Mason Pazhwak ‘23
Events Editor
Last semester, while scrolling aimlessly through Netflix’s colorful tiles to put off my ever-growing list of 1L reading, a show called Cobra Kai caught my eye. After doing some preliminary research, I found out that the show involved martial arts (a personal plus for me) and had originally come out in 2018 on YouTube Red, but had been re-released on Netflix in June 2020. Moreover, I saw that it was a reboot of The Karate Kid universe, whose founding film was a classic of the 1980s that maintained its relevance into my remembered childhood years of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
I really enjoyed the action, acting, and messages of the original film while growing up, and I was also OK with the 2010 remake. However, I was skeptical of yet another revival, with the overall frequency of disappointing adaptations and the corniness of many new shows that involve the lives of teenagers, which Cobra Kai also purported to do. Yet curiosity got the better of me, especially when I saw that many actors from the original 1980s movie were reprising their roles. I sat down to watch the first season over winter break and was surprised, and very satisfied, by what I found. While it was sometimes predictable, clichéd, and over-the-top, season one of Cobra Kai was ultimately nostalgic, fresh, funny, and highly engaging. It had an interesting premise, a well-developed story, compelling characters, and solid writing, along with sometimes hilarious, highly quotable dialogue. Moreover, it managed to be both an adult and teen comedy-drama, successfully navigating both worlds without becoming unrelatable to either. In sum, it was great entertainment combined with martial arts. Turn it on and prepare for flying fists, torts, foul language, and a story that will stay with you after the last episode. (Read on for a brief synopsis and commentary that avoids spoilers.)
While season one of Cobra Kai can easily be enjoyed on its own merits, it is certainly a continuation, and reexamination, of the original film The Karate Kid. The 1984 movie followed sixteen-year-old Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio) and his unhappy move from Newark, New Jersey, to Los Angeles, California, initiated by his single, working mother. After being beaten by the rich, karate-wielding bully Johnny Lawrence (played by William Zabka) for his overtures to mutual love interest Ali Mills (played by Elisabeth Shue), Daniel is taken under the wing of his apartment complex’s reclusive handyman, Okinawan immigrant Mr. Miyagi (played by Pat Morita). Mr. Miyagi becomes a mentor to Daniel, teaching him karate and life lessons that drive the movie’s plot.
Now in the show, both Daniel and Johnny (played by their original actors) are back as fifty-something-year-old men in contemporary (pre-pandemic) Los Angeles, California. Their places in life, and Californian culture, have changed radically from their days of 1980s teen rivalry.The show starts with Johnny, who is now a washed-up, bitter man muddling through a society that he has not kept up with. After getting in a fight to defend a bullied teen named Miguel Diaz (played by Xolo Maridueña) who lives in his apartment complex and losing his car in an accident, Johnny harnesses the considerable forces of his politically incorrect worldview--that is, macho values--and the chip-on-his shoulder against the now very successful Daniel to try and turn his life around by opening a karate dojo. He names it after the 1980s dojo, Cobra Kai, where he was trained, reviving its motto of “Strike first, strike hard, no mercy,” and so sets the stage for the story.
From the get-go, the show not only follows the narrative of Johnny’s new lease on life as an anti-hero, but also reexamines the story of the original The Karate Kid by exploring events from Johnny’s perspective. While the original film was black and white in its portrayal of the good-guy Daniel and his virtuous teacher versus the bad-guy Johnny and his evil teacher, Cobra Kai tries for greater complexity, and acknowledges shades of gray. It digs into Johnny’s life and background, and how he perceived Daniel’s arrival at his school during his teen years. While it certainly does not attempt to absolve Johnny of responsibility for any of his behavior, the show does an excellent job of making him a more complete and redemptive character. In doing so, it implicitly reflects on storytelling generally and is a reminder that there are always two sides to any narrative, and perception will often be based on where one stands. The character of Daniel is not spared from this, and he also becomes a more complete and complex character as the show progresses.
Cobra Kai is also a show that follows teens and adults interacting both together and amongst each other in modern America. It portrays issues faced by both groups related to family, bullying, internet culture, substance abuse, poverty, generational and ideological divides, immigration, and diversity and inclusion. While the show never gets too serious, it does give a perspective on many of these subjects, and often pokes fun at where our society was before the advent of the COVID-19 era. It questions conventional tropes around teens and youth culture, is subversive to some modern narratives about where youth are going, and deeply explores the positive and negative roles older generations can play as teachers and mentors. Yet, no matter how one might see the world, Cobra Kai, aside from its pure entertainment value, does have something interesting to say about our society.
The Verdict: Season one of Cobra Kai is a martial arts comedy-drama that inverts narratives and provides thoughtful commentary while remaining highly entertaining and eminently bingeable. It is worth checking out for law students of all ages.
---
Mwp8kk@virginia.edu