XO, Kitty (Season 1) Recap and Ending Explained: Katharine ‘Kitty’ Covey was the small child who set in motion a series of events that unfolded in a trilogy. She played matchmaker and earned a place in the audience’s hearts. Interest in Kitty is what prompted Netflix to green light this spin-off, focusing on the youngest Covey sister’s decision to find love.
Letters seem to be a preferred mode of communication, with her doing just that with a chance photographer while on a family vacation. While Lara Jean Covey and Peter had a 3,000-mile distance, Kitty had to deal with a 5,200-mile distance. Hence, she elected to set off on a journey across continents from Oregon to Seoul. This was a journey that saw her connect with her roots as she embarked on a journey of self-discovery and transformation.
XO Kitty (Season 1) Recap:
Episode 1 – XO
The series began with Kitty sitting on a pool bed. She was trying to establish a network connection for a video chat with her pen pal, long-distance “boyfriend” Dae- the one who clicked the family picture in Seoul in To All The Boys 3. When he wished he could be with her, she assured him that were it not for her being at a pool, she would be in her comfort socks and thinking of him. As she said that, she tilted the phone to give him a glimpse of her swimsuit. Kitty then got a question: – will she and Dae ever see each other again? A split second later, she received a call and accepted an offer.
It was an admission to the K.I.S.S. (Korean Independent School Seoul), where she would go on a scholarship that helped Korean kids connect with their ancestral country. It was the same place her mother got an education for a year on the exact same scholarship. Also, it was the school Dae was currently at. Hence, she put operation K.I.S.S. into motion and convinced her father to let her head to Asia for her Junior year.
Following Kitty’s moving speech, he relented and allowed her ‘Korea Here I Come’ to become a reality. Kitty jetted off to Seoul and missed the bus to her school. She even ran into a fellow student at the airport, but he didn’t know English. Quite the rocky start, indeed! The teenager sets off across the city on foot and public transport, where she experiences the language barrier and cultural barrier. Looking the wrong way, she got hit by a vehicle and finally heard some English.
Rich kid Yuri Han accepted Kitty’s request for a lift and revealed she, too, is headed to K.I.S.S. In the taxi, Kitty excitedly shared her extravagant plans for Dae at the night’s Welcome Party. Once at the school, we learned that she is Principal Lim’s daughter. Audiences also saw Dae, a poor and exceptional kid who cannot afford his school tuition. He was against a deadline to pay the fees for the semester.
Katharine Song Covey recognized Principal Jina Lim as her mother’s friend and name-dropped her mother’s identity: Eve Song. Lim’s expression immediately changed, causing her to act weird and avoid Kitty with a feeble excuse.
At night, Kitty went to the welcome party, where Lim again gave her a dismissive glance. Covey met Dae’s friends Q and Mein-ho and then sees her pen pal. They embraced warmly, but Dae stopped just as she suggested that they kiss. Yuri showed up, introduced Dae, and dropped a massive bomb on the American. She said Dae was her boyfriend. This shattered Kitty, who just wanted to get away and bumped into other party attendees as she was just so lost.
Episode 2- WTF
Episode 2 saw Yuri and Dae have a chat, and the audience got a sign that their relationship was manufactured. Yuri’s true love was Julianna, with Dae being a front to conceal her true orientation. Also, she assisted Dae with his fees, enabling him to continue his education at K.I.S.S. This seemingly was Yuri’s way to purchase Dae and keep her true secret from her parents.
Upon learning of the identity of her daughter’s boyfriend, Principal Lim seemed a tad shaken; Mr. Han also looked shocked. The former, as Dae, was Yuri’s tutor, and the latter, as Dae, was his chauffeur’s son.
In all this, Dae was upset as Kitty was hurt. She then confronted him before being brushed aside by photographers. In her voiceover, Kitty claimed to have ‘fallen for a total fake.’ She walked away, crashed into a desert tower, and then fell back first onto it again. Kitty tried to secure tickets to the USA, with a wait time of 70 minutes for a call.
She headed to her room and began packing when Dae and his two friends entered. How were they in the same room? Kitty saw the three boys enter her room and then took her paper to confront them. Upon a look, they saw that she was listed as Song Covey and allotted a male dorm.
Kitty then dismissed Dae’s attempt to explain and asked for her necklace, i.e., her mother’s necklace that she had gifted him. He lied about its whereabouts but later showed the audience that he had never removed it. Was that a way for him to buy time? The next morning, Kitty left her dorm as she had secured a standby seat. Dae was sleeping at the foot of her door. She walked around carefully and found a cherry tree. It was where her mother had taken a photograph, which she recreated. This makes the light dawn on her about the other reason she went to Korea.
The previous night, a video of Mr. Han’s outburst went viral, which Yuri made into a meme. It became a viral one which the media got a hold of. This saw Yuri’s father lose her cool, but her mother saw an opportunity. She said that her husband could accept Dae and present a narrative to repair his image.
Dae found Kitty and tried to explain; he went to kiss her, but his father came for him as Mr. Han wanted to meet him. The Han family took a dejected Dae in the car, and Yuri taunted Kitty about her imminent departure. Kitty, though, had found a reason to stay behind and returned to the dorm.
Mr. Han announced an internship, named Dae as the first hire, and revealed that he was the chauffeur’s kid and his daughter’s boyfriend. Following this announcement, Dae spoke on the mic, and then Kitty saw a sign. Dae refused to hold Yuri’s hand, almost slapping it away when she tried to initiate contact.
Episode 3 – KISS
Dae went over his internship contract as his sister made her first appearance. She accepted wearing torn shoes and admitted that her classmates had made fun of her. This pained Dae as he taped her torn shoe. Dae returned to the dorm and, quite surprisingly, decided to change with Kitty in the room. She turned around and then aired the lies. Him being rich, him in a fancy car, and him being with two girlfriends. He said they would find time to talk when they were alone. This was because Q and Min-ho knocked at reminded Dae about class.
At Yuri’s house, the student told the principal that she found her equation with Dae weird as her parents made it a business deal. Dae handed Yuri the NDA at school but revealed he wanted to retain his integrity by telling Kitty the truth. Yuri reminded him he’d get sued. He then questioned her about the identity of ‘Baby’ and got a truthful answer. Yuri shared her worries about Julianna but then got carried on piggyback to the classroom. On Day 1 of the term, Kitty’s nickname was shared- Portland Stalker.
Julianna sneaked onto campus and snatched Yuri. They went to the storage room and promised to attend the music festival under the northern lights. The duo made out for possibly the final time in a while as Julianna was being sent away from Seoul. A flashback showed the truth between Yuri and Julianna.
In class, Kitty saw signs that things between Yuri and Dae were fake, as the latter didn’t know how many classes he had with the former. It was something he knew of her schedule when she was in the States.
Kitty got held back from tutoring by her literature professor. Initially assuming she would be the tutor, she was shaken to hear that she would be tutored due to her poor scores.
Due to an essay submission cheating, Jina Lim did play favorites. However, she punished her daughter with a credit card confiscation. Meanwhile, the chemistry class saw Kitty fight back. Constant ‘Portland Stalker’ taunts saw her out Min-ho as ‘Poopy Baby.’
Following the chaos, the teacher permitted lab partner changes. Kitty played matchmaker and used what she had learned about Q during lunch. She helped him break the ice with Florian. She then headed to the library for tutoring, where Dae was assigned to her. Just as they were about to finally have a talk, Yuri showed up and planted doubts in Dae’s head about Kitty. The ‘Poopy Baby’ leak shocked and broke his trust. Hence, he said Kitty was his best friend, but things wouldn’t work out. Possibly spurred by Yuri whispering NDA, he handed Kitty the necklace and told her he would get her a new tutor. Kitty then accidentally knocked a box down and found a bracelet. She learned that her mother had a baby in Korea in 1993.
Episode 4 – TGIF
Following the ‘Poopy Baby’ leak, Min ho reported that Kitty was assigned a male dorm. Professor Daniel Lee apologized and reassigned Kitty to a gamers’ room. It was littered with pizza boxes, filled food containers, drink cartons, and the lot. The pile was ever-expanding as the gamer girl used an over-the-shoulder throw to dispose of her food containers. The loud sounds made Kitty sleep in class and not be able to study properly. There was no scope to shift, as all the girl dorms were full.
Kitty then bonded with Q but was upset as she would not be able to share her discoveries with Dae as he was with his girlfriend. He suggested that she join an outdoor club, as it would be one place where Dae would not be with Yuri. Min-ho alerted Yuri to this, and they both arrived at the gathering. This put a stop to yet another attempt by Dae to finally chat with Kitty.
While on a hike with the outdoor club, Yuri screamed with terror as she saw worms. A little later, Kitty stumbled, inviting a back-and-forth between the two girls. An open challenge saw them race to the top of the mountain. Kitty won handsomely, following which she told Yuri that their mothers knew each other at K.I.S.S. Dae arrived, and Yuri asked Kitty to click a picture of them. In the background, Kitty saw the hospital from where her mother’s bracelet was from. She went to the hospital, used her matchmaking skills to avoid the employees, and sneaked into the records room.
Kitty found the data she needed but was caught by security. The teacher saved her, and she realizes that his story matched the timelines. Kitty began assuming Finnerty was her half-brother.
Dae was taken to his cubicle, asked to be ready for a photo shoot, and did nothing. He sat quietly at his workstation while his friends watched a film. Min-ho, Q, and Florian bonded, but a spoiler ruined the film. Hence, he left but asked Q for it to be just the two of them at a future meeting.
Kitty rushed back to meet Q and shared her thoughts about the truth behind her unknown half-brother. Their chat was interrupted by Dae and Min-ho showing Kitty that her roommate had uploaded a video of her sleeping. Dae asked her to move out, but there was no option. She even turned down Min Ho’s suggestion of a hotel, as she couldn’t afford it for a semester.
Q then came up with a suggestion- Kitty would move back with them and share one room with him while Dae and Min ho bunked next door.
This episode saw Min Ho recognize Dae still had feelings for Kitty.
Episode 5- TBH
Kitty and Dae described their living situation as friendly roommates. Q advised Kitty to talk to her real siblings about the potential half-brother. He even suggested she could ask Professor Finnerty about him potentially being her half-sister during the Chuseok holiday.
Minutes after getting an F in literature, Kitty planned a Chuseok dinner for ex-pats to spend the holiday. It was then that light dawned on her that she would have to cook. While shopping, the American ran into Min Ho at the supermarket. He decided to help her out to ensure she didn’t ‘desecrate his cuisine.’
A scene in the Han household revealed family tensions. The audience learned that Eve and Jina were roommates. Yuri was asked to stay quiet and retaliated by questioning the true meaning of quality time. This saw her leave and spend the holiday at Dae’s house. She didn’t know about his family.
At the school, Kitty gave a toast to the students, Alex and Professor Lee. Alex tried breaking the ice with Lee, who remained as uptight as always. During dinner, Kitty realized she had made a slight mistake with her mashed potatoes. Min Ho paid the price for it later, as he was unable to make it for his date with Lulu. Kitty saved the day with her unique skill set and had the date rescheduled.
Alex left the dining hall and ran into Kitty. He told her he was at K.I.S.S. because he knew someone who went to the school. Upon hearing that, she began to get excited and then received the shocker. Professor Lee was Alex’s father. Kitty then exclaimed, “Our mom,” to end the episode with Alex seeming more lost than before.
Kitty returned the chain, but Yuri took it.
Episode 6 – BYOB
Kitty tried to make conversation with Alex, urging him to talk to Lee. He refused and claimed that not everyone was on her timetable. Furthermore, he reminded her that he needed to set tests and she needed to study.
Kitty expressed her disappointment that Dae didn’t acknowledge the necklace for Chuseok, but Q suggested she focus on Min Ho’s madness party. Her aim was to find a boy to get her first kiss.
She showed up at the party in a black dress with a look that made Min Ho stare. Dae went up to talk to her, but she turned her face and walked away. Kitty then met Geon, who dissed Yuri. This saw her put him in place and walk away. Meanwhile, Dae approached her to talk, but she didn’t look at him. Confused, he approached Q and Florian to understand why Kitty was mad at him. The Chuseok necklace gift came up, and Dae put two and two together.
Kitty drunk-dialed Professor Alex and then accidentally texted Lee. The literature lecturer notified the principal of the party, and she tracked the location courtesy of Yuri’s phone. The three teachers tried to stop the party, and sparks flew between Lim and Lee.
Kitty and Dae had a chat near the stage, with it seeming as though they made up. Min Ho saw that, and Maddison whispered that they could have fun rather than be like that. He turned to her and kissed her as Dae headed onto the stage.
Dae confronted Yuri about the necklace but didn’t answer as Lee yanked out the cord and drew attention to his presence. Upon seeing the teachers, the students fled.
Episode 7 – TIL
Alex dropped into the dorm the next morning, and Kitty fled to her room. That made it appear as though her return to the original living quarters was not faculty approved. At Yuri’s house, the audience learns that all the kids at the party have earned Saturday detention.
Yuri wanted to make things right and decided to return the necklace to Kitty. She went to Kitty’s room but found out that Kitty hadn’t been sleeping there. She put two and two together and realized that Kitty had been sleeping in the boys’ dorm. Hence, she put on the necklace herself.
At detention, Lee informed the room that Kitty was the one who informed him about the party. Yuri then entered, and Kitty saw the necklace on her person. Dae and Kitty confronted Yuri, who said if he broke up with her, she would tell the authorities that Kitty was sleeping in the boys’ dorm. This would see Kitty expelled from K.I.S.S.
Principal Lim saw the necklace on her daughter and spilled that it was hers. When Kitty said it belonged to her mother, Lim became awkward. Lee then confronted Lim outside and asked her why he wasn’t informed that Kitty was Eve Song’s daughter.
Kitty and Yuri took advantage of the time Lee left the library and decided to understand the truth behind their mothers. They sneaked out of detention to find a yearbook, breaking into the principal’s office, Lee’s on-campus residence. The issue was that Lee went back home as Florian distracted him to delay a roll call that would have landed the absent Kitty and Yuri in further soup.
They learned three things during their search. One- Lim had expelled Julianna. Two- Eve Song wasn’t pregnant in Korea. Three- Their mothers wore necklaces, which were in a set of two.
The two girls successfully made it back to detention. Yuri had a change of heart and gave the necklace back to Kitty. She then staged a breakup to allow Dae and Kitty to be together. How did she handle her mother? Yuri told Lim that she knew the truth about Julianna.
Episode 8 – LFG
Love was in the air with three couples (Kitty-Dae, Maddison-Min ho, Q-Florian) in full flow all over the city and the campus. However, Kitty wasn’t ready to go beyond talking unless Dae came clean about why he did that with Yuri. It was so that she could trust him again, or so she said.
The class went out for a camping session, where Kitty gave the baby bracelet to Alex. Yuri, on the bus ride, noticed the distance between Kitty and Dae. She enquired and opted to bunk with Kitty to help bridge the gap. In their tent, Yuri admitted that she and Dae were faking it. Kitty also learned the reason for the ruse.
She used Margot, her sister, who had moved to England, to track down Julianna and allow Yuri to chat with her. Kitty even understood Yuri’s actions, claiming that she was rooting for her. However, she admitted that she was mad, as whatever was done hurt her.
The next day, Dae went to Yuri for help to get through to Kitty. She helped him out, and the end result was Kitty’s stance softening. The two had a romantic evening in a treehouse by the shore, where Dae said when he saw Kitty hunting for another boy. It felt as though his stomach was wrenched out.
Min Ho and Maddison broke up as they were looking for different things. The episode ended with Yuri connecting with Julianna via video call. As they spoke, Kitty experienced exactly what Dae did when he was not with her.
Q and Florian
Episode 9- SNAFU
Kitty needed to perform well in her midterms to have any hope of returning to K.I.S.S. Dae, Q, and Min Ho agreed to prep her for the exams. Alex finally summoned the courage and outed himself to Lim. He said he figured out the truth about Lee. Taken aback initially, Lim admitted the truth and figured out that Kitty helped Alex.
Principal Lim went home and told her husband the truth. He ordered her to pay Alex to go away. Yuri heard this and decided to leave her house. As she packed, Lim tried to explain that she acted in her family’s best interests at that moment. Yuri replied that her relationship with Dae was fake and finally came out to her mother. After walking out, Yuri moved in with Dae, Q, Min Ho, and Kitty.
Kitty was torn between telling Yuri who her half-brother was and keeping Alex’s secret. Meanwhile, the group went out for a coffee run and saw Florian with another male. Min Ho clicked pictures of it and confronted Florian the next day. After he left, they showed the pictures to Q, who confronted Florian about them.
Lee offered students a chance to get a 10-point boost if they performed traditional Korean art at the end-of-term talent show. Yuri taught Kitty the fan dance, where Kitty almost spilled the beans about her love. Julianna also suspected the same, but Yuri dismissed her fears by saying that Kitty was straight. It was said while Kitty was wearing headphones, but she had momentarily taken them off and heard it.
Kitty went to meet Alex and realized he was leaving. She urged him to stay for Yuri and Lim overheard it. Overwhelmed with emotion, she walked away. Within the room, Alex gave Kitty the news that she had passed chemistry with a ‘B.’
At the end of the term show, Lim finally stood up to Han. She went backstage and accidentally let slip that Alex was Yuri’s brother. Lim assumed Kitty would have told Yuri. This piece of information saw Yuri get furious and refer to her friendship with Kitty in the past tense. They argued on stage, and Kitty slipped and hit the pyro machine. Her traditional outfit caught fire, and Min Ho raced onto the stage to save her. Dae got jealous and ordered his friend away from his girlfriend.
Lim, following another outburst from her husband, took Alex and Yuri out of the auditorium. Lee was asked to follow them.
Episode 10 – OTP
Kitty told Dae she had feelings for someone else. He assumed it was Min Ho and went to attack him. Kitty stopped it and said it was Yuri. When Dae asked her since when she said since the party. Upon hearing that, he wondered why she got back together with him. Dae dumped Kitty and left. A distraught Kitty called home for solace and was told what she was going through was par for the course for a 17-year-old abroad for junior high.
Lee learned the truth about Alex, and Lim explained why she hid it. Lee was furious and asked Alex if they could go somewhere and talk. When Lim tried to ensure she and Yuri could also join, Lee said he was too angry at her.
Kitty began packing her big suitcase, and Q asked her why. She said she was preparing for the worst. Kitty then learned about Florian cheating on the exams as he had fallen back on studying due to his relationship. She passed a moral opinion that saw her at temporary loggerheads with Q.
Yuri moved back home and bonded with her mother, who gave her two pieces of big news.
On the result day, Kitty was finally discovered in the boys’ dorm and expelled. She tried to make a rousing speech to escape her fate but only embarrassed herself in the cafeteria.
Kitty packed her luggage and left, ran into Lim on campus.
XO, Kitty (Season 1) Ending Explained:
What surprises did Yuri receive?
Lim announced she had invited Alex to stay for the holidays to get to know him. Furthermore, she decided her daughter’s happiness was paramount, leading her to invite Julianna back to school.
What happened in the final interaction between Principal Lim and Kitty?
Principal Lim finally shed the awkwardness when chatting with Kitty about Eve Song. She gave the ex-pupil a letter that she had never opened. Kitty handed over a cassette before they went their separate ways.
Did Dae and Kitty get back together in time?
Dae didn’t know of Kitty’s expulsion until after she had already left campus. Q told him about it. He went to the dorm and found a note along with the necklace. He raced to the airport to meet her and finally caught up with her just before immigration. She said that he had to let her go, revealing that he would be the first boy she ever loved. Post their farewell, she headed back to immigration and saw Yuri. They parted ways in a good manner and in time.
Did Kitty confess her feelings to Yuri?
Yuri had gone to the airport to meet Julianna. Just as Kitty was about to express her desire, Yuri was distracted by a shout. As she and Julianna embraced, Kitty looked at them and understood that she had to hold her tongue. She headed her way.
How did Yuri try to help Kitty?
Yuri called her mother to inform her about Julianna’s arrival. She then said Kitty shouldn’t be expelled and asked her the question – would the boys who housed Kitty be expelled as well?
Is there a chance for XO Kitty to return for Season 2?
This depends on the ratings and will be worked into a reel amnesty offer from K.I.S.S. should things work well in real life.
Who confessed his love to Kitty in the end?
Kitty figured she would be flying back home alone but saw a surprise next to her. She was surprised by a K.I.S.S. classmate. He expressed his feelings for Kitty to end the show. It was Min Ho.
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