Cobra Kai

Sithis said:
Check out Burn Notice sometime, it went 7 seasons and tbh they just kept getting better as they went on.

The key to a truly good show imo, is to know where you want to take it and know when it's time to bow out. The Sopranos did it too although the final season did drag on a bit. Good shows have an idea of where they want to go and this helps them to tell the story in a way that has impact. Cobra Kai doing this honestly could have been driven by the writer strike and passage of time more than artistic vision, but the result seems to be the same, they are closing out on a high note when it makes sense to do so.
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I love Burn notice, but I can't honestly defend the last few seasons being better or even as good as the prior seasons as it was clear they were running on steam at that point.
 
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KoldHardTruth said:
The fact that the final season will be split into three parts only adds to the anticipation. Not sure whether or not to watch it in small parts or wait until the entire season is released so I can binge it in an entire weekend.
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Netflix has caught on to my buying a one month subscription purely to binge either Cobra Kai or Arcane and then cancelling it immediately after until the next season comes out.
 
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The new trailer definitely has me even more excited, Kreese is a more fitting Big Bad than Silver and it'll be cool seeing him in his element. I am hoping Miguel will keep his main character energy and win the sekai tekai since he has been the most tolerable non-OG character imo, but I'm sure they'll have another huge Robby v. Miguel fight and Tory will square off with Sam. Wondering if they will have the plot twist traitor be Tory or Robby, probably Tory since she is much closer to Kreese and never liked Silver.
 
Mnutu said:
More Johnny and Daniel arguing, I’m not looking forward to that. I sense a big break again, cause little kid is in the trailer, but fighting Robby and Miguel later. Still excited.
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I'm fine with more Johnny and Daniel arguing as long as it doesn't last for several episodes. I have a feeling that their argument is what ultimately is going to lead to the new Miyagi-Do symbol.

I have a feeling that these first five episodes are going to show a lot of resolutions to the character conflicts, like Johnny and Daniel, as well as Tory and Sam.

Also, Mike Barnes was in this trailer-- looks like he trains the kids a bit too. I'm pretty excited for Mike and Johnny to go back and forth because their few interactions in Season 5 were gold. lol.
 
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Anyone watch the new episodes yet?

I had some time to watch the first episode today.

I was right about Daniel and Johnny resolving their conflicts within the first episode, leading to the dojo becoming Miyagi-Do, with the new symbol. So, if you were concerned we'd get episodes of them fighting again, you can rest easy! This episode was basically an epilogue to Season 5 in many ways. Good stuff.
 
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Well I have now watched all five new episodes (afternoon off and too tired to do anything useful).

Lets be honest, this is a soap opera for boys. And I hate to use the gender stereotype because I know there are lots of women who like it too and dudes who don't like it, but saying it conveys my meaning even if it's an inaccurate statement. It's just drama and betrayals and misunderstandings with roundhouse kicks. And though it's a little campy in places the good stuff is so good it makes you okay with a little silliness and willing to not think too carefully about every detail. I don't consider it a spoiler to say we get a little more Barnes. I mean, he's in the trailer and he didn't die at the end of S5 or anything so we know he's still around.

I was also getting a little tired of Danny putting Mr. Myagi on a pedestal (even if Mr. Myagi made Danial stand on one) so a little more Feet of Clay on that subject is welcome. Danny's wife continues to be ridiculously too hot for him and frankly anybody.

Okay, that's all I can be bothered pulling out as non-spoiler. Full thoughts on part one of the new season below:

So the writers are plainly aware of the risks of too much forced drama and are working hard if subtely to keep friction between characters without it seeming forced. And on the whole, I'd say they do a pretty respectable job of it. Yes, there are moments where it's stretched to its limits with Johnny standing on the desk in the Danny's car dealership but I can actually see Danny sneaking off to do give a Karate lesson in his own style to particular students behind Johnny's back, he has precedent. Danny is a case study in how people who believe they are in the right do bad things.

Special highlights? Johnny vs. Barnes. Not actually the outcome I expected though I wasn't quite sure how it would play out. I like how Barnes is just that much of an asshole in their confrontation and how Johnny can handle that. Fun stuff. I like that Johnny and Chozen actually quite naturally get along, casually mooching the Larusso's food together. Chozen is a fun character.

The frat house fight was great. Just out and out fun and I kind of like seeing Kyler get a kind-of redemption. He was a jerk but he seems to have matured. The slumber party was uncomfortable in so many ways I wouldn't know where to begin.

However, I am 100% with Johnny on not stopping the fight between Sam and Tory. Everybody thinks they're helping but Johnny is the only one who understands how to.

The Kreese in Japan arc (or is he in Vietnam?) is over the top but I just roll with it because everybody is clearly having such a good time with it. Hallucinogenic vision quests and
fighting an albino cobra in a cave - sure, why not? I really like the undisciplined Cobra Kai student as well. He promises to be a lot of fun.

Highlight is the wrong word because I feel really bad for her but Tory's mother's death and the fallout was moving and her fight with Sam to decide the captaincy was really frenetic, really well shot. Peyton List (sp?) really looked like she was on edge during that fight. Was really engaging. Danny stopping it ironcially denied his own daughter what she wanted as well as Tory, because Sam said she was fighting just for the closure of needing to see who would win.

Devon I have mixed feelings with. She is both very relatable and sadly unlikeable. Except I really do like her but she went way too far so I don't. I was a little surprised not to see the kid she sabotaged, Payne, show up with Kreese but I guess he'll be back somehow.

All in all, good fun and looking forward to more.

EDIT: Also, anybody who thinks it's implausible for Kreese, a wanted man, to wander around the USA unfazed and unarrested clearly hasn't been paying attention to US border control and policing over the last decade.
 
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Overly Serious said:
Lets be honest, this is a soap opera for boys. And I hate to use the gender stereotype because I know there are lots of women who like it too and dudes who don't like it, but saying it conveys my meaning even if it's an inaccurate statement. It's just drama and betrayals and misunderstandings with roundhouse kicks. And though it's a little campy in places the good stuff is so good it makes you okay with a little silliness and willing to not think too carefully about every detail. I don't consider it a spoiler to say we get a little more Barnes. I mean, he's in the trailer and he didn't die at the end of S5 or anything so we know he's still around.
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I won't say it feels boring, but there are genuinely times where I nearly felt like skipping. Mainly the teen-drama/Telenovela tier shit.

The moments that are great are really great tho (Tory's mother's death, Kreese's Cave training, etc.). The good really outweighs the boring.
Overly Serious said:
I was also getting a little tired of Danny putting Mr. Myagi on a pedestal (even if Mr. Myagi made Danial stand on one) so a little more Feet of Clay on that subject is welcome.
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It's legitimately annoying at times. This was an issue in the seasons before too, but its way worse this season. Never have I seen a character go from main character to becoming the epitome of main character syndrome.
Overly Serious said:
Danny's wife continues to be ridiculously too hot for him and frankly anybody.
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The MegaloMILF truly continues to be the sleeper best girl of the series, followed by Miguel's mother.
Overly Serious said:
So the writers are plainly aware of the risks of too much forced drama and are working hard if subtely to keep friction between characters without it seeming forced. And on the whole, I'd say they do a pretty respectable job of it. Yes, there are moments where it's stretched to its limits with Johnny standing on the desk in the Danny's car dealership but I can actually see Danny sneaking off to do give a Karate lesson in his own style to particular students behind Johnny's back, he has precedent.
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It's a good thing they didn't maintain the status quo & actually showed friendships blossoming. It would've been worse if we still treaded on the frenemy status of almost every character even in the very last season. Hell, it already feels like that but they're writing it well enough that it never feels like, cause every character (except Danny) feel like they have a reason behind their attitudes.
Overly Serious said:
Danny is a case study in how people who believe they are in the right do bad things.
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He might unironically be the villain this season (for now) in a way. This season almost feels like a setting in stone moment about Johnny being the hero of this show, by setting Danny to be zealoted to Miyagi, Karate & the borderline Boogeyman of Cobra Kai to the point of obsession & ignorance to the consequences of it all.

They're setting the Miyagi mystery sub-plot for Danny's character enhancement against his retardations in the future, but for now Danny might be one of the most unlikeable characters in the series.
Overly Serious said:
Danny stopping it ironcially denied his own daughter what she wanted as well as Tory, because Sam said she was fighting just for the closure of needing to see who would win.
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What gets even worse is that he doesn't even bother understanding it from someone who also went through it & used it as a coping mechanism, just because how clouded he is to prove Johnny wrong. Kreese doesn't even need to do anything himself, Danny's faggotry might actually do Kreese's job.
Overly Serious said:
Devon I have mixed feelings with. She is both very relatable and sadly unlikeable. Except I really do like her but she went way too far so I don't. I was a little surprised not to see the kid she sabotaged, Payne, show up with Kreese but I guess he'll be back somehow.
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Feels like a karmic thing in a way. Kenny going from nerdy to full-nigger has now resulted in the karmic toll being paid which makes Devon absolutely based (which she always was).... But seriously, he still hasn't gotten over his agression (that's his entire arc this season) & hurt LaRusso, then mocked him. If you think about it, Kreese could've used him against Miyagi-do later too. Devon's insecurity might have indirectly resulted in a greater good.

I'm surprised there's nothing like that for Demitri being a helicopter homie to Hawk.
 
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@Xenomorphs Are Cute .
To the below:
Xenomorphs Are Cute said:
What gets even worse is that he doesn't even bother understanding it from someone who also went through it & used it as a coping mechanism, just because how clouded he is to prove Johnny wrong. Kreese doesn't even need to do anything himself, Danny's faggotry might actually do Kreese's job.
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Yes. The thing is it's easier to be a nice person when you're on top. Which is all the more reason it's a shame when someone isn't but that's besides my point which is that Danny can afford to be the bigger man a lot of the time. He's so convinced he's right and his way is right, that wrongs like going behind Johnny's back in training are right to him because he's 'undoing the wrong lessons from Johnny' and 'protecting those kids'. And that's partly why Mr. Miyagi has to be so perfect to him because if Mr. Miyagi is perfect then everything he does is justified because he is following Mr. Miyagi's teachings. He thinks.

Separate to all that, I like that Mrs. Larusso is starting to get quite engaged in the karate itself, whilst remaining one of the more sympathetic characters. In episode 5 you can see her getting quite excited during the fights.
 
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I haven't watched the new drop yet but have checked out enough youtube clips to spoil some of the apparently bigger moments for myself:

1.
Sithis said:
Wondering if they will have the plot twist traitor be Tory or Robby, probably Tory since she is much closer to Kreese and never liked Silver.
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So it was Tory (so far), figures. Hopefully Robby gets over his lovesick bullshit and doesn't fail the team.

2. The new bad kid seems interesting, we'll see how his dynamic with Kreese goes but I like how he carries the role so far and he definitely seems like he'd beat Robby and Miguel easily as things are.

3. I'm wondering if they'll set Tory up for a redemption arc, something like Kwon snaps Robby's arm like a twig and Tory finally ditches Cobra Kai or something, idk.
 
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Just finished the five episodes. Holy shit.

Initial reaction: Tory continues to be the best girl character on the show, and one of my overall favorite characters of the show period. Her character arc is great. Forgive me for not knowing the actors' names at the top of my head, but the actress who plays Tory basically showcased that she's probably the strongest actress out of the already strong young cast. Holy shit, she was great in Episode 5.

If you told me before I saw the episodes that Tory was going to go back to Cobra Kai, I would have been disappointed because I would have assumed that all of her character development had regressed. That's not the case at all. You can 100% understand why Tory switched sides again, and empathize with her. Really good writing if you ask me!

I actually like the twist involving Mr. Miyagi and how's it's affecting Daniel

Daniel has been what many would call "maudlin" in regards to Miyagi, to the point where Daniel has most definitely had main character syndrome throughout the show. Because he was a student of Miyagi's, who was perceived to be a perfect human being, Daniel has had a continuously stubborn air of moral superiority throughout the show.

The surprise with Miyagi not being this perfect saint that Daniel was so sure that he was has definitely challenged him in a way that I think the character needs to be challenged.

I'm excited to see where everything is going. While I am a-okay with the "teen drama" stuff because I care about these characters so much, the strongest parts of these 5 episodes were the moments involving the World Tournament. Lots of really exciting stuff there.
 
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Human Waiter said:
I was laughing when Kreese got sent to the cave from Dagobah.
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It was very "martial arts movie" of them to add that scene lol.

In many ways, this series has turned into a sports anime, with the interpersonal drama and all.

Like, come on, Daniel and Johnny's rivalry is straight out of an anime.

EDIT: Speaking of anime, I think I just realized why I love Tory so much ... She's basically the Vegeta of the show, lol. Her arc has been my favorite of all the young cast. And right now, she appears to be in her "Majin Vegeta" arc.
 
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Pros:

The younger cast seems to have gotten much better at acting.

Cons:

They are still introducing major plot developments and then resolving them in 5 minutes just as they have done for every single season since 3. In fact it's literally 5 minutes at this point.

Gay interpersonal drama that really serves no purpose except padding out the runtime and has no real consequences because, as explained above, everything gets resolved in about 5 minutes or less anyway.

Fight scenes are somehow worse than ever except when Miguel and Robby are fighting because they actually know how to do stunt work. They absolutely need to stop forcing the older cast to do fight scenes, it's just painful to watch at this point.

Tory predictably goes to Cobra Kai again and I expect Kenny will too in order to resolve the "Devon cheated by slipping Mitch's laxatives into Kenny's water" plot point, I am assuming in the lamest and most unexciting way possible.

Also how the fuck is Kreese not dead, I know that characters in this show have survived ridiculous levels of harm before but dude literally got bit by a fucking cobra and just walked it off after a few minutes of hallucinating.
 
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