Cobra Kai: Counterbalance
May 19, 2018 6:51 PM - Season 1, Episode 5 - Subscribe
Cobra Kai gains it's second student. Daniel has an intricate plan to get payback on Johnny. Miguel defends Samantha against Kyler during lunch break.
Decider: Until now we’ve been working on stirring up the hate-stew that is the decades-old rivalry between Danny LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, with the younger characters acting primarily as foils and subplots (or, in the case of Danny’s son, popping up to be the most obnoxious butter-eating child on the planet.) But “Counterbalance” looks to the future, and we get a real sense of a new breed of karate kids who don’t see things as (literally) black and white as Cobra Kai vs. LaRusso, the ultimate karate battle between good and evil. In 2018, it’s less “sweep the leg” and more “block the egg.”
Decider: Until now we’ve been working on stirring up the hate-stew that is the decades-old rivalry between Danny LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, with the younger characters acting primarily as foils and subplots (or, in the case of Danny’s son, popping up to be the most obnoxious butter-eating child on the planet.) But “Counterbalance” looks to the future, and we get a real sense of a new breed of karate kids who don’t see things as (literally) black and white as Cobra Kai vs. LaRusso, the ultimate karate battle between good and evil. In 2018, it’s less “sweep the leg” and more “block the egg.”
That scene in the lunchroom was pretty awesome, but as a teacher it takes me a bit out of it that there are like zero adults present for that entire scene until the very end. I mean, come on.
posted by absalom at 12:01 PM on June 1, 2018
posted by absalom at 12:01 PM on June 1, 2018
Absent fathers have been a consistent theme in the show up to now, so I suppose it was only natural we'd return to Daniel's absent father and his true father figure. That scene was surprisingly affecting.
posted by duffell at 3:18 PM on July 20, 2018
posted by duffell at 3:18 PM on July 20, 2018
I laughed when Amanda told Daniel, "He's a asshole. Don't let him turn you into one."
I'm pretty sure the scroll Daniel hangs in his dojo reads, "先正其心," which Google says means, "Sincerity," but I'm not so sure about that. Regardless, as it happens, Sincerity — or more often Sincere Heart — is the title of one Kobayashi's first pictures and one of my favorites by him.
I really liked Macchio's acting in this. I also really appreciated using the leitmotif from the original movie when he started doing his karate
posted by ob1quixote at 7:14 PM on July 26, 2018
I'm pretty sure the scroll Daniel hangs in his dojo reads, "先正其心," which Google says means, "Sincerity," but I'm not so sure about that. Regardless, as it happens, Sincerity — or more often Sincere Heart — is the title of one Kobayashi's first pictures and one of my favorites by him.
I really liked Macchio's acting in this. I also really appreciated using the leitmotif from the original movie when he started doing his karate
posted by ob1quixote at 7:14 PM on July 26, 2018
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I've already binged the show, but around this time, I started really don't like Robby Keene. Nichole Brown/ Aisha, otoh, really starts growing on me around this episode.
Daniel screwing with people's rents hits a really sore spot for me.
posted by porpoise at 2:19 PM on May 20, 2018 [4 favorites]