Spoilers Cobra Kai Final Episodes

[jian]

I really like Zabka in the show. And I like his style of physical performance. One of my frustrations with the series, even though I give all the martial artists who do this in the show praise for their athleticism, is it has moved very far away from the more grounded fight choreography and gotten very stunt team flashy. Which I get and accept but I really loved that first fight scene in the first episode with Johnny where he says he was using old school karate. It looked great but not super flashy. Not super gymnastics, but basic karate athleticism. I remember thinking "I miss seeing old school Chuck Norris style karate on screen". So I had hoped the show would go that direction. I am sure if they had, it wouldn't have done as well so probably for the best. But Zabka kind of continues to embody this aspect of the show for me



I agree they all look like they improved a lot. Devon and Kenny were also quite good

I loved the way in the very first fight, Johnny goes, “OK, let’s do this” and kicks someone in the head, and then grabs his thigh in pain because he didn’t stretch beforehand.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I loved the way in the very first fight, Johnny goes, “OK, let’s do this” and kicks someone in the head, and then grabs his thigh in pain because he didn’t stretch beforehand.

Me too. That was a very well done moment in the show I thought

 

[Piperken]

Quick thoughts:

• I liked the show overall for its approach and tone.
• I felt some character arcs over the series, particularly dynamics between Johnny/Daniel, then the ones that had major influence on this pair like Kreese, Silver, etc, could've been been written in fewer seasons.
• I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Johnny acting more like Daniel in certain moments, and Daniel acting more like Johnny in others.
• I likewise enjoyed that the show made a point to highlight the flaws both men gained through their shared past. That neither of them was able to learn, to let go, move forward, or be untroubled with what happened between them. And that was despite one of them clearly having won, the other, lost.
• In concert with above, a few of the younger actors' characters would've benefited with more room (screen time) to their stories.
• I appreciated the effort in broadening the older characters' backstories.

 

[Clint_L]

This show is so cheesy and works so well. I love it.

 

[Bedrockgames]

This show is so cheesy and works so well. I love it.

Yeah, I think for all my quibbles over some of the cheese, it is the cheese that gave this show its longevity and what made it work over the long haul.

Speaking of which, a friend pointed out to me, that boat scene was not as definitive of an ending as it might appear. By the laws of visual cinema, we didn't get confirmation of the result

 

[Clint_L]

Yeah, I think for all my quibbles over some of the cheese, it is the cheese that gave this show its longevity and what made it work over the long haul.

Speaking of which, a friend pointed out to me, that boat scene was not as definitive of an ending as it might appear. By the laws of visual cinema, we didn't get confirmation of the result

Was that boat made out of dynamite? Like, there seemed to be some serious design flaws.

The masterstroke of this series was staying true to its title: it really is about Cobra Kai's redemption arc, and Johnny's, right to the end. And embracing the cheese of the 80s action film, while keeping the underdog heart of the original movie. They didn't overthink it.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Was that boat made out of dynamite? Like, there seemed to be some serious design flaws

Probably from the same highly flammable fiberglass the boats in Miami Vice and Lethal Weapon were made out of

The masterstroke of this series was staying true to its title: it really is about Cobra Kai's redemption arc, and Johnny's, right to the end. And embracing the cheese of the 80s action film, while keeping the underdog heart of the original movie. They didn't overthink it.

Yeah, I think the is true. And I am glad they brought it back to Johnny. The one area the cheese factor didn't work for me was season 3 with Reese's Vietnam backstory (only because that undermined the one thing about his character that felt like an authentic human element). But that wasn't even season six, and overall the series needed to lean into the cheese to function more than a season or two