XO is the first episode of Season 1 of the Netflix XO, Kitty and the first episode overall. It aired on May 18, 2023.
Synopsis[]
Yearning to feel closer to her late mother and surprise her long-distance boyfriend, Kitty sets her sights on attending a prestigious school in Seoul.
Plot[]
Kitty is trying to enjoy summer break with her long-distance boyfriend Dae, who is in South Korea. She hates the distance between them and the connectivity issues that come with it. She subsequently gets a call from K.I.S.S, (Korean Independent School of Seoul) a high school in South Korea regarding her application there as an exchange student.
Kitty is shocked to hear that she has been accepted and has one week to get to South Korea. She sits with her father, Dr. Covey, and her step-mother Trina, for an intervention and tells them about K.I.S.S. Kitty explains that after losing her mother, Eve Song as an infant, the high school her mother went to was her only chance of learning about her mother and their culture.
After some intense discussion, Dr. Covey gives in and agrees to let Kitty go to Korea to be with Dae and relive her mother’s teenage years.
Kitty eventually makes it to Korea and runs into another student named Min Ho who’s going to K.I.S.S as well. Min Ho is rude to Kitty at the airport but Kitty ignores him and texts her sisters Lara and Margot, telling them that she’s going to surprise Dae at the welcome party later that evening.
Once in Korea, Kitty misses her bus to school and decides to make her journey to K.I.S.S by public transport. She is about to cross the street but runs into Yuri’s car. Yuri is a rich spoiled brat who tells Kitty that she studies at K.I.S.S as well. Yuri is then shocked to learn that Kitty has moved from the US to South Korea for the person she loves.
She tells Kitty that she’s seeing someone too and is excited to be with them. Yuri drops Kitty at the school but she’s annoyed that her partner isn’t responding to her texts. At the same time, the school admin tells Dae that he’ll have to drop out if he does not pay his fees for the next academic year. Dae manages to convince the admin to give him until that night to arrange money for the tuition fee.
Meanwhile, Yuri is called in to meet the principal of K.I.S.S, Mrs. Lim Jina who happens to be her mother. Jina tells Yuri that she was caught by the maids being rather close to her female friend Juliana. Yuri shuts her mother down saying that she was just friends with Juliana and that Jina should trust her.
Yuri also tells her mother that she was dating someone Jina and her father would not approve of it. She promises to introduce them to the person during the welcome party. Kitty runs into Jina and tells her about her mother Eve Song, stating that Eve and Jina were friends during high school. Jina avoids discussing Eve with Kitty which the latter finds odd.
Kitty is escorted to her dorm room which is surprisingly empty. Kitty talks to her dad, informing him that she’s landed safely and she intended to surprise Dae at the welcome party that evening. Kitty somehow dozes off and wakes up just in time for the party. She gets dressed and arrives.
At the party, Kitty runs into Min Ho and his friend Q. Min Ho is still rude to her but Q is kind to Kitty. As it turns out, Min Ho and Q both happen to be Dae’s friends and Kitty sees Dae for the first time in four years. Kitty runs to Dae and they hug. Dae is happy and surprised to learn that Kitty had transferred to school but Yuri joins them all of a sudden. Kitty is heartbroken as she runs out of the party after Yuri tells her that Dae was her boyfriend.
Title and Background[]
- The name of the title is an acronym that people typically use to say hugs and kisses.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Anna Cathcart as Kitty Covey
- Choi Min-young as Dae Heon Kim[1]
- Anthony Keyvan as Q Shabazian[1][2]
- Gia Kim as Yuri Han[1][2]
- Sang Heon Lee as Min Ho[1][2]
- Peter Thurnwald as Alex Finnerty [1]
Guest Starring[]
- Jocelyn Shelfo as Madison Miller
- Yunjin Kim as Jina Lim
- John Corbett as Daniel Covey
- Sarayu Blue as Trina Rothschild
Co-starring[]
- Jenny Han as Check-In Lady
- Lee Sung-wook as Mr. Kim
- Hyo-hee Dong as Financial Aid Counselor
- Alexey Kim as Teen Boy
- Daniel C. Kennedy as Baggage Man
- Eleanor Smith as Teen Girl
- Hyunju Jo as Salesperson
- Soo Kim as Fan Girl
Gallery[]
Promotional stills[]
BTS Images[]
Songs featured[3][]
- Nobody – Anna of the North
- Spinning – GRAE
- HOT – Seventeen
- Telepathy – BTS
- BAAM – Momoland
- Pink Venom – Blackpink
- What You Waiting For – JEON SOMI
- Make Me Live (Live) – Djmike
- Whatcha Thinka Me Now – Rayelle
- Up and Away – Dead End Kids
- Darl+ing – SEVENTEEN
Trivia[]
- On May 11, 2023, the series held its premiere on this day at the Netflix Tudum theater in Hollywood, CA at 11PM PST. However, the writers, showrunners and directors opted to sit the event out as part of WGA’s strike efforts.[4]
- However, some of the cast such as Choi Min-young, Anna Cathcart, Gia Kim, Anthony Keyvan, and Sang Heon Lee attended the event.[5]
- On May 17,2023, while the rom-com series premieres on May 18, the first seven minutes of XO, Kitty can be watched earlier.[6]
- On May 18, 2023, it was confirmed that Jenny Han, the author behind the To All the Boys I've Loved Before books had a cameo in this episode.[7]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Netflix's To All the Boys Spinoff Series XO, Kitty Reveals Full Cast — First Look
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 XO, Kitty Cast Guide: Who’s Who in Kitty Song Covey’s Squad - Netflix Tudum
- ↑ ‘XO, Kitty’ Netflix Soundtrack: All The Songs in Season 1 - What's On Netflix
- ↑ WGA Strike: ‘XO, Kitty’ Showrunners Skipping Premiere Of Netflix Series; “This Moment Is Bigger Than Me”, Creator Jenny Han Says - Deadline
- ↑ Choi Min Young attends the LA premiere of Netflix's 'XO, Kitty' - All KPop
- ↑ Say Hello to ‘XO, Kitty’ with a Sneak Peek of the First 7 Minutes - Netflix
- ↑ Jen Arnold May 18, 2023 IG Post - Instagram