the pregnancy was AWFUL. any rewatches I do, those scenes will be an insta-ff or tune out. i wish I could forget it existed. like honestly poor robby. he finally gets a dad functioning at like 30% basic parental capacity and is immediately supplanted by a new baby that Johnny has decided is worth intrinsically changing his way of living for. and they decide that he should be HAPPY ABOUT IT. insane.

(and Carmen gets NO POV whatsoever, not even one frank, honest conversation with Rosa or even Amanda about her own feelings and fears and reservations and the whole thing is just so ghastly in every respect.)

Chozen was the unquestionable, undisputed MVP of this season, but honestly I HATE that they’ve seemingly decided to just throw the two uncoupled Japanese characters together by default. especially when 98% of their on-screen interactions have ranged from antagonistic at best to sexually aggressive at worst. I’m not saying it couldn’t be cute but it reeks of thoughtless loose end tying that wasn’t needed.

i’m at least happy they gave daniel vindication. that was everything i wanted from that story. i didn’t always LOVE some of the plot beats but i expect nothing meaningful from this show anymore and it has vastly improved my viewing experience (pregnancy storyline aside bc my god). i did like his reconciliation with robby and more than anything I’m just glad that they used the narrative to treat most of his unhinged behavior with EMPATHY. not just point-and-laugh “look how crazy daniel is about karate har har har.”

also - the show REALLY suffers when it has to think about what needs to happen in order to advance the plot. like the kids breaking into cobra kai to perform a hand-wavey ocean’s 11 hack of the security footage? i cannot.

i don’t like how they’ve handled Kenny AT ALL. the bullied kid has become the bully, but even WORSE, and they never give him even a HINT of the emotional nuance or complexity they gave anthony last season or Tory during the last couple seasons or even Eli. i don’t believe that was intentional per se but the racial politics of it are hard to ignore in light of their narrative treatment of Aisha as well.

i think there will almost certainly be a season 6, and it will and should absolutely be the last. the formula IS wearing thin (how many more contrived tournaments, how many more super random giant karate brawls?), especially with all the characters dropping anvils all over the place about how they want things to go back to normal.

Okay, SO MUCH HAPPENS IN THIS SEASON, but here are Natalie’s top 10 takeaways of season 5:

10. Courtney Henggeler, please call me. You are so hot, I cannot even deal. Also, Amanda remains my favorite queen, no contest, not even close. AND LET HER AND JOHNNY BE FRIENDS, DAMMIT.

9. Okay, my crush out of the way, SO MANY FUCKS THIS SEASON. OprahGiveaway.gif. But that being said, you know who STILL didn’t get one? Miguel. This is uncalled for at this point. Let the boy say fuck, we know he has a cursing problem already!

8. I’m glad we weren’t in Mexico long. I hope that’s the last we see of Hector Salazar. I get why it was important for Miguel but if we were going to waste the time, we could’ve at least gotten more than 2 seconds of awkwardness between Miguel, Robby and Johnny while we were there

7. You know what would’ve been better than Johnny getting his shit together because of the Karate Prince(ss) who was promised? Johnny getting his shit together because of the two boys he has right there who have such complicated relationships with him and who he has failed repeatedly for the last four seasons. Alas…

6. What IS important though is that Johnny got his shit together. And so did Daniel! I am very proud of all the LaRusso’s this season and this literally has never happened in my history of watching this show which I will touch on with Sam. But seriously, once Johnny more or less got the news of Azor Hiyah, he really did kind of just push out all the bullshit and focus on repairing his relationships with Robby and Miguel which allowed him to be the best version of himself, I think — a decent dad, and a badass sensei. So seriously, good for Johnny. After all the regression last season, this made me so happy.

5. Same with Daniel, tbh! While it was… a little touch and go for me as someone who often feels like Daniel is the cause of much of the problems Daniel faces, I’m glad he actually came around and figured out what he needed to — that this isn’t just HIS fight and hasn’t been since he decided to drag a whole host of people into it. I’m also glad that Sam is figuring out that she needs to integrate her want to do right and her desire to be the best. The lesson about fighting for something rather than against something was so important for her, and I’m glad she’s getting better.

4. Badass karate lady is scary but I really love her. I hope she plays a big role with Kreese next season. Like I am really hyped for whatever Kreese is going to do now that he’s on the move again, and given the way she reacted to Kreese not meeting them at the plane, and the little flashback, she obviously has a lot of respect for Kreese and I think they’re going to be a terrifying team up.

3. Tory Nichols I would literally die for you. I love you, my little meow meow. You are so much better than life keeps trying to tell you that you are, and you were such a hero this season. I am a little disappointed with how they handled the patching up with Sam (Sam owes Tory an apology and I hope one day Tory gets that apology) but I was just really happy with how Tory’s storyline played out this season. I also called her being the one to stick the article of Stingray and Kreese in the LaRusso mail.

2. Chozen and Hawk are the same in their respective friends groups (adults vs kids). Love of a girl makes them go off the rails? Check. Fall to the dark side and have to journey to earn back their honor? Check. Fashionistas? Check. The method of problem solving for their friends involves kicking the shit out of the enemy? Check. Seriously, he needs to be Chozen’s champ. Johnny has Miggy. Daniel has Robby and Sam. It only makes sense that Chozen be Hawk’s. Tory’s too. #givehawkasensei

1. The real winners this season? Anyone who BroT3’s Hawk/Miguel/Robby. Seriously, I know the Kiaz shippers are probably going nuts (good for them tbh), but I am all about Robby/Miguel/Hawk being a terrifying karate trio and also besties (Demetri can come too, I guess).

There’s so much more that I want to talk about — Miguel and Robby really hashing their shit out and being SO MATURE! The peak comedy this season (which has been sorely missing from 3 and 4 both). The relationship drama not actually blossoming! Chozen stealing literally every scene he’s in (the egg scene was SO SIDJDKFKALA SO GOOD MORE OF THIS PLEASE). Overall, I am just REALLY happy with this season. Definitely the best one since season 2 for sure. It was so packed and non stop and didn’t feel like it lagged anywhere and while there are some things I wish we had gotten it gotten more of, I feel more like we didn’t get them because there was so much other shit going on and they didn’t have time, not because the writers dropped the ball.

Ugh, I’ve missed this show so much 🖤 good to see it’s back in top form again.

So what are your Thoughts on the new season of cobra kai?

tbh I don't really know how to articulate my thoughts on the season.

The thing I think they handled the best was Daniel's storyline, with his trauma from Cobra Kai and Silver finally treated seriously.

Watching Miguel/Robby and Sam/Tory finally getting along and being on the same side felt very cathartic. I think the whole thing could have been written better, but I also can't be mad about it because I've been waiting for that for a while.

I think the writers once again dropped the ball with Johnny; I don't like the baby storyline, and I think his relationship with Robby was once again sloppily handled. This could be a whole essay but I think a lot of people here have explained this already better than I ever could.

I don't care about Stingray and he had way too much screentime. Chozen stole the show, and I loved everything he did this season.

I warmed up to Sam and Miguel's relationship and I think they have sweet chemistry. I wish Robby and Tory had gotten a lot more scenes, but I'm appreciating what we have and hoping season 6 gives me more of them. What makes me really happy about Robby is that he refused to give up on Tory and Kenny.

Hawk and Demetri, especially Demetri got sidelined a lot, but I'm guessing that's a consequence of the show having too many characters.

Speaking of season 6, I really hope it's the last because I don't know what else they can do. If you remove the stuff with Kreese, the last episode of this season easily could have served as a series finale. I'm over Kreese as a villain, and I hope Silver stays in jail. But I'm also against introducing a whole new antagonist; that'd feel even more cartoonish.

I don't wanna be too negative about the characters because I feel bad about how negative I was last season about some of them. At this point, I know this show isn't going to deliver perfect and consistent characterization and I just have to take it for what it is.

I could say a lot more but I don't wanna write a giant essay lol

they do water down the abuse daniel went through though ☹️

I agree that Daniel’s trauma isn’t centered nearly as much as Johnny’s in the overall narrative, but when it comes to watering it down, I’m not sure I completely agree. I remember seeing a post a while back that I’m having trouble finding again now, but it completely broke down all of Daniel’s trauma responses in the show and the subtle ways in which they manifested. And it also contrasted the way in which everyone in Daniel’s life seems to water down his trauma, and the way in which the writing itself shows that he’s clearly suffering from pretty severe ptsd. Which is actually something I really like about the show? Because it shows the complete opposite ways Daniel and Johnny have dealt with all the shit that’s happened to them, but how in the end they’re still equally destructive. Like, Johnny’s life is a complete mess. He took what happened to him and let it completely consume him. And everyone around him can see that. I mean, he literally tells anyone who will listen about how awful Sid was to him. But Daniel has buried everything down so deep and kept everything inside and it’s made him so tightly wound. He has a visceral reaction to seeing Cobra Kai is back and becomes downright obsessive about taking them down. I want to try and find that post and link it bc I don’t have the memory to break down all of Daniel’s trauma responses lol, but I do think it’s interesting and noteworthy how Daniel has a seemingly perfect life at the start if the series, and how everything turns to shit for him once Cobra Kai comes back. And not really through any fault of Johnny’s, but just because Daniel feels so threatened and triggered (in the true sense of the word) by the presence of the dojo that he went to extreme lengths to get rid of it, and ended up escalating everything into a full blown karate war. Like, maybe it is just wishful thinking, but I feel like in the next couple seasons Daniel’s trauma will take a more central role in the story. I guess we’ll find out in a few weeks, I could be giving the writers too much credit and just end up being massively disappointed lol

Cobra Kai Season 4 Finale and Season 5 Speculation

I finished season 4 and it was amazing!!! :D Those twists in the finale were nuts and sets up so much for season 5!!! Also maybe some of the prequels/spinoffs that are in development too. I’m including in this my speculation about what’s going to happen in season 5 as well, which I’m pretty sure is going to air this fall since they’ve finished filming and it’s now in post/editing.

That finale was just great!!! :D From having Eli winning the boys tournament, to Tory winning the girls but revealing Terry paid off the ref!!!, Johnny and Daniel both helping Sam, Robby realizing how Kenny’s become now and that Kenny’s now bullying Anthony, Robby and Johnny finally making amends, Miguel running off to Mexico to find his dad, the possibility that with Johnny going to find Miguel with Robby (those Puerto Rico pics confirmed that) and meeting Miguel’s father that he’ll finally look into his own dad with his boys’ help and even more certain it’s Terry, Chozen coming back to help Daniel, and Terry framing Kreese from hurting Stingray!!! :o It was just a lot but so awesome and I’m so excited for season 5!!! ;D

Now like I stated above we know from spoilers during filming that Miguel, Johnny, and Robby are in Puerto Rico (which they used to pretend to be Mexico) to find Miguel’s dad and I posted a couple weeks ago an extra posted a pic with Luis Roberto Guzman who was in “Narcos: Mexico” and likely is playing Miguel’s father. Will be interesting to see how this goes as this guy has no idea Miguel exists.  And of course that Robby is helping Johnny find Miguel but that questions if he’s still in Cobra Kai with Terry. 

Then Terry teased having friends come back and I know most think one is Mike Barnes but Sean’s been really busy filming “The Bold and the Beautiful” and is a main character on it again so I don’t know if he had the time (though one of his B&B castmates is also on “Roswell New Mexico” in a recurring role so it’s possible) but there is that theory he’s Tory’s dad so it’s possible. I posted last night about how there’s rumors about Col. Paul Dugan from “The Next Karate Kid” also being a friend of Terry & Kreese’s and finally be the way to bring back Julie, so that likely will happen too. This also explains now why Martin was able to do “DWTS” and film another TV show during season 5 filming as he’ll be in prison most of the season so he’s not going to be in that many episodes But they did cast a prison therapist so that’ll be interesting to see.

Then Chozen helping Daniel will be great and hopefully having him meet Johnny and Terry.  That scroll is likely going to come into play too. But other than that I’m not sure what is going to happen with them, most of the teens’ storylines, or the couples.

But am certain they will finally reveal Johnny’s father and that he is Terry. That line of him “taking care” of him to Kreese was creepy but also works for this. I’m certain Kreese doesn’t know they’re family but we’ll see. It’s pretty certain that Nick and Barrett likely filmed more flashbacks for season 5 as Nick’s hair is still long like Thomas’ and both were not attached to other projects while it filmed. Also there’s a comment from the mother of little Johnny Thomas Parobek she made on the Instagram she runs that Thomas filmed more scenes but it’s for season 5. All this does seem to be timing out to be the same storyline and my guess is they likely cast Terry’s father too as I’m certain he was involved as well especially if he didn’t approve of Laura (who again she and Terry likely were high school sweethearts) and my guess is they were going to marry after Terry got back from Vietnam but then he changed drastically after the war and couldn’t handle being a husband and father and left. This would also explain why Johnny doesn’t know how to find him since really Terry would’ve only been there for a year or two as he was in Vietnam for years and I know from my own grandpa being there they didn’t have them come home as often as they do now, and Johnny has his mother’s maiden name because she was unwed so he didn’t know his father’s last name. And if they write in Sid dying with Ed Asner having passed away that could be another reason Johnny finds this all out.

Either way I’m so excited to see how this all plays out with season 5 hopefully this fall!!! :D And hopefully they’re renewed for season 6 (which still might be the final season) soon.

Honestly? I’m not as in love with Season 4 as I was with the previous ones.

There are a lot of individual components that I liked. I loved Sam, Eli and Miguel taking a page out of both mentors to advance their storylines, Tory’s redemption arc was pretty cool to see especially with Amanda helping her out, Krease and Terry are entertaining as always with Silver actually getting an interesting arc to himself this time around, Kenny’s storyline was both interesting in it of itself and as a catalyst for Anthony and Robby to change, the former finally getting some growth and the latter realizing he screwed up the same way Johnny did with Miguel in Season 1. 

I have to give extra props tor the way they handled Krease. I was skeptical of the direction they were taking with him, but the way it’s played out, it’s less that Krease suddenly grew a conscience, rather that when it comes to the students he values Krease would do anything for them succeed, it’s just that this time he’s letting Tory make her own decisions instead of berating her like he did with Johnny years ago. He’s still a twisted manipulator who treats everyone else like dirt, see Terry this season for an example, but I feel it’s a fair game development from the guy who has been trying to make Johnny and Robby into his heirs and his backstory showing he has sympathy for women in dire straits like his mother and his former girlfriend.

But the overall arc is caused by, you guessed it, another divide between Johnny and Daniel over their teaching methods and by this point it’s getting old. Four seasons and it still feels like these two haven’t learned a goddamn thing from one another’s struggles, Daniel is especially judgmental towards Eagle Fang’s style in spite of needing Johnny’s help to defeat Cobra Kai, though Johnny is looking too much better with his own insecurities over Daniel possibly stealing Miguel or his own fuckin’ manly man talk getting grating. Honestly they deserved to lose this tournament for not putting aside their fucking egos. While I loved that Terry came back, I feel like his presence along with the divided Eagle Fang/Miyagi-Do is causing the show to be artificially extended past it’s natural end point. As cool as it is to see Chozen at the end, I can’t help but worry the show is going to find another way to separate Johnny and Daniel again or pull another twist to keep Cobra Kai from being defeated.

I enjoyed this season by the end, but I hope season 5 does more interesting things next time. Miguel’s going to find his father, so that should be an interesting way to put him back in the spotlight.