I grew up with the Karate Kid. Like every child of the 80's I went to a movie theater to watch Daniel LaRusso take down Johnny Lawrence using the infamous Crane move.
Cheering and clapping as if this victory was my own.
Because it was.
Good vs. evil.
Nerd vs. cool (or similar equivalent).
Right vs. wrong.
And then I rewatched it on cable a thousand times more over the decades. Wax on and wax off. Probably learning about my first Bonsai tree. That movie changed so many lives and while I never explored Karate, I definitely could relate to being the outsider and underdog.
Because I was such a fan, I'm pretty sure I also saw Karate Kid 2 in theaters. I know there have been others and even remakes I think, but for me and millions of others, there will never be a substitute for the original kid from Reseda.
The modern day sharks vs. jets.
Everything old is new again
Despite all this, I haven't really jumped on the bandwagon of 80s and 90s nostalgia. I couldn't care less about Fuller House or Girl Meets World. I have no interest in that 90's Show or How I Met your Father. I look at the return of 80s fashion trends (hey scrunchee) and think 'that's a no for me dog'. No puffy skirts or shoulder pads. NO MOM JEANS (girls, what are we doing??). I'm content with the original and my memories. Or so I thought...
Enter the dojo
When Cobra Kai made its appearance on Netflix a few years ago, I wasn't interested. People were posting and raving about it, but I just thought it would be dumb. A disappointment. After all, how could it imbue all the nostalgia and goodness from the original movie after so many other failed attempts? It didn't seem possible. And while Billy Zabka's amazing turn on How I Met Your Mother did pique my interest in him being able to mock himself, I confused Ralph Macchio with Scott Baio and refused to watch based on his political views. (Joanie would not love Chachi now).
But at some point, my curiosity got the best of me and I gave the series a go. And I loved it. Such a clever concept. Loved the character arcs. You totally could see how Daniel would become an uptight and repressed business man with a family and Johnny would be a struggling loser who never got his life together. That's how it works with bullies and their targets. Or at least in movies.
It was funny. The fighting was great. And it was nostalgic but also modern and current. I was hooked. It felt like they really put thought into honoring the film and the characters. It was believable. Not once in the first three seasons did I think, this doesn't seem like something this character would do.
I binged the first three seasons and then had to wait for the fourth to be released. And I was excited to watch. Season four was still good. Starting to get a little convoluted but it maintained integrity. Even bringing back a character from the second film. I do remember thinking that at some point we have to wrap this up. And as one friend said, "where are these kids' parents? They're always fighting!" LOL
But I was invested in the outcome. Until...
Jumping the dojo
Just like the infamous Happy Days episode, which is now credited for the term "jumping the shark" to indicate exactly when a show has lost integrity and is just stupid and should go off the air, season 5 and now season 6 are that with Cobra Kai. For 4 plus seasons the show felt honest to the characters. On brand.
And then something happened and it's like the writers decided to just do whatever they wanted. They forgot what the show is and who the characters are and abused the trust of the audience and assumed we'd just come along. But two painful and I mean painful episodes into season 6 and I'm done. I'm no longer invested in the characters or the show and frankly don't care how it wraps up. They lost me and they lost themselves.
One friend said, "This last season is a steaming pile of hot garbage. Pointless fight scenes breaking out in every episode. Terrible story. The characters becoming so unlikeable. Detroying Miyagi's legacy. Making Johnny a complete idiot. It's like 90210 with fight scenes." And while 90210 was way better than that comment, I get what he's saying.
Yes everyone is riding the money train. We get it. But you can do that and still care about story. About plot. About characters that meant so much to so many. And now have a whole new audience. We've seen this happen time and time again with beloved shows and films and brands. They think because they have fans that they can do whatever they want. But that fan base is invested for a reason. And if you eff around with the thing they love, they won't stand for it. And moreover they won't pay for it.
Brand loyalty and integrity is all you have. So you better do your damnedest to maintain it. And if you need help, reply to this email. I got you!
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