Cobra Kai has ended with the third part of it’s final season concluding recently. Season 6, part 3, I believe, was a good conclusion, even if some parts weren’t as great as others. This review contains spoilers.
In the first episode, villain Terry Silver tries to reopen the tournament after a kid’s death in a brawl from Season 6, Part 2. Johnny wants the tournament to continue, while Daniel is against it for safety reasons. Eventually, Daniel agrees because of better security and for the kids’ future. This episode sets up the tournament nicely but feels a bit slow.
In the second episode, Robby trains with Hawk and Demetri using VR but is discouraged by his low chance of beating rival Axel. Sam plans to take a gap year and go to Okinawa. Chozen gets his heart broken by Kumiko, and Daniel and Amanda try to set him up with someone else. Meanwhile, Johnny plans a proposal for Carmen but ends up getting married at the hospital after she goes into labor, and they welcome their daughter, Laura. This episode felt like filler but the birth of Johnny’s daughter was handled really well.
In the third episode, Daniel fights his inner demons and learns to let go of his trauma, letting Sam skip the tournament. There’s a reference to the original Karate Kid, which was cool. Cobra Kai faces uncertainty, and Kreese apologizes to Tory. In the semi-finals, Robby gets injured, and Miyagi-Do pulls out. Johnny and Kreese have a heartfelt moment and make up. Johnny takes over Cobra Kai, after Kreese gives it to him with Miguel and Tory as captains, surprising Silver and Wolf. This episode was one of my favorites from the season as it shows Kreese’s redemption that has been anticipated. The fight between Robby and Axel was nice with good camera angles and choreography. Robby handles the injury really well and it’s an emotional moment.
In the fourth episode, Daniel buys the old Cobra Kai dojo for Johnny to train Miguel and Tory. In the finals, Tory beats Zara with Robby’s support. Axel beats Miguel in the second round, but Miguel wins in the end after Axel refuses to break his spine. Axel quits Iron Dragons over Wolf’s cheating. Silver plans to kidnap Carmen and her daughter but is killed by Kreese in a fight that ends with an explosion, killing both of them. This episode was my favorite from the season. The death and redemption of Kreese was really cool as he essentially saved Carmen and Johnny’s child. I also thought the fight was well edited and intense with close-up camera shots upping the suspense. Overall, this episode was well-paced and sets up the final episode well.
In the final episode, Johnny gets ready to fight Wolf with Daniel and Chozen’s help. Wolf takes an early lead, but Johnny fights back, wins the final point, and makes Cobra Kai the champion dojo. Johnny moves into a new house with Carmen and Laura, and his students follow their own paths. Johnny and Daniel team up to teach Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do together. This was a good wrap-up episode with everyone’s lives set up for the future and Johnny’s fight with Wolf was cool with good camera angles and shots. This episode isn’t perfect as it has some boring bits but overall, it was a nice, heartfelt wrap up.
Overall, I thought season 6, part 3 was good even if the start was a bit slow and boring, it kicked up quickly and had some good emotional moments. My favorites were Kreese’s redemption including the apologies to Tory and Johnny and his eventual death and saving Johnny’s family from Terry Silver. I also thought the fight scenes were well-edited and had captivating choreography and CGI. This part of the season was a good wrap up to the show, and overall, the series was really good.
