Season 5 of ‘Cobra Kai’ Is Absolutely Bonkers In the Best Possible Way

Photo courtesy of Netflix.

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

Cobra Kai originally made its debut on YouTube back in 2018. Netflix acquired the series in the summer of 2020. Since Cobra Kai has had a total of 3 seasons so far on the streaming platform. The fifth season premiered on September 9, 2022 with a total of 10 episodes.

I know I start most of my reviews saying that I’m still trying to process everything I just watched. I’m still trying to process everything I just watched. This season was absolutely bonkers. There are so many things I want to talk about. Let’s get right into this.

I do want to warn you that major spoilers will be discussed. Please don’t continue reading unless you finished the entire season.

I want to start out by talking about one of my favorite things to come out of this season and that’s Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) and Robby’s (Tanner Buchanan) relationship. I’ve been waiting for so long for them to reconcile and start to have a brother-type relationship. It was even more heightened for me when I found out that Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) is pregnant. We know they didn’t have the best relationship at the start of the season. Considering what Robby put Miguel through in that season 2 finale, I wouldn’t have been huge fan of Robby either. The writers did an amazing job at bringing these two characters together. Xolo and Tanner did an even better job at bringing what was on the script to life. I hope we see more of this dynamic in season 6.

Something I talked about in my season 4 review was how tired I was getting about the angst between Tory (Peyton List) and Sam (Mary Mouser). We finally got them to fight together instead of each other. I liked Tory’s redemption arc a lot. I was hoping we’d see some kind of redemption because of how season 4 ended. Tory has internal conflict knowing that Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) cheated his way to make Tory the All Valley tournament champion. She sets out to expose what he’s done with the help of John Kreese (Martin Kove). Peyton did an amazing job at portraying that inner conflict and it’s hard to believe how different she is compared to Tory.

Pivoting to Sam, she goes on a self-discovery journey this season. After Miguel comes back from Mexico, she breaks up with him as a way to figure herself out. She feels lost and convinced that karate causes bad things to happen. Later on in the season, she discovers that’s not entirely true. She learns that karate is about fighting to protect the ones you love. I relate to Sam a lot because we both have anxiety. Mary does a wonderful job at portraying those imperfections. They make Sam human.

I was bummed that Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) didn’t play a major role this season because I love him. He adds so much humor to the show. I loved the interaction we got between him and Johnny (William Zabka). I guess I could say the same for Eli aka Hawk (Jacob Bertrand). I’m happy we got to see the binary bros kicking some ass in the season finale though.

That final fight between Terry and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) was superb. The way the editors overlayed the scene from The Karate Kid III was incredible. As much I despised Terry, you have to say that Thomas’ acting was Emmy worthy. He embodies this role so effortlessly. It’s unreal.

This is one of the best shows in television. Hands down. The writing is so intricate and you can tell how much effort is put into the stories each season. The nostalgia is present and so is the modernization with the kids. It’s such a perfect mix. The balance of the comedic moments with the intense action sequences are always done in an impeccable way.

The short answer. I don’t know. Netflix hasn’t come out with a renewal announcement yet. I’m confident they will because this one of their most successful shows. I know they’ve been on a cancellation streak lately but I don’t think they would cancel the show, especially with that cliffhanger. The fandom is so large.

Guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

Update: Netflix renewed the show for a sixth and final season.

 

Cobra Kai is exclusively streaming on Netflix.

Creators: Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg

Cast: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan

Producers: Will Smith, James Lassiter, Caleeb Pinkett