Cobra Kai has been one of those rare legacy mediums that has managed to build on what the original did without compromising the integrity or shamelessly patronizing the fans. It’s actually built a new fan base of younger viewers and even those who may not have watched the original as it seemed almost over and done with a good 35 years ago.
That being said, with the sixth season also being the final one, Cobra Kai is running into the same problems other shows have done. The latest five episodes recently dropped on Netflix and altogether total about 200 minutes with credits and all. Take out the credits and recap intros and you have about 150-160 minutes of actual storyline. And it’s still about an hour too long.
As we left off last time, the Miyagi-Do team led by Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) have arrived at the Sekai Taikai in Barcelona. They discover John Kreese (Martin Kove) is there with a new Cobra Kai team that includes Tory Nichols (Peyton List). The entire five episodes take place at the Sekai and still feels sluggish.
It almost feels like the writers couldn’t come up with some good subplots and filled the episodes with fluff that never seems to make sense and feels cliched. There’s a subplot about Johnny’s girlfriend, Carmen Diaz (Vanessa Rubio) having a health issue as she’s pregnant so Johnny and Carmen’s son, Miquel (Xolo Mariduena), book the first flight from Barcelona to L.A. They also deal with an unruly passenger on the plane.
And then when they get to the hospital, they find out everything is fine and Carmen wants them to go back to Spain. It’s basically nothing to remind the audience that Carmen is still in the series. Daniel’s wife, Amanda (Courtney Henggeler) also gets a better subplot story as she has to convince Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young) to drop everything and go to Spain. Kenny is upset because he has accused Anthony LaRusso (Griffin Santopietro) of spiking his drink with laxatives during the tryouts.
Remember the series was developed by John Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who famously created the Harold and Kumar movies, in which sisters play “Battle Shits” in a public toilet and also has Danny Trejo ejaculating in 3-D. Mainly I feel it was done to remind audiences that Anthony is in the series because for a while, his character seemed to function as a background extra and was absent from many episodes.
And that’s the issue I have with this season – there’s so many characters to follow it feels more like a soap opera with martial arts where many supporting characters pop up in a short scene here and there and say something as we discover in subsequent episodes what they’re talking about. After building up Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumuto) as a reformed character who has been trying to rebuild his family’s honor after the events of the second Karate Kid movie to a borderline Japanese stereotype.
I also felt a little disappointed with how they initially handled Daniel thinking that Mr. Miyagi fought in the Sekai Taikai with another subplot that just seems like it’s in a different series. After six seasons, it feels like the characters would’ve already gotten past certain things that would’ve been settled in the second season. It does feel that Johnny is finally growing up as he prepares to become a father to a new child.
I’ve heard the sixth season was delayed by the 2023 strikes involving the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. There is a feeling somewhat that something different was intended. I liked that the production has branched out and included Spain, but the interior shots obviously look like they were done on a set and not well.
And that’s the problem. I could get over how the San Fernando Valley looked a lot like the Atlanta suburbs as the series was mostly filmed in Georgia to obtain tax credits. However, there is almost a certain low-budget 1990s/2000s quality to the Sekai Taikai as scenes seem to take place in a dimly lit arena as well as the foyer and dinner lounges of hotels. John Cassavettes may have directed movies in the hallways of his own house, but this looks like they filmed a lot in the hotels where the cast and crew were staying.
I still feel this all will lead to a better set of final episodes when they are set to be released during the winter of 2025. The problem sometimes with telling a story like this is the middle part is always the trickiest. A story can have a wonderful beginning and a wonderful ending. And sometimes that ending comes after a sluggish story arc.
By now, if you’re a fan, you’ll still watch it. And if you’re watch shows like this one after the other, you’ll probably do so. But you’ll probably be wondering like I did where is it all going and why can’t they get there faster.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 