TV Review - Cobra Kai: Season 2

When this series premiered in May 2018, the first episode was available for free on YouTube. The rest of the episodes in the first season were behind a pay wall. YouTube Premium is the subscription service that you needed to pay. I didn't. After the second season premiered earlier this year, I overlooked it. Yet, both seasons were put on DVD. I was able to rent those DVDs and binge-watch both seasons. I remember enjoying the first episode, but, having seen both seasons, I'm convinced that this show is one of the best comedies on the air right now.

One could say this series is apart of a trend that adapts popular films into television programs. The one that people have been talking the most has been HBO's Watchmen. A lot of the recent adaptations have been remakes or reboots of their titular films. One example from a while ago is Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (1997). More recent examples include Bates Motel (2013), Fargo (2014) and Westworld (2016). However, there are some adaptations that aren't remakes but actual sequels or continuations of what their titular films started. Those include Stargate SG-1 (1997), Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015) and the aforementioned Watchmen (2019).

That's what this series does. It isn't a remake but an actual sequel or continuation of its associated film, that film being The Karate Kid (1984). That film was in the top five of highest-grossing movies in the year of its release. It got nominated for an Academy Award. It spawned three sequels and a cartoon series. A theatrical remake was done in 2010, which was produced by Will Smith. It's Smith's company that is producing this series. Instead of picking up with the characters from the 2010 flick, this series goes back to the 1984 original and imagines what its two main characters are doing now 30 years later.

William Zabka reprises his role of Johnny Lawrence. What's interesting is that in 1984, Johnny wasn't the hero. He was ostensibly the bad guy, the bully. Most movies that follow a well-known property would normally focus on that property's original hero, not the villain. This one does the opposite. It's akin to Maleficent (2014), which follows the villain from Sleeping Beauty (1959). It could also be akin to Suicide Squad (2016), which follows the villains from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), but Johnny isn't as cartoon-ish. His story is treated with more pathos and nuance. Johnny is simply a deadbeat dad living in a crappy apartment in Reseda, Los Angeles.

Ralph Macchio reprises his role of Daniel LaRusso or Danny. Back in 1984, he was the teenage child of a single mom from New Jersey. He moved to Los Angeles and got bullied by Johnny. In fact, Johnny beat him up. Danny was rescued when an old Japanese man named Mr. Miyagi used karate on the bullies. Danny went on to learn karate for himself from Mr. Miyagi as his "sensei" or teacher. There was a karate tournament where Danny had to fight Johnny. Danny won. Now, 30 years later, Danny is married with two teenage kids of his own. He also owns a car dealership, which he runs with his wife.

Xolo Maridueña (Parenthood) co-stars as Miguel Diaz, a high school student who gets bullied as well. It's funny because Miguel is set up as the "Daniel LaRusso" for the Millennial generation. Miguel also has a single mom and struggles to fit in. One would assume that he would also get a sensei to teach him in the ways of karate to help boost his confidence and self-esteem. One would also assume that sensei would be Daniel LaRusso or Danny himself. Miguel does get a sensei, but, in a twist, that sensei isn't Danny. It's Johnny.

Back in 1984, Johnny was part of a dojo, which is the Japanese word for the gym or training space where people learn martial arts. Johnny's dojo was called "Cobra Kai" and the man who ran it did so as a breeding ground for what now would be considered toxic masculinity. It was basically a breeding ground for bullies, alpha males who took out their aggression on the weak in order to make themselves feel strong. Cobra Kai was shut down because it was a bully factory. However, Johnny wants to reopen it. The question is if he's going to continue to crank out bullies or go a better way.

Tanner Buchanan (Designated Survivor and The Fosters) also co-stars as Robby Keene, the estranged son of Johnny. Not only does Robby not see his father, but his mother is always gone with some man. Robby passes the time by committing petty crimes. He gets jealous when he sees his father and Miguel spending time together and bonding. He decides to go work for Danny at his car dealership.

When Danny sees that Cobra Kai has been reopened, he counteracts by starting his own dojo in honor of Mr. Miyagi. Robby becomes his first student. The rest of the series becomes a competition between Johnny's dojo and Danny's dojo to see which one will be the most successful. The series also becomes a tug-of-war between these two men and their families, especially when Danny's daughter, Samantha LaRusso, played by Mary Mouser (Body of Proof and NCIS), is added to the mix. Samantha or Sam studied karate with her dad, but got away from it when she got older. She also got away from her childhood friends. She decides to try to go back to her roots, but she ends up getting caught in the middle, as she develops feelings for both Miguel and Robby.

Most of the episodes feature a fight scene of some kind. Each of which is well choreographed, culminating in a really significant fight at the end of the series. It's interesting to see the fighters, especially the young ones build off what we see them learn in each episode. It's a struggle between the teens over what karate means and how a grudge from 30 years ago can have repercussions on the younger generation. It's all very well written from creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald. It's also perfectly acted, especially from Zabka, as he feels like a man out of time who seems disillusioned by how things have changed.

I would love for Zabka to get an Emmy nomination for his work here. So far, the series has only been recognized in the category of Outstanding Stunt Coordination. However, to me, this is one of the best comedies on television or on a streaming platform that I've seen all year.

Rated TV-14
Running Time: 30 mins. / 10 eps.

Available on DVD and VOD, via YouTube Premium.