Netflix's COBRA KAI starring Ralph Macchio, William Zabka (2021) 2 2

[▫️]

I’m weak, I gotta stop reading this thread and finish the season.

[bentbryan]

I’m assuming Season 4 will start with a bunch of the Cobra Kais in jail for what basically was a home invasion 

[davidpg]

1 hour ago, bentbryan said:

I’m assuming Season 4 will start with a bunch of the Cobra Kais in jail for what basically was a home invasion 

Pretty much what I was thinking as well!  It is at least an 80s throwback where all kinds of illegal and morally questionable (today at least  ) things happened all the time!

[valiantman]

49 minutes ago, davidpg said:

2 hours ago, bentbryan said:

I’m assuming Season 4 will start with a bunch of the Cobra Kais in jail for what basically was a home invasion 

Pretty much what I was thinking as well!  It is at least an 80s throwback where all kinds of illegal and morally questionable (today at least  ) things happened all the time!

It was a "high school party" according to all the kids who were invited, so unless they can prove which kids did what (video cameras?), there's nothing solid that can be used to arrest anyone.  "Uninvited guests" aren't cool, but they aren't criminals without proof.

[bentbryan]

2 minutes ago, valiantman said:

It was a "high school party" according to all the kids who were invited, so unless they can prove which kids did what (video cameras?), there's nothing solid that can be used to arrest anyone.  "Uninvited guests" aren't cool, but they aren't criminals without proof.

My best friend who is a detective and watched the show disagrees 

[valiantman]

1 minute ago, bentbryan said:

6 minutes ago, valiantman said:

It was a "high school party" according to all the kids who were invited, so unless they can prove which kids did what (video cameras?), there's nothing solid that can be used to arrest anyone.  "Uninvited guests" aren't cool, but they aren't criminals without proof.

My best friend who is a detective and watched the show disagrees 

So, which kids would get their side of the story believed by law enforcement?   Sam was the only "homeowner" present, so does she get to say who was invited and who goes to jail?

[bentbryan]

29 minutes ago, valiantman said:

So, which kids would get their side of the story believed by law enforcement?   Sam was the only "homeowner" present, so does she get to say who was invited and who goes to jail?

Witness testimony and depending on injuries and property damage the investigation would intensify with warrants on cell phones. Not to mention Ring door cameras are exceedingly common in nice homes and they would have the kid on camera getting tossed thru the front door. Plus parents would be all over demanding action. And don’t forget the history between the groups. Who knows how it would play out in court but someone is definitely getting arrested. Lol with all the stuff that happens in this show you find that to be the most unrealistic take? 

Edited January 5, 2021 by bentbryan

[Bosco685]

Quote

Season 3 of Cobra Kai turned up the heat on the rivalry front, but the dojos’ greatest challenge is yet to come.

 

After some soul-searching took Daniel to Japan and Johnny to… well, a bar stool, a visit from an old friend helped the two at-odds senseis bury the hatchet. Following another knockabout showdown with Cobra Kai, Johnny’s new Eagle Fang dojo and Daniel’s Miyagi-Do group finally united against John Kreese’s violent gang of ruffians and “no mercy” teachings. As a bloody exchange of fists between the students razed the LaRusso home, Kreese, Johnny and Daniel agreed to settle things the old fashioned way: with a karate tournament, of course!

 

Here, executive producers and co-showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg break down the season, including Daniel and Johnny’s new partnership, Kreese’s traumatic backstory, the show’s portrayal of bullying and whether Season 4 will be the final battle for the soul of the Valley.

 

Spoiler

 

TVLINE | Did you always plan for the third season to end with Johnny and Daniel’s union? And why is this point in the story the right time for them to squash their beef? I can’t imagine it’ll be completely smooth sailing for them.

HEALD | Giving them this moment was something we’ve always known was coming. We always felt like this was the time for it to happen, but we are doing it in a way where we’ve also established who these characters are. They’re both very strong minded in their own philosophies, ideals and pasts. There does appear to be a very distinct battle ahead, a very clear boundary and set of circumstances that have brought them to this moment, but time will tell if history repeats itself and they fall back into old habits again, or if they’re going to be able to weather the storm and lean into each other to do the hard work of what it is to form a partnership.

 

TVLINE | The end of the Kreese flashback gave us some much needed background on Cobra Kai‘s biggest bad guy. Why does he still have such a stake in the dojo, even after all these years?

HURWITZ | Cobra Kai is in his blood. He founded Cobra Kai. It was important for us to take this character you’ve known all these years — who is just simply bad… he’s Darth Vader, he’s evil — and understand where a guy like that comes from. A guy who routinely talks about “no mercy.” Why is that so important to him? We meet him in Season 3 before Vietnam and see that he was an underdog in his own right, perhaps with a more tragic life than, say, Daniel or Miguel had. Dealing with the situations he dealt with over there, and having that experience of showing mercy and seeing that the world doesn’t necessarily reward good behavior… it had a profound impact on him. It was a traumatizing experience that he carries with him to this day.

 

We’ve always asked, “Why would John Kreese start a karate dojo?” From the beginning it was because he believes he has something to offer young people, life lessons he thinks are important for these kids to know, to defend themselves in life. In his mind, he’s teaching people what’s necessary to get through life. Seeing that Cobra Kai was back brought that spirit back in him. He had given up on life in a lot of ways. Then, having a front row seat seeing Johnny changing some of the core elements that he thinks are important to Cobra Kai was too much to take. He’s as determined as he was when he started the dojo many years ago to educate the youth of the Valley to be prepared for the world they’re going to have to deal with.

 

Cobra Kai Season 3 KreeseTVLINE | At the end of the finale, Kreese reached out to his old army buddy Terry for help. Has that role been cast yet and, if so, who will be playing him?
HURWITZ | Just because Kreese reached out to somebody, doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s returning to the show. That said, on our show, we try to bring back the original actor who played characters in the past as much as possible. We all loved the character of Terry Silver in The Karate Kid 3 and his portrayal by Thomas Ian Griffith, so if that character was to return for Season 4, we’d hope that he’d be the one playing him.
SCHLOSSBERG | There’s no confirmation, anything can happen, really. But I will say: If you do love Terry Silver, this is probably the best show to tune into to see if he does show up. [Laughs] But we can’t promise anything at this point because it’s all a mystery.

 

TVLINE | Why was Daniel’s trip back to Okinawa important for his storyline, and how did it help prepare him for the drama that unfolded at the end?

SCHLOSSBERG | The legacy of Mr. Miyagi is a big part of his psyche, and to see the Miyagi name tarnished as a result of what happened at the school… he bears that responsibility. He’s just an emotional wreck more than ever and needed Mr. Miyagi’s help. There are different ways to connect to the past. There’s prayer, there’s going to a cemetery, and for some people, it’s taking a trip to connect with their roots. Mr. Miyagi’s homeland of Okinawa is the birthplace of Miyagi-Do karate to Daniel, so it really provided the emotional and psychological answers to his questions.

 

By connecting with some of those characters from Karate Kid Part II, particularly Kumiko, she’s able to give him insight into Mr. Miyagi’s mind. Sometimes when you get older and you go through your parents’ belongings if they’ve passed away, you’ll see something of theirs and realize something about them that you didn’t think of as a kid. We always liked this idea that Daniel looked at Mr. Miyagi as this wise all-knowing force that had all the answers to everything, and when Kumiko reads the letter to him, he realizes Mr. Miyagi didn’t have all the answers, and that Daniel was actually the thing that solved his life. He realizes it’s OK to not have all the answers to everything. Mr. Miyagi didn’t.

 

Cobra Kai Season 3TVLINE| Were there any discussions behind the scenes about how far you wanted to take the bullying aspects on the show?

SCHLOSSBERG | We want the show to work in the same way The Karate Kid worked, both in a classic bullying sense, but also in a modern way. From the very beginning in Season 1, we incorporated aspects of cyber bullying, whether it’s body shaming or slut shaming, things that are maybe more contemporary topics even though they’ve been going on for years. We want it to be relevant and universal, that really creates the frustration in the audience of like, “God, I feel bad for these kids. I want them to overcome.” That’s the magic of The Karate Kid. It’s this underdog story.

 

The themes of bullying were tied into this story when we first pitched Cobra Kai to Ralph Macchio. It’s not just to bring back all of the characters that we like and find a fun Kreese backstory; it’s because this subject matter is as relevant as it’s ever been. This story and franchise are very cathartic to people who are going through that. You don’t want to disturb people too much where they can’t keep watching the show, but life can be disturbing sometimes. It’s not just the physical abuse, it’s the mental abuse. Kids can become suicidal because of these things. We don’t want to be too afraid to touch upon subjects, but we try to be careful. Typically five minutes later, there’s some comedy, too. We go back and forth between having fun, but also touching on the serious themes of bullying.

 

TVLINE | In terms of Johnny calling his students “pansies” or the “ breath” cracks, did you ever have any plans of adding an LGBTQ character to illuminate the damage that sort of language could cause?

HURWITZ | We talk about all kinds of characters to add to the world and think about how they would respond or react to the mentality that Johnny has — sort of this unfrozen caveman, ’80s guy — and to contrast his verbiage with how today’s youth responds to it and the impact it can have. So, absolutely we’ve talked about adding characters from that community, and frankly, all different types of teenagers that aren’t necessarily represented.

SCHLOSSBERG | Miguel, in some ways, even though he’s not a gay character, represents the modern take and counterpoint. Sometimes Johnny doesn’t let him speak, which is part of the problem. In the very first lesson, Miguel calls him out for saying, “You don’t want to be a p-ssy, you gotta have balls.” Right away Miguel’s like, “Uh, I think you’re gender stereotyping here?” and Johnny’s like, “Quiet!” Our hope is that the audience can tell from the students’ perspective that we’re aware that Johnny is behind the times. It hasn’t come to that place where [the bullying] has affected anybody in particular, but that’s something that’s always a possibility to explore further as seasons go on and we get to know more students.

 

TVLINE | The show is already renewed for Season 4, but have you thought about where the series might go beyond that?

HEALD | We have an endgame in our heads. We’ve had one for quite some time, and it’s not in Season 4. It’s well beyond that. In our minds, we have seasons’ worth of story that is necessary to tell before we get to that endgame. That will be a discussion going forward with our new partners at Netflix. Can we write to that endgame? Can we know that it’s coming? That’s not always the case with television and we respect that. For now, we’re continuing to write at the same speed and with the same path that we set out with from the beginning.

 

 

 

[valiantman]

2 hours ago, bentbryan said:

Witness testimony and depending on injuries and property damage the investigation would intensify with warrants on cell phones. Not to mention Ring door cameras are exceedingly common in nice homes and they would have the kid on camera getting tossed thru the front door. Plus parents would be all over demanding action. And don’t forget the history between the groups. Who knows how it would play out in court but someone is definitely getting arrested. Lol with all the stuff that happens in this show you find that to be the most unrealistic take? 

No, it was the only thing discussed today. 

[kav]

I like this show but the acting is pretty bad and come on now-no one ever calls the cops???  Assault and robbery?  Repeated assaults, home invasions and robberies and mayhem??  Larussos keep trying to figger out how to stop the cobra kais-CALL THE $##@##!! COPS!!!

[kav]

On 1/5/2021 at 1:52 PM, valiantman said:

It was a "high school party" according to all the kids who were invited, so unless they can prove which kids did what (video cameras?), there's nothing solid that can be used to arrest anyone.  "Uninvited guests" aren't cool, but they aren't criminals without proof.

Cops make a living getting at the truth-it would be a snap.  Just do the thing where you offer everyone a deal and lie and say your buddies already gave you up etc.

[kav]

On 1/5/2021 at 2:01 PM, valiantman said:

So, which kids would get their side of the story believed by law enforcement?   Sam was the only "homeowner" present, so does she get to say who was invited and who goes to jail?

Lets see how can we figger out who was uninvited-could it possibly be the kids from the competing dojo that has been having an ongoing violent feud with the person who lives there and her friends from the other dojo?  
Cops are not stupid there would be arrests and convictions in this slam dunk of a case.

[Bosco685]

8 hours ago, kav said:

I like this show but the acting is pretty bad and come on now-no one ever calls the cops???  Assault and robbery?  Repeated assaults, home invasions and robberies and mayhem??  Larussos keep trying to figger out how to stop the cobra kais-CALL THE $##@##!! COPS!!!

I think they do a good job with this show by making the characters at times their own worst enemies. Including Johnny self-destructiveness and Daniel's pride at times.

Supporting characters bring them back from the edge. Like Daniel's wife, who has no problem calling out his flaws. Which like reality at times we all need that voice of reason.

[drotto]

There are a few things in this show that boarderline break my immersion.   First, karate is that important to a very small group of people.  It is not popular to the point where it would take over dozens of kids lives and risk destroying them.  The idea that the social hiarchy of a school would be based on what dojo you are in is ridiculous. The importance of karate in the series is laughable.

 

Second, as has already been mentioned, so many of these kids would have been arrested by now. There is no way these repeated fights and downright assaults would go unnoticed.

 

But the rest of the show is just so good, I forgive these things.  

 

 

[bentbryan]

57 minutes ago, drotto said:

There are a few things in this show that boarderline break my immersion.   First, karate is that important to a very small group of people.  It is not popular to the point where it would take over dozens of kids lives and risk destroying them.  The idea that the social hiarchy of a school would be based on what dojo you are in is ridiculous. The importance of karate in the series is laughable.

 

Second, as has already been mentioned, so many of these kids would have been arrested by now. There is no way these repeated fights and downright assaults would go unnoticed.

 

But the rest of the show is just so good, I forgive these things.  

 

 

A film podcaster I follow said it best...

”Cobra Kai. So dumb. But so awesome!”

[kav]

8 hours ago, Bosco685 said:

I think they do a good job with this show by making the characters at times their own worst enemies. Including Johnny self-destructiveness and Daniel's pride at times.

Supporting characters bring them back from the edge. Like Daniel's wife, who has no problem calling out his flaws. Which like reality at times we all need that voice of reason.

This is it exactly-the writing is so good with the use of conflict-it is a master of the use of conflict in a -script-that we forgive all the other flaws.  Very hard to do.  Almost every single thing the characters do involves conflict even if its just choosing a toothpaste.

[valiantman]

12 hours ago, Bosco685 said:

Like Daniel's wife, who has no problem calling out his flaws.

 

[kav]

A good -script has conflict, character driving plot, and no uneccessary scenes.  There should not be one second of a film that does not either move the plot forward or develop character.  That's why the entire casino planet scene in star wars should have been cut.  It did neither.  
We've all seen plot driven movies-no matter how elaborate the plot or how many planets explode they are mind numbingly dull.  Boring characters = boring movie.  Plot can be anything, as long as the characters are interesting.  It can be about getting a tube of toothpaste.

[kav]

 In the movie Fargo, the scene where the old friend lied about his dead wife-my dad said that scene was uneccessary.  I explained it was crucial.  Every good character has a weakness.  Here we see Marge Gunderson totally unfazed by murdered bodies and criminals.  Nothing fazes her-except an old friend lying.  We see her sad response to that as she is eating her burger at the drive thru place.

Edited January 8, 2021 by kav

[bentbryan]

2 hours ago, kav said:

A good --script has conflict, character driving plot, and no uneccessary scenes.  There should not be one second of a film that does not either move the plot forward or develop character.  That's why the entire casino planet scene in star wars should have been cut.  It did neither.  
We've all seen plot driven movies-no matter how elaborate the plot or how many planets explode they are mind numbingly dull.  Boring characters = boring movie.  Plot can be anything, as long as the characters are interesting.  It can be about getting a tube of toothpaste.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood may be a good example of this. The plot doesn’t even develop until about 2+ hours into it but the characters drive the story and it manages to stay interesting for the most part.