Kick Down The Charts

Cobra Kai Season 4 Review

Picture+taken+in+Salt+Lake%2C+Utah%2C+Fan+X+Convention.+Features+Johnny+Lawrence+%28William+Zabka%29+and+myself+%0A

Samara Lasker

Picture taken in Salt Lake, Utah, Fan X Convention. Features Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and myself

Samara Lasker, Staff Writer

Season 4 of Cobra Kai, might just be the worst season yet. While the nostalgia is there, it seems as though that’s all the producers are relying on. They tell the same story again, as though it hasn’t been the major focus since the original ‘84 movie. You should still enjoy the program if you’ve been following it thus far, but there’s no denying Cobra Kai has finally fallen off the rails, and I’ll explain why.

In the Season 4 premiere, Johnny and Daniel merge their dojos in an effort to win the All-Valley Karate Tournament. Cobra Kai, the karate dojo now led by John Kreese, whose attitude of “show no mercy” conflicts with the principles of every other dojo in town, is at the center of the primary battle once again. If Cobra Kai fails to win, Kreese will be compelled to depart Valley as a result of a side bet between Johnny and himself. Johnny’s estranged son, Robbie, joins Cobra Kai as well as the surprise return of Terry Silver. As a refresher, Silver is the rich psychopath best buddy of Kreese in The Karate Kid Part III, and he devised a complicated plan to defeat, humiliate, and ultimately destroy Daniel LaRusso. In his own words, Silver spent months harassing a teenage guy over a high school karate tournament while high on cocaine and vengeance. Despite the fact that Silver makes his debut, we quickly realize that he is just as cunning and lethal as we recalled him to be.

In every season of Cobra Kai, karate and drama can be counted on, but in the fourth season, you should expect to witness fewer action scenes, even though karate is still prevalent. A smart and amusing poolside battle between two of our favorite adolescent couples takes place at the prom, but it pales in comparison to the fantastic fight choreography we have seen in past seasons. Expect nothing like the Christmas home invasion from Season 3 or Season 2’s West Valley High brawl in this season’s episode. The All-Valley Karate Tournament, which takes place during the season’s final two episodes, is unquestionably the show’s high point. Regardless of my gripes, Season 4’s tournament alone is worth the time and effort. Indeed, the karate tourney that they’ve worked so hard on is a standout in this season’s entire show, and because they’ve practiced so hard, they’re well-versed in the offensive and defensive methods of three dojos, making it conceivable for anyone to win this time around. Fight scenes are more executed than in the previous seasons, and this season’s final clash is more gripping than ever before. The tournament will leave fans pulling for every team.

This season marks the series debut for Karate Kid character Kenny. Kenny is a victim of school bullying and feels he has no other way out except to practice the martial arts. His performance during the tournament is excellent, but we’ve already seen a similar character development in Miguel and Danny, once again showing the writers’ reuse of storylines, not to mention, adding a new character so late in the game feels unnecessary and takes the spotlight away from others. 

The creative reversal of Daniel and Johnny’s roles in the first season of Cobra Kai was a highlight of the season. In addition to being an amusing dramedy that combines nostalgia with teen angst, it’s also a thoughtful and moving drama that serves as a shining example of how to properly revive a popular property. As expected, Cobra Kai exceeded all expectations and is one of the best shows to binge watch in 2018.

In spite of the dojo’s well-known motto, “Never die,” Season 4 tells us that Cobra Kai can’t go on indefinitely and that perhaps it is time to start wrapping things up. As a result, the show’s two stars have little to do, which is even more frustrating when you consider how much important screen time is dedicated to the development of Anthony LaRusso, the least engaging character in the entire series, in Season 4 alone. Although there is much to enjoy, I’m hoping for a better season in the fifth.