One of the great series joys that Netflix has given us in 2022 is that we have barely had to wait a little over nine months since the launch of the fourth season of ‘Cobra Kai’ until the fifth has reached the platform. It is often said that haste is a bad adviser, but in the case at hand this has not been the case.
Just a few days ago I already told you that the start of this new installment of ‘Cobra Kai’ was addictive and that it retained all the virtues that many of us fell for. this return to the ‘Karate Kid’ universe. Well, the last five episodes are at least as entertaining and raise the intensity even more to close a stage in the series.
growing at a good pace
One thing the early episodes did really well was show Terry Silver’s ability to basically shut down Daniel LaRusso. Chozen’s help was insufficient and the mythical character played by Ralph Macchio I needed help urgently. That ends up coming in a final stretch of the season that avoids the usual resource of the karate competition to go in another direction.
Eye, that does not prevent there from being a great final confrontation, but here it is chosen to follow a path to a certain extent similar to that of the second season. In fact, it is not the first time that this fifth installment of ‘Cobra Kai’ reminds us of that incident that almost ended Miguel’s dreams forever.
In addition, those responsible for ‘Cobra Kai’ manage to ensure that this confrontation between dojos also has an important weight in this final stretch. Without going into details, the series does manage to convey the feeling of going one step further, and that really only does it as a possibility instead of going more fully into it. Perhaps they are saving it for what is to come? That Macchio has already declared that some scenes were even recorded that could be used in a sixth installment not yet confirmed by Netflix.
The role of Kreese and Silver
Another aspect that gains presence in this fifth season of ‘Cobra Kai’ as the episodes progress is the character of Kreese. After the surprise blow that Silver dealt him at the end of the fourth installment, the character played by Martin Kove is somewhat missing in the first few episodes, but that ends up changing.
Flashbacks aside, where the series seems to be more interested in the young actors having a look as close as possible to what Kreese and Silver currently have, ‘Cobra Kai’ makes very good use of both characters, with Kreese trying to do everything possible to regain his freedom, while Silver goes one step further. And it is that It is still just as harmful and dangerous, but also with enough intelligence to take everything to its field.
In fact, the last episode of the fifth season is especially intense, since that hatred between characters that has always hovered in the environment becomes more twisted and violent. Then it is true that they do not dare to take everything to its final consequences, but the characteristics of ‘Cobra Kai’ had already sown the seeds before so that the viewer does not want such a definitive result. Though As for the heart of the story, I wouldn’t mind if this was the series finale either.. Obviously that won’t be the case, but I have my doubts about the sense of pulling the loose end that they have left…
Otherwise, visually it is still not a memorable series, because it has always opted for a bright touch that to a certain extent connected it with other youth series from long ago, but that does not mean that it is a look that fits well with the story proposed by the series. And furthermore, ‘Cobra Kai’ has been gaining strength when it comes to reflecting the fighting in images. Without ever becoming something memorable, but becoming clearer and more satisfying as the seasons have gone by and here he shows it off again.
In short
It is true that the fifth season has seemed slightly inferior to the fourth, but I think that was when ‘Cobra Kai’ hit the ceiling. And besides, it’s not about a downturn, it’s just that it’s still a very good series that you see with the same ease that you drink a glass of very cool water in the middle of a heat wave.