Emmy Catch-Up: Cobra Kai

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

Cobra Kai: Season 3, Episode 4 “The Right Path” (B)

This episode leaned heavy on the nostalgia, indicating that there really are so many actors eager to get back into the franchise that helped make them famous three decades ago. After his bold action to go to Japan didn’t end up panning out, Daniel did some helpful soul-searching that led him first to the disappointment of seeing an influential place turned into the picture of commercialism but then to Kumiko, who has very happy to see him. Chozen didn’t seem nearly as thrilled, and it seems like Daniel has more to process, definitely emotionally and possibly physically, before he goes home. After failing to get through to his own son, who wanted nothing to do with him, Johnny tried instead to help Miguel, which was met with a bit of hopeful success en route to a reminder that in reality healing may be somewhat more difficult and take longer to achieve. The battle lines are being firmly drawn at the school, with Hawk establishing himself as a true antagonist and villain, destroying the project that Demetri spent weeks working on and then feigning a woke attitude to get himself out of trouble. What I’ve learned so far from this show is that spiritual betterment tends to win out, even if that doesn’t happen right away and is filled with plenty of pain and heartbreak along the way. Knowing that this show is soon coming back for season four, I’m not sure whether that will all be resolved within this season or continue to endure as a conflict going forward.