TV Series Cobra Kai

MarkOU said:
First two episodes in, this show is great!

Anyone else check it out yet?
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Oh most certainly. I was raving about this from the start in SH.

Heard enough good buzz on it when it first came out to overcome the dubiousness of YouTube Premium. That and they offer me 7 or 14 days free. I blazed it out in a day and a half. I thought it would be some run nostalgia and that’s it.

That they turned character types on their head and gave a more nuanced view of them totally sucked me in.

I’ll leave it at that for now. First season bangs out. Second was a little more polarizing for fans (more about the kids and next generation, but I loved it). It’s totally an amazing watch all the way through.

Im so glad Netflix picked this up. That was super smart on their part. They get a little while to push the hell out of these two seasons and get a wave of interest in the third season next year. I cannot wait for the new season.
 
Shucks, I deleted Netflix when the ped0 show PR started.
 
I dont see season 3 on mine for some reason.
 
Every out of work actor from a big 80’s movie or tv show has gotta be loving this trend and praying for their turn.
 
Swurv said:
Every out of work actor from a big 80’s movie or tv show has gotta be loving this trend and praying for their turn.
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Well all of the ones who didn’t play a part that would be a big no no nowadays. I can’t remember the movie I watched the other day but they said fag and faggot a crap ton.
 
What got me going on this was the storytelling.

Started watching the show just to have something on and the storytelling just blew me away. It set up the conflict between Daniel and Johnny so well, kept ratcheting up the tension with totally relatable misunderstandings, and proceeded inevitably to the final showdown that was so well balanced that I wasn't sure what the best outcome was or who I was rooting for. And then the ending was the perfect culmination of Johnny's story to that point. And it did such a good job of integrating, commenting on, and inverting the source material in way that really enriched the whole thing. Offhand i can't think of any shows other than some prestige cream of the crop things like the Wire that told a story that well.

The second season I think went a little more in the direction of a soapy story/teen drama but still well done and with some nice moments for characters we care about. It was fine enough but that first season was really something.
 
garvey said:
What got me going on this was the storytelling.

Started watching the show just to have something on and the storytelling just blew me away. It set up the conflict between Daniel and Johnny so well, kept ratcheting up the tension with totally relatable misunderstandings, and proceeded inevitably to the final showdown that was so well balanced that I wasn't sure what the best outcome was or who I was rooting for. And then the ending was the perfect culmination of Johnny's story to that point. And it did such a good job of integrating, commenting on, and inverting the source material in way that really enriched the whole thing. Offhand i can't think of any shows other than some prestige cream of the crop things like the Wire that told a story that well.

The second season I think went a little more in the direction of a soapy story/teen drama but still well done and with some nice moments for characters we care about. It was fine enough but that first season was really something.
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I put this on for the Mrs and I the other day (I’ve watched it before and LOVE it). Figured she would pay no attention. By the end of the first episode she grabbed the remote fast and clicked for the next.

The story telling is why. The feeling walking into this show is that this is some nostalgic cash grab. But you learn quickly that all involved with this show believe in what they are doing and are all in.

Zabka is not just the one dimensional punk kid he was in so many 80s movies. He is bringing nuance to his character you didn’t get in an 80s movie. The back stories on Johnny Lawrence color it so much more. Not just the one dimensional baddie, but there is history and nuance....and the show highlights it so well.

For Larusso there is less back story to lean since we all learned it before. All you can do is follow him now. And maybe that’s where it’s been a little flat for me. I don’t know if it’s Macchios chops or if we got backstory back in the “no nuance” 80s, but I feel more could be done here. Still....it’s not bad, just not as good as Lawrences story we finally are seeing.

The second season is just like you say. It’s all about the kids. It’s has less depth than the first season. But, you know what? I still loved it.

I think the third season needs to find some of that nuance again, while also mixing the kids in....otherwise this might start to stale out and end up like Homeland for me....an earth shattering first season that ends up proving the creators really only had a good idea for the first season.
 
The Mrs and I got through the first 5 episodes of Season 1 and we are thoroughly enjoying it so far.
 
I was a fan of the original Karate Kid movie which came out during my late teens. Had to watch Cobra Kai at least for nostalgia. I enjoyed the first season more than the second. Will be interesting to see how Season Three plays out with Okinawa. The fight scenes were overdone and not believable. Daniel is also going against almost everything Mr Miyagi believed in.
 
Orlando_Eagles said:
For Larusso there is less back story to lean since we all learned it before. All you can do is follow him now. And maybe that’s where it’s been a little flat for me. I don’t know if it’s Macchios chops or if we got backstory back in the “no nuance” 80s, but I feel more could be done here.
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Could be his hairline. I tend to focus on it a lot. It's either a toupee or transplant. Either way, it looks off.

His character isn't all that likable, but it never really was in the first place. Just a bad actor?
 
Gatorchip said:
Could be his hairline. I tend to focus on it a lot. It's either a toupee or transplant. Either way, it looks off.

His character isn't all that likable, but it never really was in the first place. Just a bad actor?
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Oh great....now I’m going to be stuck on his hairline from here forward....

I don’t think it’s really bad acting or anything. His acting is fine for the role and the show. It’s ABSOLUTELY overshadowed by Zabka in season one, but then, Johnny Lawrence’s story has much more meat on the bone.

One thing I just realized though....Miyagi owned all the scenes in the movies. Larusso was just kind of there with it. Now he’s on his own so to speak and the “Miyagi lessons” scenes lack for the same power and depth. I think they know that...and the little asides (like “I always love this part”) help cover for it well.

And that’s just the thing....I don’t think this was meant to be prestige in any way. It was meant to be a cute run through nostalgia and a grasp at the teen drama scene. But then they got that illumination and background from Lawrence and it just took off.

In that cutesy little show Macchio is fine. In this show....he stands out badly.
 
So I went and re-watched Season 2 this week. Better than I feel watching it the first time last year. This put me into a rabbit hole on knowns and theories for season 3 (including a Netflix trailer that spends over 2 minutes hyping the first 2 seasons now on Netflix, and about 20 seconds of a season 3 teaser. I’ll go under spoiler now....

So we know Daniel goes to Okinawa in season 3. How that sits with Mrs Larusso can’t be good. I’m sure we will see Chozen again (likely was him in the quick teaser) and maybe Kimiko.

Apparently Miyagi kept some secrets from Daniel? Intriguing...but I’m going to call it a red herring at this point.

There is question as to if Johnny goes with Daniel to Okinawa. A lot of theory there, but I’m not sure I see it. Would he try to stay as close as he can to Miguel? What about Robby? Robby kind of has no where else to turn. Maybe Robby slips out to Okinawa with Daniel?

And the theory with the most smoke....Ali with an i is coming this season. It’s interesting that they’ve hinted at her so much. Even that she is a pediatric surgeon. How likely is it that her specialty is just what Miguel needs?

Also a theory that Miguels father (who Carmen called a very bad man) is Terry Silver.

So.....recency bias and all....I wish they were rolling out season 3 very soon. But still saying 2021
 
The dream sequence that was a White Snake music video spoof was absolute gold.
 
Not going to lie, the KK films and TMNT got me into martial arts as a kid. My mother kept seeing me kicking around the yard and eventually started me at the local Tae Kwon Do studio when I was 8. Stuck with it for about 15 years, helping to teach children's classes myself, along with branching out to other styles.

Just started watching this series and it's bringing back a lot of nostalgia. Well conceived storylines thus far through episode 4 and interested in seeing it through.
 
Just finished season 2, and yes, some things with the kids became a little overdone, I was still interested in their storylines.

However, the character arc of Johnny has been great to see. Obviously with a title of Cobra Kai, the original films were about Daniel's story, but this series really flips the script and shows Johnny as the focal point. He is still an "Al Bundy" reminiscing of the old days, but through these two seasons, his character has some depth that many of us can relate.

I had to delete some other comments, as I don't want to dive too deeply into the storylines for those that haven't seen it, even though spoiler tags could be been used.

I'm anxious to see season 3. If you enjoyed the original films, or at least the original, you'd love this series thus far. While it may have touched a little on the 3rd film during the series, it wasn't a major contributer. Granted, if you're reading this thread, you likely would have already seen all of the original movies multiple times, so this series is certainly up your "Ali".I

I'm glad Netflix picked this up and congratulations to the original creators.
 
Cobrabit said:
Just finished season 2, and yes, some things with the kids became a little overdone, I was still interested in their storylines.

However, the character arc of Johnny has been great to see. Obviously with a title of Cobra Kai, the original films were about Daniel's story, but this series really flips the script and shows Johnny as the focal point. He is still an "Al Bundy" reminiscing of the old days, but through these two seasons, his character has some depth that many of us can relate.

I had to delete some other comments, as I don't want to dive too deeply into the storylines for those that haven't seen it, even though spoiler tags could be been used.

I'm anxious to see season 3. If you enjoyed the original films, or at least the original, you'd love this series thus far. While it may have touched a little on the 3rd film during the series, it wasn't a major contributer. Granted, if you're reading this thread, you likely would have already seen all of the original movies multiple times, so this series is certainly up your "Ali".I

I'm glad Netflix picked this up and congratulations to the original creators.
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Fuck it....spoiler tag the thoughts. I would be interested.

I notice you were through the 4th episode Monday and cranked out 16 episodes in three days. Lol.

That’s how surprisingly good this show is.
 
I heard so much about this show. Finally, gave it a try and ended up going thru both seasons in just over 2 days. That’s unheard of TV binging for me. I loved it! Zabka is absolutely fantastic. The character is hysterical, very much in an Al Bundy way as someone mentioned.

January 8 can’t get here soon enough.
 
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