With its inception, back in 2018, the spin-off series, “Cobra Kai,” has set itself a standard that reaches pretty high. The fact that Season 4 is probably considered the weakest, thus far, and is still “pretty good,” comparatively, speaks volumes. However, it DID have me wondering about the future of the series. Could things continue to devolve? Yes, they could, but they could also reach new heights, as lofty as that might seem. I discovered, recently, that I was not alone in thinking Season 2 was the strongest installment up to this point. I am, still, fairly certain that most fans prefer Season 3, above all, and they are not mindless for thinking so, either.
So, what is the key to not only turning things around, but also lifting oneself from the mat and succeeding? Well, in the context of THIS series, it begins with how the new season touches off. One of my biggest gripes about Season 4 was that there seemed to be far too much exposition, from the outset. Did they try to give too many characters their “fair share” of screen time? Perhaps, but let us compare that to Season 5: the first two episodes place us in Mexico, as Miguel Diaz (played by Xolo Mariduena) searches for his long lost father, but is also, in turn, being searched for by his potentially-surrogate father, Johnny Lawrence (played by William Zabka). 
He has, also, enlisted the support of his biological son, Robby Kane (played by Tanner Buchanan). Through a series of unfortunate events, no reference intended, Miguel loses most of his money and is nearly beaten down by some Mexican hoodlums, NOT associated with his actual father. Johnny is hot on his trail, but gets some slightly different results. What can we say about Mr. Lawrence? You can take the man out of the fight, but you cannot take the fight out of the man, right?
Meanwhile, back in California, Chozen Toguchi (played by Yuki Okumoto) has made himself at home with Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio) and his family. All I will say is that various people have their own ideas about where the line is drawn when you “make yourself more comfortable” and it can lead to some humorous results, although Amanda LaRusso (played by Courtney Henggeler) is not amused by the situation.
As Miguel stumbles upon his true father, Mr. Diaz (played by Luis Roberto Guzman), another family, of sorts, is greatly expanding: Cobra Kai. Terry Silver (played by Thomas Ian Griffith) has “taken care of” John Kreese (played by Martin Kove) and put his evil aspirations to good use. We see the editing of what family means to various characters and it tells the story quite well. So what is the plan, going forward, to try and halt the future of Cobra Kai?
As it so happens, Daniel has decided to end Miyagi Do and focus, squarely, on infiltrating the lair of his nemesis, which is no longer Johnny, interestingly enough. Chozen has, too, decided to aid Daniel in this venture, but there seems to be a slightly off-putting vibe coming from Chozen. It made me wonder if he would merely be an infiltrator to Cobra Kai or wind up actually joining them. Could someone involved meet their demise, as well? Only time can tell…
Episode 3, ‘Playing With Fire,’ resurrects another character from “The Karate Kid Part III,” Mike Barnes (played by Sean Kanan). I could se the misdirection from a mile away, but it was still funny and had a number of references that any fan could understand, if you know the movies well enough. At this point, I was already thinking that the new season is better than the previous entry, but could it rise above Season 4’s predecessor?
As it turns out, the next three episodes are the best in the season, with Episode 5, ‘Extreme Measures,’ being the ultimate standout. There are montages connected with fine, ‘80s memories and the animosity between Daniel and Terry is growing to a feverish pitch. We can see the devilish masterminding of Terry as it takes over an entire room, captivated by his wealth and charisma. Daniel can seemingly do nothing to slow it down, as even his wife falls prey to Terry’s charms and manipulation. If you were a fan of Raymond “Stingray,” get ready, cause he is back and as great as ever. There is almost nothing as satisfying as watching a loser parade around as though he is a winner, especially when he or she has still not won at anything, truly to speak of. Sometimes, playing the system is good enough to be rewarded and is all a specific person is looking for. Stingray is a shining example of that kind of guy. You might be surprised to see a dynamic, if brief, behavioral switch. Between Daniel and Johnny. Believe me, it is totally appropriate and fun to watch unfold, even if we have seen this before, in smaller doses. At this stage, Terry has turned into something of a James Bond type of villain. I would love to see a scene in which homage is paid to this observation, Maybe some other time, huh? Is it alright if I bring up Tory Nichols (played by Peyton List)? Her character development continues to intrigue me. The inner conflict is perpetually written all over her pretty face. Not only is she still at odds with Samantha LaRusso (played by Mary Mouser); she has also struck a cord with Robby and it has caused some friction in their young romance. Tory, apparently, has maintained a quiet contact with John while he is in prison. I still wonder what motivated this, to begin with. Could there still be a hidden agenda, later on, that will “wow” us as an audience? The theme of John’s re-entry into the story continues, thematically in Episode 6, ‘Ouroboros.’ Is he finally wrestling his inner demons, as he reflects on his past, important connections? Again, only time will tell.
Unfortunately, from my perspective, the following episode is the weakest of the season. My personal, fan-based loyalty for Eagle Fang Karate appears to be all for not and the notion of making Cobra Kai a worldwide brand comes off as kind of silly, within the context of the story, at least for now. We shall move on to better things now, yes?…
If you are a fan of “Rocky 4,” you will enjoy the various references to it over the next couple of episodes. It is now, yet again, Cobra Kai versus Miyagi Do. Eagle Fang really only exists under the umbrella of Miyagi and presents a secondary style that is included within the same school, if that makes any sense. 
Now, Daniel, Johnny and Chozen are working together, yet separate, all in the name of stopping Cobra Kai from “worldwide domination.” Who knew that Johnny could form such a natural bond with the man in charge, in order to slow down their common nemesis? If I may call on Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz (played by Jacob Bertrand) now, please. He is still among my favorites. What would it take to hook HIM up with Tory? Nothing else has worked for either of them, after all. I must say, I expected better things for this young man, but there was an ugly surprise, involving Kenny Payne (played by Dallas Dupree Young), who has really taken a turn for the worse, between last season and this one. At least he is not as annoying as Kyler Park (played by Joe Seo). That much has NOT changed. I have one say thing to ask: if Miyagi Do and Eagle Fang Karate must unite as one martial arts school, could we settle on Bonzai Kai as the new name of the school? You could even change the “o” to an “a” and show an eagle swooping down in front of a bonzai tree. Thoughts?
The closure of the season picks up right where the previous episode left off. Certain characters attempt to resolve their problems, but do not always meet up with positive outcomes, initially. “Stingray” is approached by several Miyagi Do members and is cleverly coaxed into sharing his secret, through the use of a Dwarven Monk (a Dungeons & Dungeons reference). My boy, “Hawk” was the one who knew how to get to him. Some of my curiosities about the ultimate outcome for certain characters apparently came true, which I was okay with, only for them to be turned by a near 180 degrees. Is the series too in love with specific characters to let them go or what? The use of music and cinematography in certain fighting scenes is the best I have seen out of this series and I would appreciate it if it garnered some level of notoriety later this year.
The development of Chozen is one of the things that surprised me the most, in a good way, for this season, but I do not know how much more we can expect to get out of him in the future. Terry is, surely, not done, either, but neither is John, of course. Maybe some of them SHOULD have been done, but that is only my personal opinion.
I look forward to the inclusion of characters from “The Karate Kid” universe. So far, none of the rebirths have been a disappointment. I would, also, like to assume that we will have a new lead villain, or should I say villainess, played by Alicia Hannah-Kim as Kim Da-Eun. I refer to her as the “Dragon Lady.” Yes, she IS that scary, but I digress. Overall, the series has continued to strike a nice line between nostalgia and substance. However, my colleagues and I pretty much agree that this series is reaching the end of its coarse. There is one little detail from this season which usually indicates that a story is running out of new ideas and it has been a staple of television series for years upon years. I will not say who, but someone is about to have a new baby. Netflix, we thank you for keeping a great thing going, but do not let it go on for any longer than. It needs to. I was ready to proclaim Season 5 of “Cobra Kai” as the best season since Season 2. It might be even better than that, due to a little bit of recency bias. What the hey, Season 5 IS the new king of “Cobra Kai,” but it is pretty close and it is not a bad problem to have.
Original Network: Netflix
Starring: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Mariduena, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni DeCenzo as Demetri Alexopoulos, Peyton List, Vanessa Rubio as Carmen Diaz, Dallas Dupree Young, Thomas Ian Griffith, Martin Kove
Supporting: Yuji Okumoto, Selah Austria as Piper Elswith, Tyron Woodley as a Cobra Kai Sensei, Stephen Thompson as a Cobra Kai Sensei, Sean Kanan as Mike Barnes, Luis Roberto Guzman, Robyn Lively as Jessica Andrews
Original Release: September 9th, 2022
