Starring: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Mariduena, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Nichole Brown, Martin Kove
Like the first two episodes, Cobra Kai is passable entertainment, continuing the Karate Kid saga over thirty years after the All-Valley Karate Championship match between Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (Zabka). The loss to LaRusso still affects Johnny negatively all these years later. His liver must be begging for the mercy the Cobra Kai dojo doesn't give its opponents, since Johnny is rarely seen without a beer in hand. He may even eat once in a while, but still manages to stay in decent shape.
He reopens Cobra Kai after saving a student named Miguel (Mariduena) from a beating by bullies, one of whom is Daniel's daughter's boyfriend. Other students follow after Miguel whips a group of bullies' asses and the video goes viral. Bruce Lee would've been proud, although the bullies make the same fatal mistake goons in karate movies always make: They attack the hero one at a time instead of all at once.
Daniel, despite owning a successful car dealership and having a loving family, feels out of balance since the death of Mr. Miyagi. He is appalled to see Cobra Kai rearing its ugly head in the San Fernando Valley again, and wants to do what he can to stop it. The simmering issues between Daniel and Johnny percolate, as Johnny tries to muster up self-respect and Daniel tries to find inner peace. Any later misunderstandings could be solved if either Daniel or Johnny would simply explain what happened instead of dummying up, but Cobra Kai is not a show without a Daniel/Johnny feud, so any arguments have to explode into full-blown drama.
Even after all these years, Johnny is a bully, as fully demonstrated by his treatment of his students, and Daniel is a decent guy. The show's treatment of Johnny is uneven. One minute he is a borderline alcoholic bully who terrorizes his students, and the next we are asked to sympathize because he was bullied as a teen by a grumpy stepfather and his Cobra Kai sensei Kreese (Kove), who molded Johnny into what he is today, which isn't a comforting thought.
In the middle of the battle between Daniel and Johnny are each's children. Johnny is estranged from his son Robbie (Buchanan), a juvenile delinquent who applies for a job at Daniel's dealership to get back at his absent father, but soon becomes Daniel's karate student. Buchanan is able to handle the subtle changes Robbie undergoes, as we see him learn to accept responsibility and even grow up a little.
We wish the personality swerves Daniel and Johnny go through each episode were less drastic, so much so that we don't know where we stand with them. However, Cobra Kai is watchable, mostly light fare, which is sure to appeal to fans of the Karate Kid universe and perhaps rein in a new generation. Let's hope season two finds a way to stabilize its leads.
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