|
Did you ever wonder what happened to the characters from The Karate Kid when they grew up, and wish you could see how they turned out thirty years later? Well, that's a weird pitch for a TV show, but Season 1 ended up being surprisingly good. Starring:   William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence, the tragic hero of The Karate Kid who had his life ruined by Daniel-san, played by Ralph Macchio. Yep, they actually got both of them to play their characters again, thirty years later. Johnny's had a pretty rough go of it, his life pretty much in a downward spiral after Daniel-san cheated to beat him in the big tournament, but he's never forgotten the spirit of Cobra Kai (and never grown out of the 80s). The first season has him pick up the pieces of his life and start a Cobra Kai dojo of his own so he can teach modern kids how to kick rear end and get babes. And it was going pretty well, until Daniel-san starts poking his nose into Johnny's business and reignites the old rivalry. It honestly had a lot of heart to it, showing how bad influences and stupid childhood grudges impacted Johnny's and Danny Russo's lives into adulthood, and how the mistakes they made echo in the high school kids they're trying to reach. Fantastic performance from Zabka in Season 1, especially given that he's not acted in forever -- really sold the high school jock rear end in a top hat that never grew up, and made him a very sympathetic character. One of the best new shows I saw last year, and definitely worth checking out. Even if you barely remember the movies! And in Season 2, for another blast from the past:  Martin Kove as John Kreese, the arrogant and malicious former sensei of Cobra Kai, who helped pit Johnny against Daniel-san thirty years ago in The Karate Kid. Seriously, he's looking really good for a guy in his seventies. Season 2 is already out! I'm surprised I haven't seen a thread for it already, more people need to watch it. e: Cobra Kai has been picked up by Netflix! Seasons 1+2 are already available, and Season 3 is coming next year! Trailer for Season 3 Phenotype fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Sep 4, 2020 |
#
¿
Apr 27, 2019 01:12
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 10, 2024 13:09 |
|
|
iamsosmrt posted:Robbie vaguely resembles Shawn Hunter from Boy Meets World Oh my god, that's it! For two seasons I couldn't figure out why he looked so damned familiar. I still have two episodes to go, but this season has been really strong too so far. I like the Stranger Things sorta vibe it has, channeling 80s movie tropes. Some of it has been a little cheesy, but everything's done so earnest and straight that it almost always works.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 27, 2019 05:11
|
|
|
Finally finished this morning, and yeah, it's not as tightly plotted as the first season was, but it's still a really good season of TV, and you only really see how a lot of it comes together at the end. Moriatti posted:I'm disappointed with Tory's arc. I liked that she was self determined and had an agenda with her aggression. I figured she'd be this season's Robbie, going through struggles and redemption, but... She ended up being part of a love triangle just to start the (admittedly cool) fight? Why didn't Hawk do that to Eli? I agree about Tory, but I can't really fault them for it too much because that's another stupid 80s movie trope, the "bad girl" who lures the protagonist away from the girl he's meant to be with, and it's always a one-note character. Dimitri was the worst though, and I was really pissed that Hawk didn't kick his rear end at the end. I mean Hawk was the bully, sure, but Dimitri was just so very bullyable. He just refused to show any growth throughout the whole season, beyond a token effort at karate if you back him into an absolute corner. I wanted Daniel to smack him going through that training montage -- like, okay, let him be neurotic a couple times for laughs, but as his sensei, you need to let him know he needs to step outside his narrow comfort zone if he ever wants to do anything with himself. Definitely didn't expect that ending, though. I kind of want to erase it from my own personal head-canon until and unless there's a season 3 -- everything just went so badly for Johnny he's worse off than when he started the series. Did NOT expect Robbie to blindside him at the end, and holy poo poo what that's going to do for his mindset. And the rest of the dojo's mindset too, apparently. 
|
|
#
¿
Apr 28, 2019 00:17
|
|
|
Moriatti posted:Yeah, it's a trope I thought they were going to subvert since Then both Miguel and Sam could move on. They did, to a degree. Tory's character is relatively one-note, but she's given a bit more depth and realism than similar characters. She had a believable story about why the no mercy Cobra Kai philosophy speaks to her, and ironically she was proven right at the end. She just doesn't show a lot of growth during the show because, well, there's nothing forcing her to grow during the arc of this season. Her existing nature is just nurtured by joining Cobra Kai, then by the time Johnny stops letting Kreese teach the kids, she sees Miguel and Sam together, starts the fight in the high school, and sees how showing mercy leaves Miguel in the hospital. She's more of an example of how Cobra Kai is going to naturally speak to people, like Hawk's transformation in the first season. Phenotype fucked around with this message at 16:35 on Apr 28, 2019 |
|
#
¿
Apr 28, 2019 16:32
|
|
|
I just assumed all high schools were divided by loyalties to competing karate dojos and spectacular fights would break out whenever kids from rival dojos bumped into eachother on the streets or between classes. Is that not how your high schools were too?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 28, 2019 23:54
|
|
|
Little late, but they've confirmed a season 3! If the series had ended on that downer it mighta killed it for me. They've been teasing a happy ending with Johnny and Daniel burying the hatchet for two seasons now, and I really want them to get there without something horrible happening.  Roach Warehouse posted:Frankly there’s not enough love in this thread for Johnny discovering the internet. Hahaha yeah, these were some of the most fun bits in the show, he's just so blown away and out of touch with all this stuff. I kept thinking about that woman who came out of a coma after thirty years.
|
|
#
¿
May 7, 2019 14:26
|
|
|
TMMadman posted:At 10 episodes a season, I'd like to see maybe 5 or 6 total seasons. I'd hate for this wonderful show to get bogged down trying to keep neverending story lines going. Yeah, it feels like a show that shouldn't just turn into a weekly sitcom kinda thing -- they've had a few overarching themes but if they try to do six seasons we're going to get sick of Johnny and Daniel almost becoming friends before something terrible happens to put them at eachother's throats again, or teenagers building confidence and respect but also falling victim to the bad aspects of their dojo's philosophy. It doesn't feel like an endless show in syndication as much as another arc in these characters' lives, and that arc is going to draw to a close eventually. It feels like they're building to a series conclusion after that horrible S2 finale (horrible as in "poor fuckin' Johnny and Miguel"), where Johnny needs to be built back up somehow so he can finally bury the hatchet with Daniel and find balance in his life.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 4, 2020 19:50
|
|
|
Aw, came here to post that link but beaten to the punch. Was really hoping for Season 3 this year, but I guess I'll take the Season 4 confirmation as a consolation prize. Apparently it's been doing pretty well for Netflix, been at #2 and #3 most watched through August and September.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 2, 2020 22:00
|
|
|
No, after they get the story rolling with Johnny opening the dojo, it's always about half and half with the high schoolers and the old people. The show's about how the old men and their karate influence the high schoolers and vice versa, so you kinda need both halves.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 26, 2020 17:10
|
|
|
Well, that's kinda the charm. It feels like an old 80s-90s TV show, only updated to the present day.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 26, 2020 17:26
|
|
|
Cobra Kai is back! Just started episode 1, and oy, poor Johnny. I knew from the start he was about to try to get tough with those guys and get his rear end kicked. And Robby's run away.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2021 17:28
|
|
|
e5: There's just no coming back for Hawk, is there? He's got such a great character arc as the bullied kid turning into a bully himself, but I was hoping he'd eventually chill out and learn a little humility and bury the hatchet with Dimitri. But man, sure doesn't look like that's gonna happen now.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2021 00:36
|
|
|
Phenotype posted:e5: There's just no coming back for Hawk, is there? He's got such a great character arc as the bullied kid turning into a bully himself, but I was hoping he'd eventually chill out and learn a little humility and bury the hatchet with Dimitri. But man, sure doesn't look like that's gonna happen now.  Great season all the way through. I think they actually tried to pack a little too much into ten episodes, felt like Robby just kinda got forgotten about for a handful of episodes in the middle, but I was still pretty happy about where his arc took him. And Kreese is leaning into the 80s movie villain cliches hilariously hard. "Now you must defeat my strongest fighter -- YOUR OWN SON!" Also pretty satisfied with the guest stars this season -- they used Kimiko and Elizabeth Shue just enough to make them fun cameos without it feeling like they were cramming them into the plot. I think my favorite bit was when Johnny finally realized he was meant to be a sensei to these kids, and writes out this nice message to Allie over Facebook about who he is... and then deletes the whole thing in favor of "not much, u?" I couldn't stop laughing for a solid minute or two. Oh, and Dimitri is a lot less punchable this season! I've been sorta-kinda in Hawk's corner while the two of them have been feuding, not because Hawk isn't obviously the bad guy, but because Dimitri was such a ridiculous bully magnet that I wanted to give him a wedgie myself. Glad to see they're finally letting him have some range beyond "ubernerd". Phenotype fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Jan 2, 2021 |
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2021 16:34
|
|
|
Two episodes in and it's been a lot of fun so far! I've laughed out loud at a couple spots, best of all when Daniel beats up the hockey team and Johnny disappears on him, and he comes back afterwards echoing Daniel: "Don't be there." That whole episode was great -- the two of them finally burying the hatchet and teaching their styles to eachother. I also did not recognize Terry Silver until the flashback, he looks so different as an old man that I thought they'd recast him.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 31, 2021 18:32
|
|
|
Full season: How was the tournament rigged? I was confused at the scene with Terry where money changes hands, because it didn't seem like Cobra Kai got any particular advantage. Sam and Hawk were within a hair of giving Miyagi-Do the overall victory. I had a good time with this season but I think the end got a little sloppy. I got that Miguel was going through some emotional stuff over the last few episodes, but it didn't seem really clear why. I mean, okay, he's worried about his relationship with Sam and not being able to afford to go to a private college, but is it really going to be that upsetting for a kid to find out his mom and his sensei/father figure are getting together? The back injury was out of left field, but not as much as him just disappearing and leaving to find his real father -- have they even mentioned this guy before? Otherwise I really liked what they were doing -- Terry Silver was fantastic, and they're really making Tory a compelling character. I was a little hesitant about the new kid and wondered what they were doing with him, but his story was pretty well done and tied into the main plot in the end, and I see what they're trying to do by showing how different kids respond to the Cobra Kai philosophy for very understandable reasons.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2022 19:15
|
|
|
yea really
|
|
#
¿
Sep 9, 2022 02:24
|
|
|
https://collider.com/cobra-kai-season-5-review-netflix/ https://www.dexerto.com/tv-movies/cobra-kai-season-5-review-karate-kids-deliver-best-series-yet-1925673/ https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/cobra-kai-season-5-review-netflix-original-karate-kid/ https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/netflix/cobra-kai-season-5-review/ "If you like Cobra Kai and revel in the melodrama of the myriad Karate Kid sequels, the fifth season of this series is an all you can eat buffet of deep cuts, callouts, world-building and karate face-offs literally decades in the making." Haven't started watching yet, but reviews are in and they mostly seem to think it's pretty great! Probably gonna dive in after work today once I can relax.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 9, 2022 13:59
|
|
|
Am I dreaming or didn't they say that next season was planned to be the last one? I just tried googling it but all the top results are like "Season 5 ending explained!" that I don't want to read.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 9, 2022 15:47
|
|
|
Just starting episode 4 now (had to finish up Better Call Saul before jumping onto this) and I really love the little touch finding out that it was Carmen who was having the dream about the hilarious 80s-style family montage. poo poo, maybe they ARE right for eachother haha.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 11, 2022 15:11
|
|
|
mcmagic posted:I didn't love the way the storyline with Miguel's dad, the most soap opera actor looking guy in Mexico, ended. As others have said in here, the stakes on this show are just hilariously low. That one petered out a little bit unexpectedly, but looking back it shouldn't have been much of a surprise. This isn't the kind of show that's gonna spend more than an episode or two with something as heavy as the Mexican criminal underworld, it wants to go back to California and have cool fights with no real consequences. And fine, Miguel wanted to meet his dad, and he met him, and he realizes his mom was right to have left him. I'm actually kinda glad they didn't do the heavy-handed drama where Miguel refuses to accept that his dad is a bad guy and drags it out for more than a single episode. The storyline I'm kinda miffed about, though, is the Mike Barnes one. We get an episode where Daniel meets Mike and is like "hey, watch out for Terry Silver" and then the end-of-episode cliffhanger is Mike coming back to find his furniture store ablaze... and then nothing until like 6 episodes later when he shows up somehow believing that Daniel set his store on fire? Felt like there was a whole sideplot there that we somehow missed, you'd think he would have called Daniel at some point to say "hey, might be Terry Silver just set my store on fire."
|
|
#
¿
Sep 14, 2022 19:28
|
|
|
I want them to go to Okinawa next season. That's the one thing they haven't really done from the movies. I guess Daniel went to Japan in one of the early seasons but it was just a business thing and he didn't take the kids.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 16, 2022 00:05
|
|
|
Professor Beetus posted:Tbh I read that scene differently than everyone else in here apparently. I thought he meant that Terry's story about learning from that guy was a bunch of bullshit, not the guy's name. Yeah, that's what I thought he meant too. Like "I can't believe that's actually true and you really did train with a master named whateveritwas." Not just "haha silly name."
|
|
#
¿
Sep 17, 2022 05:17
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 10, 2024 13:09 |
|
|
AgentHaiTo posted:We actually liked the Korean lady. It was like she was out of a Kill Bill movie and didn't realize she got in a Netflix karate tv show. Yeah, I kinda do not get the hate for the Korean lady. I dunno if she was a good actor or not, but she was channeling similar terrible villains from the 80s movies that the show is based on. She was silly and evil but didn't seem out of place.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 25, 2022 05:37
|
|