Season 2 of COBRA KAI is as good as the first season, bringing back multiple minor characters from KARATE KID, played by the same actors, and bringing the story to another riveting climax.
Johnny is now the owner of a successful dojo, while Daniel starts his own to show the kids at his daughter’s school a kinder alternative to karate. Johnny’s sensei returns to try to influence him and his students, while Daniel wrestles with balancing family with running a car dealership and a karate school. Miguel and Sam find romance with others, though they still have a connection. While Johnny does his best to change Cobra Kai and Daniel does his best to teach his students that violence is a last resort, the romantic entanglements and rivalries boil into an all-out brawl.
As with Season 1, as much as I love Daniel LaRusso in this series, Johnny remains the star, and I’m Team Miguel all the way, as his rival Robbie is a bit flat for me. Johnny’s struggle to find a new path for Cobra Kai–be aggressive, never accept defeat, go all in, but don’t be a monster–is the heart of the show, with LaRusso as an excellent foil. And as with season 1, while the fight scenes are fantastic and the conflict compelling, the show doesn’t drown you in it. The best scenes are those with heart, where people come together to enjoy life. When these people are subsequently torn apart, it’s so much more agonizing as a result, the mark of good storytelling.
Season 3 is coming out in January, and Season 4 is reported to be “in training.” Can’t wait for more COBRA KAI, currently one of my top watches on Netflix.
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