s the easiest way to hook me, and S3 might have been the most nostalgic installment yet. It’s essentially all about our beloved chaos queen, Kitty (Anna Cathcart), making the most of her senior year at KISS—or trying to, at least. The excitement was palpable as my roommate Ana and I settled onto our emerald green couch to watch. The two of us have spent more time than we’d like to admit analyzing trailers, saving edits and rewatching previous seasons, all in preparation for this very moment.

Luckily, we were not disappointed. The writers (and actors) fed us this season, and we were blessed with so much. Let’s reminisce, shall we?

A Win for MoonCovey Shippers, From Beginning to End

For readers who know how queer I am, my MoonCovey fascination may shock you; when it comes to a straight pairing versus a sapphic one, I am almost always on the side of Team Scissors. However, Min Ho (and the actor that plays him, Sang Heon Lee) won me over. I mean, what’s not to love?! Min Ho is gorgeous, funny, earnest, charming, rich, and he cares about Kitty and her well-being. Their enemies to friends to lovers arc is very endearing, and their banter-like chemistry is one of my favorites in the entire series. Even though the show’s been signaling MoonCovey endgame since S1, the fan base has been mercilessly edged with multiple different love interests and frequent misunderstandings. 

One of my biggest wishes for the third season was to get some resolution: some MoonCovey angst definitely, a MoonCovey kiss preferably, and a MoonCovey relationship hopefully. How lucky am I? XO, Kitty gave us all three, and then some. So many of the night’s most replayed scenes were sweet moments that Kitty and Min Ho shared, whether it was in her dorm, at Senior Sunrise, or in the cable cars in Busan. It was very rewarding to finally see them as a couple, and their communication and mutual re-assurance (up until the big breakup) felt very healthy and wholesome. Hell, even after the breakup I think both of their characters were handled so well. I loved seeing Min Ho show up for Kitty on her birthday, the fact that he made her a whole SONG, and the edit sequence we got at the end. I’m a firm believer in TV shows“ giving the people what they want”, and so many people wanted MoonCovey. I can die happy now.

K-Pop Stars and Pregnancy Scares

You may recall that last season Eunice (Han-bi Ryu), a talented student at KISS, won Mr. Moon’s singing contest and secured a cash prize and opener spot on tour with Min Ho’s superstar brother, Joon Ho. We knew this win would essentially fast launch her solo career as a K-pop star, but I had no idea just how much we’d get to zero in on Eunice and her journey in S3. 

Maybe it’s because I’m currently reading ASAP by YA author Axie Oh, but I was genuinely sat for all the spectacles on set, in the tabloids, and behind-the-scenes. The pressure and stress of rising to global stardom so fast gets to Eunice, so much so that she thinks she may have gotten pregnant by Dae (Min-yeong Choi); I didn’t realize he had it like THAT! Kitty wrongfully assumes that Min Ho is the baby daddy in a big blow-up that leads to their breakup—as well as her friendship breakup with Q (Anthony Keyvan), after she accidentally exposes his cheating—and while it hurt me to see them apart, I think it was just the right amount of drama.

Although Eunice’s K-pop era was relatively short-lived, it was cool to see her steal the spotlight for a while. Oh and also: Eunice’s storyline allowed for the introduction of the“ unnervingly chic” Gigi (Christine Hwang), Min Ho’s first love, a family friend and an accomplished stylist. While I was initially worried that Gigi would cause a rift between Min Ho and Kitty the way that Stella (Audrey Huynh) did in S2, any doubt in the writers was squashed by Episode Three. Thank God! Exes can be platonic friends, at least I think so, and Gigi and Min Ho are proof of that.

Note: I just think this is funny, but in the official trailer for S3 I clocked Gigi as a new character and assumed that she would be some kind of futch love interest for Yuri. After watching the full season, I can confirm that she still radiates major gay vibes, and my head canon for her is that she’s bisexual just like Kitty!

Miss Lara Jean Makes A Return!

One of the biggest plot points in S3 is Kitty and Lara Jean’s relationship. Lana Condor, who ruled our childhoods, returns to play Kitty’s older sister, and she serves as a guiding light and shoulder to cry on. I just adore LJ as a character; she’s driven, heartfelt and extremely thoughtful. Even her voice is comforting, like a lullaby.

Seeing Kitty and Lara Jean on screen together (again) was super trippy and sweet, and part of why this season felt so incredibly nostalgic and emotional for me. Lara Jean helps Kitty navigate her friendships and relationship, and in a way, Kitty helps her do the same (as this season reveals Lara Jean and Peter aren’t doing so hot). All of their scenes made me so grateful I have a sister, and I will always be there for her the way that Kitty’s sisters are there for her!

Cinematic Scenes That Pack A Punch

Not exaggerating—every single episode had a memorable and visually stunning scene! From the yacht party to Lotte World to the grand opening of Dae’s father’s restaurant on Chuseok to the fashion competition to Kitty’s 18th birthday party…these settings were a step-up from anything that XO, Kitty has done before and I really loved them! 

Practicing the Art of Finding Oneself

It’s senior year and all of our main characters are on the precipice of adulthood, so of course everyone is thinking about big life decisions! While Q’s full-ride to USC is a done deal, many of the other characters in the show are experimenting with potential career choices and exploring plans after college.

Before locking in NYU, Kitty considers the possibility of getting an apartment in Itaewon and staying close to Min Ho. Dae pushes aside engineering to pursue his love of music, Yuri (Gia Kim), who is now broke, dreams big as a fashion designer, and Min Ho toys with the idea of being a music producer as opposed to a music manager—no longer blindly following in his dad’s footsteps, but carving his own path. With Kitty’s help, even Lara Jean finally finishes her manuscript and takes the risk of sending it to her boss (P.S.: her boss loved it)!

A big theme of this season is“ finding yourself”, and I really appreciate how much that was emphasized. And, I must say, I also really appreciate that almost all of the characters who tried something new went for a more creative passion. To all the artists out there...we see you! We love you! Here’s to trying new things and putting yourself out there!

Jiwon and Alex

A small moment of appreciation for Jiwon (Hojo Shin) and Alex (Peter Thurnwald)—while their romance could potentially be seen as a cheat code for/excuse to put two supporting characters in the forefront again, I actually did like this couple. As Kitty said, they’re the perfect Grumpy x Sunshine pair, and I genuinely wish I could’ve seen more of them together and in love! Eight episodes just isn’t cutting it anymore; if we get another season, I’m going to need us to go back to ten episodes(or extend to twelve, even).

And now! For some gripes (because no show is perfect):

The Matter of Taking Back Cheating Exes

As someone who was cheated on last year in a very public and humiliating way, I really wish the characters that did get cheated on wouldn’t have folded so easily for their exes. By the end of the season Juliana (Regan Aliyah) appears to have taken Yuri back, and the same goes for Jin (Joshua Lee) with Q. I know it’s all make-believe, but I couldn’t help but scoff at this. Not everyone deserves a happy ending. Alright yeah, Q and Yuri clearly aren’t awful people and they deserve love too, but maybe not with the people they did so freaking dirty?! Let’s not romanticize cheating, folks.

The Matter of Praveena’s Character

Praveena is played by Sasha Bhasin, an amazing actress who I am super excited to be working with on a super special secret project this summer (hehe). I was hyped to see more of Praveena on my screen, and unlike Juliana I actually enjoyed her budding friendship with Yuri. You wanna know what made me kind of sad though? Her character was lowkey discarded in the end, so quickly and haphazardly by the writers (and yes I know Praveena did the breaking up but still—why? I feel like there is so much left to know about Praveena and her world).

While Praveena and Juliana were clearly in a rebound relationship, I do think more time could’ve been devoted to airing out their problems, the breakup, and the subsequent healing. Also, I have no idea what Praveena is going to do now, compared to the other characters! Who is she as a person, apart from all her love interests? What does she yearn for? What is she passionate about? What’s her college path look like—we got to hear about so many others? Maybe I’m just biased because I adore Sasha and wanted to see more of her; food for thought…

The Matter of Marius—Is He A Villain?

S2’s obvious villain was Stella, who manipulated Min Ho and sabotaged her peers in order to get revenge on Mr. Moon for how he treated her and others on a reality TV show years ago. Stella was nowhere to be seen this season, but she was in a way replaced by Marius (Sule Thelwell), the notorious old roommate and close friend of Dae, Min Ho and Q. As soon as he appears on screen, audiences immediately get the sense that Marius is a party boy and shit stirrer. His determination to trash Min Ho and Kitty’s relationship is vexing, and his obsession with Q is borderline predatory (I’m only cutting him some slack because Q was clearly in the wrong when he sent Marius nudes and the poor guy was getting led the fuck on).

I’ll say it: Marius pissed me off in the first half, but in the end I just found myself…pitying him? Like Praveena, his storyline doesn’t really exist outside of his strange love connection, and anything he did to bother Kitty just felt pointless and random (especially since they found common ground fairly early on)? IDK…I don’t think every season of a show even needs a villain. I could’ve done without the bullying Kitty, but that’s just me.

The Matter of Kitty’s Bisexuality

I’m bisexual myself, and so it means a lot to have on-screen representation like Kitty. I really love how so much of S2 was devoted to Kitty exploring her sexuality, going on dates, etc., but I also kind of knew the whole time that Kitty would end up with a guy (the perfect guy, but yeah—the clues were there, friends). 

Real ones know: TV and film carry an unfortunate curse of platforming bisexual characters who ultimately end up in cishet relationships. Of course being a bisexual person in a heterosexual relationship is totally fine and awesome, but it’s frustrating when a character’s bisexuality feels more like a“ bi card” that they can put down whenever the“ game” needs a little spice or diversity. I’ve complained about this phenomenon on multiple occasions before, and so while I am a MoonCovey shipper, I empathize with queer fans who were craving a lesbian love story for Kitty and thought they were going to get one. For a lot of us, Yuri being Kitty’s gay awakening or Kitty having a slight crush on Praveena isn’t nearly enough…So many shows don’t have the guts to center sapphic lovers, and when they do, it’s always some hot mess—which again, seriously, why did literally all of the gay people in this show cheat or find themselves involved in a cheating scandal? 

XO, Kitty might not have delivered as much as other shows in this category, but that’s honestly okay (IMO) because change is happening. Momentarily switching fandoms to say that I’m so excited to see what Bridgerton does with Franchaela (IYKYK); hopefully their queer love story—the first to be mainstreamed in Shonda Rhimes’ popular series—will be handled with profound care and lots of passion!

So! What’s next for XO, Kitty?

Season Four—To Be Or Not To Be?

Honestly, I just assumed S3 was the final season of XO, Kitty, and maybe it is. I wouldn’t be mad at that! A lot of plot lines were patched up and sewn together in a way that would make sense for a series finale, although I did notice that the season cleverly ends at the conclusion of Kitty’s first semester of senior year. There’s still a whole other semester to go before her time in Seoul is truly over, you know ;)

At the end of S3, Kitty and Min Ho fly to Portland together for the winter holiday—on business/first class BTW (I immediately got Crazy Rich Asians flashbacks, anyone else?)

We can expect that Min Ho will meet Kitty’s family and get a taste of her life in Oregon, which is really exciting and very boyfriend-girlfriend of them. I’d honestly love to see some of that home life content, but I also think there’s room to explore Kitty’s last semester and maybe even the summer before college. Perhaps Jenny Han can tackle one or all of these in an XO, Kitty MOVIEEEE (eek)…TBD I guess!

What I do know for sure is that XO, Kitty is going into my Romantic Dramedy TV Show Hall of Fame. It checks every box and never fails to make me squeal like a schoolgirl. To the cast and to the crew…y’all did your big one :) Congratulations!