The original Karate Kid was a huge hit. Then came the sequels. It’s hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Sequels as good or better than the original I can count on three fingers. The Godfather Part 2. Aliens. Equalizer 3.
The TV show is a stroke of genius. Following up on the original characters in real time and expanding the canvas allowed the writers to explore not only Danny LaRusso’s life, but that of his longtime rival Johnny Lawrence. When we first meet Johnny, he’s a loser struggling to hold a job, with dreams of opening his own dojo. Which is, of course, Cobra Kai after the original.
Earlier seasons focused on the inchoate longing of its teenage stars as they sought validation and romance. Tori and Robbie were on again/off again. Robbie hated his father Johnny, then he didn’t. Lots of angst. As the series wound its way to the grand finale, it seized upon a grand tournament where everyone would get their chance to shine. The Sekai Taikai takes place in Barcelona, a sharp departure from the Valley and internationalizing the cast. Those actors may all be American, but they’re good actors and convincing.
A good show needs hissable bad guys. Cobra Kai has them. First is Martin Kove’s John Kreese. His face radiates sneering evil. Kreese is most hissable. Second is Thomas Ian Griffith’s Terry Silver who appeared in The Karate Kid III. Silver masks his malice behind a facade of charm which only makes hiim more sinister. Alicia Hannah-Kim as Kim Da-Eun is as beautiful and deadly as a snake. C.S. Lee plays her grandfather, the Korean grand master who is more despicable than Kreese. His treatment of his granddaughter comes back to haunt him. One actor who plays the Cobra Kai fighter who dies by falling on his knife is not listed. But he sure is a prick. Lewis Tan as sensei Wolf.
Once they get to Barcelona, it’s a lot of tournaments. I have never seen such pointless leaping, spinning, and twirling outside a rodeo. The fight choreography is entertaining but bears no relationship to real fights, or to better choreographed martial arts movies. That’s all right. No one watches Cobra Kai for the fight choreography.
They watch for Rayna Vallandingham who plays Zara! Sure she’s nasty, but who would you rather date? Her or Samantha LaRusso? The writers threw twist after twist into the plots. Sam LaRusso flirting with Iron Dragon’s top tournament fighter, Axel. Chozen’s flirtation with the murderous Kim. The end of their journey blindsided everyone.
The final episode, where Johnny must fight sensei Wolf, was more absurd than a Three Stooges melee, but emotionally, it was very satisfying. There followed twenty minutes of wrapping up every character’s emotional journey with mixed results. With the exception of the original movie, Cobra Kai was more entertaining than any of the sequels and a great melodrama for all ages.
Glad it was good and thanks for sharing. Historically, Aliens is still the best sequel. It was so intense I almost had to walk out. That was great.