Epic Showdown: Cobra Kai's Final Season Begins with Surprising Twists and Heartfelt Moments

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Frustrating Start to the Cobra Kai’s Final Season

It’s trivial, but first of all: man is it annoying that we only get the initial five episodes of Cobra Kai season four this week? Seriously, Netflix – what gives? We will probably still have Christmas lights up when the next five arrive. Then, I suppose we have to enjoy these episodes while we can.

Recap of the Previous Finale

The previous finale brought us up-to-speed with the year-spanning arcs we’ve been tracking for years, culminating in a shockingly un-miserable ending. THEREFORE, SEASON SIX OPENS WITH EVERYONE BEING MORE OR LESS IN A GOOD PLACE.

A Happily Sharing Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, and Chozen Toguchi dojo; Miguel & Sam in College applications while Anthony is that freshman you hear about; a behind bars Terry Silver And no more Cobra Kai. The biggest unfinished business comes in the form of John Kreese, a veteran villain from The Karate Kid franchise who broke out of jail and is scheming with Kim Da-Eun to rebuild Cobra Kai. (You do it.;)

Unclear Conflict and Kreese’s Role

In the early going, it’s a little bit unclear where most of that conflict lies. Of course, Kreese is there playing the long game after all; those 15 episodes are still leading to a Sekai Taikai world karate tournament that’s going to necessitate a lot of training.

I mean, a huge part of Cobra Kai is dedicating seasons to making kids jerks at one dojo (Season 1) only for them to take fresh stabs at inner peace and zen shit under an alternate sensei in the next. Kenny was brought in to balance out the scales, which he did particularly well across seasons four and five. Back to it, then: Most of our kids we know and love are together at Miyagi-Do (adults too),

Evolving Relationships and Tensions

Yet it has been nice to see everyone come together and put aside their petty bickering, so I rather not bear having another needless backslide — looking at you Daniel Johnny Rift. If it’s not the most dramatic or shocking season ever, I think I’m okay with just a victory lap. That said, this debut suggests that a little low-stakes character drama can still go a long way.

Naming the New Dojo

Much of the conflict is centered on naming that new dojo which they’ve been rinsing in placeholder “Miyagi-Fang. With Daniel now hanging up his full-time sensei hat following the big tournament and worldwide Miyagi-Do gospel tour of duty, he doesn’t exactly have family on the brain. And now, the devastated Eagle Fang dojo has Johnny just as on edge to uphold his legacy after all he went through for Kreese NOT taking over Cobra Kai in this shell game of not one dojo but two!

Meanwhile, Chozen continues his escape from reality after Kumiko has seemingly turned him down. He believes that defending the name of Miyagi-Do is all he has left. He and Johnny both refuse to let up for the rights of naming, leaving Daniel helpless when it comes time to pick a name

Stingray’s Persuasion and Johnny’s Resolve

This is where I started to worry as Stingray dupes Johnny of a meeting and attempts to persuade him into reclaiming Cobra Kai It SOUNDS like the most boring direction that story could take in season 6, but Johnny really hates it when you call him ‘chicken’… so sure it’s something he MAY DO if we were being morose.

That sort of dis to Johnny, coupling Stingray’s more heartfelt plea— that he showed him how to teach himself to like and respect who he is — could be great enough reason for some doubt in where his alliance truly stands with Daniel if there was a glimmer at world greatness after all.

Moving On from Cobra Kai

However, Johnny is truly ready to leave Cobra Kai behind once and for all… that goes so far as being willing to let go of Eagle Fang (because it was still associated with Kreese in a way since it was always a “stand-in” name meant to subvert the burden tied up in saying or hearing — much less chanting — Cobra Kai).

Daniel and Chozen were actually planning to capitulate anyway, but now Johnny wants Miyagi-Do on the dojo name. He also has a bit of sentimentality when he tells his two co-teachers that they made him and everything else “way cooler” — driving home how important great teaching is. Palchick says would like to say, Haynes Elementary School!

Sam and Tory’s Progress

And “Peacetime in the Valley” has a lot of progress for the two pairings with possibly the most baggage and sexual tension left on this show (outside Johnny/Kreese, obviously). In season 4, Sam and Tory are able to team up in the final finale and put an end to their beef with karate (at least for now — there is that tease about Robbie).

Miguel and Robby talking about the tension is ironically kind of hilarious, as a parallel to their relationship they compare it likening both to between themselvespecies. They did take a while to figure out their own stuff though; Sam and Tory will just need more time and pressure over them.

Except a double date to the arcade is not quite what will send them over the edge; after all, outside of karate, these girls have practically nothing in common. Too oblivious to even realize the hole she is digging for herself, Sam sheepishly comments how hard it has been choosing a college while Tory falsely assumes that with all her bruises and one year of probation on record will probably affect any chances of getting into a good school. Great work to all involved.

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Robby’s Side Quest and New Bonds

But Robby’s side quest place in a unique location where Sam and Tory can start bonding somewhere in galleries. For quite some time, Robby has been carrying the heavy burden of having left Kenny the way he did – to be brutalized during his apprenticeship at Cobra Kai. He wants to make things right and maybe do Kenny a solid by offering him an invitation to Miyagi-Do.

However, now that his brother, Shawn (who was put in juvie), has been released He doesn’t want any of Kenny’s former mentors to corrupt him. He gives Robby a tongue-lashing at the arcade and then takes it to another level when he roughs him up after running into him again at the batting cages. Backup arrives in the form of Miguel, Sam, and Tory who all join forces to help Kenny fight off Devil Woman — which officially turns into our premiere’s big brawl that concludes with girls telling Kenny he has a home at Miyagi-Do too.

New Beginnings for Kenny

It brought Sam and Tory closure after their little tete-a-tetes, so it may just do the trick to break Kenny out of his tailspin. Shawn and Robby are on different sides of the fight, but they are both doing what they believe is best for Kenny — even Shawn now realizes how toxic Silver has become. He realizes that Miyagi-Do may be able to help him. With Kenny, he can find balance and consider more who he wants to be as a man.

Optimism for the Future

And “Peace Time in the Valley” possibly accelerates a bit toward those upbeat closures, culminating two couples who have long seen each other (since even before they acknowledged each inverse was Emma Sam and Tory initially met) But I do love going to back and seeing how far these characters have come, grow they all did in ever tale here.

Although I am a bit skeptical of Mitch’s assertion that there will be “no more heel turns,” it is true that the guys seem to have never gotten along better. Can Cobra Kai really be Cobra Kai if no one ever turns heel? I’d like to see the show try. They are, after all, in it to win a tournament.