The XO, Kitty's scrip is just bad
WHY THE WRITING IN XO, KITTY FALLS APART:
No hate towards the XO, Kitty shippers, but the writing in this show is just bad. The relationships don’t make sense, character arcs feel forced, and the overall execution is messy. It sounds like the show struggled with consistency, pacing, and making the romance plots feel natural rather than forced. Here’s why:
DAE & KITTY: A RELATIONSHIP IN NAME ONLY:
Kitty and Dae were supposedly in a four-year long-distance relationship, yet they barely seem to know each other. How does that make sense? The moment Kitty arrives, she seems more interested in everyone except Dae. Worse, she develops feelings for Yuri(Dae’s fake girlfriend)while barely giving Dae the time of day. If their relationship had any real depth, she would have been more emotionally invested in him. But she wasn’t.
The biggest red flag? Kitty has a sex dream about Yuri instead of her boyfriend, Dae. If the writers wanted us to believe Dae was her real love interest, this wouldn’t happen. Instead, it proves that their relationship was never the priority, it was just a plot device to throw Kitty into a love triangle (or square).
YURI & KITTY: A FORCED AND UNDERDEVELOPED ROMANCE:
Yuri and Kitty had the potential to be a great ship, but the execution was lazy. Instead of allowing their dynamic to develop naturally, through real emotional buildup and chemistry, the writers rushed it. Kitty’s attraction to Yuri felt random, like a sudden plot twist rather than an organic realization.
It’s also clear the writers weren’t comfortable writing a proper wlw romance. They didn’t give Yuri and Kitty the depth they deserved, which is why some viewers struggled to connect with their relationship. If they had committed to this ship, it could have been a highlight of the show. Instead, it felt half-baked.
MINHO & KITTY: PREDICTABLE AND UNNECESSARY DRAMA:
Minho being Dae’s best friend should have made him off-limits, yet the writers completely ignored that. If they wanted Kitty to have a fresh, unexpected romance, why not introduce a new student? Instead, they made her fall for another person closely tied to Dae, making her feelings for Dae feel even more meaningless.
That said, Minho’s character did improve in Season 2. He had more depth beyond just being the “hot, rich jerk.” But his romance with Kitty was so predictable that it undermined all the other relationships. The show wanted him to be endgame from the start, but instead of making the journey feel earned, they just shoved parallels in our faces to force the connection.
Q DESERVE BETTER:
The only reason Q wasn’t a love interest is because he’s gay. Otherwise, based on how the writers handled every other character tied to Dae, he probably would have fallen for Kitty too.
But instead of being her best friend, Q was reduced to being her therapist. Every time Kitty came to him, it was about her problems, and the show never gave him enough depth outside of that. He had his own relationship, yet the focus was always on Kitty. He deserved way more than just being her emotional support system.
KITTY WAS THE PROBLEM, BUT THE SHOW REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT:
Kitty being a teenager isn’t an excuse for how frustrating her character was. Almost every major problem in the show was caused by her. Yet, when other characters called her out (like with the “Kitty’s time” and “her timetable” comments), we were still supposed to sympathize with her.
One of the worst examples? How she inserted herself into Yuri and Juliana’s relationship. Yuri had her own faults, but Kitty knew exactly what she was doing when she interfered. This is why Juliana was completely right when she said, "I am not going to forgive you just to make you feel better." Kitty deserved to face the consequences of her actions.
Yet, the audience is quick to defend Kitty with, "She’s just a teenager," but refuses to extend that same grace to characters like Dae and Juliana, especially Juliana, who had every right to be upset about being cheated on. You can’t excuse Kitty’s mistakes while condemning others for theirs.
THE PARALLELS WERE TOO OBVIOUS:
The show included a lot of parallels, but they were subtle for most characters, except for Minho.
The fake dating between Dae & Yuri mirrored the fake dating between Peter & LJ.
The fall down when Yuri's car almost hit her mirrored the fall of LJ.(there is even the "are you okay?" part)
The stolen crushie from LJ mirrored the stolen necklace from Kitty.
But when it came to Minho, the writers made sure we knew he was endgame. They weren’t just hinting at it, they were screaming it at the audience. This lack of subtlety made the other relationships feel like distractions rather than serious contenders.
THE ENDGAME WAS OBVIOUS FROM THE START:
Minho x Kitty was always meant to be endgame. The writers made this clear through forced parallels and the last name calling part. But the issue isn’t who Kitty ended up with, it’s how the writers handled it.
They didn’t develop the other relationships well enough to create real tension. Yuri x Kitty could have been a strong alternative, but they didn’t commit to it. Minho x Stella wasn’t fleshed out at all, which is why it lacked chemistry. In the end, instead of making us wonder who Kitty would choose, the writing made it obvious, and that lack of suspense made the point of the show feel hollow.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The biggest flaw of XO, Kitty was its lazy writing. The relationships weren’t developed properly, the love triangles felt forced, and Kitty was never held accountable for her mistakes. Instead of giving us compelling romance, the show relied on predictable tropes and ignored opportunities for real character growth.
If the writers had taken the time to build each relationship naturally, the show could have been great. But instead, it just left us with a frustrating, inconsistent mess.
PS: No hate towards the show, the ships, the fans or the writers, this are just my thoughts on the script but I do admit that there is some part enjoyable in this show. So please be respectful in the comment.