Breaking Down Cobra Kai Season 1-With Spoilers!
It is no secret that I really enjoyed the first season of Cobra Kai. I was thrilled to see that they not only brought the original characters back but also made a flat-out fantastic show. You can listen to a spoiler-free discussion I had with Sensei Jeremy Lesniak and Master Brendan Goodall over at whistlekick Martial Arts Radio to hear more.
Since we have until May of this year before we get to see where Cobra Kai will take its characters, I want to put down my thoughts on the first season as I watched the episodes. This will be a bit more of a stream-of-consciousness approach. While this will just be my thoughts as I watched the episodes, make sure you let me know what your thoughts are down in the comments section. I would love to have a conversation with you about the show and its characters. I will be posting the links to the previous reviews as new episode reviews are posted.
Previous Episode Reviews
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!!!!!
If you have not seen the episode being reviewed here, please do so and then come back to this review to get involved in the discussion.
Tournament Morning
- “I Want It All” was a great song choice to open this episode with the tournament event preparations being shown.
- Bert telling the Cobra Kai group about the condition he saw Johnny in last night and saying “I guess I’m just so used to seeing him drunk, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal” was really funny! (Yeah, I had to go to IMDB to look up his character name.)
- Johnny’s pep talk was equal parts humorous, awkward, and inspiring in a Cobra Kai kind of way.
- Yeah, it’s pretty obvious that Miguel didn’t wake up from his drunken haze with some internal reflection. I do wonder if he is turning dark for good, or just for a short while?
The Morning After At The Larusso’s House
- It looks like a dark cloud is hanging over everything.
- I sincerely believe that Amanda is possibly one of the best aspects of the show. I love her “reality-check” moments.
Tournament Time!
- Apparently, Daryl really likes those new blue mats.
- It’s cool to see the banner of Daniel when he won the All Valley tournament hanging up at the event center.
- Miguel’s grandma is hilarious with her pre-tournament coping strategies.
- The Cobra Kai “grand entrance” seemed about right.
It’s Karate Time
- Johnny having Miguel use the crane kick right off the bat was a shrewd move. Of course, it was all for Daniel. I wonder why Johnny is mad at Daniel though? Daniel obviously didn’t know that Robby was Johnny’s son. Blame it on the alcohol, I guess?
- Robby and Aisha’s fights all look good.
- Hawk and his tattoo are ridiculous, but that’s the point.
- Bert looks like he needed to be in a different weight class… or tournament.
- Did Miguel just look like he realizes that he messed up last night?
Intermission
- Ugh, Aisha’s sportsmanship needs some work. Also, it’s nice to see Sam trying to repair her friendship with Aisha.
- Sam and Aisha patching things up is really nice to see. I hope it is definitely foreshadowing a bigger role for Sam in the next season. They have basically teased her ability this whole time.
- Wow, did Xander rehearse that speech? Really funny how Daryl casually took the mic back from him.
- Johnny’s special instruction for Miguel on how to handle Xander is totally in character.
Miguel vs. Xander
- Miguel did actually kick Xander in the face!
- Xander’s mom is totally a “karate mom”. Ugh.
- Good looking choreography though.
Hawk vs. Robby
- “Prepare to face the fury of the Hawk”. Ha ha, seriously?
- Did they really just play an actual soundbite of a hawk’s cry after Hawk’s point?
- Daniel is finally warming back up to Robby. Amanda helped.
- Seems like Johnny might have to spend some time on “good sportsmanship” in the dojo after today after Hawk’s DQ.
Teacher And Student
- Daniel’s speech to Robby about his dad is really good.
- I love the reference back to Mr. Miyagi’s saying about bad students and bad teachers.
- The reference to Mr. Miyagi “fixing” Daniel was kind of funny, kind of odd.
Miguel And Sam
- Wow, Miguel is really bad at apologizing and being self-aware.
- He seems to have gone full-dark, at least for now.
The Final Match
- So, Miguel “has trained all year for this” and he is a black belt? Even more to the point, everybody is a black belt apparently?
- Robby and Miguel come out of the gate quickly and even, but of course, Miguel was going to re-injure Robby’s shoulder. You just knew it.
- Gotta say, that “most powerful kick in Miyagi-do Karate” looked pretty good when Robby put both feet into Miguel’s chest!
- Never help an opponent up off the floor Robby. Not because you shouldn’t be a decent person, but because people get hot-tempered when they spar.
- Real classy Miguel. Wow, he has really turned in a really short amount of time. Are mom and grandma happy with this?
- And now Johnny sees where his lessons have led his students down the wrong path. He had to be convinced to fight dirty to win, but Miguel is eager to fight dirty. He wants to win at all costs, because that’s what Cobra Kai has taught him. Just like he felt it was best to “strike first” when confronted with Robby (the enemy) when Sam showed up to the party the night before.
Post-Fight
- Interesting decision to have Miguel and Cobra Kai win. I wonder if this will be like winning a battle, but losing the war kind of scenario going forward.
- Johnny and Robby have a brief, but heartfelt moment. You can tell that Johnny doesn’t feel too good about his dojo “winning”.
- Demetri’s seemingly comedic line about “joining a gang” is actually much more accurate than it seems on the surface.
- Really Miguel? At what point, all day long, did you think you and Sam might still be an item? You thought winning the trophy would change her mind about you turning into a full-fledged villain? Right.
Aftermath
- Sam reminiscing about her and her dad training when she was little is sweet, but then… BAM! Yeah, she’s going to get a much more physical role in next season. TOLD YOU!!!
- Daniel does a good job of reminding Robby of what he achieved at the tournament today by passing on those lessons that Mr. Miyagi taught him all those years ago about honor and doing things the right way.
- Oh wow!!! I did not expect Mr. Miyagi’s old house to come into play! Daniel is going to really put a crimp in Cobra Kai’s style next season!
- BOOM!!! Wow, I definitely did not expect to see Sensei Kreese just waltz on in like a boss! Next season just got so much more interesting!
Wrap Up
Normally you would find my overall thoughts about the episode here. However, seeing as how the season ended, the questions it answered, and the stage it set up for season two, I ended up writing a separate primer for the upcoming season. Check it out at the link below!
I am the host of the Way Of The Dad Podcast where I talk about things related to parenting, pop culture, martial arts, and various other topics. I hold the rank of Nidan(2nd Black) in Tracy's Kenpo Karate, 1st Degree Black Tae Kwon Do, and Brown belt in Combat Hapkido. I enjoy almost anything related to martial arts and love to have conversations about it.
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