After almost a yearlong wait for our favorite karate kids to return to the screen for a brand-new season, Netflix dropped “Cobra Kai’s” fifth season on Sept. 9, breaking their tradition of releasing the new seasons for New Year’s. This season brought a lot of content to the table and was well received, raking in a total of 100 million viewing hours in the week of its debut. Its success did not come a moment too soon for Netflix, as the streaming service has been facing a copious amount of backlash due to announcements of an increase in the subscription fee and the introduction of tiers of membership. The streaming service needed another smash hit under their belt after the hype of “Stranger Things” season 4 and the “Umbrella Academy” season 3 died down and luckily, “Cobra Kai” served it. 

The fifth season, which has a gleaming rating of 100% and 98% from critics and audiences respectively on Rotten Tomatoes, features the continuation of a few ongoing conflicts and picks up where it left off in season 4. The story addresses the takeover of Cobra Kai by the main antagonist, Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), the false imprisonment of John Kreese (Martin Kove), Miguel’s quest to find his father and ultimately, what lies in store for the Valley now that Terry Silver is in control. The season also deals with feelings and trauma the characters carry from the events before and does a fantastic job of addressing them and resolving any conflict that had run its course and needed to be tied up. Season five oversaw the resolution of the long-standing rivalry not just between the two main characters Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) and Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), but also between the two original Karate Kids, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).   

The season starts by picking up where it left off a year ago, opening with a Cobra Kai announcement that it is under new management and urging kids of the Valley to join the dojo and learn the way of the fist to the dismay of the protagonist and beloved sensei, Daniel. The story follows Johnny Lawrence and his son Robby as they try to find Miguel who has gone missing in Mexico in a quest to find his father. Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) also copes with her second defeat against Tory Nichols (Peyton List) who is dealing with her own feelings on a win that her Cobra Kai sensei bribed the All-Valley Karate competition referee for. The show then kicks off into a tight ongoing feud between the members of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Fang as they grapple for control of the Valley and deals with Daniel LaRusso and his allies’ intense desire to take down Cobra Kai and end its teachings of “Strike first, strike hard, no mercy” once and for all.  

“Cobra Kai’s” fifth, and arguably best, season serves a win for Netflix as it has proven to be the season with the best writing, execution and character development. It does a great job of showing everyone’s side of the story and makes viewers question who truly is the villain, a task only immaculate writing can pull off. This season will for sure keep viewers on the edge of their seats and is well worth watching.