Where does one draw the line? When does a show finally surpass another show or, even, a connected film franchise? I was in junior high when I began to really watch ‘Seinfeld’ on a weekly basis. I looked forward to it every week and became convinced that there had never been a sitcom quite like it before (or since). 20 plus years after it went off the air, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ has left it in the dust, in terms of its longevity, if nothing else, and it is as shocking as it is damning to acknowledge that. What can I say? Life is full of surprises, even in the world of the big screen and television.
Having said all that, ‘Cobra Kai,’ a spinoff of “The Karate Kid” franchise, is now set to equal its connected movie cohort, in terms of numbers, if you are counting individual seasons and individual movies, one to one… No, I am NOT including the dreaded reboot from 2010. As some of you know by now, that film, originally, had nothing to do with “The Karate Kid” and was merely restructured as such to cash in on the brand name. Of course, if any of the characters from that movie happen to walk into a future episode of ‘Cobra Kai,’ I will gladly eat my words with great humility. As always, the new season of ‘Cobra Kai’ has 10 new installments ready to go and you will easily be able to binge watch them all in a single evening, as the length ranges from around half an hour to 45 minutes per episode. Expectations remain pretty high at this point and that is a testament to the quality of the show up until now, but will that change? Let us find out…
We begin with “Let’s Begin.” An over-the-shoulder vantage point of a long-haired man at the piano gets a phone call from an old friend. He answers, but does not speak. Meanwhile, Miyagi Do Karate and Eagle Fang Karate are trying to teach together, but are having mixed results. As per usual, Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (played by William Zabka) are clashing, figuratively and literally, as are their respective students. With LaRusso, there are the likes of Samantha LaRusso (played by Mary Mouser) and Demetri (played by Gianni DeCenzo); with Lawrence, there are the likes of Miguel Diaz (played by Xolo Mariduena) and Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz (played by Jacob Bertrand), but could there be some shuffling along the way? A revelation reveals who the man of mystery on the piano is and he still knows how to showcase his martial arts skills. It is none other than Terry Silver, played by Thomas Ian Griffith (“Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square”). John Kreese (played by Martin Kove) has sought him out, yet again, to finish a job that they started years and years ago, but will he be persuaded? Episode 1 is a nice start, but where does it lead?
Episode 2 is entitled “First Learn Stand” and Episode 3 is “Then Learn Fly.” I think it is safe to say that these two go together. Amanda LaRusso (played by Courtney Henggeler) pays an unexpected visit to Tory Nichols (played by Peyton List). By now, Tory’s role has expanded greatly and even though she is still very rough around the edges, she has garnered plenty of sympathy, in my view, and it is well-deserved, too. Amanda may have stepped over the line as a caring parent for her daughter, Sam, and now the “us versus them” scenario has expanded, as well. I cannot help but feel sorry for Tory as I see her shifting from one tough job to the next, all in the name of providing for her family at home. One thing I had never really noticed before, concerning Kreese, is that he often wears all black. Could he secretly be a Johnny Cash fan? Another observation I was having: there is too much exposition going on here, perhaps… 
Lawrence and LaRusso attempt to learn from each other, but one is clearly trolling the other one. Try and guess which one, if you dare… The sudden development of Kenny (played by Dallas Dupree Young) shows some potential, but it came a bit out of left field, if I may use a baseball analogy here for the son of a baseball player. The continuation of this “mini story” reveals each character seemingly trying to resist their other urges, especially for those of Robby Keene (played by Tanner Buchanan), who has elected to take Kenny under his wing as he tries to turn his outcomes around at school by joining Cobra Kai, but will it work out in a positive way? Lawrence showcases some silly, outlandish teaching tactics that suspend belief a little bit, but then he practices what he preaches as he makes a big move on Miguel’s mother, Carmen Diaz (played by Vanessa Rubio). At the conclusion, Terry pulls the hairs back like we have only seen it before and it has become crystal clear that he will soon be on his way to rejoining his old friend at their dojo.
If I were to handpick my personal favorite episode from the new season, it would have to be Episode 4, “Bicephaly.” What does that word mean, you ask? Well, I had to look it up, myself. It is defined as “the condition of having two heads.” That almost sounds like a creature of Greek or Roman mythology. However, I believe it relates to one particular character here: Miguel. You see, he is at the crux of confusion as he tries to navigate through the teachings of Miyagi Do and Eagle Fang. There is a great, teachable moment when he is first learning to drive, with LaRusso. He saw one way to do things with Lawrence, but now sees there is another way and it seems to be safer. Not only that, the music is different. If you do not know the connection between Peter Cetera and “The Karate Kid” franchise, then the joke about him is only funny on paper, but if you ARE familiar, it is extremely clever from a more contextual point-of-view, as well. Elsewhere, tension is growing between Tory and Sam and Amanda is caught right in the middle of it. “What is a mother to do?” This episode is full of misdirection and muddled roles between the sides of good and evil and even though hard lines have been blurred, I did not find the confusion to be a problem. Rather, I saw it as a great plot development. I guess there are more two-headed examples here, after all. If you do not know who to root for, do not worry. I think that may have been by design. I hope you like moral ambiguity.
By the time Episode 5, “Match Point,” rolls around, the new season of ‘Cobra Kai’ has found a nice groove. Every so often, I hear lines that are, verbatim, taken right from the original film franchise. The context changes, at times, but if you are a true fan, you ought to catch most of them. What I find strange AND humorous in this particular story are the references to the “Rocky” franchise, which shared the same director as “The Karate Kid” franchise. You will hear music from one movie that is then used for a montage that is eerily similar to something from another film, but it is all connected and you will see something like this later on in the season, too. I have probably mentioned that Hawk is one of my favorite characters within the series. His story arc has led him to going from Cobra Kai to Eagle Fang and, possibly, to Miyagi Do. His identity is changing, too, though, and sometimes that can be a painful transition. You will see for yourself. At some point, LaRusso and Lawrence are literally at each other’s throats, again, and the finish is, again, greatly reminiscent of “Rocky.” The key difference is that there is no true hero at the end of it and, hopefully, both sides realize their own futility. Moving on…
As the second half of the season unwinds, the progress regarding the new karate tournament becomes a major focal point. “Kicks Get Chicks” seems like an obvious title, but just wait, there is more to it than you might think. With the new regulations added to the 51st All-Valley, girls are now a much more important staple than before. So, which of the three dojos has the greatest need? Well, the process of changing that is what really shines in this episode. I even heard a movie reference that I never believed I would ever hear, period, let alone in a show like ‘Cobra Kai.’ Lawrence continues to generate great comedy just by being down with the times when it comes to communication and language. However, the most surprising development is that between Sam and Tory. Amanda id trying to help Tory and it is encroaching on Sam’s space, big time. IN another development, Demetri screeches at Hawk to get his mind back on martial arts training and it would seem that he cannot resist joining his third different dojo. I believe that makes him the most versatile of the entire bunch, which is impressive. What can I say? “It looks like everyone’s doing something new…”
“Minefields” zeroes in on the volatile relationship between Cobra Kai newcomer, Kenny, who seems to be home alone a lot and likes to game on PC in his spare time, and Anthony, Daniel LaRusso’s son. Surprisingly, it is Anthony who is the bully and Kenny who is the perpetually retreating victim, but that is all about to change. 
Kenny has been getting special training from Robby and now he is ready to turn things upside-down and he does, almost too well. The truth is finally out on Anthony and his parent are shocked and chagrined. Over at Eagle Fang Karate, Devon Lee (played by Oona O’Brien) becomes the first girl to join the crew and she makes her impact felt almost immediately. It was her power as a speaker that caught Seinsei Lawrence’s attention, but now it is her similar interests in action films and kicking butt against all the boys, too. Was it necessary though? I wonder. 
Now, over at Cobra Kai, there is a rift between Kreese and Silver. There has likely always been a battle for the top spot of leadership between these two, but now Kreese is really trying to exert his position on Terry and it would seem that it is only a matter of time before Mr. Silver fights back, so to speak, but will he?
Hey, look who is back for Episode 8, “Party Time!” It is the elusive Raymond “Stingray!” Yes, he reprised by the one and only Paul Walter Hauser. He has paid his debt t society since the big fight during the finale of Season 2 and he wants to remain a Cobra Kai student. However, Kreese does not want him back. Meanwhile, the annual prom has arrived and it did not get much fanfare until now. Everyone has a date, with the biggest attractions coming Sam and Miguel and Robby and Tory. Well, everyone except Hawk. How can this be? While Daniel and his wife are acting out and dealing with their issues with their son, their daughter is acting out against Tory and although it led to some interesting choreography at Stingray’s house, she was left “all wet.” It closes with Big Bang, involving Terry and Stingray. Who knows why it occurred? Perhaps we will find out…
Much like a couple of episodes from before, the final two here go together: “The Fall” and “The Rise.” What befuddled me was that there seemed to be no closure for what transpired at the end of Episode 8. It was as if all was forgotten and now it is time for the finale. Like the films before it, suspension of reality has to be expected to some degree, but how far is too much? The team introductions, stylish and vibrant, are so cheesy that it is hard not to like them and the cameo appearance of Carrie Underwood was a nice and welcomed surprise. The concept of the song entry was good, but execution? Well, not so much, for me. Speaking of execution, the four best fighters, as expected, emerge, mainly from Miyagi Do and Cobra Kai. Too bad for able Fang… and what we saw at the very end of “Party Time” did circle back and it was a nice payoff. As much as I was enjoying the material, I thought that some of the behavior from the kids was inconsistent, even for them. Somehow, it all added up to some good role switches and a decent summation when all the points had been counted (and deducted in some cases). What I appreciated the most, from a personal standpoint, was what occurred between Johnny and his son, Robby. Forgiveness is a hard thing to earn and practice, at times, but it is ALWAYS worth it. Was I surprised by some of the details in the end? Yes, but I was also slightly disappointed by some details that I was looking for and did NOT see, too.
I find myself going back and forth about my total thoughts on Season 4. In a way, it was just as strong as the previous season, but in a way, it was not. I really liked the direction and the depth of some of the characters that I had not seen before. Their development was important and I was happy with the way a lot of that turned out. However, the power of dramatic payoffs and intense outcomes was sorely lacking. Maybe some of the apparent cuts from story to story between the episodes was what hurt it. Perhaps the series has become too crowded with stories and characters, as well.
Overall, I still liked this season, but I cannot rate it as high as Season 3. I think I said something similar after watching Season 3, come to think of it. None of ‘Cobra Kai’ has been bad, but the flow needs to be less chaotic and a bit more linear, going forward, if things are going to improve, in my view. Still, I think that the dedicated fans will still be happy enough to keep watching and that is what really matters the most.
Creators: Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg
Starring: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Mariduena, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni DeCenzo, Martin Kove, Vanessa Rubio, Peyton List, Dallas Dupree Young, Oona O’Brien and Thomas Ian Griffith
Network: Netflix
Release: December 31st, 2021
