Season 3 Discussion

[Robert Lynch]

Review of Cobra Kai's Third Season

[Cthulhudrew]

1 3/4 episodes in right now. Initial thoughts:

1) I understand they had to dial back a little bit from the over-the-top season 2 finale, but I'm glad to see that they did make an attempt to try and deal realistically with the consequences of that episode. Sam's PTSD; Johnny's depression; Daniel's personal and professional problems.

2) Glad that Daniel and Amanda didn't give up on Robbie like they suddenly and out of character did in the finale of S2.

3) Enjoying the Daniel and Johnny team-up, even if it is (currently) short-lived.

4) Pleasantly surprised by the Kreese character building. They seemed to give him a little bit of humanity in S2, only to suddenly have him revert to two-dimensional mustache twirling villainy. I hope this isn't just a Lucy football-jerking moment, and that we see some growth for his character in S3 to match that of Johnny, Daniel, and others.

5) Gut instinct- Samantha is going to hook up with Demetri this season.

6) I wanted Daniel to apologize to Johnny for his personal attack towards the end of ep 2, but honest to god if his "You better return that car to the dealership" remark didn't crack me up for a few minutes. 

Some really good writing and performances in S2 so far (aside from what I felt was kind of superficial moments at the rehab center). Hope this keeps up, although I have to say I fear a final episode character-ignoring turnaround to set up S4 like we had in the prior two seasons. Fingers crossed against it. It shouldn't be a bad thing to have a season fit organically into the next.

Also, so far no "Stingray" character. I think it's inevitable that they have to find some kind of coda to that misstep (IMO) from S2, but I definitely don't miss his "comedic" contributions.

[Raja]

I am trying hard not to binge this, something needs to be looked forward too during the COVID content desert. Its a good thing I turned off the automatic next episode play feature

[Josh371982]

4 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

1 3/4 episodes in right now. Initial thoughts:

1) I understand they had to dial back a little bit from the over-the-top season 2 finale, but I'm glad to see that they did make an attempt to try and deal realistically with the consequences of that episode. Sam's PTSD; Johnny's depression; Daniel's personal and professional problems.

2) Glad that Daniel and Amanda didn't give up on Robbie like they suddenly and out of character did in the finale of S2.

3) Enjoying the Daniel and Johnny team-up, even if it is (currently) short-lived.

4) Pleasantly surprised by the Kreese character building. They seemed to give him a little bit of humanity in S2, only to suddenly have him revert to two-dimensional mustache twirling villainy. I hope this isn't just a Lucy football-jerking moment, and that we see some growth for his character in S3 to match that of Johnny, Daniel, and others.

5) Gut instinct- Samantha is going to hook up with Demetri this season.

6) I wanted Daniel to apologize to Johnny for his personal attack towards the end of ep 2, but honest to god if his "You better return that car to the dealership" remark didn't crack me up for a few minutes. 

Some really good writing and performances in S2 so far (aside from what I felt was kind of superficial moments at the rehab center). Hope this keeps up, although I have to say I fear a final episode character-ignoring turnaround to set up S4 like we had in the prior two seasons. Fingers crossed against it. It shouldn't be a bad thing to have a season fit organically into the next.

Also, so far no "Stingray" character. I think it's inevitable that they have to find some kind of coda to that misstep (IMO) from S2, but I definitely don't miss his "comedic" contributions.

For Number 5 god I hope not. Shes already been Romantic with Miguel and Robbie they don't need to have her kissing more boys. Her bouncing between Miguel and Robby was already gross.  I dont know it just annoys me when they have characters be wishy washy/ get together with many characters.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Josh371982

[PotterOtherP]

Off to a good start with some actual real-world consequences. That had really been bugging me.

[Potanical Pardon]

So many emotions for me with this season. Especially anything to do with Mr. Miyagi. Such a good season. I cannot wait for season 4.

 

Time to rebinge. Haha.

[Jediknight]

That Laser Tag fight, holy crap.  That was brutal, and nightmare fuel.

We're seeing the Cobra Kai that Kreese always wanted, this time with nobody in his class that will object.

[Josh371982]

I'm nearly done with Espiode 2. Im getting Scared Tory is related to Kreese 

[Jediknight]

Just got done.

Holy shit, that finale.  To say I am looking forward to season 4, is a big understatement.

[twoods]

Watching episode 2. Kreese sucks. I don’t care if they show a sob story about how he used to be bullied- he sucks. I do love Johnny and Daniel teaming together to find Robbie. Their scenes are great.

They figured out a reason to keep that brat out of juvenile for slicing Sam. I also don’t care if they give her a woe is me storyline because that doesn’t excuse her shitty behavior.

Edited January 1, 2021 by twoods

[sashabear21]

Now I've watched all of season 3 and can't wait for season 4! There were a lot of hilarious lines this season, I'll probably have to re-watch to catch them all. I'm enjoying the flashbacks into Kreese's past, but not all characters need a backstory. Case in point, I can't seem to muster the energy to give a shit about Tory's home life or about the character in general, I'm okay with her staying one-dimensional especially as the minute amount of sympathy it seemed the writers were trying to generate for her was pretty short-lived.  I loved the news clip reactions to the fight, and it's probably exactly the reaction most of us would have when hearing about a karate brawl. 

[DoctorAtomic]

12 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

I understand they had to dial back a little bit from the over-the-top season 2 finale, but I'm glad to see that they did make an attempt to try and deal realistically with the consequences of that episode.

Weird that they have some rule that teachers can't break up fights, but that doesn't preclude the inaction from Tory screaming into the PA system and then everyone pouring out from the classroom into the halls. I could buy the mall fight, but I think they went way too much with the school fight. It should have been off grounds again.

I did enjoy the show at least winking to the viewers with the news montage.

Karate Footloose should be greenlit immediately.

[paigow]

Super meta - calling Kreese "Rambo"

What kind of Country Club serves pasta for Christmas dinner???

Edited January 1, 2021 by paigow

[moonshine71]

13 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

 

5) Gut instinct- Samantha is going to hook up with Demetri this season.

 

Huh? What in Cthulhu's name would give you that impression? I haven't seen anything that remotely hints to that, and Demetri is still written as just an insufferably annoying dweeb most of the time. 

[Josh371982]

I'm on Episode 4 now. Nope, Sorry Kreese still fucking sucks. Being bullied then becoming one cause of it gets no sympathy from me. Eli/Hawk: Still can't stand that Asshole hoping he gets his ass Kicked big time. Had some sympathy for Tory until Kreese kept her in his grip 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Josh371982

[dwmarch]

1 minute ago, moonshine71 said:

Huh? What in Cthulhu's name would give you that impression? I haven't seen anything that remotely hints to that, and Demetri is still written as just an insufferably annoying dweeb most of the time. 

To be fair, Sam does get called out by her own father for having a bunch of boyfriends in a short period of time. I feel like that's the Netflix influence in there, having characters vocalize things the audience is wondering about. "I thought karate died out in the 80s!" was another one.

[Josh371982]

19 minutes ago, moonshine71 said:

Huh? What in Cthulhu's name would give you that impression? I haven't seen anything that remotely hints to that, and Demetri is still written as just an insufferably annoying dweeb most of the time. 

 To me Hawk/Eli is insufferable. A highly punchable face, a huge POS asshole who needs his ass kicked by multiple people.

[heatherchandler]

14 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

Also, so far no "Stingray" character. I think it's inevitable that they have to find some kind of coda to that misstep (IMO) from S2, but I definitely don't miss his "comedic" contributions.

What?  I liked stingray.  I figured that he wasn’t available after he started in a Clint Eastwood movie.

Season 3 is so good when does Season 4 come out??

[moonshine71]

Watched episode 3...

 

Spoiler

Was that Elizabeth Shue as the Dr. that Miguel's mother went to speak with?😲

 

[norcalgal]

10 hours ago, PotterOtherP said:

Off to a good start with some actual real-world consequences. That had really been bugging me.

Yes, there were real life consequences, and then seem to have ditched it (maybe) this season. I’m thinking of this specifically:

Spoiler

Are we supposed to believe there are zero consequences for the Cobra Kai kids who:

1) committed breaking and entering at the LaRusso house; then

2) committed assault and battery; and 

3) destroyed property?!?!?! 
Those are just the charges I came up with on the fly. There could be others. I’m willing to bet they’ll just ignore all that so they can have the CK kids in the tournament. 

We’ll see if this is addressed to start season 4 but I’m not holding my breath.
I also rolled my eyes about this:

Spoiler

So Hawk changes sides in the fight at the LaRusso house because...?  So fake! 

Overall, I liked this season but the spoiler tags are demerits in my mind. Finally, I hope this won’t come to pass but:

Spoiler

Bet Kreese’s army buddy who felt he owed Kreese will be some BigWig who uses his clout/wealth to help in some way 

I’ll watch S4, but wonder if the quality will hold up, and they won’t forego common sense or logic. 

[mtlchick]

My sister and I kept laughing at Eagle Fang Karate. The name and the logo was the dose of laughter I needed to start 2021.

More thoughts later.

[paigow]

2 hours ago, moonshine71 said:

Huh? What in Cthulhu's name would give you that impression? I haven't seen anything that remotely hints to that, and Demetri is still written as just an insufferably annoying dweeb most of the time. 

Dude is hooked up with Yas...

[paigow]

19 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

My sister and I kept laughing at Eagle Fang Karate.

Did Johnny legitimately graduate from high school? Or was he just pushed through the system?

[DoctorAtomic]

2 hours ago, Josh371982 said:

Being bullied then becoming one cause of it gets no sympathy from me.

I have to agree. Though, he did beat those guys up, so it's not like he was helpless. I don't need everyone to have an origin story in all of tv. He went of to Nam, was badass, and he's an asshole. Sometimes that's enough.

I have to say, the show is ridiculous, but the Okinawa episode was good all around.

 

[Hook75]

Quote

Spoiler

So Hawk changes sides in the fight at the LaRusso house because...?  So fake! 

 

Is it real or is he a spy? It was unclear.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Hook75

[juno]

This show does so many things well and I really enjoyed this season.

The Johnny and Miguel scenes were great as were the Daniel and Sam scenes. The Johnny and Daniel scenes continue to be the best. The Okinawa episode was my favorite of the entire series. The chemistry between Daniel and Kimiko is off the charts. Even Ali added to the enjoyment including the little look she gave Daniel when he left.

Unfortunately the writers cannot write for the teens.

These teens are completely 2 dimensional - heel or good guy. Their loyalties jump from one person to another constantly. They can break another kid's arm without criminal prosecution, they can break into a residence, wreck it and assault the residents without prosecution. Most strangely, they are given a pass because the adults have decided that only adults can be at fault and not the kids-why would Daniel go after Kreese, and not the kids that broke into his house and wrecked it and assaulted his child. When did the fight at the school and every fight be Daniel's or Johnny's fault and not the kids? Why was Robbie the only one prosecuted and not all the other kids, including Miguel that fought.

I complained about the strange and complete lack of police presence last year and they did it again this season. Thank goodness there was enough to enjoy.

[Potanical Pardon]

I’m way okay with Kreese’s backstory. I’m not at all worried that it’s supposed to add layers for a redemptive arc. While it is there to add context to how he turned out the way he did, which I agree is unnecessary, I am certain that isn’t the point, but to add setup for Season 4, not just for Kreese, but Silver directly, Tory indirectly, and probably some other characters.

[anonymiss]

I agree with the Rolling Stone review. I was/am obsessed with the first 2 seasons but this was a big letdown, probably because it was too ambitious. They needed to edit and focus or order more episodes for the season.

I found the Okinawa plot horribly contrived and boring. I was bored to tears waiting for Komiko to finish reading.

I hope Season 4 has less fan service and just authentically tells the story out of a labor of love like the first 2 seasons. 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by anonymiss

[norcalgal]

1 hour ago, Hook75 said:

Is it real or is he a spy? It was unclear.

That would be quite clever if CK embedded Hawk as a spy, but I think they sincerely presented him as having a change of heart (which came out of nowhere)!  🙄

[memememe76]

I loved Kimiko! And how they just introduced Tomita was just so beautifully done. That was my favourite episode. I also loved Ali. 
 

The dinner scene among Amanda (who was awesome this season), Daniel, Ali and Johnny was so well done. I could spend a whole episode just them catching up on things. I was irritated when they switched over to the kids fighting. 

I would have liked a moment where Ali expressed her condolences for Miyagi’s passing. And to see Mrs. Mills go all gaga over Daniel now that he is so successful.

The kids figuring out how to merge Miyago-Do and Eagle Fang Do was well done, and demonstrated the chemistry they have.

What I could have less of? Kreese! I really do not need anymore backstory for him. 
 

An enjoyable third season. The fourth season, I wonder if Ali will appear more. The idea of her punk daughter being a part of the series sounds intriguing. 

[bettername2come]

All right, posting at the halfway mark without reading because spoilers. I'm loving this season so far. Clearly they're playing up the "everyone's the hero of their own story" angle with Tori and the bit of Kreese backstory we've gotten so far. I'm so glad the secrets Miyagi was keeping from Daniel-san weren't negative, just a form of karate he didn't teach, that didn't feel like an insult. I really enjoyed hearing the letter where Miyagi said Sam treats him like a grandfather. I know we can't get it onscreen, but since Miyagi lived longer than Pat I want to hear more about their relationship and have it acknowledged that Miyagi was part of Daniel's family. I liked that we saw the little girl they saved in Part 2.  If the actress was the same, I'll love it more. Good deeds coming full circle is good when so much of the series is saying otherwise. 

Zabke is killing it this season. Even when Johnny makes stupid decisions, I still see that he wants to do right and loves Robby and Miguel and his actions make sense for his own screwed up logic. I rolled my eyes a little at Miguel moving his foot when he wasn't trying to and had finally relaxed, but I'm happy to see it. 

The tiny karate kids grew so much! They don't look that out of place with the rest of the high schoolers anymore. I'm glad Bert is out of Cobra Kai. The rivalry is out of control. Breaking Dmitri's arm and attacking the little Miyagi-do guy.

I loved Amanda slapping Kreese and cussing him out. 

[Josh371982]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

Dude is hooked up with Yas...

Seriously? Thats a spoiler I don't mind hearing lol. 

[DoctorAtomic]

2 hours ago, juno said:

I complained about the strange and complete lack of police presence last year and they did it again this season.

I can at least buy a big fight in the house way more than the school. I do think it's a fair cheat to hold the sensei (plural) responsible to a point. There's a lot the show is asking for a buy in, and this is just a bit much. I know Kreese is supposed to be badass, but he's old. It's hard to imagine that Johnny wouldn't mop the floor with him and then Daniel finish him in about 3 moves. I guess really Johnny beat him and Robby stopped it.

I didn't really find his back story to be particularly compelling. You were in Nam. It was bad. I'm old enough to see all the tv and movies from the early 80s to understand that. You aren't special though. Plenty of people saw and did a lot of bad things and didn't decide to churn out bullies.

Overall, I enjoyed the humor. Johnny still driving the caravan was a great joke.

While I was hoping to see more Johnny/Daniel, I get the narrative that they wanted to end on that. I suppose with a 4th season guaranteed you have that freedom with the writing. I guess it made sense that Allie was the one to provide the push in that direction.

It was cool that Sam saw the picture of Miyagi and was able to fight again.

1 hour ago, norcalgal said:

That would be quite clever if CK embedded Hawk as a spy, but I think they sincerely presented him as having a change of heart (which came out of nowhere)!

I don't know if that's entirely fair. It was a clumsy narrative to be sure, but after he broke De's arm, he clearly knew he went too far. There were several beats later on in the series where he looked conflicted.

I loved the signing of the arm cast. Brilliantly high school.

I still have a problem with 50 y/o men stuck in high school, but creating the character of Amanda was a smart move because she calls bs on all of it. She had great scene stealing lines too.

I did like the councilwomanperson just flat out say that we all know the show is ridiculous.

I had a hard time with Tory with the 'it is never over continuing plot'. I get her life is hard, and it's not her fault, but she just so constantly angry, it must be exhausting.

One thing the writers and actors have consistently done really well is the Miguel and Johnny scenes where Johnny will say something ridiculously outdated or inappropriate, Miguel corrects him, and Johnny just keeps going. 'Chinamen, China *people*' just killed me. Good callbacks too with Daniel 'oh you finally figured out Facebook'.

I also liked Daniel and Miguel rehashing the movie from Johnny's pov. "Well the hose was just there. It was teed up. Come on." It was important because Miguel realized that things were way different than he thought, but he was smart enough to realize they needed to move past that.

[DoctorAtomic]

6 hours ago, paigow said:

What kind of Country Club serves pasta for Christmas dinner???

I think it was only one course. If it's any Italian influenced event, you'll get a pasta course usually after salad or soup. Of course, there's always the antipasto to start if they're really doing it up.

[moonshine71]

5 hours ago, Josh371982 said:

 To me Hawk/Eli is insufferable. A highly punchable face, a huge POS asshole who needs his ass kicked by multiple people.

No denying that, he has become a major douche. The both of them are annoying assholes.That said

Spoiler

Hawk/Eli beating the shit out that cackling jackal of a Jack Black wannabe when Kreese brings in his new recruits in ep. 4 might be the most satisfying beat down of the whole series. I REALLY can't stand that guy.

 

[Hook75]

2 hours ago, norcalgal said:

That would be quite clever if CK embedded Hawk as a spy, but I think they sincerely presented him as having a change of heart (which came out of nowhere)!  🙄

He had "the enemy of your enemy is your friend" playing in his head right before. I think he is a not sincere but we will have to wait to season 4 to find out.

[Chicago Redshirt]

2 hours ago, norcalgal said:

That would be quite clever if CK embedded Hawk as a spy, but I think they sincerely presented him as having a change of heart (which came out of nowhere)!  🙄

Hawk had some moments of doubt throughout this season:

1. He was not a fan of Kreese signing up Kyler, the guy who had bullied him about his lip.

2. He took it to heart that Johnny had changed him and called him soft as a baby's ass when he first met him.

3. He knew breaking Demetri's arm was a step too far.

4. He was genuinely friends with Miguel so having Miguel question Kreese had some residual impact.

5. He questioned Kreese bringing on Robbie, the guy who was not Cobra Kai and who put his friend in a coma.

6. He went back on the stealing the snake prank.

3 hours ago, juno said:

This show does so many things well and I really enjoyed this season.

The Johnny and Miguel scenes were great as were the Daniel and Sam scenes. The Johnny and Daniel scenes continue to be the best. The Okinawa episode was my favorite of the entire series. The chemistry between Daniel and Kimiko is off the charts. Even Ali added to the enjoyment including the little look she gave Daniel when he left.

Unfortunately the writers cannot write for the teens.

These teens are completely 2 dimensional - heel or good guy. Their loyalties jump from one person to another constantly. They can break another kid's arm without criminal prosecution, they can break into a residence, wreck it and assault the residents without prosecution. Most strangely, they are given a pass because the adults have decided that only adults can be at fault and not the kids-why would Daniel go after Kreese, and not the kids that broke into his house and wrecked it and assaulted his child. When did the fight at the school and every fight be Daniel's or Johnny's fault and not the kids? Why was Robbie the only one prosecuted and not all the other kids, including Miguel that fought.

I complained about the strange and complete lack of police presence last year and they did it again this season. Thank goodness there was enough to enjoy.

The problem with Cobra Kai brings to mind the old saw about how you need to cut off the head of the snake. Yes, the individual teens did the breaking/entering, property destruction and assault. But they did so under Kreese's influence. If you jail Kyler, Tori and the rest, Kreese is still free to recruit a new bunch of teens to repeat the cycle. Also, there's a limit to how much punishment the criminal justice system is going to dish out. Robbie put Miguel in a coma in an event that got news coverage and then was a fugitive, and his time in juvie was presumably less than six  months seemingly. 

There is also the issue of Daniel and Johnny operating with 30-year-old blinders. Even if the "right" thing to do would be to have the kids arrested, they are drawing on what Kreese did to them when they were kids and lashing out at him influenced by that. 

[Cthulhudrew]

7 hours ago, moonshine71 said:

Huh? What in Cthulhu's name would give you that impression? I haven't seen anything that remotely hints to that, and Demetri is still written as just an insufferably annoying dweeb most of the time. 

There was just an impression of overly friendliness I got from them in the first ep, but once they brought back Yaz, it was pretty clear that was going to be the pairing and I was just flat-out wrong.

On another note, am I wrong, or did they just age Terry Silver about 20 years? I'd have sworn Kreese's CO referred to his army buddy as "Silver" at one point, but Thomas Ian Griffith is younger than Ralph Macchio by a year or so, and for him to have been an active soldier in Vietnam in '68 would add two decades to him. Maybe Terry Silver is the son of Kreese's army buddy?

EDIT: NM. It looks like Vietnam was always part of Silver's back story, even though TIG was never old enough to have been a part of the war (in RL). I've only seen KK3 once or twice, so it completely escaped my memory.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Cthulhudrew

[Cthulhudrew]

3 hours ago, anonymiss said:

I was/am obsessed with the first 2 seasons but this was a big letdown, probably because it was too ambitious. They needed to edit and focus or order more episodes for the season.

I definitely agree that they should have tightened things up a bit; they introduced a lot of story threads while they still had threads that needed tying up from prior seasons, and it took a little too long to address some of them. As a result, I feel some things went nowhere (Kreese's backstory only ended up reinforcing his two-dimensional villainy; Tory's backstory didn't help her own character's arc [at least yet]; and while they dropped hints at Hawk's redemption, it felt a little too rushed and cursory).

I actually think this was one of the strongest seasons in a lot of ways, but yes- I think their reach exceeded their grasp in some ways, and maybe some of this season's plots should have been paced out into next season.

[paulvdb]

I don't see Eli/Hawk as starting a redemption path just yet, although it may happen. I think he just took Kreese's advice about the enemy of your enemy being your friend. Hawk first started doing karate to defend himself against Kyler and the other bullies. He was not happy when Kreese let those guys join Cobra Kai. And then Kreese let Robbie join who put Miguel in a coma. I think that's why Eli/Hawk decided to leave Cobra Kai and join the Miyagi-Do/Eagle Fang alliance.

[Racj82]

On 1/1/2021 at 10:51 PM, anonymiss said:

I agree with the Rolling Stone review. I was/am obsessed with the first 2 seasons but this was a big letdown, probably because it was too ambitious. They needed to edit and focus or order more episodes for the season.

I found the Okinawa plot horribly contrived and boring. I was bored to tears waiting for Komiko to finish reading.

I hope Season 4 has less fan service and just authentically tells the story out of a labor of love like the first 2 seasons. 

 

 

Couldn't disagree more on all points. But, I've read several people crapping on season 2 which I also enjoyed and I thought was well received so obviously you can't please everyone.

On a side note, I'm literally never clocking where are cops and where's the justice! in all this. It's like people complaining about collateral damage in super hero movies. So now, we have to waste countless amounts of time trying to tell everyone this area is vacant etc etc. 

None of this would fly in the real world but this show would be very boring with everyone being locked up or fights stopped after a punch.

Way less fighting works for the movies. Less time to cover. For a show, gotta provide more action.

I love Daniel's wife and yet there is a part of me that would love Daniel with either one of his exes. Just great chemistry all around.

I will admit that as I get older it's really hard for me to watch people's houses getting trashed. I literally can't watch harry and the hendersons again. Harry destroyed their damn house.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Racj82

[Racj82]

4 hours ago, norcalgal said:

That would be quite clever if CK embedded Hawk as a spy, but I think they sincerely presented him as having a change of heart (which came out of nowhere)!  🙄

It didn't come out of nowhere at all. We constantly see Hawk realizing everytime he has crossed the line. Especially to Dimitri. But, he just kept ignoring his conscious. During the house fight, he finally stopped fighting his urge to end the nonsense. Not defending his behavior. He deserves bigger consequences for his actions. But, they set up him having a change of heart throughout the season. Tory having a change of heart would have been out of nowhere because she's never shown remorse for anything she has done. 

[Racj82]

I disagree with all the complaints about Kreeses backstory. Kreeses is the definite antagonist now. But, just like with Johnny in the movies, we never really KNEW him. We just saw the evil and nothing else. Just like with Johnny, we see how he got to the point he was at in KK1. But, unlike Johnny, he never grew past his experiences early in life. He had no other positive influences. It was a full examination of the villain instead of just the usual presenting him as evil for evil sake. 

They should totally end the show in season 4 by the way. We've gotten full examinations of our three major characters. The tournament is set. Now end it there.

Also, studio execs. I know there is a sincere push to make power rangers a movie franchise. Get a bunch of these actors in your universe stat. 

[moonshine71]

4 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Robbie put Miguel in a coma in an event that got news coverage and then was a fugitive, and his time in juvie was presumably less than six  months seemingly. 

 

Hell, less than 4. He was captured after the school year began and out before Christmas(even before school was on Christmas break).

 

The whole timeline gets a little wonky. Especially w/ Miguel's rehab. I'm pretty sure the last 3 episodes take place over the course of 48 hours.

[moonshine71]

I get the complaints about the lack of police intervention, but I'm just letting my suspension of disbelief take over. It really seems to be a conflict between the shows desire to up the stakes when it comes to the rivalry and violence between this kids and the point where any rational solution would be to call the police(which would totally mess w/ the dynamic of the show). I think it really hits that point the first time when the Cobra Kai's beat the shit out of the little kid and steal like a thousand dollars raised at the car wash. Who in the real world wouldn't call the police for that? Kids getting in fights is one thing, but violent robberies and breaking into people's houses and attacking them is another. They try to kind of wave the whole idea of police intervention of when Amanda goes to the police and basically play it as Kreese outsmarting them, but there are multiple actual crimes w/ witnesses that no one bothers to report.

 

Let's face it, if we wanna get real, Amanda wouldn't need to try and get Kreese shut down. With all his "finish them" crap, he'd be shut down in days. How many parents are going to ignore their children coming home w/ their faces beat to a bloody pulp by bare knuckle punches? And I'm fairly certain he isn't getting parental consent or liability waivers when he goes out recruiting. What does basketball girl tell her parents after going home w/ broken tooth? 

 "I got it at karate class when i was down on the ground defenseless and the instructor told my opponent to finish me"

 "Wait, karate what?"

(And i really doubt a kid that was just kicked out after 10 minutes for losing a match would have any motivation to cover for anyone)

 

 

[Racj82]

1 hour ago, moonshine71 said:

I get the complaints about the lack of police intervention, but I'm just letting my suspension of disbelief take over. It really seems to be a conflict between the shows desire to up the stakes when it comes to the rivalry and violence between this kids and the point where any rational solution would be to call the police(which would totally mess w/ the dynamic of the show). I think it really hits that point the first time when the Cobra Kai's beat the shit out of the little kid and steal like a thousand dollars raised at the car wash. Who in the real world wouldn't call the police for that? Kids getting in fights is one thing, but violent robberies and breaking into people's houses and attacking them is another. They try to kind of wave the whole idea of police intervention of when Amanda goes to the police and basically play it as Kreese outsmarting them, but there are multiple actual crimes w/ witnesses that no one bothers to report.

 

Let's face it, if we wanna get real, Amanda wouldn't need to try and get Kreese shut down. With all his "finish them" crap, he'd be shut down in days. How many parents are going to ignore their children coming home w/ their faces beat to a bloody pulp by bare knuckle punches? And I'm fairly certain he isn't getting parental consent or liability waivers when he goes out recruiting. What does basketball girl tell her parents after going home w/ broken tooth? 

 "I got it at karate class when i was down on the ground defenseless and the instructor told my opponent to finish me"

 "Wait, karate what?"

(And i really doubt a kid that was just kicked out after 10 minutes for losing a match would have any motivation to cover for anyone)

 

 

When you watch a child be thrown through to a window at the STARTING POINT of a fight and the first thought isn't you could have killed him, call cops, you know what universe you are in. And it's not one where law enforcement are there to save your kids.

And I get not being able to suspend that disbelief. But, this show also isn't for you. And it never was because A LOT of people have been doing things to get them in jail, juvi or expelled since season 1. 

On the Robbie thing, it was an event where everyone was fighting and there doesn't seem to be anyone arguing against Robbie just defending himself and things went to far. So, law enforcement doesn't know what we know. So, he doesn't get as harsh of a penalty. Miguel was the only one with longer term damage so he becomes the focus of it all. Other than property damage and some bruises and cuts, nothing major happened despite all the carnage there should of been. In a screwed up kind of way, it makes sense that long term lock up wasn't a thing on this case but trying to shutdown the root cause of all the anger was.

[memememe76]

Am I wrong or were the movies and the first season not as violent?

I will be honest, I either close my eyes or FD thru the fight scenes. If I notice that not too much damage has occurred, I will rewind and watch from the start of the scene.
 

As I get older, the more sensitive I am to violence. But the cartoony nature of the fight scenes don’t help when consequences land. Sam gets PTSD but Dmitri or the kid who was thrown into a window don’t? Miguel’s plea to keep the tournament going doesn’t sound compelling enough to me to convince a board. Similarly, if the folks at State Farm was shown the video of the very same participants fighting at school, they would drop their sponsorship pronto. 

But I kinda wave it all away as a more 80s homage, the type I never enjoyed. When the show is not cartoonishly violent, I very much enjoy its humour and empathy. The show really should get credit by trying to give its characters a moment of humanity, even for people like Kyler and Yasmine. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

3 hours ago, moonshine71 said:

I get the complaints about the lack of police intervention, but I'm just letting my suspension of disbelief take over. It really seems to be a conflict between the shows desire to up the stakes when it comes to the rivalry and violence between this kids and the point where any rational solution would be to call the police(which would totally mess w/ the dynamic of the show). I think it really hits that point the first time when the Cobra Kai's beat the shit out of the little kid and steal like a thousand dollars raised at the car wash. Who in the real world wouldn't call the police for that? Kids getting in fights is one thing, but violent robberies and breaking into people's houses and attacking them is another. They try to kind of wave the whole idea of police intervention of when Amanda goes to the police and basically play it as Kreese outsmarting them, but there are multiple actual crimes w/ witnesses that no one bothers to report.

 

Let's face it, if we wanna get real, Amanda wouldn't need to try and get Kreese shut down. With all his "finish them" crap, he'd be shut down in days. How many parents are going to ignore their children coming home w/ their faces beat to a bloody pulp by bare knuckle punches? And I'm fairly certain he isn't getting parental consent or liability waivers when he goes out recruiting. What does basketball girl tell her parents after going home w/ broken tooth? 

 "I got it at karate class when i was down on the ground defenseless and the instructor told my opponent to finish me"

 "Wait, karate what?"

(And i really doubt a kid that was just kicked out after 10 minutes for losing a match would have any motivation to cover for anyone)

 

 

In the real world, there are plenty of people who don't call the police to deal with crime because they do not like/trust the police to be fair, because they are skeptical the police would act quickly or thoroughly enough, because they would prefer to take revenge themselves, because they know that involving the police will cause the criminals to react even harsher in the future, because they think the criminal justice system is too lenient,/harsh/unreliable/slow etc. etc. etc.

The show should do a better job of explaining why these particular kids and parents don't go to the police (or if they did, what happened).

I can picture several variants of real world parents reacting to news of Kreese's tactics with indifference or emotions rather than shock and horror:

• Parents who are are relatively uninvolved with their kids
• Parents who have a lot of other problems going on  
• Parents who think their kids are liars/exaggerators
• Parents who specifically approve of the Kreese method of teaching/philosophy of life
• Parents who might not approve but defer to Kreese as an expert who has a good karate resume and military honors
• Parents who believe that injuries are just part of the territory of taking karate

 

[benteen]

Great season.  What I appreciate most is the love the people involve have for this show.  Cobra Kai has some great, compelling, emotional scenes but is completely unafraid to embrace the sillier aspects of this franchise as well.

[anonymiss]

I don't have any issue with violence or really much of anything as long as I can or want to believe it and it's entertaining in that it works with the plot. The writers are above a deus ex machina and that was why the result of the Japanese plot was insufferable to me. If they needed to give everyone their reunion time it should not be shoehorned in. But that's just one of the many instances I found too contrived and dragged on too long, making the other stories with main cast whom I love feel messy and rushed. A lot felt disjointed and I found myself wanting scenes to wrap up already because I knew how they would end instead of savouring each moment and getting lost in it. I did love Demitri's growth and Yasmine's involvement. That was delightful and unpredictable. 

Edited January 2, 2021 by anonymiss