‘Cobra Kai’ strikes perfect balance between nostalgia, entertainment | Arts & Entertainment

I can remember the first time I watched “The Karate Kid” (1984). It was a gloomy day, mid-2021 pandemic and my family joined a couple of other families in our social pod to go to the theater and watch the first film. While it wasn’t one hundred percent my cup of tea, I could see the appeal and it gave me a good basis for understanding the nostalgia behind the reboot, “Cobra Kai.”

Netflix as a whole has had a reputation for canceling many original series or short-changing the ending. When I heard that “Cobra Kai” was finishing up this year, I was more than skeptical coming off of the heels of “The Umbrella Academy” ending. That being said, I am happy to report that I was not disappointed. 

First released in 2018 on the streaming platform Youtube Premium, the show was acquired by Netflix in 2020. The series follows Johnny Lawrence, the first film’s antagonist, thirty-three years after his defeat at the All-Valley Tournament. Lawrence restarts his old dojo in an effort to relive the glory days of his youth and ends up rekindling his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso in the process.

Throughout the years, the show has had its ups and downs. Often it has struggled, like Lawrence, to find balance, some seasons leaning more toward the nostalgic fantasy of the original films and some seasons overcomplicating the plot of the current timeline. This final season strikes the perfect balance of successfully raising the stakes for the characters in the story and creating a finale that honors the legacy characters where the franchise all began.

Probably one of the strongest points of the series is both the fight choreography and the music, often at the same time. The music team does an amazing job of making you understand the intensity of the fight with the exhilarating score behind each and every hit. On the flip side of the musical talents, it wouldn’t be a “Cobra Kai” season if there wasn’t a classic ‘80s training montage. This season uses the song, “You’re the Best,” from the original film, which really brings home the idea that this is a sequel to the franchise. It would have been all too easy to make it just about the next generation, but in that song choice, the writers cemented the point that this is first and foremost, Lawrence’s story. 

Now to the fighting side of things! The fights in this show are brutal, to say the least. They don’t stray into R-rated territory but don’t shy away from the fact that martial arts can cause people to get hurt, both emotionally and physically. I have two favorite fights this season, and I won’t spoil the circumstances, but one comes from Lawrence and the other from Miguel. Lawrence’s fight has an excellent callback to the first film and he wins his fight by “sweeping the leg” so to speak. Miguel’s fight is more symbolic, a culmination of all the skills he has learned from both Lawrence and LaRusso, intercut with shots of him fighting throughout the seasons.

Needless to say, I am bummed that this show has ended, but I think going on any further would have risked overstaying their welcome. Definitely check it out if you are a fan of the “Karate Kid” franchise, or just looking for some good songs to add to your playlist!

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of The Torch.