Starring: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Martin Kove, Peyton List, Xolo Mariduena, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Yuji Okumoto, Sean Kanan, Lewis Tan, Thomas Ian Griffith
We have come to the end of the Cobra Kai series with a satisfying conclusion. The final five episodes maintain suspense while providing moving story arcs for many of the characters. Compared to the first two sets of episodes which make up season six, these final five get the job done even with contrived methods of keeping the tournament going and no one seeming to notice that the two biggest villains have left the scene. This isn't an inquisitive bunch.
I supposed criticizing Cobra Kai for being silly is like chastising my cat for not mastering geometry. The season picks up months after the death of a competitor in Barcelona. Johnny (Zabka) is preparing to bring his child into the world and marry his pregnant girlfriend. Daniel is pouring his heart into his work at the dealership, but Amanda (Henggeler) thinks he is not dealing with his emotions over Barcelona. Kreese (Kove) has done some soul searching in the months since the tournament and decides he no longer wants to lead a dojo. The only person itching to restart the tournament is Terry Silver (Griffith), who we learn is dying from cancer and wants his dojo to win as a way to build on his legacy of being evil, mean, and nasty.
Kreese wants to reconcile with Johnny, and after being rebuffed, the two have a heartfelt reunion at the restarted tournament, which is now taking place in the San Fernando Valley. The matches are not as intricate or as potentially deadly as the ones in Barcelona. They are the standard one-on-one battles where the Iron Dragons led by Silver battle the suddenly reformed Cobra Kai led by Johnny, with Daniel's blessing. The fights are well-orchestrated and not as farfetched as Barcelona's, but then again which ones are?
Cobra Kai doesn't degenerate into an all-out brawl at its conclusion. They went to that well once or twice too often, but some of the characters go through some moving changes and Johnny's relationship with Daniel's becomes a brotherhood, with the others as part of an extended family.
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