Viewers had been waiting more than a year to see what chaos was next in store for Kitty Song Covey after the second season of XO, Kitty left on the ultimate will-they-won’t-they cliffhanger between Kitty and her love interest Min Ho. The highly anticipated third season has finally dropped, and while it answers all the fan questions around Kitty’s tumultuous love life, the latest installment has left viewers seriously divided.

The third season has launched to the top trending spot on Netflix in the UK, but it also debuted with the lowest audience rating of all the seasons so far, with viewers going as far as to call it the “worst season ever”. Before we delve into all things season three, if you haven’t finished the season, here’s your official warning for spoilers ahead!

What happens in season 3?

The third season picks up right where the season two finale left off, after Kitty (Anna Cathcart) braved up the courage to ask Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee) if she could join him on a world tour for the summer. The first few episodes finally deliver on the romance front between the two former frenemies as they define their relationship and officially start dating –– but not without some bumps along the way and a brief mid-season breakup.

© YOUNGSOL PARK/NETFLIX
Anna Cathcart as Kitty Song Covey and Sang Heon Lee as Min Ho Moon

While the previous two seasons delved into Kitty’s crush on her classmate Yuri (Gia Kim), the third season settles on a friendship between the two as Kitty works through a list of all the things she wants to do in her final year as an international student at the Korean Independent School of Seoul.

Whether viewers were rooting for Kitty to end up with Min Ho or not, longtime fans of Jenny Han’s original To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before films will be pleased to see Lara Jean (Lana Condor) reunited on the small screen with her TV sister for a surprising cameo in Seoul. At the time of writing, there’s no news about a potential fourth season.

Lowest audience rating

The latest installment of the Netflix cult classic has been rated the lowest amongst viewers, reportedly debuting at 35 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes before climbing up to 59 per cent at the time of writing. The critic rating is slightly higher at 75 per cent, but still the lowest of the whole series.

“As someone who really enjoyed the previous seasons, I can’t recommend this one to others,” one viewer explained why they were “disappointed” and ultimately gave the third season a one-star rating. Others took issue with the central love story and claimed the writers had “ruined the perfect storyline that Kitty was developing in her adolescence” and called it the “worst season ever”, with ratings ranging on the full spectrum between just half a star and the full five stars.

The first season of XO, Kitty was declared “fresh” by critics with a rating of 82 per cent. Meanwhile, viewers rated it at 61 per cent –– just behind the second season, which landed on top among audiences with a respectable 68 per cent.

Viewers heavily divided

After bingeing the eight new episodes of XO, Kitty, viewers have had a lot to say about the direction of the show on social media. From excitement over Kitty and Min Ho finally getting together after waiting years, to critiquing the “cringe” writing, it’s safe to say viewers are heavily divided on what to make of it.

“It used to be so wonderful before, but season three has turned into ridiculously childish, low-level content,” one person said on X (formerly Twitter), while another said the show had “so much potential” before.

© YOUNGSOL PARK/NETFLIX
Lara Jean (Lana Condor) returns in XO, Kitty season 3

“This season I felt was weaker than the others, there were storylines that honestly I didn’t care about, but oh well, Lara Jean’s cameo and the endgame make up for all the cringe,” someone else said, praising To All the Boys star Lana Condor’s surprise return this season.

Though some were disappointed Kitty and her other potential love interest Yuri have just stayed friends, many applauded Kitty finding love with Min Ho this season. “Jenny Han really knows how to make you fall for every character. I’m obsessed with Kitty and Min Ho just like I was with Lara Jean and Peter,” one excited viewer compared the XO, Kitty romance to the hugely successful To All the Boys film trilogy.