I have been a huge fan of Cobra Kai since the very first episode. It is the most ingenious sequel that anyone has attempted to do. Just when you think they can’t top themselves, they do.
Netflix knows we need to start 2021 off with a crane kick, so they are giving the third season on New Year’s Day. They say the third one is the charm, and this one is. It is better than the first two seasons combined, and I was blown away by the past seasons.
When we last left on YouTube, the students of Cobra Kai and Myagi-Do got into a huge fight in their high school that left Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) in a coma. While Robby (Tanner Buchanan) is on the run because he pushed Miguel off the staircase, which caused him to hurt his back and slip into a coma.
Season three picks two weeks later, and everyone and everything is in shambles. The Valley is in shock by the vicious fight. Miguel is still in a coma. Robby is nowhere to be found. Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) has returned to his old bad boy ways, which means he is drinking and getting into fights. Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) business is falling apart because of what happened at the school. Kreese (Martin Kove) is still a dick running Cobra Kai like one.
Daniel and Johnny have teamed up together to find Robby before the cops do. How long will the on-again, off-again enemies remain friendly with one another? What happens when they finally find Robby.
Not only does Johnny have to worry about his real son, Robby, but he is also worried about Miguel, who is like a son to him. Johnny has not been able to visit Miguel in the hospital, and he will come up with a creative way to see him. Is Johnny what Miguel needs to wake up? Then when Miguel wakes up, Johnny is going to do whatever it takes to help him walk again. Since it is Johnny, there will be a lot of painful mistakes for Miguel. Don’t worry, Miguel will get his revenge on Johnny, and it will leave you laughing.
Meanwhile, the Dojos are getting back to practicing for All Valley. There are three of them, and all of the students hate the ones in the other Dojos. They will get into several fights off-campus. That is because if they fight on campus, they will be expelled like Tory (Peyton List). And yes, there will be an epic fight in the season finale because that is how Cobra Kai rolls.
But before we get there, we are going to learn a lot more about Kreese’s past. We will find out what made him the a$$hole that he is today. LaRusso will confront his past in Okinawa. That is where he will meet his ex-girlfriend (Tamlyn Tomita) and his Japanese Johnny Lawrence, Chozen (Yuji Okumoto). What happens when he sees them again? Johnny, well, he is trapped in his past and can’t seem to break it.
All of this gives you a season that you will be able to binge in one seating. It will also make you want to know what happens next. Thankfully, we know that there will be a fourth season. Hopefully, the wait won’t be as long as this one. A year and a half is way too long to find out what happened next. However, good things come to those who wait.
Talking about good things, Zabka is at his best this season. I never thought I could love the ’80s bad boy even more, but he just so lovable in this role. You want to hate him, but you can’t. Then there is Macchio, who has always been the good boy and always will be. That is why we love this pairing so much, even after 35 years. We all will feel old about that fact. Thankfully, neither actor looks it.
Finally, thank you to the creators, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, for rebreathing life into the Karate Kid franchise and creating something that is so much better than the original that was very legendary. That is why we are still talking about it after all of this and wanting more. Thankfully, they gave us more.
