The third season of the hit series arrived in Netflix on the first day of 2021. Based on characters from the widely popular 80s/90s Karate Kid franchise, Cobra Kai 3 is here to jumpstart the year. Cobra Kai Never Dies.

Should you skip it or watch it? Read on this review to find out.

2021 Gets A Jumpstart

Originally intended for release on Jan. 8, 2021, Netflix decided to move the release of the show a week early on the first day of the new year because why not? It’s long overdue anyway and we all needed something to jumpstart 2021.

Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) are back at it again to reignite their karate rivalry. Now with the original Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) in the mix, things get more heated than ever. The valley is in danger and the Miyagi-Do and original Cobra Kai students’ lives gets turned upside down after that infamous Karate incident at the school.

Aftermath

The love rectangle between teens Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña), Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser), and Tory Nichols (Peyton List) set up that devastating second season finale.

Now, the students, parents, and teachers in the valley face the consequences of that event. This is where the show starts to show its true strength.

Writing has always been the strongest points of Cobra Kai and the trio of Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg gives out an eerily accurate and timely treatment of the situation, showing us exactly what the aftermath of events like these play out. From students getting bullied even more, to the teachers not really being able to do anything, and down to the parents fearing for the lives of their kids. All of these feels a little too realistic. Add to all that a wicked sense of humor and this show is easily relatable to all viewers alike.

A Third Perspective

The first two season of Cobra Kai showed us that there are always two different sides of a story. One hero can be a villain to someone else’s story. In Karate Kid, we saw Daniel LaRusso getting bullied by Johnny Lawrence, in his perspective. But Johnny Lawrence saw it the other way around as he explained back in Season 1.

Cobra Kai 3 showed us there is another perspective yet that we had not seen. The truth.

John Kreese’ back story is explored extensively this season. Karate Kid II characters Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita) and Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto) also return as the now-modernized Okinawa is put into the spotlight once again as the two meet with LaRusso once more for a much-needed reunion and reconciliation.

So, what exactly is the truth? The truth is there is still a lot of stuff we need to know. People will always look at things differently, including us viewers of the show. I guess we will all find out once the show is over. In the meantime, let’s enjoy Cobra Kai 3 while it lasts.

Skip or Watch?

We talked about how the first two seasons of Cobra Kai were badass. Cobra Kai 3 manages to maintain that identity while expanding on its main characters.

With a realistic script plus a wacky sense of humor, the third season of Cobra Kai checks all the boxes and lives up to the potential of its first two seasons.

Definitely, a must-watch!

VERDICT: WATCH!

Here is salida|etc’s rating for Cobra Kai Season 3.

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