Starring: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Martin Kove, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mauser, Peyton List, Jacob Bertand, Xolo Mariduena
I'll get the gripes out of the way at the top. Season three of the continuation of the Karate Kid saga tidies up some loose ends from the preceding films while evoking pop nostalgia and backstories. On that level, Cobra Kai entertains and moves along swiftly. The thirty to forty minute running time on each episode doesn't hurt. However, there are some tropes the show could do away with:
* The season finale of season three unfolds nearly identically to season two. A massive brawl breaks out between the warring dojo factions causing untold amounts of property damage and serious (if not potentially fatal injuries) while Daniel and Johnny have an uneasy dinner with their significant others and form a temporary, grudging truce...again.
* If there is one scene in which either Daniel, Johnny, or Kreese threaten each other, make offers to align, or suggest dire consequences if such offers are rejected, then there are ten throughout the show's history.
* The teens, even after a few lessons, seem to have channeled their inner Bruce Lee and fight like black belts. The battles between them are a cross between John Wick (minus the guns) and Enter the Dragon.
However, even with these issues, the third season of Cobra Kai is the best so far; moving confidently through its narratives in a soap opera way. This isn't a criticism, but affirmation of what the show does best. Trying to recap the twists of the ten episodes will take far too long, and would rob the viewer of some of the surprises. If you recall, the season two finale ended with an all-out brawl between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai dojos which left Johnny's student Miguel (Mariduena) paralyzed. Johnny and Daniel are both distraught and feel responsible, just as they do for Robbie (Buchanan), who did the paralyzing and is now on the run.
The school brawl has resulted in negative publicity for Daniel's dojo and car dealerships and hurts business for both. A rival dealership has a cut a deal with Daniels' main Japanese auto supplier and Daniel must go to Japan to fix it. He feels lost, and takes a side trip to Okinawa (the locale for The Karate Kid, Part II) seeking a spiritual reconnect with his long dead mentor Mr. Miyagi and reuniting with his love from the second film, while in turn burying the hatchet with that movie's villain. These scenes are handled beautifully and are the highlight of the season.
Daniel (Macchio) and Johnny (Zabka) undergo changes, with Johnny evolving the most since the shaky days of season one. The malicious Kreese (Kove) has now usurped Cobra Kai from Johnny and instills ruthless aggression in his willing students. There is a Vietnam backstory involving Kreese which shows how Kreese became such an enemy of mercy. It doesn't excuse Kreese's evil, but it explains the man's obsession with sadism. Kove's eyes light up when he watches his students pound each other into oblivion. Maybe even he is surprised by how many youths are teenage versions of himself.
I also enjoyed how Daniel's wife Amanda (Henggeler) extracts herself from the sidelines and jumps into the war courtesy of a showdown with Kreese. It's a satisfying scene and shows just how far she is willing to go to protect her family. Season four promises a new villain emerging from behind the scenes and may wade into the waters of Karate Kid, Part III. My advice would be to spend as little time revisiting that chapter as possible.
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