When YouTube decided to revive The Karate Kid as a TV show, it was met with justified skepticism. But just like Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) did not see Daniel`s (Ralph Macchio) crane kick coming at the 1984 All-Valley Karate Championship so was the world not ready for how good Cobra Kai would be. Going into Season 2, the surprise factor is gone, and expectations are through the roof. So how does Cobra Kai respond? After viewing the first two episodes at SXSW, it`s clear it does so by striking first, striking hard, and having no mercy for your free time, because you`re going to want to binge this show as soon as it hits YouTube.At the end of Season 1, we witnessed a flash from the past as a member of Cobra Kai illegally hurts a student of Miyagi-dojo during a karate tournament. Only this time, Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) took the first place trophy for the infamous dojo instead of the other way around, leaving Johnny drunk and depressed he turned a sweet kid into a jerk, and that his own son got hurt in the process.So how does Cobra Kai follow that up? With an explosive scene between Johnny and the very much alive worst-sensei-in-the-world John Kreese (Martin Kove). Showrunners Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg waste no time giving the fans what they want, from character reunions that rival Game of Thrones, to all the 80`s music you`d need in a 30-minute episode, to references to the Karate Kid films that will make you grin from ear-to-ear.What made Cobra Kai so good, however, was that it wasn`t just about nostalgia, as the younger cast is just as interesting and likable as the older characters. Because the surprise factor from the first season is gone, Cobra Kai doesn`t need to give us any huge developments but simply give more of what we loved the first time around. This season`s mantra seems to be `Don`t fix what isn`t broken,` and it works. We dig deeper into Johnny`s regrets and his desperate wish for redemption, while Daniel LaRusso is now the ...
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