Yes, I am late to this party, but the Cobra Kai Netflix series is just about perfect popcorn TV. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka do a terrific job with adult versions of their Karate Kid characters and I'm sure it wasn't easy to bring them to life without descending into camp or cliche. We usually celebrate transcendent performances from actors, but we should also take time to appreciate it when they just hit the perfect balance for a role that could so easily be screwed up.
The episodes are only a half hour-ish so the writers have to make the most of it. And they do. In the first season (all I've seen so far) there are really no wasted scenes, no padded dialogue, no extended exposition. The whole crew manages to hit exactly the right tone -- underlying serious plot covered with wit and irony. The cinematic dark arts of pacing and tone are 100% on point.
Lastly, I love that they are not afraid to have characters behave in politically incorrect, completely un-woke ways, and not turn around and crush them with poetic justice. They still get to be human beings. Johnny Lawrence calls kids horrible names, bullies them, treats them in ways you could probably get arrested for, but he is not portrayed as a force of pure evil and some of the kids even respond positively. A rare pro thick-skin-and-resilience message. In the end, all of the characters are finding their way between acquiescence to the world and going too far to control it.
I called it popcorn TV, but it really is better than that. It's not throw-away entertainment, there is real quality and craftsmanship here. Looking forward to more seasons and hoping they keep the quality high.
