REVIEW: Cobra Kai Wraps Up With A (Literal) Bang

Whoever tells you that Cobra Kai, a Karate Kid sequel TV show that initially premiered as the flagship show for the now-defunct YouTube Red, will last six seasons is probably full of bs. Nevertheless, here we are, half a decade later and we finally arrived at the end of the road after many combats, lots of teen on and off, cyclical melodrama and a lot of kicks and punches in and out of the arena. And while we had our ups and downs, I have to say I am ultimately very satisfied with where we end.

As I just mentioned, the film has had this cyclical nature in which, narratively speaking, the whole story seems to always find its way back to square one. We got characters oscillating between hating each other and making amends, rise and repeat. We got Cobra Kai at its peak, then crashing down, then finding new life and then falling into some form of obscurity. I’ve seen and heard people, both fans and not, who have been complaining about it. Me personally? I haven’t had that much of a problem, mostly because I just gave up. It’s the classic case of resist or give up. But even so, I have to admit a few times too many it got tiresome. Not to the point, again, that it detracted from my enjoyment of the show as to the final episode; this was one of those rare cases where I would binge the whole show in one sit. It’s a glorious soap opera with a lot of cool fights, with definitely the peak being the high school. I mean, has any episode, finale or anything about this show beaten (no pun intended) that sequence? It was tense; everyone got their chance to shine. I believe they pulled some one tracking shot (?) that put you as an audience right there in the moment. In the following seasons, we got a few suspenseful and cool moments that could be labeled as dark, particularly this season, with even someone losing their life. It was unexpected but very welcome, but I don’t think anything will beat that High School Showdown.

Cobra Kai Spoilers Ahead…

But that’s all to say that I really like the whole show wrapped up in this satisfying note as everything came full circle. Daniel played a major role in the show, but we start with John and Miguel and I loved at the end they were the ones fighting for supremacy and honoring Cobra Kai. There was a moment where it seemed maybe Daniel would step in, but I am glad they didn’t and Cobra Kai was the one who took the big prize, and our two “real” protagonists were the ones to achieve this. The editing was also good enough for us to believe that these men, very well into an old age, got to kick some prominently younger and stronger folks. It was much more believable than anything in Iron Fist—though that’s also a way too low of a bar. But yeah, I loved the stakes, the suspense, and the choreography; it was great how it wrapped up those story arcs in a great way, all while at the very last shot with Dan and John in the restaurant showing some things will never change, particularly with Lawrence, and that’s okay.

Regarding the rest of the cast, I liked how they for the most part, concluded. All in good terms. Luckily we have no more season for them to once again find some friction in their relationship and go back to square one. Eli and Dimitri made for some solid comic relief, though they could be a little cringe and annoying every now and then. The whole thing with their decisions to go to X college went on for a little too long and I honestly didn’t bother about that, nor anyone else for that matter. But it was nice. Also, the downside with all the ups and downs each season is, while again I liked how it all wrapped up, I feel there could have been a stronger emotional punch that was missed because of this decision. Also, they introduced this potential change of heart with Silver just to have him revert back to his old self in the next scene. They could have done so many great things with that, but I guess they left that redemption arc for Kreese with that wildly unexpected explosive conclusion.

Also not sure if it’s sacrilege, but I wasn’t as bothered by Miyagi’s resurrection by the power of technology. It felt kind of weird, but it was used in a way where it made sense and the fight scene was also really kickass (pun perhaps intended).

All in all, a satisfying ending to a mostly entertaining show. A show that had everything against it but rose to the occasion and by the end won the battle for our heart. I was left slightly disappointed they didn’t give us a sneak peek into the next Karate Kid movie.