'Cobra Kai' season 2 strikes twice as hard, and is twice as great
That 'Cobra Kai' was renewed for a second season didn't come as a surprise, given the positive response that the first season garnered. The YouTube Premium show was not just a runaway hit, but an invaluable lesson on how to bring a famous franchise back to small screens successfully.
It's fair to say that 'Cobra Kai's success was definitely not a one-off. The series worked well with the audience primarily due to the perfect blend of nostalgia, a solid foundation plan when it came to casting, directing and writing and making characters more relatable.
Instead of a typical good vs bad tale, 'Cobra Kai' maneuvered between the two elements. The show skillfully explained life's complexities in ten episodes. At the end of season 1, Johnny Lawrence, the teen antagonist in 'The Karate Kid' (1984), found a sense of purpose in his life. While there are instances when he has won, but there are moments when he's also lost. Pity.
The series picks off from where the first season ended. 'Cobra Kai' Season 2 sees John Kreese (Martin Kove), back from the presumed dead. And what makes his return so brilliant is that he's here to stay. As the season progresses, Kreese becomes an integral part of Johnny's and LaRusso's lives. He's still pretty much Kreese: burly and snideful. But this time around, he comes in as a character who is more sinister, darker and calculative.
Meanwhile, Johnny and LaRusso are busy with their own things in life. LaRusso on his part is still smarting from the defeat that his ward, Robby (Tanner Buchana), suffers in the All Valley Under 18 Karate Championship and is training him hard, alongside getting his Miyagi-do karate dojo up and running, while Johnny and Miguel are kicking it up a notch at the other end with their own different style of training. The first episode focuses more on one of the key messages that 'The Karate Kid' movie series was known for- building relationships.
And the season just gets better and better as it progresses. Miguel and Johnny learn more about each other, while LaRusso tries to be the one person whom he always wanted to be: His mentor. Speaking of which, the best part of season 2 is that one cannot help but miss Mr. Miyagi and his quirky mannerisms, not to forget, those plain and simple moves that gave the world an idea that just about anyone could learn karate and be awesome at it.
Back to season 2 then. The series also sheds light on the young characters and shows them growing up and come into their own, but the spotlight well and truly remains on the two men, who have and will lock horns again. This time through their students as they get set for one great showdown: The Cobra Kai vs the Miyagi-Do Karate.
Get set for seeing the 'Cobra Kai' creed, Strike Hard. Strike First. No Mercy, strike twice as hard in the second season as it premieres on YouTube Premium on April 24, 2019. Watch the official trailer of 'Cobra Season 2' below.
