But when it’s applied to Tory, we see the kind of barely controlled fury that distinguished the original Cobras in their scenes of the first film.Īs expressive and satisfying as List’s and Buchanan’s fight scenes are, Mary Mouser steals that particular show with the bespoke fighting style Lee created for her. It elevates Robbie’s character to the status of Cobra Kai’s undisputed best fighter. Don Lee’s fight choreography, overall, is more visceral and visually entertaining in season 4 than in the previous three seasons combined. Of all the antiheroes in Cobra Kai, List does the best job at selling the chip on Tory’s shoulder, seething with earned resentment and underprivileged insecurity. New-kid-in-town Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young) turns to Cobra Kai after being tormented by middle-school bullies. His character and his circumstances are well-written and sympathetic, especially the breaking-point prank that drives him to Robbie and Cobra Kai. But it’s not like the writers, or Young, waste the space that Kenny has been given. Again, more time for new characters means less time and distance for the established ones to travel. ![]() It’s fascinating to watch Griffith out-Svengali Kove in every scene they share, and it has me genuinely optimistic for season 5, which has already been greenlit.Īs if Silver wasn’t enough of a presence, we also get Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young) as the all-new prism through which Cobra Kai refracts its annual cycle of bullying, revenge, and the dehumanization both cause. Silver is teased out of his New Age, Malibu rehab lifestyle by Kreese, who needs cash assistance to make Cobra Kai thrive. The character arc that showrunners Hayden Schlossberg, Josh Heald, and Jon Hurwitz have chosen for Silver practically redeems the entire 1989 film, which was a critical flop. Silver, in the Karate Kid canon, was Kreese’s rich buddy who bankrolled a convoluted scheme to defeat and discredit Daniel in The Karate Kid Part III. It’s a confounding place to be as a viewer, because this year’s callback to the 1980s films is the strongest and most dynamic of them all: Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver is the psychopath the Cobra Kai dojo has desperately demanded, and which the 75-year-old Kove has only subtly provided in the two seasons preceding. ![]() Photo: Netflixīut even as it introduces new conflicts worth exploring, like Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) embracing Johnny’s strike-first ethic, Cobra Kai season 4 can’t wait to bring more characters to an already harried ensemble narrative. Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) is living the quiet life of Malibu rehab, until John Kreese comes along, that is. Kreese is in charge of not only Cobra Kai but also Johnny’s estranged son, Robbie (Tanner Buchanan), whose time in juvenile detention transformed him into a scowling Karate Anakin. The satisfaction of the outcome makes the journey forgivable the end of the eighth episode delivers a head-snapping moment, at which point the show quickly sheds its campy wrapper and gets very serious, and very decisive.Ĭobra Kai season 4 picks up with old frenemies Johnny (William Zabka) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) merging their dojos to win the upcoming tournament and drive John Kreese (Martin Kove) out of the Valley, under the terms of a loser-leaves-town side bet that no one expects anybody to honor. But the problem those PPVs have, which Cobra Kai season 4 shares, is they often sag in the middle portion with lesser conflicts and expository dialogue, dithering as they build to the main event. I don’t know who you had in your betting pool for the 51st Annual All-Valley Under-18 Karate Championship, but I didn’t come close to guessing these winners, right up to the last strike.Ĭobra Kai season 4’s outcome lingered with me for a good two days after viewing it, much like WrestleMania when it really delivers. And in the best ones, well, you get endings you legitimately didn’t see coming. ![]() SummerSlam, the Survivor Series, whatever you’re watching, the best part comes from guessing who the writers have matched to win and whether that will be believable or pleasing to the fans. Cobra Kai season 4 reminds me of a pro wrestling pay-per-view.
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