Cobra Kai

:

Season 2
Season #: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
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Critic Reviews

  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Kristen Baldwin
    Apr 24, 2019
    83
    Cobra Kai doesn’t live in the past; instead it hits viewers with bursts of nostalgia endorphins, leaving us giddy and defenseless against the next emotional wallop. ... Cobra Kai remains more entertaining and well-executed than it has any right to be.
  2. CNN
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Apr 24, 2019
    80
    Season 2 of the YouTube series is, if anything, better than the first -- a teen soap, largely, which also packs a wryly nostalgic kick.
  3. Salon
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    Apr 24, 2019
    70
    Flawed as this second round may be, “Cobra Kai” remains worthwhile viewing with a slew of conversation starters, though perhaps not the ones that made the series worth recommending the first time around. But it remains entertaining enough to merit a sequel, even if only to find out whose way wins out in the end.
  5. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Hanh Nguyen
    Apr 24, 2019
    67
    One could wax on (wax off) about these representation issues, but the show’s strength is also its weakness. “Cobra Kai” is simply too accurately a product of that specific ‘80s franchise. Sure, it could change, but why should it? The series remains entertaining despite its flaws, and fortunately it has a hero that negotiates this disconnect between retro mindset and contemporary consciousness.
  6. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Daniel Fienberg
    Apr 24, 2019
    60
    Season two is content to repeat many, or even most, of the beats from the first season, only without the freshness and genre-upending sense of surprise. The second season of Cobra Kai is too much of the same made with the expectation that the series can be an underdog forever.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Alex McLevy
    Apr 24, 2019
    50
    It’s not until the second-to-last episode that anything approaching the goofball charm and wit of its freshman season arrives, and by then the entire narrative is so weighed down with the baggage of its sudsy dramatics that the show feels less like a witty relaunch of a beloved film, and more like a 2019 version of Beverly Hills, 90210 (but not, you know, the 2019 version of Beverly Hills, 90210), complete with hokey music sequences and soap opera-level plotting.
  8. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    Apr 23, 2019
    50
    There was a pleasantly surprising window where Cobra Kai felt like it was retelling those old stories in a new enough way. The novelty’s gone by now, though.

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Most Discussed TV Season of 2019
66
#66 Most Shared TV Season of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 67 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 67
  3. Negative: 3 out of 67
  1. baole58
    Apr 27, 2019
    4
    Cobra Kai Season 1 may be corny and follows every cliche in the book, but it successfully captured the spirit of the original film whileCobra Kai Season 1 may be corny and follows every cliche in the book, but it successfully captured the spirit of the original film while expanding on the story. Season 2 tried to be bigger, but not better. The main characters from the first season often felt like supporting characters, as the show focused too heavily on teen love drama, but too little on character development.

    For example, Miguel's role in the second season has been greatly reduced. The bond between him and Johnny is gone and now he's barely in the show. And when he is in the show, he's with his new girlfriend, Tory, who was only written into the show so that two different girls can fight over Miguel. Oh yeah, they have a cute fight scene and all of a sudden they like each other. It's just so forced.

    There's absolutely nothing to like about Tory at all, even her sob story didn't make it easier to sympathize with her. She's a thief and she also bullies Sam for no reason, other than jealousy. Robbie was a supporting character who changed over the course of the first season, which made him a little bit likeable. Now he's the main character who doesn't change at all over the course of the second season with an utterly predictable character arc, making his character really bland, and all of these characters are involved in a stupid love triangle that takes up the bulk of the second season.

    The relationship between Johnny and Kreese was so contrived because Kreese doesn't say anything that's convincing enough to believe that he's not the same character. But Johnny has to be an idiot and give him a second chance for the plot to work. We also have a grown man joining Cobra Kai as an unfunny comic relief character and I just don't find Hawk very threatening as a villain (and Kreese for that matter as well). He gets a few tattoos and bullies people who are weaker than him, and gets his ass kicked everytime he fights a worthy opponent.

    There's also a pointless episode dedicated to Johnny's dying friend because... fan service? There are many flashbacks from Karate Kid in Cobra Kai, but they're often purposeful to the story. For example, all of the flashbacks of LaRusso's winning kick to Johnny's face was to show that there's still bad blood between them, and that they have never gotten over their past. They also used this flashback in the scene where LaRusso advertises his karate class and it was quite hilarious. The flashbacks of LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi was to show how much LaRusso misses him and how Mr. Miyagi is still very important to LaRusso. LaRusso had a great deal of respect for Mr. Miyagi because he was a huge influence in his life. The flashback of Johnny riding motorcycles with his high school friends isn't nostalgic because no one cares about them. There is no emotional impact because his old high school friends only make an appearance on one episode and are completely irrelevant for the rest of the season.

    The fight scenes weren't even good. Cobra Kai Season 1 (and even Karate Kid) didn't have great choreography, but it had well-written characters that made the fight scenes enjoyable because you had characters to root for. When you don't have that, it makes the fight scenes really silly, especially because the show really embraces '80s cheese. The fight choreography looked like fight scenes from Power Rangers and the stunt doubles were too obvious (especially the fight scene at the food court). The fight scene in the last episode did have some nice shots, but it was way too long. It took up half of the episode for no reason and no fight at a school would last that long without security trying to stop them. I know it was supposed to be a big fight scene where one of the characters get severely injured, but it was too hard to suspend my disbelief, and it was too over-the-top that I couldn't tell whether it was supposed to be comical or serious. There were pointless shots of two nerdy kids fighting each other, and it couldn't be more cringeworthy. There was also a jarring fight scene between Johnny and LaRusso that kept cutting to a flashback of their fight at the tournament. We've seen this flashback HUNDREDS OF TIMES. Just have the fight scene set in the present, and leave it at that!

    Overall, Season 2 was a very disappointing follow-up to Season 1. There's too much focus on the love triangle and not enough on character development. The relationship between Johnny and Kreese was contrived, the fight scenes were laughable, the last episode was quick to end on a cliffhanger, there were some really **** use of flashbacks, and some of the dialogues were insipid ("These things don't end well. Trust me. I've seen it with my own eyes"). While it did have its moments, Season 2 was consistently declining in quality with each episode. It's not so bad that it makes me lose all hope for another good season. Hopefully, Season 3 will put Cobra Kai on the right track.    … Full Review »
  2. Deisler
    Apr 25, 2019
    7
    is has nowhere near the class of season 1, but its ok for fans; i still enjoyed it, season 1 was a 9.5 for me, ill give season 2 a 7 out of 10
  3. Radiodar
    Apr 25, 2019
    9
    Season two starts slow and seems not to shift into gears quick enough like Season 1. The Character development however makes up for theSeason two starts slow and seems not to shift into gears quick enough like Season 1. The Character development however makes up for the slowness in the story and it gives us some great insight into the characters. The last two episode however make up and far exceed anything that season 1 did. The final fight was better than all the Karate kid movies and Season 1 and the cliffhanger ending will leave you stunned and shell-shocked. You wont rest until you see Season 3.… Full Review »
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