Cobra Kai

[Drunk Monk]

WTH!!!

No way that’s the finale…

[Drunk Monk]

I got pretty sucked into the binge and it went quickly. 5 eps under a half hour is like a Bollywood runtime. There was some fine moments of the feels, and some good fights. The cast of villains leveled up in terms of martial skill. I’ve had dinner with Lewis Tan and follow Rayna Vallandingham’s ig for a while are both major martial artists. 

It was really odd to come from a tournament with plenty of Shaolin intrigue to this show which was a show about a tournament with fictional intrigue. I thought there was a decent joke in there somewhere but really it was more of a personal mindfuck. Who could even relate to that beyond me? 

But that can’t be how it ends. There must be more…

[Drunk Monk]

Ok, alright, no need for that.

I thought this was going to be a 10 ep season but it's a 15 ep, dropped in 3s of 5. This was eps 6-10. 11-5 to come. 

My interview with the showrunners is set for this week.

[Greg]

I hope you talk to the propmakers this time.

[Drunk Monk]

Sadly, they get their prop gear from Century (Tiger Claw competitor).

[Greg]

Propmakers not Propmasters. Get it right.

[Drunk Monk]

Not sure they made any props. Most was off the rack.

Century had product placement sponsorship early on.

[Drunk Monk]

Interview went well.

Both Josh & I were wearing skeleton shirts. Shoulda been shower curtains. I opened with that observation which immediately cracked the ice.

[Greg]

Come on! Everyone knows Daniel was the real villain.

[Drunk Monk]

Everyone is a villain. At least they’ve got motivations.

---

Everyone is a villain. At least they’ve got motivations.

[Drunk Monk]

Final 5 eps seen.

Do they stick the landing? Yes for the most part although I hoped for something more epic. There was fine closure on all of the story arcs I can recall, but nothing too over the top, although there were some notable fatalities. The door is open for several spin off possibilities with the main kids graduating and heading off to college, scattering the characters all over the world. Everything is tied up in a tidy bow.

It’s chock full of Easter eggs, just like this show has always been. The overarching plot of the last 5 eps was the finale of the Sekai Takai, which comes home to the valley. The choreo is strained though, a bit of a step backwards. Rayna and Lewis outclass all comers with their martial poise, but they’re somewhat underused as villains.

Zabka delivers the best performance, really showing his acting chops. Macchio remains tepid. Several of the characters only get one line, particularly the newer cast, as their stories have concluded and now they’re just recognizable extras.

The premise of the tournament is silly. The training is even sillier. They train ridiculously hard the day before the tournament and gain new skills - it doesn’t work that way at all.

I must confess that 4 of the 5 eps gave me the feels at some emotional climax. The show has been working up to these pivotal moments and it’s joyous to see them play out. Plus I’ve covered this show so much that I feel like it’s taken me on a nostalgic, entertaining & profitable journey. I cannot be unbiased.

I saw screeners. 

Drops Feb 13

[Drunk Monk]

It’s been a great run. It’s been an honor to cover it.

[Drunk Monk]

[Greg]

Karate Kid

Speaking with Newport Beach TV Fest (via Screen Rant), Ralph Macchio stated “the Miyagiverse is infinite” and Cobra Kai showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg] are “working on some conceptual ideas” for new projects.

Oh yeah, I’m gonna tell you right now. Only that there’s dialogue that’s going on. Until you have the green light, and you’re making it, it’s probably not the right thing to tease. But there are those areas – I know the guys [Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg] are working on some conceptual ideas – and two things that we know: The Miyagiverse is infinite and Cobra Kai Never Dies. So we’ll see, and then outside of that, there are other places to – I can’t drop the news fully, but we’re working on it. We’re working on it.

[Drunk Monk]

Cobra Kai Ending Explained: Did Netflix Just Tease Another Massive Franchise Reboot?
The Cobra Kai series finale sticks the landing with all the feels. But is the door left open for a future Miyagi-verse spinoff...or something else?
By Gene Ching

...

As the cast walks off into the sunset, the late ‘80s Guns N’ Roses hit “Sweet Child O’ Mine” plays. “Where do we go? Where do we go now? Where do we go?”
“We’d certainly love to see Johnny Lawrence again down the road,” Hurwitz told Den of Geek following the season 6 part 2 finale. “We’d love to see any of the kids and what’s going on in their paths, whether it’s the binary brothers and Miguel and Tory or Robby or Samantha.” 
Hurwitz could even imagine exploring the new villainous dojo introduced in season 6, the Iron Dragons: “There’s so many different ways that we can go and we just love playing in this sandbox. And hopefully in the wake of Cobra Kai there will be opportunities to go down different paths.”
Cobra Kai never dies.