S06.E06: Benvinguts a Barcelona

[paulvdb]

Quote

With the Sekai Taikai underway, a betrayal threatens to throw team Miyagi-Do off their game. A dramatic first event unleashes the element of surprise.

Premiere date: November 15, 2024

[Raja]

After too much teen angst we get Master Sensei Chozen who somehow stayed sober enough on the day long flights to avoid Air Marshals. Poor Daniel-san  getting embarrassed by the adults.

As with the All Valley ring announcer I get a Hunger Games vibe from the tournament. But after all the Cobra Kai posturing watching  the message sent by the Iron Dragons was fun. I did like Tory taking over leadership from the great lone wolf fighter Kwon Jae-Sung.

[jah1986]

So the Iron Dragons basically played everyone else. Wasn't their captain the one who didn't come close to hitting the mark at the Cobra Kai challenge? They sent a clear message, this is not a two dojo tournament.

I like that no one is really mad at Tory, just disappointed and confused. Although Robbie got beat because he got distracted. But imagine if Miyagi Do had faced Iron Dragons in the last round, Kreese would have been smirking. Ain't nobody smirking now.

[Kel Varnsen]

I still think it's hilarious that no one from the valley even heard of this tournament a few seasons ago and now it's the biggest thing in the world.

Although I am kind of annoyed that Kreese is no longer a fugitive with just one line. 

Also I'm calling it now that Cobra Kai and Miyagi will be teaming up to defeat the Iron Dragons.

[DoctorAtomic]

I'd first like to thank Entertainment Weekly for dropping a massive spoiler at 4 in the afternoon. Because the target demo doesn't have actual jobs and can stay up 36 hours to watch a tv show. I guess?

I know by now what the show is, and I like it fine. I'm not sure why Amanda couldn't come to Spain though, and why Johnny and Daniel had to share a room. They're both senseis. I would think that qualifies for separate rooms. 

I do like that Tory is conflicted. That gives a good dimension to her. I hope the can keep this up and not have her just storming off again. And Kreese is right - sometimes you have to play nice to get what you want. Yelling all the time doesn't work, believe me. 

I also like that Robby is trying to be even handed still. I'd rather Johnny and Daniel not be at odds for these episodes though. 

Good fighting though. Go Iron Dragons!

10 hours ago, jah1986 said:

Although Robbie got beat because he got distracted.

He might have still got beat, but he did get beat because he lost focus. I liked how the Cobra caption there wasn't all that as he was made out to be last season. Robby fought him even. Which now I wonder why if he beat all the rest of his team so bad, if they're really that good. 

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Also I'm calling it now that Cobra Kai and Miyagi will be teaming up to defeat the Iron Dragons.

Ugh. Please no. I don't really want to see Kreese being rehabilitated. Sometimes we can just have the bad guy be the bad guy. 

[marinw]

On 11/15/2024 at 11:55 AM, jah1986 said:

They sent a clear message, this is not a two dojo tournament.

I kind of hope that some other dojo than Miyagi or CK wins. It would be a good lesson, to learn that winning isn’t everything, having a great experience is important too.

kodos to the fight choreographers, are those the actual actors or stunt doubles?

[DoctorAtomic]

I thought the regular actors at least are doing the fighting. 

[marinw]

20 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I thought the regular actors at least are doing the fighting. 

I read that the actress who plays Zara is a Taekwondo champion. Which is not the same as Karate, but whatever. 

Tall CK guy looks like a live action anime character 

Edited November 17 by marinw

[Raja]

For the third dojo fighters the franchise often uses real martial artist, they rarely had to speak. The influencer being a major change from their norm

[DoctorAtomic]

I'm really surprised. Zara was the one who looks like she's overdoing it. Maybe that's the point of the character. 

[Raja]

19 hours ago, marinw said:

I read that the actress who plays Zara is a Taekwondo champion. Which is not the same as Karate, but whatever. 

On the other hand from what I pick up on MMA videos the Cobra Kai fights are more flying and spinning cinematic taekwondo based than the power moves of wax the floor and then beat them into submission karate.

[twoods]

Welcome to Barcelona, bitch. Hee! It was nice to see the cockiness of Cobra Kai get dropped a few pegs. 

[tennisgurl]

Loved watchin the Iron Dragons wiping those smug smirks off of Cobra Kai, I am really glad that this isn't just going to be another variation of Cobra Kai VS Miyagi-Do. The big tournament is fun so far, everyone is just as extra as I hoped they would be. 

I am glad that everyone is still sympathetic towards Tory, they're more hurt and concerned than angry, which certainly makes them a lot more mature than Jonny and Daniel, who just cannot go five seconds without annoying each other about some silly thing.

[Raja]

On 11/15/2024 at 4:53 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

I still think it's hilarious that no one from the valley even heard of this tournament a few seasons ago and now it's the biggest thing in the world.

If I am remembering correctly, it was an underground tournament that only Silver and the bad boy Mike Barnes knew anything about. And like many TV characters these here don't seem to watch TV, they do; so they wouldn't know about a kid's tournament on ESPN 5 trying to compete with MMA in primetime the thing worldwide.

On 11/15/2024 at 7:55 AM, jah1986 said:

So the Iron Dragons basically played everyone else. Wasn't their captain the one who didn't come close to hitting the mark at the Cobra Kai challenge? They sent a clear message, this is not a two dojo tournament.

Since I did a re-watch a few weeks ago I was thinking of the All-Valley officials after the school brawl where they thought to add the kata's and skill demonstrations. They were part of the tryouts to enter the Sekai Takei. But then we got here to only fights and reverted to the bad show of the possibility of a big boy like Axel could be stomping on Aisha. A theme the show stayed with Devon's "cheating" to make up for her being unable to match the three boys' greater physicality in a footrace. But I guess the women didn't actually take hits from bigger boys in the team fight scenes.

[AWhittle]

I know it is budget and all. But I remember the Valley Tournament in the original movie and it was so much more spread out, with better lighting. And we can all see video of real karate tournaments and the Olympics and how it is all well lit and spread out. This Sekai Takei is supposed to be a world class tournament, hotel accommodations etc.  but the facility itself is so closed in and small. 

I don't know. I was expecting it to look more like the Olympics

[Raja]

4 minutes ago, AWhittle said:

I know it is budget and all. But I remember the Valley Tournament in the original movie and it was so much more spread out, with better lighting. And we can all see video of real karate tournaments and the Olympics and how it is all well lit and spread out. This Sekai Takei is supposed to be a world class tournament, hotel accommodations etc.  but the facility itself is so closed in and small. 

I don't know. I was expecting it to look more like the Olympics

I think the Olympics and most tournaments need to have multiple contests going simultaneously. If every fight was televised it could be like the 100m in track and field can be in a smaller TV friendly facility if all you wanted was the one race to name the World's Fastest Man. 

[Danny Franks]

This is honestly the dumbest show I've watched since Scorpion (though it is better written and acted). It's just so absurd, and season six is really leaning into it, recovering some of the comedy that season five lacked, but still keeping up the melodrama.

This episode brought that melodrama in spades, with Robbie sad faced and following Tory around, while she's only able to be cryptic and vague, because god forbid anyone actually communicates. Meanwhile, the other Miyagi-Do kids immediately suspect Robby of duplicity because god forbid anyone actually communicates.

And of course Robby loses because he stops fighting to stare at Tory. Of course he makes a series of bad decisions that will fuel discontent in Miguel. There is a guaranteed "I should have been captain!" argument coming up within the next couple of episodes.

Daniel, of course, is instantly distracted by Mr Miyagi stuff and will surely stop paying any attention to the kids he's in charge of.

The Sekai Taikai is supposed to be the pinnacle of karate competition, but it's just a clusterfuck mob fight, without points scoring? And the winners of one match immediately have to fight fresh opponents, using only their uneliminated fighters? I feel like the show hired some ex-WWE writers.

And man, what I wouldn't give for at least one kid to just shrug off all the macho, belligerent posturing with a "whatever, dude." I was almost delighted when Robby ignored the Cobra Kai goading at the aquarium... but then he fell for it. As everyone in this show always does.

Edited December 9 by Danny Franks

[Raja]

17 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

I feel like the show hired some ex-WWE writers.

At least since the stipulation tournament that closed both Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang