Netflix’s Cobra Kai Season Four Early Review

This latest season of Cobra Kai is a sure-fire hit as far as this reviewer is concerned. Checking back on where the last season left off, Daniel and Johnny have seen the error of their ways, and neither one of them is doing exceptionally well. With Kreese and Johnny having a falling out, a huge void opened up that needed to be filled. Johnny was never going to be the lead protagonist which has seemingly always been the plan. Therefore someone else has to fill that void. Kreese wants control of the Valley, and he’s not above doing dodgy things to get it. But that’s what makes Kreese such a good villain; he’s an unpredictable bad guy with morals that bend when needed. So for now, Kreese is it, and he’s doing a reasonable job dealing with Johnny and Daniel but even he has limits. And with Johnny gone, he’s looking for a new wingman.

Having Johnny and Daniel join forces was inevitable thus did not come as much of a surprise when it happened here. That being said, this unorthodox pairing whose contrasting styled did make for some hilarious scenes. Meanwhile, their respective students certainly did not have an easy time making sense of all of it as they prepared for the upcoming All Valley Tournament. Having two senseis should be a fantastic experience but that also came with an adjustment period where it took either time to maybe try and hopefully somehow meet in the middle. Whether or not that would actually happen remained to be seen.

Nostalgia aside, the addition of Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) adds a lot of depth to this season and adds that extra sting that Kreese sometimes lacked. Their dynamic was a fantastic combination of smarts, money and manipulation. If Kreese had issues with expanding Cobra Kai before, he definitely wouldn’t have any problem with Silver backing him up. The relationship between he and Kreese went way back, as most fans will already know. Those meeting him for the first time will likely be better served by watching the films in order to understand why their relationship is essential. While one doesn’t necessarily have to understand it to enjoy Cobra Kai, but it helps. It just adds more context to the character this time around and his role this season is a big one. In the end, this season is one of the best so far solely due to his presence.

In terms of the younger characters, this season saw them still experiencing bumps in the road of life. However, it did seem that the adults took centre stage this season, but there’s still enough drama going on with the teenagers for the audience to remain engaged. Miguel is beginning to come into his own in his relationship with Johnny as he continues to evolve as a character as his journey takes a bittersweet turn, setting up an interesting arc for him next season. Tory used to be an annoying character but more screen time this season worked exceptionally well for her character arc. She’s still the bad girl, but there was much more to her than that. As for the LaRusso kids, both Samantha and Anthony are featured more prominently with the latter becoming more of a primary concern for the LaRussos.

Despite their friction, Daniel and Johnny manage to come together by the end as the latter’s story looks to be going in a completely different direction come next season. As far as Daniel was concerned, a big reveal is sure to give fans something extraordinary to look forward to as well.

At the end of the day, one thing is for sure and that is Cobra Kai doesn’t look like it’s going to run out of steam any time soon.

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