Season four of Cobra Kai is almost here and it’s past time to recap and mention how much the story has changed and evolved over the past three seasons. When the mention of the show first came to YouTube it was a bit of a shock, not to mention a nice surprise since the chance to get back into the action with Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso felt almost too good to be true. Things only got better though when people were able to see that there was a definite reason why Johnny’s life wasn’t perfect, and why he was so aggressive. But as of now, the source material for the main story is coming close to being used up as season four is bringing back Terry Silver, and will be reviewing the final chapter of The Karate Kid before finally passing the torch to the next generation. There’s plenty that we can go over when talking about the last three seasons, not the least of which is going to be the story of Johnny and Daniel, and how they’ve at least started to see the similarities in one another thanks to their interactions, and thanks to Allie, who came back in the third season.
What used to be a cut and dried case of Miyagi-Do vs. Cobra Kai however has become a very muddled situation since the explanation of how John Kreese came to be the man he’s been since the first movie made it clear that he’s not a clear-cut, dyed in the wool villain. Someone did have a hand in making him this way, but despite the fact that he learned how to be ruthless, it would appear that he’s never learned how to be anything but manipulative and calculating at the same time, meaning he has no room for compassion or anything other than the need to win. Unfortunately, he has grown patient in his old age, and a lot more cunning. Recruiting Johnny’s son, Robbie, was a well-played tactic that was meant to get Johnny to return to Cobra Kai, but it ended up backfiring and causing even more problems.
As for Daniel, it’s fair to say that he didn’t appreciate Kreese sending his students to his home, or teaching them that striking first and showing no mercy was a smart way to live. It was uplifting to see that Hawk realized the error of fighting against his friend, but it’s also fair to say that with Kreese teaching his students to be utterly ruthless, the most vicious of the bunch is going to get even worse before they realize how dangerous Kreese, and Silver, really are. What’s amusing is that Robbie almost sounds as though he’s over his father, Daniel, and Cobra Kai when he explains how each of them feels that their way is the only way to fight. His philosophy appears to be that whichever way works is what’s important, not the method by which one attains a victory. It almost appears that a shift has occurred, that those who have selected the wrong path have found it, while those that were on the wrong path but aren’t comfortable being the bad guy have found their way back to the correct path. But it also appears as though there will still be tension between Johnny and Daniel no matter how much they might work together.
The All-Valley Tournament is going to be the proving ground, and the proposal that’s been voted on in the trailer is unknown at this point, but it feels as though it’s going to be something risky, especially since one of those on the board feels that it might not be a great idea. But what this might hold for the fighters is hard to say at this moment. What is apparent is that the tournament will, like usual, be a very personal matter between those competing, especially since Terry Silver looks as though he’s primed and ready to step in and make life miserable once again for Daniel. One thing that is apparent is that Johnny doesn’t know Terry, and possibly never trained with him, since Daniel is giving him advice, or trying to when it comes to striking first, which is something that can’t be done with Silver since he’s capable of firing back harder and with far greater effect. At this point, it’s kind of obvious that the torch has almost been entirely passed to the next generation, but there’s still a bit more of the original story to recap before things will be allowed to settle and move on. What’s also obvious is that the lessons imparted to the students will continue to be a part of the story, and likely so will the main characters that have been re-introduced. How far Kreese and Silver will go is hard to say, since if Daniel and Johnny did lose the tournament it would be a huge blow to both of them. We’ll get to find out before too long.
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