Cobra Kai Season 4 review
Is there a better TV nostalgia high than Cobra Kai? No, sensei!
There’s no clunky fan service that feels forced and awkward. Instead, it’s a series that celebrates the past while steadily progressing towards the future. I’m blanking on a series that’s done better by a fanbase than Cobra Kai. Maybe The Mandalorian? And even then, I’d argue Cobra Kai has done more to elevate the film series than the Star Wars spin-off.
With Season 4, the series continues its evolution with its respectful eye to the past.
After Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) unite to take down Cobra Kai, Kreese (Martin Kove) calls up his old war buddy Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) to team up and overthrow the upstart dojo alliance.
Griffith made Terry Silver one of the great psychotic bully characters of the 80s so it seemed natural the writers would have him bring that crazed intensity for this older portrayal of Silver.
Instead, they opt for the slow burn with Terry initially not wanting anything to do with Kreese. Kove truly gets his role as the manipulative, sleazy force that threatens with a smile. With Terry, Kreese doesn’t have to bully — he just holds the fact that he saved him in Vietnam over his head constantly. It feels like just a matter of time before Terry is going to fall back, perhaps unwillingly(?), to his former mindset and Kreese is just trying to get the bear riled up.
The Cobra Kai writers constantly find themselves at these narrative crossroads and without fail always manage to choose the best option. Both for the short- and long-term.
Having Daniel and Johnny butt heads over their respective Miyagi-do and Eagle Fang fight styles seemed fitting, but the various twists and turns this partnership takes through the season is a surprise. That also allows the series to deal with parental pressure and expectations in a subtle manner. Johnny’s top student Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) and Daniel’s daughter, Samantha (Mary Mouser) start to see the value in the other sensei’s teachings creating yet another wedge between the two rivals.
Johnny’s son, Robby (Tanner Buchanan), is fully indoctrinated into Kreese’s mindset and is willing to do whatever it takes to become Cobra Kai’s latest champion. Robby’s full Sith descent is one of the more fascinating subplots of the season.
There’s a lot less car dealership drama. Daniel’s job wasn’t a drag on the series, but it wasn’t as much fun. Thankfully that doesn’t mean Daniel’s wife, Amanda (Courtney Henggeler) is stuck on the sidelines. She finds herself in a complicated subplot with Sam’s rival, Tory (Peyton List).
It’s probably time to start adding Tory & Sam to the list of all-time great female action character list. Lazy and questionably talented writers tried for over a decade to create the next Katniss Everdeen.
Instead, they crafted a slew of flawless, impeccable characters who quickly became insufferable for their lack of vulnerabilities or depth.
That’s not the case with Sam or Tory, both of whom are written with problems and challenges they have to overcome on numerous fronts.
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Turn on any episode of Cobra Kai and it’s a toss-up who to root for between Tory and Sam. That’s a hallmark of excellent writing where the writers avoid the temptation to keep Sam and Tory in the good girl/bad girl silos. Some episodes Sam is legitimately the bad guy while Tory is the sympathetic character.
That might be Cobra Kai’s greatest strength. The writers create layered, nuanced characters that aren’t wholly good/bad or heroic/evil. Throughout the season most characters dabble on the opposite side of their norm to the point where the ‘bad guys’ are fully justified in their actions.
While at one point Miguel and Sam felt like the show’s golden couple, it was hard not to get invested in Tory and Robby’s budding relationship. Maridueña, Mouser, Buchanan and List are the heart of the series and have earned their main player status alongside franchise mainstays Macchio, Zabka and Kove.
The subplot with Kenny Payne (Dallas Young) and his bully, Anthony (Griffin Santopietro), best embodies the ever-shifting dynamic as the good guy/bad guy isn’t as simple as it appears.
Zabka continues to make Johnny a time-frozen caveman trying to adapt to modern times. While recruiting a girl for Eagle Fang, he’s baffled by preferred pronouns and feminism. The writers handle this perfectly by not condemning Johnny for being so woefully out of touch but making his innocent ignorance the butt of many jokes.
Macchio has a tougher job of making Daniel staunch in his beliefs and desire to do right by Mr. Miyagi while trying to avoid stifling his children and students. He pulls it off well and keeps Daniel as a principal hero in the series.
This season lacks the big, sprawling massive brawl we’ve seen in previous seasons whether in the arcade, school or even the LaRusso home. That was the right choice as topping those earlier fights were going to be challenging and potentially credibility-straining. Keeping the fight focus on the All-Valley tournament proved the best decision as the fighters get unleashed where it matters most.
While it’s not the crazed spectacle as some other fights, saving the big action for the tournament makes it matter more. Similar to every season so far, nothing plays out as expected resulting in a wild cliffhanger.
At one point in the season finale, it felt like the series could wrap up. After all, it feels like tempting fate to expect yet another fantastic season out of a series that hasn’t dropped the ball yet. With the cliffhanger it’s evident just how much more story is left that could keep Cobra Kai going strong for multiple seasons.
Since this season dropped to start 2022, hopefully Season 5 can get wrapped before the end of the year.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Photo Credit: Netflix
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