Review: ‘Cobra Kai’ the Ultimate Binge Watch

If you grew up watching, rewatching, and loving the 1984 classic “The Karate Kid” you will, like me, absolutely love “Cobra Kai.” I’ll start my unabashed lovefest for the Netflix series with this disclaimer: If you never watched “The Karate Kid” or for some incomprehensible reason don’t love every minute of it, you may want to stop reading right now and go get your life in order. For those of you who understand what ‘must be take a worm for a walk week!’ is, I’ll continue.

“Cobra Kai” stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka – reprising their respective roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence from original motion picture. It brings us a thoroughly addictive and entertaining series that provides endless nostalgia and fanboy Easter Eggs in a fashion similar to “Fuller House” requiring the viewer to be aware of the original characters and story in order to comprehend most of it.

We follow Zabka’s character Johnny, and his inability to escape the apex of his life in 1984, which we quickly see was the last time he was a winner. To say he’s stuck in the past is an understatement as he barrels around in his junky muscle car blasting hair metal ballads from yesteryear and dealing us 80s addicts the nostalgic drugs we crave. Johnny Lawrence is a type of antihero – not as ruthless as Walter White or Tony Soprano – but someone we can still sympathize with. He was a high school bully who sat at the cool kids table propped up by his family’s name and wealth. Since then, he works an assortment of dead-end jobs, has a child he has no investment in, and a continuous grudge against the single person he feels responsible for it all.

Daniel is a successful businessman with a beautiful wife (Courtney Henggeler) who owns and manages a car dealership. He is still living off the success and localized glory of his legendary Crane Kick which won him the All Valley Karate Tournament three-and-a-half decades ago. Through billboards and commercials we surmise that Daniel has built a legacy around the one infamous kick, and that moment in time serves as a constant reminder to Johnny.

The series focuses on the incredible growth Zabka’s character. He starts off as a racist – shunning the Hispanic gentrification of his low end apartment complex. Johnny’s life is one of cheap beer, takeout dinners, and loneliness until he finds purpose once again in the only thing he has ever really been good at; karate, becoming a sensei and fatherly figure to his teenage neighbor Miguel (Xolo Mariduena).

“Cobra Kai” is a comedy by design, with some outlandish fight scenes and family dynamics included in the mayhem. There’s the typical high school nerds and bullies, and young characters, like Daniel’s daughter Samantha (Mary Mouser) playing a pivotal role as she tries to balance karate with dating. It’s hysterical to watch Johnny – a self-exiled troglodyte – attempt to get himself, his attitude, and his new dojo modernized. The supporting cast is excellent and properly diverse for the LA setting.

One amazing facet to the series is seeing Ralph Macchio and William Zabka share a screen once again. After watching the original movie no less than a gazillion times growing up (and into adulthood) it’s surreal to witness the transition of these men, now in their early 50s. I’m sure if you told them back in 1984 that they would be playing the exact same characters on a successful streaming series in 2021, they would have guessed you as a loon, though its obvious each man is having a blast making the show.

“Cobra Kai” is an excellent show that offers an easy to digest story with hysterical and fist pumping moments. This is also the true definition of a binge watch show. There are ten episodes per season, and each flies by so fast you can easily burn through them all in a single weekend. If you haven’t watched, and you meet the above criteria, you’ll want to dial it up as soon as you stop reading.