Cobra Kai: All Valley
May 20, 2018 9:34 PM - Season 1, Episode 7 - Subscribe
When Johnny learns Cobra Kai is banned from the All Valley Tournament, he faces the City Council. Miguel asks Samantha out. Robbie takes lessons from Daniel, just as his buddies plot a heist from LaRusso Auto.
Decider: But again, from underneath a pile of Coors Banquet bottles and years of Kreese brainwashing, Johnny Lawrence is experiencing real, demonstrative change. Seeing him not immediately punch his problems is a huge step, yes. But Johnny’s real moment comes when, for the first time in seven episodes, he voices out loud the fact that he’s not running a dojo for violent ruthless badasses. “My Cobra Kai is different,” he says. “It’s a place where kids can come and feel like they belong.”
“Cobra Kai is making a difference in these kids’ lives,” Johnny continues, before finishing up with an admission everyone except himself could have seen this entire time: “And honestly, they’re making a difference in mine as well.”
In Which Miss Robinson Un-flinches a Group of Flinchers
Decider: But again, from underneath a pile of Coors Banquet bottles and years of Kreese brainwashing, Johnny Lawrence is experiencing real, demonstrative change. Seeing him not immediately punch his problems is a huge step, yes. But Johnny’s real moment comes when, for the first time in seven episodes, he voices out loud the fact that he’s not running a dojo for violent ruthless badasses. “My Cobra Kai is different,” he says. “It’s a place where kids can come and feel like they belong.”
“Cobra Kai is making a difference in these kids’ lives,” Johnny continues, before finishing up with an admission everyone except himself could have seen this entire time: “And honestly, they’re making a difference in mine as well.”
In Which Miss Robinson Un-flinches a Group of Flinchers
I don't know, I kind of liked the call back to "wax-on, wax-off." Not least because it was clear Daniel had used the Miyagi method a time or two. I also liked the way it was kind of book-ended by the call back to the mini-golf scene from the movie.
posted by ob1quixote at 8:22 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ob1quixote at 8:22 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
...
We're on the same side =) Daniel carried out Miyagi mostly as a "frat history thing," really, I think.
Johnny just getting guys to clean out something felt a little more honest.
Both can be paths to conscientiousness.
But still, remembering when I first saw this, I thought that wax on/wax off was pretty bs. Some other exercise that helped bone density or something might have been more productive? The wo/wo back in the 80's was pretty offensive already.
posted by porpoise at 9:29 PM on July 26, 2018
We're on the same side =) Daniel carried out Miyagi mostly as a "frat history thing," really, I think.
Johnny just getting guys to clean out something felt a little more honest.
Both can be paths to conscientiousness.
But still, remembering when I first saw this, I thought that wax on/wax off was pretty bs. Some other exercise that helped bone density or something might have been more productive? The wo/wo back in the 80's was pretty offensive already.
posted by porpoise at 9:29 PM on July 26, 2018
Daniel doesn't seem to be doing any of the character-building that Miagi did.. Nothing about being balanced or getting squished like a grape. Turning sleazy kid into an expert in one training scene was kind of whiplash. Does Daniel not see or care about how messed up Johnny's kid is? Does he really just give up on his own son, is his son so shallow?
The "concussion nonsense" line was kind of funny but also weird.
This show is obviously trying to give room for growth for Johnny and Daniel, but I keep getting the feeling it's going to fall on the terrible side.
Sometimes it reminds me a bit of Grand Theft Auto V writing, with toxic shitty dads presented ironically (but not ironically), like the "Married With Children" outlook, the Tim Allen in Home Improvement outlook. Like, they think these Shitty Dads go too far sometimes, but ultimately they think they are more right than wrong and that their worldview is still the default and will still always be the lens through which we're forced to see everything, no matter how many lessons they learn.
posted by fleacircus at 12:22 PM on October 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
The "concussion nonsense" line was kind of funny but also weird.
This show is obviously trying to give room for growth for Johnny and Daniel, but I keep getting the feeling it's going to fall on the terrible side.
Sometimes it reminds me a bit of Grand Theft Auto V writing, with toxic shitty dads presented ironically (but not ironically), like the "Married With Children" outlook, the Tim Allen in Home Improvement outlook. Like, they think these Shitty Dads go too far sometimes, but ultimately they think they are more right than wrong and that their worldview is still the default and will still always be the lens through which we're forced to see everything, no matter how many lessons they learn.
posted by fleacircus at 12:22 PM on October 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
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Miguel's montage showed him incrementally improving, whereas here, "one weird trick" makes Robby a karate expert. But the show winked and nudged at the audience a bit with a Robby's "Whoa." "I know Kung Fu."
I loved it that it was Aisha (and only Aisha) dishing out the face punches to everyone.
Lots of good writing/ acting/ directing; the look of resignation on the first kid's face awaiting getting punched. Johnny's throwaway line about "concussion nonsense." The throwaway about bleeders. "You mean hold it in [emotions]? I'll try." At least he's progressive enough to differentiate between "no means no" - "Yeah, if things are getting physical no means no. If you're just asking her out..." - well, which is still problematic, but I like Miguel's solution.
Johnny/ Zabka appealing to the Karate board deserves some awards.
posted by porpoise at 6:08 PM on May 21, 2018 [2 favorites]