Back in 2018, YouTube attempted to have its own streaming service, YouTube Red. This steaming service had a few series attempting to get a piece of the streaming pie. One of their series was Cobra Kai.
I signed up for a trial subscription for Youtube Red. During the trial subscription, I binged the first season with time to spare. For the second season, I had my wife sign up for another trial subscription and binged Season 2 without paying a dime. YouTube Red quickly ended as a streaming service, maybe because of too many trial subscriptions. They sold off the rights to Cobra Kai to Netflix for season 3.
I instantly fell in love with this series. The fortunes of Daniel and Johnny had reversed since the original Karate Kid movie. Johnny was a rich kid but now struggles to keep a job and make a living. On the other hand, Daniel grew up with struggle but grew up to own a car dealership. Daniel’s kids were the rich spoiled kids. Johnny became a divorced father who rarely saw his son.
From the beginning, it was clear this story was about a redemption path for the protagonist of the original movie, Johnny Lawerance. Johhny became a likable but very flawed character. We also saw huge flaws in our previous hero, Daniel LaRusso.
Over the first Five seasons, we watched these characters grow. At times, Daniel and Johnny confronted each other and so did their students. Eventually, they learned to put aside their differences and become friends and co-sensei. My hope for Season Six was to see all of the characters continue to grow and a full redemption of Johnny.
Season six was divided into 3 parts with 5 episodes a piece. The first 5 episodes focused on the students’ preparation for the Sekai Taikai. These episodes were a little disappointing. It didn’t hit as hard or develop the characters as the prior seasons. The second part focused on the Sekai Taikai tournament. This was much more action-packed with some good plot twists but didn’t have a lot of character growth.
The third part of season three brought the group back home after the chaos of the Sekai Taikai tournament and the death of a participant. These last 5 episodes packed a punch. It was a continual development of characters along with some great action.
(Spoilers!) The last 5 episodes brought the season and the series together and paid off. Everything I could have hoped for happened here. The two protagonists of the series, John Kreese and Terry Silver, faced off for one final explosive battle. This ended the continual threat of these two bad guys.
The Sekai Taikai landed with a tie for points at the end of regular action. This is after Johnny resurrects Cobra Kai. Because of the rule of the Sekai Taikai, if the Sekai Taikai ends with a tie, the winner is determined by the Senseis having to fight. This leads to Johnny getting his chance to fight at the Valley one last time and winning it with flair.
A few things I loved about this season: I loved Daniel training Johnny for his final fight. It mirrored a lot of Daniel’s training for the first movie. I loved the run and the crowd joining Johnny in a Rocky moment. There is a scene where Daniel gets to use his best “Johnny voice” at Johnny and it is so awesome. I loved the final fight mirroring how Johnny lost and then learning how to change for him to win. This victory brought Johnny to be a winner again. He finds his footing by becoming the full-time Sensei of the new and improved Cobra Kai.
I loved the final 5 episodes. Yes, there is a lot of 80s Cheese in this but I love 80s cheese. I have gone from hating the bully that Johnny was to loving the evolution of Johnny Lawerance.
Stay Geeky!
