{"id":67299,"date":"2019-05-08T10:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T10:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/25yearslatersite.com\/?p=67299"},"modified":"2023-01-23T22:38:15","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T03:38:15","slug":"cobra-kai-strikes-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvobsessive.com\/2019\/05\/08\/cobra-kai-strikes-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Cobra Kai Strikes Back"},"content":{"rendered":"
Confession time. I\u2019m not much of a fan of \u201cbinge watching\u201d, but by golly I binged Cobra Kai<\/em> season 2 in the first 24 hours after it was released. Now, granted, it\u2019s only about five hours long, and all the Cobra Kai<\/em> mania in my Facebook feed made it a moral imperative, lest I get spoiled. But also, it\u2019s just a binge-worthy show. That\u2019s both a compliment and an insult. The story pulls you in and would be described as a real \u201cpage-turner\u201d if it were a book. But it also isn\u2019t a terribly complicated plot and doesn\u2019t need a week between episodes to digest and discuss it around the water cooler.<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t a deeper message here.<\/p>\n Overall, I\u2019d say it was a good<\/em> season, but it wasn\u2019t a great<\/em> one. The writing this season was not up to the standards of season 1. For one thing, there was way too much of the \u201cwithholding information to create tension\u201d trope. Virtually every conflict this season arises out of a misunderstanding because one or both sides do not have all the information. Very frustrating. Many of the characters start fading into one-dimensionality as the main plot drives relentlessly towards the final confrontation and its tragic consequences in episode 10. The payoff is there, but a lot of steps along the way to get us there feel forced, such as the West Side Story<\/em> style pairing off of Cobra Kai versus Miyagi-Do student rivalries.<\/p>\n The timeframe of season 2 is compressed into the summer months immediately following season 1, which allows for the cast to get whittled down a bit in this season. A handful new characters are introduced to round out the rosters of the two opposing dojos, but honestly with only one exception (new Cobra Kai girl Tory), I found myself completely unable to care about any of them. And let me just say this now, \u201cStingray\u201d is the Scrappy-Doo of the series, taking the viewer right out of any scene he appears in. Ugh, please, someone punch this guy in the face!<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say that there weren\u2019t some real golden moments in this season. Johnny\u2019s opening up with Miguel regarding his failures as a parent was particularly well done. A fan wish-fulfillment shipping moment plays out nicely between Johnny and Miguel\u2019s mom, on an impromptu double date with the LaRussos. And once again, the ladies of Cobra Kai<\/em> have all the best words of wisdom, even if the gentlemen never manage to follow them. The acting from both the older and younger generations was top notch, the fight scenes were much better choreographed, and the use of flashback scenes remains masterful, expanding out to include the sequels in the Karate Kid<\/em> movie franchise.<\/p>\n And of course, there is that final fight scene. Cobra Kai<\/em> has never been all that firmly anchored in reality (just consider the junkyard scene from season 1), but this time they really outdid themselves. A 9-minute long battle that stretches from one end of the school to another—probably one of the most epic karate battles ever filmed for a Western production. It\u2019s hard to see how they can continue to heighten things in the now-confirmed third season<\/a>.<\/p>\nA Quick Recap of Season 2<\/h2>\n