"Cobra Kai," Season 4: review

 

Johnny (William Zabka) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio)

Season 4 of "Cobra Kai" came out in December 2021. Like Season 3, Season 4 opens in the aftermath of a huge, ugly brawl, this time at the LaRusso residence, which took place as the adults were all out at a Christmas party. Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) have decided to join forces to defeat Cobra Kai—a dojo that Johnny had revived, but which got taken over by Johnny's malign mentor John Kreese. Unfortunately, Johnny and Daniel have radically different teaching styles and philosophies, and with each barely respecting the other, it's obvious from the get-go that any team-up is going to be difficult at best. A few episodes in, Johnny and Daniel elect to duke it out, tournament-style, to see whose technique should be taught to the combined Miyagi-do and Eagle Fang students. Unfortunately, the bout ends in a draw, and the two schools decide to separate.

Several other plot lines to follow are: (1) the buildup to the All Valley Under 18 Karate Championship, which will feature more than just fighting this year: there will be forms and weapons, and a new division just for ladies to compete; (2) the travails of new student Kenny Payne, a shrimpy kid who gets picked on from Day One, including by some Miyagi-do students who ought to know better; (3) Daniel's conflict with his son Anthony, who turns out to be both lazy and a liar, and who is bullying Kenny Payne on the side; (4) the return of Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), who joins Kreese (Martin Kove) and helps him build Cobra Kai back up to its former glory; and (5) Johnny's ever-evolving relationship with his son Robby (Tanner Buchanan), who spent a good chunk of Season 3 in juvenile detention for having nearly killed Miguel (Xolo Maridueña).

There's a lot more going on, but those are some of the season's major arcs. As before, I have to wonder about plausibility issues, given all the fighting, the damage to public property, and the injuries. At least ideally, people don't get away with such wanton behavior in real life (although these days, you never know), but casually violent misbehavior is a matter of course in this universe. And as always, there's the over-focus on bullying without exploring some of bullying's darker aspects, like suicide and substance abuse, as mentioned in my review of Season 3. All the bullying starts to feel one-note after a while.

Creepy factoid: talent and staff associated with the series tend to die off. Rob Garrison, the actor who played Tommy—the character died of prolonged illness in Season 1—died in real life. Ed Asner passed away after his performance in Season 3. Later in Season 4, another dedication was displayed for crew member Albert Olmstead. As with the series "Glee," which saw at least three cast members die, it feels almost as if some sort of curse were hovering over this series. Let's hope that this is the end of the deaths.

Interestingly, the All Valley Tournament isn't the final episode, although it does bleed into it (the tournament straddles Episodes 9 and 10 in a ten-episode season; Episode 9 ends with Miguel reinjuring his back). I actually thought this was a good choice in terms of story structure because it gave us a chance to have an aftermath and to wrap up certain plot lines while leaving others open. The writers did a good job of making the tournament unpredictable, although there was one fight that we all knew would have to happen. The use of the tournament as a way to resolve conflicts was a bit of fan service harking back to "The Karate Kid" and "The Karate Kid Part III." Speaking of fan service, the tournament was also an opportunity to bring out singer Carrie Underwood (good voice, but I know nothing about her), who sings "Moment of Truth," the song from the ending credits of "The Karate Kid." 

I like how the Terry Silver arc was treated. The dynamic between Kreese and Silver changes over time, and while Silver seems to be suffering from shell shock due to his time in Vietnam, he also has a very underhanded, snake-like side to him that was obvious back in "The Karate Kid Part III." At first, it seems that Silver, who owes Kreese a life debt after Kreese saved his ass in Nam, is fairly submissive and willing to play second fiddle, but as the season goes on, it becomes obvious that Silver has designs of his own regarding the trajectory of Cobra Kai.

Among the many fine lines the series walks, there's the question of the "woke" mentality. I think the show takes a fair-minded approach to the issue, gently poking fun at things like "my pronouns are" and "gender fluidity" (Johnny hears this term and thinks the girl talking about gender fluidity is referring to staying hydrated) while also very quietly and subtly preaching about the need to respect women and to appreciate feminine wisdom.

If there's any peril in all this, it's that the show can easily get trapped in a rut because it constantly strives for balance: Johnny and Daniel are both trying to do their best, but they're also hotheads with very little impulse control. Karate can be a force for good as it helps teens develop strength and discipline, but it can also result in a gang mentality that leads to violence as rival schools clash. Where there's yin, there's yang. The show's a comedy, and it's a drama. The writers are doing what they can to create depth and complexity with the story and the characters, but this can also lead to a kind of stultifying predictability. Unbalance the balance every now and then!

That said, I'm glad to see certain arcs happening, like the real possibility of friendship between Daniel and Johnny. It's been playing out a bit like an extended romantic comedy, but in bromance form: the whole will they/won't they ever become friends has gone on for four seasons, but it does seem finally to be heading in a positive direction. Meanwhile, other conflicts are brewing. I think Anthony LaRusso, the black sheep of the family, could present some interesting obstacles to harmony come Season 5, and there's a good chance that we'll see some internecine warfare within Cobra Kai.

As for storylines I'm not so keen on—the question of whether Samantha will ever finally settle on a guy is becoming tiresome. In fact, there's a moment in Season 4 (I think... or maybe it was Season 3) where Daniel confronts Samantha about all of her unnecessary drama. I think the scriptwriters were smart to acknowledge how wearisome Sam's life is: these are all problems of her own making. Sam's rival Tory might be a bitch, but she's right when she says that Sam leads a pampered, privileged life with her rich parents. Sam really has nothing to complain about. (Then again, hats off to the writers for presenting an authentic picture of what pampered kids are like. In the 90s, I taught French and English at a Catholic high school, and the rich kids there were usually the whiners who'd say things like I hope Daddy gives me a car for my birthday the way he did for my big brother.)

All in all, despite the negatives, Season 4 managed to remain interesting for me. The final episode contained a few surprises and some emotional moments, and it definitely ended with the promise of more shenanigans to come. While I don't think Seasons 3 and 4 are quite up to the standards of Seasons 1 and 2, the drop in quality isn't severe enough for me to call it quits.

Did you know that actor Andrew Garfield is a massive fan of "Cobra Kai"? He claims to be obsessed with the show, and he's been in talks with showrunners about possibly having a role in upcoming seasons. For now, it's all just talk, but his presence might spice things up. It might be nice to bring Garfield in as a completely new character; we've had so much fan service, lately, with the return of Ali, Kumiko, Chozen, and Terry Silver that a totally new face would be a welcome change. 

My hope: Johnny finally learns more about the history and traditions of his martial art (actor William Zabka, who plays Johnny, actually practices dangsudo*—he's one of the only legitimate martial artists in the cast), preferably from a Korean master who becomes another new character on the show. Am I asking for too much? Probably. When the show goes Asian, it almost always goes Japanese/Okinawan. (The one token Korean on the show follows the stereotype of Asians trying to be black.) But a man can still dream.

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*As I noted in my Season 3 review, dangsudo is a Korean martial art. It occurs to me, though, that the series has a weird way of treating the art. Cobra Kais always talk about karate, a Japanese term, and they use other Japanese terms like sensei and dojo, but why? There's a scene in which Terry Silver leads a session, and he uses Korean terms like charyeot (attention), gyeongnae (bow), and junbi (prepare). This would make sense for someone who had learned a Korean martial art.