Thomas Ian Griffith
Cobra Kai Strikes Hard Through an Operatic, Over-the-Top Season 5: Review
The Pitch: As the Bard once wrote, things are rotten in the San Fernando Valley. Under the mentorship of obscenely wealthy karate villain Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), Cobra Kai won last year’s All-Valley tournament — due in no small part to Silver’s illegal intervention. Plus, Silver’s money has given the dojo a facelift, and he plans to expand its no-mercy ethos to kids all over the country. Moreover, he’s framed former sensei Kreese (Martin Kove) for assault, leaving him unfettered control over the dojo while his mentor rots in prison. Our heroes aren’t exactly equipped to combat him, either: The loss at All-Valley months prior has broken Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) spirit, driving him further into paranoid obsession over Silver’s influence on his life. Johnny Lawrence (Willi...
What’s Next for Cobra Kai?
The future is bright for Cobra Kai. Two years after it first premiered on YouTube Red — ha, anyone remember YouTube Red? – The Karate Kid spinoff series is a pop culture phenomenon. Lesson learned? Never doubt the influence of Netflix. For die-hard fans, this development is both aggravating and refreshing. As Johnny Lawrence might say, “Where the hell have you wimps been all this time?” But then again, as Daniel LaRusso might wisely counter, “More fans, more future.” After all, without Netflix, there was no telling whether Cobra Kai would live past its forthcoming third season. If you recall, YouTube was in no place to commit to a fourth season, which means the doors would have most certainly closed on this dojo. Editors’ Picks Given the response and the fact that the show has been N...
