WARNING: Spoilers for Cobra Kai seasons 1 and 2 will fly fast and loose below the fold.
Cobra Kai is Youtube’s first original series to hit it big. With a powerful cast, great acting, and even better storytelling, this sequel to the classic film The Karate Kid is a treat to watch, and those without a Youtube Premium subscription will < a href="https://news.avclub.com/cobra-kai-kicks-its-way-to-a-third-season-1834494107">soon be able to watch it with ads.
The progression of events in the show leads me to believe that the major theme of Season 3 will be Modern Culture Strikes Back.
The major theme of Season 1 was “sometimes, the good old ways are best.” Johnny Lawrence was disgusted by how modern social mores encourage helplessness and avoid anything involving real effort; this was one of many reasons he decided to start the Cobra Kai dojo back up. Instead of running to authorities, kids would learn to be strong and stand on their own two feet. Instead of giving up when things get tough, kids would learn to power through and persist. Instead of letting themselves be bullied, kids would learn to strike first and strike hard, without mercy. The fact that Miguel’s beatdown of his tormentors went viral showed that even modern people hungered for the strength that Johnny Lawrence’s “outdated” values provided. Modern political correctness is regularly lampooned, though not to an obnoxious degree; it is implied that PC is part of the reason kids are so weak-willed these days.
Season 2’s theme was “with great power comes great responsibility.” The Cobra Kai kids were once bullied and beaten; now they have tasted power, and some of them have become bullies themselves. Daniel Larusso opens his own dojo to counter Johnny’s, but the kids he trains only escalate his initial conflict with Cobra Kai — with Daniel doing very little to turn this around. Johnny’s old sensei Kreese slowly takes over the Cobra Kai dojo, teaching the kids to never, ever give any quarter to their opponents. Daniel trains Johnny’s son Robbie in the martial arts. In the ending, Robbie is the one who inflicts a permanent spinal injury on Miguel of Cobra Kai; furthermore, that only occurred because a Cobra Kai student wanted revenge on Daniel’s daughter Sam and was determined to get it. Neither the kids nor the adults wielded their power responsibly, and tragedy was the result.
Which brings me to my speculation on the theme of Season 3.
Modern culture strongly emphasizes safety above all else; this is the reason for the learned helplessness and utter laziness that Johnny bemoans. His dojo Cobra Kai — as well as Daniel’s dojo Miyagi-Do — was intended to oppose this idea that people shouldn’t fight back with physical force. Kids wouldn’t play nice to get along; instead, they would stand up for themselves, since only a dangerous man can make those hard calls (a weak man can’t do anything, even if he wanted to.) They hoped they could, in their own small way, end all the mollycoddling and ennoble the youth of the 21st century.
And now their project failed in spectacular fashion.
Keep in mind that Miguel Diaz’s mother was skeptical of martial arts from the start. With her son at death’s door, Mrs. Diaz now despises Johnny for ever teaching him martial arts; had he remained in the safe bubble of modern culture, he would never have been permanently injured.
Daniel Larusso’s students, including his daughter, played their own role in building up the feud that led to the disaster at West Valley High; because Daniel recognized this, he disbanded Miyagi-Do Karate when his wife urged him to. Daniel tried to be like the late Mr. Miyagi, only to mess up horribly.
I predict that Mrs. Diaz will be a major antagonist in Season 3, opposing both Johnny and Daniel. Larusso Auto Group may fall under threat since Daniel had taught the boy who crippled Miguel. Furthermore, social activist types may play a large role in going after the two since they would see the two martial artists as emblematic of “toxic masculinity” and other perceived social ills. Similar attacks will come Kreese’s way, but he and his students will double down — and Johnny and Daniel won’t be able to oppose them directly since the two have to keep their noses clean under the public eye. Kreese may very well turn this mood to his advantage, declaring himself some sort of crusader for the downtrodden and highlighting the diversity of his clientele. Mrs. Diaz may even urge them on, since she will want vengeance for her son.
It will be a crisis that Johnny and Daniel can’t punch their way out of.
Now there’s no guarantee that they’ll go in this direction, but I do believe that the massive riot at the school will have far-reaching effects. All I know is that whatever they come up with will be awesome to watch.
