Over its first two wildly popular seasons, Cobra Kai has been able to expertly blend over-the-top high school drama, popular with kids today, with the same over-the-top high school drama, adults are nostalgic for. The original Karate Kid films may not be perfect movies, but they have their place in ’80s culture, and this series is the ultimate example of writing that doesn’t shy away from fan service. It is incredibly entertaining, and at times heartwarming, to be able to revisit characters from movies that we loved, and the latest season of the show continues to build on that. It also builds on the teenage angst, drama, backstories, and a whole lot of absurd karate fights.
Following the chaotic, but super entertaining karate brawl that ended Season 2, fans were left with some epic cliffhangers, including the fate of Miguel Diaz (Xolo Mariduena), and how Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) would react to having the Cobra Kai dojo stolen out from under him by his mentor John Kreese (Martin Kove, Rambo 2). The biggest questions fans may be asking themselves for the duration of Season 3 however, is how the hell everyone isn’t in jail. Seriously, everyone should be in jail.
When a grown man encourages karate students to savagely beat each other, they put you in jail right away, no trial, nothing. If a kid, were to purposely break another kids arm, right to jail, right away. Destruction of property, jail. Breaking and entering, jail. Assault with a deadly weapon, you right to jail. If you steal a snake from a zoo, believe it or not, jail. If you then release that snake in a car dealership, also jail. Even if you don’t understand the wording of this, the point remains. There may be more crimes committed per episode this season, than Sons of Anarchy, but anytime police are involved its played for laughs, and the kids and parents are left to sort things out on their own, with as expected, more karate.
One of the great things that Cobra Kai does, is lean into its absurd elements, and just have fun with them. While there are certainly dramatic moments, and plenty of emotion on screen, it never takes itself serious for too long, often making clever jokes at its own expense. The show is supposed to be heavy with comedy and nostalgia, and then it will roundhouse kick you in the face with a fight scene when you get too comfortable. That, is when things are firing on all cylinders.
Thanks to some astute editing, even fans of the show that either never saw the original films, or haven’t seen them in a long time, are able to keep when they introduce an old character, or talk about past events. Following the first season, there has been a lot of speculation as to who the show may bring back, and it has repeatedly delivered. Obviously, the return of Elisabeth Shue as Ali was hinted at for a long time, but there are so many payoffs for fans this season, especially from Karate Kid Part II. Each time they show a flashback from the old films, as a familiar face appears, you’ll likely find yourself pointing at the television like a Leonardo DiCaprio meme. The writers certainly work to intricately weave the introductions into the storylines, but obviously they know what gets the people going.
Backstories are a big part of what makes reboots like Cobra Kai great, because you can take characters that might have been viewed one dimensionally before, and give them new life, and a why behind their flaws or actions. Johnny Lawrence himself is a perfect example of that. Even someone like Hawk (Jacob Bertrand, The Cape) can quickly be shown in different lights within a short time period to make you sympathize with him even as his actions push the limits of redeem-ability. Knowing the home life of someone like Robby (Tanner Buchanan, Designated Survivor) or Tory (Peyton List, Hubie Halloween) is one thing, and they are just kids, but the ultimate villain from the films and show is undoubtedly Kreese. Beginning to piece together his past, and uncover why he became the man that he is, serves as the most daunting undertaking of the series so far, and remains an intriguing narrative as it goes forward into its next season.
Cobra Kai remains fully self-aware, and immensely entertaining, but it does run the risk of becoming dangerously repetitive if it can’t push past the temptation to try and one-up its all-out brawl karate sequences. The school fight was outrageous. Illogical, but also original. The climax of this season used its biggest fight to satisfy some character arcs, but also pushed the boundaries of what an audience is willing to accept. You can only allow a group of teenagers to get away with so much, before being in on the joke isn’t enough. It does seem that the showrunners realize that though, and made an effort to set Season 4 up to be something that will continue to capitalize on what is working, while also injecting a little more restraint.
