Goodbye, ‘Cobra Kai’

With the conclusion of the Netflix series Cobra Kai we see not only the “final showdown” typical of martial arts stories, but also the wind-up of the Karate Kid franchise in a surprisingly satisfying way that only episodic television can provide. The original film spawned three celluloid sequels and a successful Netflix series which just ended its sixth and final season. The series ends as it began – with a tight focus on the Johnny Lawrence redemption arc. A feature film (Karate Kid:Legends) releases in May. Love it or hate it, Cobra Kai demonstrates what can happen when talented writers extend and develop idea-rich franchises.

The hero and villain of the Karate Kid are now middle-aged men facing the challenges of fatherhood and family. The complexity of their choices defy simple categorization as heroic or otherwise. And yet the martial arts-themed series remains focused on the importance of balance, humility and self-restraint. Without being preachy, Cobra Kai and the original films center questions of conduct and morality– something of an accomplishment in a non-religious age.

Writers, faced with the daunting task of winding up the series’ many threads, made the sensible choice to focus more narrowly on the franchise’s original characters and their families. Of the supporting cast, only Tory (Peyton List) receives much screen time; the show relegates the rest of the youngsters to brief cameos. Season six, Part 3 is intent on wrapping up what happens to Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai, the competing dojos whose rivalry provides the narrative engine to the original franchise. Animated by different philosophies, they endure or fall based on how they live out these philosophies, as do their disciples.

Johnny Lawrence has proven a perennial loser. The guy whose dreams of karate glory ended with a kick to the head in the 1983 All Valley Karate Tournament gets a second chance in middle age – an opportunity to face his demons, overcome his fears and connect more closely to the community he has created along the way. The “Ace Degenerate” who begins his first scene of the series pilot face-down and passed out from booze ends up on his feet and fighting in the aptly-titled finale “Ex-Degenerate.”

The series is competently written and achieves a satisfying climax and denouement. Generating youth appeal while also providing a nostalgic curtain call for Gen X (including a nod to the Rocky franchise in an urban group run during Johnny’s final training session), the now completed series lays bare just how deeply our culture has changed since the Reagan years.

The 1980s were a time of hope and optimism. The American Dream seemed within reach of most people and the future looked bright. The films of the original franchise benefited from a movie-going public that was optimistic and hungry for original content. Cobra Kai, its successor, spanned the COVID years and some of the harshest economic times in recent memory.The themes of the series, which echoes the third movie more than either of the first two, reflect these darker times.

 In the end, whether fighting to win a trophy or salvage his dwindling sense of self, Johnny Lawrence faces the ultimate “big game” in the climax of Cobra Kai: life, at which he has been a largely unsuccessful. His redemption echoes the odd redemption of his sensei, Kreese, who rediscovers his personal honor at the bitter end of his own martial journey. The chapter on Kreese and Terry Silver concludes on something of an explosive note while Johnny discovers what it is to move beyond the life-depleting loss he sustained his last year of high school.

Remakes, re-purposings, sequels, prequels and midquels have become Hollywood’s bread and butter and few have had the cultural resonance of the Karate Kid . The writers of Cobra Kai have left plenty of room for spin-offs and continuations. The Miyagiverse is, like Battlestar: Galactica, Star Trek, and Yellowstone, a cash cow franchise that just keeps giving. We await this summer’s installment, featuring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, with interest.