Review by Christian Garcia
Today I am looking at the Cobra Kai Season One!
The first season picks up where the original Karate Kid films left off and takes the saga into the next generation. I got hooked right away and showed the first few episodes to my girlfriend, and she was instantly hooked too. It felt like the Karate Kid 4 that fans never got and was a welcomed continuation of the franchise.
How does this first season hold up in setting the show up? Let’s take a look.
Plot Summary
Taking place 30 years after the first Karate Kid, Johnny Lawrence is a struggling alcoholic handyman who is stuck in the past. Daniel La Russo runs a successful car dealership chain with his wife, Amanda. He saves his neighbor Miguel Diaz from bullies and eventually agrees to train him in karate and finds a new lease on life by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo. Daniel does not want Cobra Kai to return to the Valley and goes to great lengths to stop him. Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry continues but also pulls in two new karate kids in Miguel, Johnny’s student and Robby, Daniel’s student, and Johnny’s son.
Main Characters
Johnny Lawrence
33 years after losing the All-Valley final to Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence is a down-on-his-luck loser looking for a purpose in life. He struggles to find work as a handyman and is fired from his job after getting into an argument with a customer. While his vices include alcohol, his biggest vice is his hatred of Daniel LaRusso. Johnny hangs onto the past and can’t let go of his loss to LaRusso and it’s not easier for him to escape seeing signs for Daniel’s successful auto dealership across the Valley.
One night he saves his neighbor, Miguel from bullies. Miguel asks him to train him in karate, but Johnny initially refuses. After a hit-and-run accident result in his car being towed to LaRusso’s dealership, Johnny ends up face-to-face with his rival once again. The encounter with LaRusso inspires him to become Miguel’s sensei and use money given to him by his stepfather, Sid to reopen Cobra Kai.
Daniel LaRusso
Since the events of Karate Kid Part III, Daniel has grown up to run a successful car dealership chain that he runs with his wife, Amanda. They have two kids, Samantha and Anthony, the former having been trained by Daniel in karate growing up. Daniel has mostly moved on from karate aside from using it as a gimmick for his dealership commercials.
Upon discovering that Johnny Lawrence has reopened the Cobra Kai dojo, he is slowly pulled back into the world of karate. Like Johnny, Daniel also hangs onto the past through his resentment towards Johnny and the Cobra Kai dojo. He goes to great lengths to get Cobra Kai shut down.
During his pursuits, he meets Robby Keene, unknown to him the son of Johnny Lawrence, and takes him under his wing. He teaches him the ways of karate in similar style to how Miyagi taught him.
Miguel Diaz
Miguel is an asthmatic and naïve young kid who lives with his mother, Carmen, and his grandmother. He is attacked by a group of rich bullies and is saved by his neighbor, Johnny Lawrence. He asks Johnny to teach him karate who initially refuses, but Johnny eventually relents and becomes his sensei.
Robby Keene
Robby is the troubled and estranged son of Johnny Lawrence. Despite living with his mother, she does not have much of presence in his life either. The absence of both his parents causes Robby to fall in with a bad crowd and gets into trouble. He drops out of school which gets his father’s attention and brings him back into his life. When he learns that his father has opened Cobra Kai, he goes to see him but upon seeing him bond with Miguel Diaz, decides to get back at him through his rival, Daniel LaRusso.
Samantha LaRusso
Samantha is the oldest daughter of Daniel and Amanda LaRusso. In the beginning of the show, she is one of the popular girls but shows she still has a strong moral compass. She had been trained in karate by Daniel as a child but grew out of it as a teenager. She begins the series dating Kyler but ends it after seeing him for the true bully that he is. Kyler spreads lies about her around the school until Miguel defends her and beats up Kyler and his gang. She and Miguel begin dating soon after.
Supporting Characters
Hawk
Eli Moskowitz is initially a quiet and bullied student, due to his scarred lip. He and his best friend, Demetri befriend Miguel and after witnessing him beat up Kyler and his gang, decide to take up Cobra Kai karate too.
Johnny at first makes fun of Eli for his lip and even nicknames him Lip. But after an empassioned speech from Johnny, he decides to "flip the script" and returns with a new haircut and a newfound confidence, earning the nickname, Hawk.
Aisha Robinson
Aisha is a childhood friend of Samantha LaRusso. She is constantly harassed and bullied because of her weight. After a hurtful video is posted of her on social media, she decides to join Cobra Kai and becomes Johnny's second student.
Demetri
Demetri and Eli are best friends at the start of the series and they befriend Miguel and let him into their group. Demetri and Eli are constantly bullied and after witnessing Miguel beat up Kyler and his gang, they decide to join Cobra Kai. However, Demetri does not last long and quits after being embarassed by Johnny Lawrence. He believes more that violence should be a last resort and would rather support his friends in their karate pursuits rather than join them.
Story Arcs
Johnny and Daniel’s Rivalry
The rivalry between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence is one of, if not the core element of the entire show.
Their rivalry not only affects them but the people around them. Johnny have switched roles in terms of social status as now Daniel is the one living a comfortable upper-class life while Johnny struggles to find work. While both of their lives have gone down different paths, the one thing that binds them together is their inability to let go of the past. Johnny from the get-go shows he has not let the past go and always harbors hatred for Daniel. Daniel acts as if he’s moved on but the more Johnny Lawrence pops up in his life, the more his resentment towards him and Cobra Kai also show.
Their rivalry causes them both to act irrationally. Johnny does immature things like vandalizing one of Daniel’s billboards while Daniel acts more vindictively. He pretends to want to buy the shopping complex where Cobra Kai runs out of to make Johnny’s landlord raise the rent in hopes of driving him out of business. Daniel also goes to great lengths to keep Cobra Kai banned from the All-Valley Tournament but that fails as well. Daniel’s wife even calls him out for his actions at one point telling him to let it go.
Both cannot let go of the past and things come to head after Daniel’s cousin Louie and hired guns vandalize and torch Johnny’s car. Johnny shows up at Daniel’s house and they almost come to blows until Daniel’s wife intervenes. Daniel offers to give Johnny one of the cars from his lot to make them square. While they are out on a test drive they begin to bond over similar tastes in music. They stop by Daniel’s old apartment complex and while there Johnny tells Daniel about his troubled childhood and how his perfect rich life wasn’t as it seemed. It gave Daniel a new understanding of his rival. They stop by a bar and begin to bond over drinks. They talk about their sensei’s and then the root of where their rivalry started: Ali. They realize they are more alike than they thought and by the end of the day it looks like they’ve let the past go and have become friends.
Unfortunately, it is not to be when Johnny discovers that Daniel has been training Johnny’s son, Robby. He pushes Daniel and leaves in anger. When the All-Valley Tournament arrives, Daniel and Johnny are on opposite sides of the mat again although this time as sensei. Johnny’s student, Miguel beats Robby after capitalizing on an injured shoulder. Despite his dojo winning the tournament, Johnny is anything but happy seeing his son walk away with Daniel.
A recurring theme throughout the show is that there are moments where it appears that Daniel and Johnny are going to come together but there is always something that refuses to allow either man to let the past go. Their rivalry is thematic core of the show, and it not only affects them but also the people around them, especially their students. Their rivalry plays a role in driving Miguel and Samantha’s apart as well as in creating a rivalry between Miguel and Robby. It shows how deep seeded the rivalry is and how it keeps the conflict going through the show.
Johnny and Miguel's Relationship
Miguel is first introduced as a nice and respectful kid who gets bullied. He meets Johnny Lawrence who initially dismisses him as an annoying nerd. One night, Miguel is beat up by some bullies and is thrown into Johnny’s car which cause Johnny to step in and fight off the bullies. Miguel is amazed by Johnny’s karate skills and asks him to train him. Johnny refuses at first but after an encounter with his rival, Daniel LaRusso, Johnny decides to reopen Cobra Kai and take on Miguel as his student.
Miguel learns fast under Johnny’s tutelage and becomes more confident. At the school dance, he strikes first against bullies but gets beaten up badly. After this, his mother forbids him from doing any more karate. After Johnny apologizes and promises not to let him down again, she relents and his training resumes.
Miguel comes into his own as a karate student when he stands up for Samantha LaRusso and beats up Kyler and his gang. Other students take videos that go viral which brings in more business for Cobra Kai. Johnny begins to influence him more in life than just karate. He gives Miguel the confidence to ask out Sam and even recommends their date spot of Golf N’ Stuff. Miguel also influences Johnny as he acts a morale compass to Johnny’s aggressive attitude and helps him become more empathetic and makes him a better sensei. When Cobra Kai is banned from the All-Valley, Miguel convinces Johnny to take a stand against it which pays off.
Miguel and Johnny’s relationship is similar to Daniel and Mr. Miyagi’s relationship as they become closer during their training and develop a father-son relationship. Johnny sees Miguel as his chance to redeem a lifetime of mistakes that he made with Robby and Miguel sees Johnny as a surrogate father as he never knew his real father. Miguel makes Johnny a better man and a better sensei as he teaches him compassion and empathy. Johnny makes Miguel more confident and fearless.
However, Johnny and Daniel’s rivalry begins to have a negative influence on Miguel and starts to drive a wedge between Sam and Miguel’s relationship. Upon discovering that Miguel is dating a LaRusso, Johnny tells Miguel his side of the story of his rivalry with Daniel and it puts doubts in Miguel’s head. It causes Miguel to begin acting more aggressive and possessive with Sam especially when he goes over to her house one night and sees her and the family having dinner with Robby Keene. Watching her and Robby leaves Miguel heartbroken and causes him to act more irrationally, like his sensei. He drinks heavily at a beach party and when Sam shows up with Robby, he confronts him in a similar fashion to Johnny and Daniel’s first meeting. The conflict results in Miguel accidentally hitting Sam which causes her to break up with him.
When the tournament arrives, Miguel is more aggressive, angry, and focused. After Johnny’s incident with Daniel and Robby, he instills his negative views of the world onto Miguel as well as the third Cobra Kai lesson of No Mercy. Miguel fights through the tournament as a more aggressive and ruthless fighter. When the finals come and his opponent is Robby, he lets his anger and aggression get the better of him and becomes corrupted. He fights dirty going after Robby’s shoulder. Johnny sees what has become of his student and tries to tell him that he doesn’t need to fight dirty and to win the right way. However, Miguel is too far gone, and he tells Johnny No Mercy and Miguel capitalizes on Robby’s injury and beats him to win the All-Valley Championship.
The victory is hollow for both Miguel and Johnny. For Miguel, the victory is tainted for him when he sees that Sam did not stay to watch the final. For Johnny, the victory is tainted because he realizes that he has led the good-hearted Miguel down the wrong path and turned him into a dirty fighter, like what his sensei did to him.
Johnny and Robby’s Relationship
Johnny Lawrence is a man with many vices. Aside from his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, his biggest vice is his failed relationship with his son, Robby. Johnny was never there for Robby and his son resents and hates him because of it. Johnny wishes to make things right with his son but Robby’s resentment towards him keeps them apart.
It is because of their failed relationship, that Johnny turns to Miguel as a surrogate son. Miguel is Johnny’s chance to redeem himself and give Miguel the father figure that he and his son never had. At one point, Robby goes to see his father but when he arrives, he sees him bonding and embracing Miguel which hurts him to see his father giving such affection to someone else. It causes Robby to resent Miguel for getting what he always wanted. It also inspires Robby to get back at his father by working for Daniel LaRusso, seeing it as an opportunity to drive his father crazy. However, Robby and Daniel begin to bond, and Daniel becomes a surrogate father to Robby.
As Johnny gets closer to Miguel and his family, he makes the choice to clean up his life by severing ties with his stepfather, Sid and repairing his relationship with Robby. However, as he writes his son a letter, he interrupted by Louie LaRusso and his hired thugs. After a day out with Daniel that nearly leads to them burying the hatchet, Johnny is heartbroken to discover that Daniel has been training his son and more heartbroken when Robby stands up to him to defend Daniel. The incident cause Johnny to go back to his vices and renew his negative view of the world. It causes him to instill the lesson of No Mercy onto his students which influences their behavior in the tournament. Johnny’s top students both fight dirty against Robby with Hawk attacking him from behind and then Miguel beats Robby in the final by capitalizing on his injured shoulder.
After the final, Johnny goes to Robby to apologize, and Robby does forgive him. However, he still leaves with Daniel showing that their relationship is still strained and that there is still much work to be done to bring them back together.
Daniel and Robby’s Relationship
Daniel LaRusso has been away from karate for some time when the show starts. His focus is his auto dealership and his family. But when Johnny Lawrence and Cobra Kai reappear in his life, he is brought back into the world of karate. The passing of Mr. Miyagi is what kept Daniel away from karate but once he resumed practicing it, he started to feel the influence of Miyagi return to his life. With that newfound interest in karate, he begins looking for someone to practice it with. He first turns to his daughter Samantha, who thinks she’s outgrown it. His wife, son, and coworkers also turn him down and it is not until he meets Robby Keene that he finds a new karate partner. After a trick by his cousin, Louie, Daniel begins training Robby in the ways of karate. He uses the same tactics taught to him by Mr. Miyagi and him and Robby begin to bond.
Robby at first joined LaRusso Auto to get back at his father. But as he and Daniel grow closer, he begins to see Daniel as the father figure that he never had. Robby is a good kid at heart but the absence of both his parents caused him to go down the wrong path and lose balance in his life. Daniel has a positive influence on Robby as their training gets him away from his delinquent friends and Robby becomes more balanced in life. He stands up to his friends out of respect for Daniel and renounces his delinquent ways.
One night after training with Daniel, Robby stays for dinner and begins to bond with the rest of his family. For Robby who had absent parents his whole life, it was his first sense of having a family. Because of this he begins to feel guilty for not telling Daniel who he really is. It comes to a head when Daniel and Johnny show up after a night of drinking and they both discover the truth. Johnny leaves heartbroken while Daniel gets angry at Robby and disowns him.
At the All-Valley, Robby and Daniel reconcile. Daniel tells Robby that he will never achieve balance if he hangs onto his hatred for his father and even tells him that his father is not a monster, just someone who had a bad teacher. Robby makes it to the finals but is beaten by Miguel after Miguel capitalized on his injured shoulder. Daniel tells Robby that he fought with honor and no matter what the trophy says, he is proud of him and knows he was the better fighter. Daniel brings Robby to Mr. Miyagi’s old house and tells him of his intentions to reopen Miyagi-Do Karate in hopes of taking down Cobra Kai.
In the end, Daniel is brought back into the world of karate with his new student, while Robby has a new lease on life with a positive paternal figure.
Miguel and Samantha’s Relationship
Miguel and Sam’s relationship begins after Miguel stands up for Sam against Kyler and his gang. Miguel beats them up and becomes more popular because of it. She gets put in his lab group in class and they begin to bond over karate. She jokingly critiques his skills and Miguel tells her she should show him her moves. Miguel finally asks her out and at first, she says she is not ready to date but after learning not to accept defeat, he asks her to hang out without it being a real date, which she accepts.
At the suggestion of his sensei, Miguel takes her to Golf ‘N’ Stuff where they have a great time and grow closer. Miguel brags about being the top student at Cobra Kai which causes Sam to call him on it and to show her what he’s learned. While attempting to show off, she ends up flipping him and then kissing and they become a couple.
However, the rivalry between Daniel and Johnny begins to drive a wedge in their relationship. After discovering her father’s hatred for Cobra Kai, Sam becomes reluctant to introduce Miguel to her parents. This causes a strain in their relationship as Miguel is hurt that Sam won’t introduce him to her family. Sam even suggests that Miguel leave Cobra Kai which he shuts down out of his loyalty to Johnny. Meanwhile, upon discovering that his pupil’s new girlfriend is his rival’s daughter, Johnny tells Miguel his biased side of their story and tells him to be weary of the LaRusso’s. Miguel decides to go to Sam’s house and introduce himself to her family, however when he arrives, he sees her bonding with Robby Keene at family dinner and leaves heartbroken.
Things grow more strained when she doesn’t answer his texts, which frustrates Miguel more. However, unbeknownst to Miguel, Sam’s mom took her phone away. She arrives at a beach party with Robby and a drunk Miguel assumes they are together and tries to pick a fight with Robby. This beach fight is like the first confrontation between Daniel and Johnny back in the first Karate Kid. While trying to keep them apart, Sam accidentally gets hit by Miguel and she dumps him.
At the All-Valley, an angry and determined Miguel tells her to watch what he does in the tournament final against Robby. Sam decides to leave the tournament rather than watch what has become of Miguel, which in retrospect, is the best thing that could have been done for their relationship. After Miguel wins the finals, he looks for Sam and is very disappointed to see she left.
Their romance is another example of the influence that the rivalry between Daniel and Johnny has on the people around them. However, this is not the last we will see of Sam and Miguel.
Season Highlights
The Return of John Kreese
The biggest shock and moment that made fans ecstatic for the next season, was the return of John Kreese in the final episode.
Kreese had been mentioned a few times but Johnny and others presumed him dead. So, after Cobra Kai wins the All-Valley Tournament, it was shocking but also awesome to see Johnny’s former sensei return. It was an indication that things were about to pick up. His words at the end were chilling and set the tone for what was to come.
The line, “That the real story’s only just begun,” was a great way to cap off the first season and only made the fans more excited for the next season.
The Reveal of Miyagi-Do
After his defeat in the All-Valley final, Daniel takes Robby to Mr. Miyagi’s old home and tells him of his plans to use it as a dojo. After having watched the Karate Kid films, it felt more surreal to see the return of Mr. Miyagi’s home and it got me excited to see it more on the show.
The reveal was great fan service and another element of surprise to get fans excited for what was to come in in season two.
Miguel vs. Robby
The All-Valley Tournament final between Robby and Miguel had the same big fight feel of the climax from the original Karate Kid. It felt like the next generation of the Karate Kid saga was getting center stage and their fight had everything that it could have had. It had a lot of emotions with the rivalry between Daniel and Johnny having carried over to their students who also built their own rivalry as Miguel and Robby’s feud had its own layers.
The fight itself delivered as both Miguel and Robby were able to take what they learned from their teachers and show how they have both changed. Miguel went from being the humble kid to being an aggressive and angry young man while Robby fought more honorably. Miguel took a shortcut capitalizing on Robby’s injury reflecting what Johnny attempted to do when he fought Daniel thirty years prior.
It was also interesting as the show began with Miguel looking like the hero and Robby being the villain and by the end, they swapped roles. However, it is also not a black and white ending like the original film’s ending as there is no concrete hero and villain. Both fighters have their likable qualities and their flaws, so you find yourself rooting for both although Miguel’s dirty tactics do make him less likable and make him seem more villainous. But after following Miguel’s journey, you understand why he acts that way. Same with Robby, you followed his journey and see the influence it has had on him, and you find yourself rooting for him.
The choices both fighters make in the end reflect their influences, with Miguel becoming corrupted by Cobra Kai and Robby being humbled by Miyagi Do. Miguel’s win feels hollower as he had lost himself to get there, and we sympathize more for Robby as he fought honorably. It also leaves the door open for a future fight where both fighters are more well-rounded and at 100%.
It was a great final fight to cap off the first season and set in motion for what was to come next.
Johnny and Daniel getting along
The rivalry between Daniel and Johnny is a core element of the show and a rivalry that seems to never end. Which is what makes for interesting moments when we see that the two rivals are a lot more alike than they want to admit. After Daniel’s cousin Louie and some hired guns destroyed Johnny’s car, the two almost come to blows. But cooler heads prevail, and Daniel ends up giving Johnny a replacement car from his lot. While driving, they find they have similar taste in music and after the two begin to bond over beers. Johnny tells Daniel how his childhood wasn’t as rich and perfect as it seemed, and it gives him a new perspective on his old rival. While the moment of friendship doesn’t last, it was nice to see a glimpse of the two longtime foes becoming friends and added more layers to their relationship.
Sam and Miguel's first date
Miguel and Samantha's romance is one of the core highlights of the entire show. That romance was first given to fans on their first date. With a callback to Daniel and Ali's date from the original Karate Kid, Miguel and Samantha have their first date at Golf N Stuff and it’s just as cute to watch as it was for Daniel and Ali. Miguel and Samantha have great chemistry and after having to endure Sam dating the jerk Kyler, it’s nice to see her with a good guy. For Miguel, after watching him go from being bullied to becoming more confident, it’s nice to see the good guy get the girl. He wins her an octopus that becomes a cute symbol of their relationship. Their first kiss is a cute and funny moment where Sam shows off her superior karate skills. It was a great way to start off their relationship and gave us the same feels that we got when Danny and Ali got together.
Final Thoughts
The first season of Cobra Kai is the Karate Kid sequel that fans have been waiting for. It picks up where the originals left off and not only serves as a nostalgic love letter to the franchise but also takes very good and calculated steps to set up a new generation of karate kids.
It takes the established rivalry of Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso and builds off it to create new and interesting characters with Miguel, Robby and Sam and create new relationships and rivalries that keep audiences wanting more. Where other nostalgic retreads tend to rely too much on the older characters to carry the weight, Cobra Kai creates interesting new characters in Miguel, Robby, and Sam and gives them interesting stories that get you invested in them. They are welcome additions to the franchise and will be strong enough to carry it for a new generation.
Where some shows struggle to find their footing throughout the first season, Cobra Kai sticks the landing right-out-the-gate and leaves you wanting more in the end. If you’re looking to get into the series, the first season does a great job of getting you hooked and keeping you coming back for more.
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