David Farnor | On 31, Dec 2021

Warning: This contains spoilers for previous seasons. Not caught up? Read our reviews here.

“That LaRusso sure can hold a grudge, eh?”

In the list of franchises to get a reboot in the modern streaming era, Cobra Kai sits right near the top, managing that tricky balance of nostalgia and new ideas that a legacyquel needs to entertain old fans and bring in new viewers. Resurrecting the decades-old rivalry between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), the series’ dissection of masculinity and perpetuating cycles of violence across generations has been thrilling at times – and repetitive at others.

Season 4 tries something new to bring some variety to the formula, with LaRusso’s Miyagi-do and Lawrence’s Eagle Fang teaming up to take on the increasingly cruel Cobra Kai, led by Kreese (Martin Kove). It initially promises new development for the two middle-aged men, as they find ways to cooperate and compromise to move forwards – but after a promising start, the show sees them retreat back into their opposing corners, which takes both the characters and the series into territory we’ve covered before. Is LaRusso’s defence-focused approach the right way to do karate? Is Lawrence’s offence-heavy motto the way to succeed?

A training montage that sees each bloke try the other person’s karate style holds interesting ideas, but neither of them prove willing to learn from each other, which leaves us as confused as their students. A sequence in which LaRusso devises a fishing challenge feels like nothing revelatory, while a scene in which Lawrence dares these kids to jump across a roof feels entirely implausible after the severe consequences of escalating irresponsibility in previous seasons – whether we’re meant to root for the kids to do it or question Lawrence’s teaching methods is something the show doesn’t seem to have decided.

Meanwhile, Keene ups the ante by delving into another corner of Karate Kid nostalgia and recruiting Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) to Cobra Kai’s cause. Terry’s return, though, never convinces, despite Griffith’s excellently menacing presence, as he smiles with his mouth but never his eyes. He’s positioned as the smart new threat on the block, but we’re also meant to buy the idea that Kreese has somehow manipulated him into regressing from his healthy and successful life away from karate. This leaves us with a cast full of adults who seem incapable of having rational, grown-up conversations – a narrative set-up that becomes more implausible the more adults are on-screen.

It’s apt, then, that the karate on offer becomes a jumble of styles and philosophies that each sensei hopes will be able to cancel out everyone else. The choreography in the series has always been one of its strongest elements, and here the fights become increasingly hard-hitting, expressing characters’ inner as well as outer conflicts and stepping up the stakes with a confident impact. But at the same time, that blending of techniques means that it’s hard to tell the difference, on a narrative level, between Cobra Kai, Eagle Fang and Miyagi-do. “What are you going to do, strike firster?” quips LaRusso, speaking right to the heart of Season 4’s problem.

The cast still keep things entertaining, with particular standouts including Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso, who increasingly embraces the Eagle Fang mindset, to new addition Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny, a student who turns to Cobra Kai to stand up for himself, and Tanner Buchanan’s Robbie, whose growing status at Cobra Kai makes him an increasingly complex and interesting figure. But as the show begins to circle itself a few too many times, can the series find a way to keep the fists flying with the same furious appeal? A second All-Valley Karate Tournament looming at the end of the season holds potential, but the journey there feels like one we’ve done many times before.

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