Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for Season 3 of “Cobra Kai.”
“Cobra Kai” (2018–), the YouTube-Red-turned-Netflix sequel series to the 1984 classic martial arts teen drama “The Karate Kid,” is far better than it has any right to be.
Presided over by the dueling performances of William Zabka and Ralph Macchio, both returning to their respective roles as martial artists Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso, the series hails the return of the rivalry between the Cobra Kai dojo and LaRusso, trained in the original film by the legendary Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita). In addition to the franchise veterans, the show introduces a bevy of supporting students for the two teachers like Johnny’s neighbor and first student, Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), Johnny’s son, Robby (Tanner Buchanan), Daniel’s daughter, Samantha (Mary Mouser), and Miguel’s friend, Hawk (Jacob Bertrand). The performances from the younger actors range from passable to excellent, but they all do a more than serviceable job delivering the zippy one-liners and quick quips that permeate the series’ dialogue. At its core, “Cobra Kai” is still a semi-soap opera that walks, talks and acts just like an '80s movie, for better or worse.
Taking place in what can only be described as a parallel universe with considerably weaker assault and battery laws, the first two seasons saw fights erupt between the warring dojos in the streets, at parties and finally culminating in an all-out martial arts war in the local high school, which saw heavy physical and mental casualties on both sides. The ending felt as though the world had shattered and left the viewers with the question, “Where do you go for a third season?” The answer is, "two steps forward and one step back."
The third season begins with the two karate masters striking an uneasy alliance to defeat Johnny’s hyper-aggressive ex-sensei and the man who stole Cobra Kai from him, Kreese. From there, the season plays out from the first days of school to winter break, which sees the formation of a third dojo, a plot to end the annual All-Valley Karate tournament, a trip to Japan and various other side adventures and detours as the cast moves through the half year.
The size of the cast does seemingly become unwieldy in this third season, and, contrary to previous seasons, relationships being the driving force behind every action gives way to a plot-centric approach. This isn’t inherently a poor choice, as it allows for strong moments like Daniel reading some of Mr. Miyagi’s lost letters. However, it also allows for weaker plots like Robby being bullied in juvenile detention. The isolated storytelling hits more often than it misses, but it pales in comparison to the story flow of previous seasons, which felt effortless. It also feels as though the writers had run out of ideas for what to do with certain characters, as Daniel’s many detours occasionally feel contrived. His arc this season is almost non-existent and the solution was to send him on various side activities that can hopefully be paid off in a more impactful way in future seasons.
The plot-centric approach also frames the show in a far more binary, “good versus bad” light. Previous seasons celebrated both sides as having valid points and heralded the rare message that there are two sides to every story and that they’re both worth hearing. In Season 3, though, attempts to give someone like Kreese more depth and draw sympathy falls flat when he regularly performs morally repugnant acts. On the other hand, a few allegiance switches occur after only a cursory line or two. In short, the consistency of character development feels weaker compared to the two previous seasons.
These are not cataclysmic issues, but they do lead to several reveals in the season finale that don’t feel as impactful as they ought to and could have been saved by better setup.
The third season of “Cobra Kai” feels like a very entertaining filler arc. The characters are either a blast to root for or fun to hate, the fights remain a strong suit (occasional choreography hiccups notwithstanding) and the ascendant, '80s-inspired soundtrack continues to slap like there’s no tomorrow. Be that as it may, this season reveals a few cracks in the wall and one can only hope that the payoff is worth the setup.
