The wait is over for those who need a "Cobra Kai" fix this summer. Netflix has released Part 1 of the show's final sixth season, delivering the high level of melodrama fans have come to expect from the "Karate Kid" legacy series.
Whether cult favorite or guilty pleasure television, the new sensei adventures of Daniel Russo and Johnny Lawrence continues to jump the shark (er, make that snake) in the best possible way. Here's what you need to know before diving into Season 6.
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How many episodes of "Cobra Kai" are in the sixth and final season?
Season 6 of "Cobra Kai" is being released in three five-episode segments on Netflix for mini-binging as "Cobra Kai" expands to 15 episodes from the usual 10 per season. Part 1 was released Thursday, July 18 and Part 2 is slated to be released in the fall, on Friday, November 15. Part 3, concluding with the series finale, will come out sometime next year. After Thursday's release, 55 of the 65 total episodes are out.
Why should you start watching "Cobra Kai" if you haven't yet?
It's simple: Those nostalgic for the 1980s "Karate Kid" movies (three in all) will love the series, but you should pass if you're most into the Hilary Swank or Jaden Smith spinoffs.
Although the series can be confused with a 90210-like soap opera set in a different Los Angeles-area zip code, it is considered a martial arts "comedy". That also was the official category for "Cobra Kai" when it was an Outstanding Series nominee at the 2021 Emmy Awards.
"Cobra Kai" is escapist, over-the-top TV at its very best, and heck, it's also a feel-good story of redemption with old enemies becoming new friends. That does overweigh some ridiculous moments and overdramatized karate-based storylines.
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What happened in Seasons 1 through 5 of "Cobra Kai"?
The series centers around 1984 All-Valley Karate Tournament runner-up Johnny Lawrence and winner Daniel Russo. Their roles are reversed from their teenage years with both men suffering through varied midlife crises in their 50s. Former rich kid Johnny is living in lower-class Reseda and former working-class Daniel, now a wealthy car dealership owner, living in Encino.
While Daniel continues to be lost after the death of his beloved sensei Mr. Miyagi, Johnny is still haunted by the trauma of training under his militant, sociopathic former mentor John Kreese.
Lawrence's catharsis comes in the form of founding his own "no mercy' version of "Cobra Kai". His first student is Miguel Diaz, whom Lawrence inspired while fighting off bullies with his karate. Miguel, like Daniel, lives with his single mom in an apartment building in which Lawrence is the super. It's the same setup as the first "Karate Kid" film, where Miyagi plays the role of the super.
Russo ends up trying to tap into Miyagi-Do by reconnecting on karate with his daughter Samantha. He also ends up trying to guide wayward teen Robby, the estranged son of Johnny. That leads to renewed tension between Johnny and Daniel. Miguel ends up dating Samantha, while Robby begins a rivalry with Miguel that culminates in the 2018 All-Valley Tournament finals.
From there, the battle between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do goes completely off the rails, literally, with the return of Kreese torturing Johnny. A love triangle between Miguel, Robby and Samantha becomes a square when new "Cobra Kai" student Tori enters the mix. During a karate-fueled brawl at school in which Tori fights Samantha and Robby rematches with Miguel, a spinal injury lands Miguel in a coma.
After Johnny and Daniel go through predictable downward spirals, Robby and Miguel battle through different new demons. This leads to Johnny creating a third competing dojo, Eagle Fang. With Kreese still causing havoc, Daniel steps back into "Karate Kid Part II", literally, by going back to Okinawa to get inspired by former semi-lover Kumiko and former full antagonist Chozn Toguchi.
Daniel, remaining happily married to Amanda, and Johnny, dating Miguel's mother Carmen, then step all the way back to "Karate Kid" with former love interest Ali Mills, which suddenly causes them to unite to once again end the threat of Kreese's version of the Cobra Kai dojo.
Then comes a callback to "Karate Kid Part III," with Kreese calling upon that movie's co-antagonist, rich Vietnam veteran buddy Terry Silver. In the worst season of the series, Silver rigs the All-Valley tournament and steals Cobra Kai from Kreese a la Kreese stealing Cobra Kai from Johnny.
While Chozen is now in the mix, two more "Part III" characters, Jessica Andrews and Mike Barnes, magically resurface to help warn about Silver. The whole Miguel-Samantha-Robby-Tori square is solved, and all the dojos are mashed up again as Daniel tries to smash Silver like he did in 1989. Once again, Kreese replaces Silver as the series "big bad" heading into the final season.
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"Cobra Kai" Season 6 Part I review
Contrary to popular belief, winning the All-Valley Tournament isn't the crown jewel of fictional karate. There's something called the Sekai Taikai, resembling a karate-only Olympics with the world's best dojos represented in a quest for individual global glory.
Does it get held in Okinawa? No? How about South Korea, where Kreese and Silver once trained? Nope. It's naturally held in the 1992 Summer Olympics host city of Barcelona, Spain, setting up all kinds of "Dream Team" redux feelings.
The mega Miyagi-honoring dojo under Johnny, Danny and Chozen prepares for battle, while Johnny prepares for expanded family life with Miguel, Carmen and Robby. Meanwhile, an escaped Kreese and returning henchwoman Kim Da-Fun prep their own overseas students for the international battle royale. Oh yeah, "Cobra Kai" also has its best scene with an actual cobra, too.
There's plenty more going on. Callbacks and collaborations have been the calling card of "Cobra Kai." The show is just a lot of fun, a combination of high school and college hijinx and ridiculous redemption.
Season 6 Part 1 is a slow play, because it has to be a reset exposition for bigger things that will likely make the storylines go even more over the top at the end. The final confrontation between Johnny and Daniel and Kreese will no doubt prove to be cheesily rewarding for those who stick all the way through the end.