There are shows that I’ve waited to watch because, honestly, I didn’t think they look good. Even though I have some friends who recommend it or people who I know and respect recommend certain shows, I’m so stubborn that if there’s a show that I’m not interested in watching, I’m going to hold off until the last possible minute to watch. I’ve found that sometimes I’m right in holding off on a show. I’ve unfortunately had far more shows that I held off on that I regret. The most recent addition to this list is Cobra Kai.
I like The Karate Kid movies but I don’t love them. The first one is iconic and the next two are perfectly fine. The Next Karate Kid was fine but it was a vast departure. I don’t know if it’s because Hillary Swank is just not Ralph Macchio or The Karate Kid movies only worked in the 1980s. 2010’s version of The Karate Kid is something I just had no interest in seeing. I’m thinking the reason I was so hesitant to watch Cobra Kai is that the show is obviously for fans and I’m not really a huge fan. When it was originally on Youtube Red/Youtube Premium, I didn’t have a subscription to either of them. Finally, I didn’t know how you could possibly redeem Johnny Lawerence (William Zabka), the original antagonist from the original movie.
Fine, I cave. I admit it. I was wrong for skipping this one for so long.
Cobra Kai, created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, follows Lawrence still down on his luck after the events of The Karate Kid. He finally gets the idea to bring back Cobra Kai karate dojo, with their aggressive Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy mentality, to a new generation of kids in the San Fernando Valley. He comes into direct conflict with his old nemesis Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and the two battle for the karate souls of the kids in the Valley. Cobra Kai season five is ten episodes and is currently streaming on Netflix. A decision about season six has yet to be made.
Before we get into what happens in season five, let’s try to catch up on what happened in the previous season.
Previously on Cobra Kai season four (spoilers ahead):
Johnny and Daniel decide to combine dojos to better combat the threat that Cobra Kai presents. They immediately clash with the offensive style Johnny teaches and the defensive style Daniel teaches. This eventually leads to a split between Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang dojos. John Kreese (Martin Krove) decides to bring Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) as a co-sensei at Cobra Kai. He has grand ambitions to turn Cobra Kai into the premier martial arts dojo for the youth. A new student at school, Kenny (Dallas Dupree Young), is bullied by a group led by Anthony LaRusso (Griffin Santopierto). Kenny immediately gravitates to Cobra Kai, where Robby Keane (Tanner Buchanan) has taken an interest in mentoring him. Johnny, Daniel, and Kreese come up with a wager, whoever wins the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament will get to be the dojo of the Valley and the other two will have to close. A new set of rules sends everyone scrambling as the girls and boys are separated into two different divisions and there are multiple new additions to the competition. Cobra Kai and Myagi-Do are the last two standing and it comes down to who wins the boys’ and girls’ final matches. The finale concludes with crowing the champion of the All Valley and John Kreese being arrested for the assault and attempted murder of Stingray (Paul Walter Hauser). It also has Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) leaving on a bus to Mexico to find his biological father, much to the dismay of Johnny and Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) who have recently started dating.
Season five picks up after the events of the All Valley tournament. The beginning involves Daniel trying to figure out Terry Silver’s next move, as he has taken over Cobra Kai. Johnny goes to Mexico to find Miguel with Robby. All the other kids are torn about what the future holds for them now that the results of the All Valley have ultimately decided what’s next. Luckily, Daniel has an ace in the hole for an ally that will help him take down Silver.
If there’s someone who you could consider the MVP of season five of Cobra Kai, it’s Chozen (Yuji Okumoto). He’s from The Karate Kid Part II and made an appearance in season three when Daniel travels to Okinawa. Chozen is the Swiss army knife of the season. He is the muscle that Daniel and company need, he’s a master sensei who strives to teach what he knows about karate and has some of the funniest and best lines of the season. Okumoto is such a great addition to the cast and team against Cobra Kai and he was probably my favorite character all of this season. There was a time this season when Chozen was in real danger. Once we found out what happened to him, I cried.
If Chozen is the MVP, Terry Silver is by far one of the best villains Cobra Kai has to offer. He is a sneaky villain in the sense that his perception from others is that he’s a rich, philanthropist looking to make a difference in the lives of kids. He doesn’t care that he’s breeding a group of aggressive bullies among the youth of the Valley. He also is a master manipulator, as he targets Daniel and his family with his tactics. He turns Daniel into someone who becomes so unsure about himself that it jeopardizes just about everything that he’s built.
The best part of Cobra Kai though are the kids. I do find myself genuinely caring about these kids because this cast is so strong together. I feel bad for them when they get hurt or are bullied.
This is a huge testament to the casting and writing for making these kids so likable and managing to give them great storylines.
Robby and Miguel, in particular, have great storylines. I also really liked Emily LaRusso (Mary Mouser) and Tory Nichols (Peyton List) as well. The only issue with the kids now is that there are so many kids that are part of this cast that some of them get the short end of the stick when it comes to screen time and story.
As the cast balloons, the focus on certain characters makes me scratch my head a little bit. For instance, I’m starting to believe that John Kreese’s storyline has reached its natural end. I was a little frustrated when they have him more screen time this season because it was taking away from others. I’m also getting a little tired of Daniel being front and center from a storyline perspective. I’m also getting a little frustrated that Daniel is starting to get more chances to be the main character. This is nothing wrong with Macchio’s performance or Daniel as a character, but it’s detracting a little from Johnny Lawrence’s time on screen.
Some of the best moments of this season (and the series as a whole) involve Johnny Lawrence. He’s really come a long way since the first season and his evolution is the best part of the show. Zabka’s performance is getting better and better each season. This time around, Johnny is doing some amazing work trying to bring his family together and trying to be a better person. I find myself really rooting for Johnny this season, even if some of the things he does make you smack your head in frustration. Regardless, I want more time with Johnny as a character.
Cobra Kai has a strong tradition of bringing in callbacks from past seasons and the original movies. They not only are story-relevant, but they happen semi-organically. I really like how certain aspects from this season come back to help everyone out. The other tradition Cobra Kai excels at is staging a really strong rumble among the kids. Sure, it’s a bit odd that these kids are all striving to hurt each other, and they walk away from these fights with minimal injury. These rumbles though are so great for a viewer because we get to see different combinations of fights among characters. This season’s rumble in the last episode was so much fun to watch and there were genuine stakes in them that would shape what the future would be for this group of kids. A lot of characters had some amazing moments in the rumble like Tory teaming up with people that she normally doesn’t team up with, Eli (Jacob Bertrand) and Demitri (Gianni DeCenzo) doing some amazing computer work while fighting side-by-side with one another, Stingray getting some form of redemption, and the scene where they “protect the egg.” It was a really great rumble with some wonderful moments for a lot of the main characters.
Yes, it’s a bit of a silly show but it is oozing with charm and heart that I can’t help but fall in love with this show and its characters.
Tweet
Cobra Kai continues to evolve as one of the best shows on television right now. The strong performances this season coupled with some amazing fights make this one of the best seasons of the series and one of the best seasons of 2022. Next season will prove to be epic should it come back, but I have a feeling that after all is said and done, it will get renewed. Until then, this is a show that will now go in my rotation as a show I will watch again. And when it comes back again, I will make sure to watch it first thing.
Grade: 9/10
