Cobra Kai

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jan 03, 2022 1:34 pm

That's some pretty big ham to take on.

That guy playing Marcos still makes me fear he's going to break into a song and dance number after every line he delivers.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:48 pm

I'm fishing for a semi-spoiler here.

I never saw Karate Kid III until a few weeks before the latest season came out. Because of that, I missed several references in season 3 (I rewatched it with the kids recently and picked up on them then.)

The Cobra Kai creators consider everything with Miyagi to be canon. This includes The Next Karate Kid. I've never seen said movie. I'm halfway through the current season of Cobra Kai. Are there any references, hints, etc. pointing to The Next Karate Kid coming up?

If so, I'll hold off for a few days and we'll all watch the movie this weekend. If not, we'll continue the series tonight/tomorrow.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:53 pm

I'm pretty sure I've never seen anything but the first Karate Kid. I miss lots of stuff, but it turns out I don't care. On the one hand I kinda wanna see, but on the other hand, I am not sure I can watch 30+ year old movies. On the third hand, I kind of think I am bored of this crap. We get it, Daniel is the real asshole (not a spoiler, that goes back to season 1).

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:54 pm

I don't remember seeing anything that would reference the next karate kid.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:05 pm

At least not yet. They may be saving that for Season 5. If you think about it, everyone who has re-appeared has done so from a chronological point from the movies, with a few exceptions, and they're not just simple cameos. Well maybe aside from Ally.

I did notice they toned down the violence, or at least the big fights, which allowed to focus more on character development and readiness for the tournament.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 9:05 pm

Good enough. That means I can put off watching it until after I finish the season (or for a few months, or whatever.)

Thanky.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 9:16 pm

coopasonic wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:53 pmOn the third hand, I kind of think I am bored of this crap. We get it, Daniel is the real asshole (not a spoiler, that goes back to season 1).

I don’t think that’s the message at all. Everyone can be an asshole is what I see. Daniel, Johnny, random teenagers, etc..

My only issue is that I think they’re dragging all this out too much at this point. It’s “who’s the asshole this week” now, instead of “let’s find out why someone’s an asshole”.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:07 pm

It doesn't go back to season 1, it goes back to The Karate Kid 1.

But to Hepcat's comment - +1. There's a message that the bully wasn't all bad, that the 'hero' wasn't all good. That even applies to the villains (some of them) from earlier times. That people are human, and fallible, and that even the bad ones are redeemable. A message about differing points of view. A message about holding on to negativity, too.

But every time things start to come together, somebody does the "Humans are fallible" dance and it falls apart. It's becoming predictable. I've been seeing that in a lot of places, and I'm really hoping that the creators do, too, and advance things a little next season.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:00 am

I have a feeling season 5 will be the last. The creaters have a lot of other projects going on. But who knows maybe they will milk it until it crashes into a mountain.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:31 pm

I just hope Zabka gets a big movie deal because of his outstanding work on Cobra Kai.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:12 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:31 pm I just hope Zabka gets a big movie deal because of his outstanding work on Cobra Kai.

I made the same comment on QT3. I really hope he can launch into other work. He's easily my favorite actor on the show. Considering how popular the show is I'm sure it will help. Neal Patrick Harris was revived by the same writers in the White Castle movie so it's certainly possible.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:24 pm

Episode 9 featured a famous singer as themselves. That’s a “jump the shark” moment for me.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:54 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:24 pm Episode 9 featured a famous singer as themselves. That’s a “jump the shark” moment for me.

It wasn't a jump the shark moment for me. I just cocked my head and wondered at what drove such an odd choice. It feels like it was written in as some sort of inside joke or bet lost. On the other hand, few shows are willing to drop down a level and dedicate 5 minutes to a c-plot around a karate tournament's beleaguered President winning over the board. So weird. And yeah that is a spoiler but no one should give a damn about it.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 10:03 pm

It’s one of my pet peeves. They trot out someone tied to the people behind a show in some way, usually because they have an album or movie coming out, then everyone gets all excited they showed up. It just reeks of shitty marketing for me. Plus, it usually means I have to sit through some god awful music. This time I just fast forwarded past it all so I wouldn’t have to.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 10:40 pm

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:54 pm
hepcat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:24 pm Episode 9 featured a famous singer as themselves. That’s a “jump the shark” moment for me.
It wasn't a jump the shark moment for me. I just cocked my head and wondered at what drove such an odd choice. It feels like it was written in as some sort of inside joke or bet lost. On the other hand, few shows are willing to drop down a level and dedicate 5 minutes to a c-plot around a karate tournament's beleaguered President winning over the board. So weird. And yeah that is a spoiler but no one should give a damn about it.

There was a video I watched that said it was the same song used during tournament in the first movie, so it was likely done as a tribute. But the choice of singer does seem a little out of the left-field.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 11:04 pm

It reminded me of those times on old sitcoms or hour long dramas where they’d trot out a semi famous star of the time and everyone would sit around listening in rapt attention until they were done. I hated it to timbits back then too.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 11:38 pm

Yeah, I think it's because tonally, it doesn't really fit. And it ends up feeling like a reach in trying to hit a certain demographic. It just feels weird and out of place.

A nonny mouse · Post by **A nonny mouse** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 10:31 am

oh look, its Chris Martin from Coldplay!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d65QuMXGKck

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:34 am

Rumpy wrote: ↑Wed Jan 19, 2022 10:40 pm
malchior wrote: ↑Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:54 pm
hepcat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:24 pm Episode 9 featured a famous singer as themselves. That’s a “jump the shark” moment for me.
It wasn't a jump the shark moment for me. I just cocked my head and wondered at what drove such an odd choice. It feels like it was written in as some sort of inside joke or bet lost. On the other hand, few shows are willing to drop down a level and dedicate 5 minutes to a c-plot around a karate tournament's beleaguered President winning over the board. So weird. And yeah that is a spoiler but no one should give a damn about it.
There was a video I watched that said it was the same song used during tournament in the first movie, so it was likely done as a tribute. But the choice of singer does seem a little out of the left-field.

I can ask the writers, but they don't reply as much or as quickly anymore. Got too busy. Jerks.

I do know that they don't give two craps about jumping the shark. They were saying as long as it's entertaining it doesn't matter. That song stuff was a bit much for me too though.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 12:32 pm

Eh it's quicker to just google it. They saw on Twitter that she was a big fan of the show and reached out to her. The joke is that they think the karate tournament is like the Super Bowl to that area. So really not that interesting...

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 2:22 pm

Octavious wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:34 am
Rumpy wrote: ↑Wed Jan 19, 2022 10:40 pm
malchior wrote: ↑Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:54 pm
hepcat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:24 pm Episode 9 featured a famous singer as themselves. That’s a “jump the shark” moment for me.
It wasn't a jump the shark moment for me. I just cocked my head and wondered at what drove such an odd choice. It feels like it was written in as some sort of inside joke or bet lost. On the other hand, few shows are willing to drop down a level and dedicate 5 minutes to a c-plot around a karate tournament's beleaguered President winning over the board. So weird. And yeah that is a spoiler but no one should give a damn about it.
There was a video I watched that said it was the same song used during tournament in the first movie, so it was likely done as a tribute. But the choice of singer does seem a little out of the left-field.
I can ask the writers, but they don't reply as much or as quickly anymore. Got too busy. Jerks. I do know that they don't give two craps about jumping the shark. They were saying as long as it's entertaining it doesn't matter. That song stuff was a bit much for me too though.

FWIW, I agree. It felt random in that nothing like that had been attempted on the show before. And they're not doing it for ratings as it's already one of the most popular shows for Netflix. And I get what they were trying to accomplish by doing that, but if that's the case why not just get the original band that did the song?

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 9:36 pm

I’m watching season 5 and it just seems to have lost sight of what made it great. It’s really no longer about two grown men who haven’t completely grown up after all, and how that affects a younger generation. Now it’s about supervillains. It has some enjoyable moments, but letting the show shift its focus to Silver and his super rich villainy (which makes no goddamn sense if you give it even the slightest thought) isn’t working for me. That’s too bad as I really liked it when it was more about real people after they left a movie.

Of course, Zabka still steals the show as Johnny.

McNutt · Post by **McNutt** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 10:40 am

At it's heard Cobra Kai is about a town that considers karate to be the most important thing in their lives. It's the struggle of good versus evil, with kids caught in the middle. It's about the power of evil karate to shape young kids into machines of destruction and the constant fight to show those lost souls the path to harmony.

It's about having lines like, "Cobra Kai is going to take over the entire valley and we have to stop it." and having subplots involving flying out a former enemy from Okinawa to act as your spy.

No, Cobra Kai hasn't lost its focus. It's got laser eyes one what makes it great and keeps one upping itself. Now it can't sustain that forever, or else we'll have bad karate students with the threat of nuclear weapons or something silly. Wait a minute. That might be exactly what we need.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 10:45 am

I prefer my interpretation of what its focus should be. Now the show feels less grounded. At some point this season, I expect someone to create a ball of light with their hands and explode their enemy.

The show featured regular people with believable issues. Now it's jetting in ninjas from Shangri-la to fight a mystical war or something.

Freyland · Post by **Freyland** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 10:57 am

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Oct 06, 2022 10:45 am

The show featured regular people with believable issues. Now it's jetting in ninjas from Shangri-la to fight a mystical war or something.

Worked for Daredevil.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 11:47 am

I actually loved season 5 and think it's stayed pretty true to what they have been doing from the start. I mean the ending? Perfect cheesy 80's ending. I'm pretty sure 6 will be the last, but I'm also pretty sure this is going to get spun off into a million directions. The fact that they are in season freaking 5 and it hasn't nose dived is just bonkers.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 12:56 pm

Yeah, I loved season 5. Only wish they'd have used Mike Barnes a bit more. The scene in the furniture store where Chozen attacks Mike because he thinks he and Daniel are fighting was hilarious.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 1:14 pm

Obviously my take is my own opinion. But I just preferred the show when it was less Hollywood blockbuster and we didn't have super villains like Silver showing up with ungodly amounts of money and some weird obsession that I still don't understand. I liked it when it was Johnny and Daniel trying to move past their childhoods, and the children around them starting to make the same mistakes.

I went into season 1 of Cobra Kai expecting a cynical parody of the Karate Kid films. What I got was a sweet and loving portrait of these characters as real human beings realizing that neither was the villain...that no one was really a villain. That's why I loved it so much. Silver though? He's Snidely Whiplash with a platinum Amex card.

However, I reserve the right to admit I'm wrong if the end of the season brings about a change in that. I'm only up to episode 6.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 3:56 pm

I can see where you're coming from. I think it's the end-result of them needing to keep pushing the envelope, making the fights more and more brutal. To me, one of the turning points was when Miguel was injured, followed by the fight at the house. Meanwhile Cobra Kai, the dojo, has only become more intense, which is definitely true under Silver's reign. I thought Kreese was bad and needed to be put down a peg, but Silver's even worse, in due part to him being a millionaire with untold amounts at his disposal to do anything he wants. He even used Kreese to get what he wanted.

But it was always going to be the type of show that would have to keep one-upping each season.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 4:30 pm

I haven't seen the new season, but I felt it should have ended 2 seasons ago. It's just long in the tooth.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:40 pm

Sadly +1

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 6:16 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:40 pmSadly +1

see, my signature is right

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 6:19 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:40 pmSadly +1

By the way, were you in vegas last weekend? I saw someone who had a golden girls t-shirt on. I've never seen a picture of you, but it was exactly how I would picture you

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:09 pm

I'm surprised you left Vegas. Encountering that level of manly beauty will often result in the viewer quitting their old lives and spending their remaining days in quiet contemplation of their own shortcomings.

McNutt · Post by **McNutt** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 5:47 pm

I finished the fifth season. Not sure if this will be the final season.

Hepcat, I agree that what this show started as is not what it became. It started with a somewhat lighthearted reevaluation of the characters from the movie. What it became was a fight for the souls of the children of the world. And that's no exaggeration. John Creese stepped in as the bad guy that we could all agree was bad. But then we were able to see what made him who he is. Is he a bad person? He's convinced due to his The Deer Hunter-ish background that in this world you have to ensure that you are never going to be the victim. This is done by being tough and aggressive. We see a human side to him, even if it is too late for him to be a good person.

Then Terry Silva shows up and he quickly becomes the most dangerous man in the world. He's setting Cobra Kai up to go global and plunge humanity into an age of darkness. It's up to Miyagi Do and Eagle Fang to stop him.

The way they show transitioned over the seasons was fantastic. It kept one upping itself instead of getting stale. It was like watching Beverly Hills 90210 but with huge karate fights.

Overall I would give this show a solid A. It never let me down.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Wed Nov 22, 2023 2:29 pm

Looks like we're getting a new movie featuring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan that looks like it will bridge the gap between the Miyagiverse and the reboot movie.

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/new- ... 235803975/

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Wed Nov 22, 2023 2:44 pm

I'm pretty sure the Cobra Kai writers have nothing to do with this BTW. I haven't seen them say anything about it. So that makes me think it will suck much like the reboot movie. Oh well.

They do have Obliterated which is coming out next week on Netflix. Hangover meets 24. I mean it looks way over the top, but they haven't made a stinker yet.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Wed Nov 22, 2023 2:58 pm

You're right, different writers. But at least they're making an effort to bridge the gap between the two universes. Wondering now how they'll managed that with Cobra Kai still ongoing. Could maybe be Cobra Kai ends leading into a teaser for the movie.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Wed Nov 22, 2023 3:07 pm

It's the last season of Cobra Kai so ya maybe the ending sets up the movie. Can't believe they got this many seasons out of the Karate Kid.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Wed Nov 22, 2023 3:14 pm

Yeah, I originally thought it would be a one-and-done, but somehow they managed to convince nearly everyone involved in the first 3 movies to come back in one form or another, and it's kind of taken on a life of its own.