Cobra Kai (TV Series) Strike First (2018) User Reviews

An Excellent Follow Up to Episode 1

[Better_TV · 8/10 · 13 May 2018]

This is a fantastic follow up to the first episode. Here we explore more of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio)'s life, mostly as it pertains to his wife (Courtney Henggeler) and daughter (Mary Mouser). The former seems to be a lot more acclimated to the rich upper-class life the LaRusso family now leads; Macchio, meanwhile, is convincing as a guy whose wealth was earned, not inherited. He is from New Jersey after all, as established in the first "Karate Kid" film. Exploring Daniel's character more in this episode also helps remove some of the d-baggery that hung over his brief appearance in episode 1.

Outside of that, there's decent work by the kids in the cast, one of whom, Xolo Maridueña, is taken under Johnny (William Zabka)'s wing at the new Cobra Kai dojo. And Joe Seo is suitably arrogant and vicious as Daniel's daughter's love interest; the scrapes and bruises he got in the first episode lead Daniel to assume he was the victim, not the aggressor, all culminating in an electric confrontation between Johnny and Daniel at the end. It's worth the wait.

This is about as good a reboot/revival/continuation as I've seen from Hollywood in quite awhile. As long as the scripts can keep Johnny and Daniel front and center, this one looks like it'll be a winner.

Involving beggining

[851222 · 8/10 · 18 May 2020]

Greetings from Lithuania.

First two episodes of "Cobra Kai" were very well done, acted and were really involving. I liked the whole concept of bringing these two old (but not so much) characters who stared in a legendary movie. I liked the concept, and so far i really like the execution. It all very simple, all way to familiar, but if it works - it works.

Overall, i will be looking forward to see it more.

Strike First

[highmarksreviews · 8/10 · 10 May 2018]

Indeed, the flurry of nostalgic thrills seem to continue in "Strike First". While not nearly as well-paced as "Ace Degenerate", it serves as a worthy follow-up and opens up new doors for the series. The opening of the Cobra Kai dojo on Johnny's (William Zabka) behalf is a neat storyline to follow and I'm interested to see how he will be able to balance having to deal with Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and his new students. Macchio had a little more screen time here, allowing him to really show us what his family is like and what he has matured into. The scene where the two are standing in the new dojo was absolutely wonderful and we may actually get that showdown this season.

Frame work for the series!

[mm-39 · 8/10 · 2 July 2018]

Frame work for the series! Well acted, directed, and executed. One goes through the trials of modern day high school with its clichs. Bullies and modern methods of bullies via social media. How more modern P C teachers etc are out of touch, just like back in the 80's with what is going on. There is a message of what you do creates the opposite reaction. The bullies are creating enemies and the reason why Cobra Kai exist. People not wanting to be pushed around. A very social Darwinian theory. Then there is the life of Daniel LaRusso, which is privileged, and is out of touch why some characters benefit from Cobra Kai. Lawrence is flawed, but we see the relationship between him and the mentorship of his lone student. Trying to toughen, sharpen the fatherless youth just like Lawrence was. LaRusso is of course fear for moral reasons the philosophy of Lawrence and Cobra Kai. The Cobra Kai series has the two schools of thought and lead characters diametrically opposed. Like forces in nature. Great frame work for an entertaining series.

Mercy is for the weak.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 29 December 2022]

Johnny learns that his newly acquired dojo will require meeting a number of safety requirements before he can actually begin teaching. To that end, he has his first student, the put-upon Miguel (an excellent, and likeable, Xolo Mariduena) put in lots of physical labor. Meanwhile, we get more of a look at Daniels' home life, with his wife (Courtney Henggeler) and daughter (Mary Mouser), and son (Griffin Santopietro).

Effective bits include the portrayal of high school life for characters like Miguel. He tries asserting himself with a girl from a different clique, as one of the lessons Johnny has taught him is that hesitation NEVER pays off.

We also get to see another aspect of Johnny's life. As it turns out, he has his own teenage son (Tanner Buchanan) who is currently a true bad seed.

It's nice to see Daniel continue to get fleshed out as a character at this point in his life. He's doing his best to be a responsible father; however, when he "over-reacts" to a pool party thrown by his daughter, it's easy enough to see things from his point of view. He is admittedly thrown for a loop when he sees that Johnny is re-opening the Cobra Kai dojo. This leads to a solid confrontation wherein Daniel is certain that Johnny is acting like decades haven't gone by (and HE does instruct Miguel the same way that his old sensei Kreese would do), and Johnny informs him that he might not know that much about his daughter and her friends.

The show-runners here have done a superb job of building anticipation for all of the further developments in this series.

One hearty laugh occurs early on when the building inspector mistakes the cobra in the logo for a rattlesnake, and mispronounces the word "kai".

Eight out of 10.

got any fish sticks?

[Calicodreamin · 8/10 · 12 January 2021]

A good follow up to ep 1, showing the difference between LaRusso and Johnny's lives. Decent acting and good use of archival footage from the movies.

Strike First

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 17 May 2018]

Strike First explores more of Daniel LaRusso, the boy from New Jersey make good. Yet dark clouds hover. He runs a successful business, has a nice house with a beautiful wife. Yet it was his daughter Samantha who crashed into Johnny's car and drove away. She is also going out with bad boy Kyler the one who was beating up Miguel before Johnny intervened.

Daniel is perturbed when he sees Johnny's new dojo leading to a face to face meeting with less bonhomie and reminiscing from Daniel compared to their earlier encounter.

Of course things still do not look good for Johnny. We see him get brushed off by his estranged son. He also gets Miguel to get the dojo into shape so he can get a license and insurance to operate. However his teaching methods leave a lot to be desired. He makes that music teacher from the movie Whiplash look like a pussycat!