Cobra Kai: How Authenticity Makes It More Than a Nostalgia Play
By the Entertainment Editorial Team
"Sweep the leg."
How many generations have heard that phrase now since "The Karate Kid" first came out in 1984? YouTube has brought the original characters (and a brand new generation) back to life via their subscription service, YouTube Red. The new series, entitled, "Cobra Kai" flips the script a bit and gives us the story from Johnny Lawrence's perspective. And not just the story from the original film, but the series focuses on where he is now. It's such a rarity for us to get to revisit a story that's such a large part of pop culture now with its own legacy and fan base in the first place. But the opportunity to be the "villain" and get to tell your side of the story? Forget about it - that's once in a lifetime. This couldn't be more true for William Zabka.
Image Courtesy of YouTube.
The story starts off with that famous final scene in "The Karate Kid". Pulling footage from the original film, we see Danny LaRusso (Ralph Machio) give that classic Crane Kick to Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) causing him to flip backward, face first onto the mat. Cut to the present day where Johnny remains in a very similar position except on the floor of his crappy apartment in Reseda, California. We find out that while a lot of time has passed since that kick, Johnny is very much still stuck in the past. He's that guy who hasn't figured out a way to move on from his glory days, even with an estranged teenage son, Robby (Tanner Buchanan). After some key incidents, he finally realizes to embrace his past to try and build toward a better future by utilizing the best part of that past - his success at Cobra Kai.
Since we have Johnny, we must all ask where's his other half? The yin to his yang? Danny LaRusso? Well, he now owns a successful car dealership in the San Fernando Valley with a big billboard and everything. Though he's largely left Cobra Kai in the past, that all changes when he gets a visit from Johnny and the lesson that he learns is that sometimes even though you want to leave the past alone, it may not want to do the same.
Image Courtesy of YouTube.
The greatest part of this series actually doesn't lie in the past but really in the future, with the next generation of students. The first is Johnny's new star pupil, Miguel Santos (Xolo Maridueña) who's a kid with a good heart who just moved to town and is getting pushed around by the bullies at school. He's the new Danny LaRusso. The next is Johnny's son, Robby, who has a rough exterior but has grown up without a dad and has basically had to take care of himself and his mom. Last, but certainly not least, there's Sam LaRusso, Danny's daughter who once trained with her father but has since grown up and moved on, trying to fit in with the popular crowd at school, and learning the lessons that come along with it. These kids have really in depth story lines and the talent to really pull them off.
Outside of touching on the relevancy of bullying and generational displacement in today's society, the core theme of the whole "Karate Kid" legacy, that of the teacher and the student, is still present. "Cobra Kai" really runs deep with this subject and delves into the nuances of how having key figures for a kid can have lasting impacts on them. It makes one wonder - what if Danny originally got Kreese as a sensei? What if Johnny had originally gotten Miyagi? How would that have changed who they became? Would it have changed anything at all?
Today's world is all about bringing back stories and characters from the past just for brand appeal. It's usually just a nostalgia play. With "Cobra Kai", it's the authenticity that comes from the love from the series' creators for these original characters, their stories, and building upon this universe that makes this revival shine above the rest. Once you start that episode, you come to realize that the show is ready to strike first, strike hard, and show no mercy.
The first two episodes of "Cobra Kai" are available to watch free right now on YouTube, and the full series is available exclusively on YouTube Red.
Watch Episode 1 below: