In short Cobra Kai is the story we deserved but didn't get since the big Hollywood honchos were more concerned with cashing in on the martial arts hype. Don't get me wrong I love the original Karate Kid. But it always bothered me that the characters weren't fleshed out as much as they should have been. Especially Johnny Lawrence played by William Zabka was done a major disservice.
But Zabka has been given the chance to show what he and his character are made of. And it's glorious. First of all. He has aged well. He looks good, real good. That and he still can pull of some nice moves. But we knew he had that down to a tee. His biggest strength is his acting. He plays a character that is more than just a bad guy. There are layers to him we have never seen before and it makes us understand where he is coming from. Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso also makes quite the impact where at times he acts more like the villain than the good guy he used to be. I know that there is a theory where it's stated that Daniel is the real bully and they kind of played around with this notion. However they have done much more with his character. There are quite a few moments where both Daniel and Johnny look back and reminisce about their past. It's done with the utmost respect of the original material but also have managed to add more weight and depth to those moments. Apart from some soapy melodrama the writing is excellent. Almost every character you get introduced to go through some character development. In some cases real surprising ones. And best of all these developments matter. They aren't just filler. They have significance to the main plot. Cobra Kai also is a right mixture of drama and comedy. One minute you get confronted with superb drama. The next you are laughing real hard about the wacky interactions Johnny has with others. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what direction it would go. I had my expectations and suspicions. But I can promise you that you won't be able to guess.
That makes me happy and sad at the same time since obviously they are planning to do more seasons. I am not entirely sure if they truly have enough story to make that as gripping and compelling as this first season was. But if they continue the route they have taken then I am really looking forward to season 2. In case you were wondering. Cobra Kai is superior to all the previous Karate Kid films including the reboot. Not only is the story telling better. The martial arts choreography is superb. BTW very binge-watch worthy. Not like you have a choice. Once you have seen the first episode you want to watch the rest.
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