Cobra Kai 4×01 “Let’s Begin” is, obviously, the beginning of a new era. It’s also the moment we’ve been waiting for since the first episode of the series, and it goes about as well as anyone could have expected which is to say, it doesn’t go well at all. Daniel and Johnny absolutely need to work together to take down Cobra Kai, and we’ve seen at various points in the show that they actually have a lot more in common than they themselves would think.
But they also have a lot of history, and most of it isn’t good. That means that, as hard as the first step was, the second one was always going to be excruciating too. And the third, and the fourth.
“Rivalries don’t need to last forever,” they tell the kids, but the truth is, neither Johnny or Daniel starts this episode in the right mindset to actually put their rivalry to rest. In fact, for most of this episode, it seems like they’re one tiny step away form killing each other, no matter what Miguel and Sam try. But in the end, they figure it out, and they do so not because they have to, but because …well, because the kids figure it out.
And one thing we can and should say about both senseis is that they care enough about the kids to let them teach them some lessons, too.
That’s the most important part. The rest, well, the rest goes the way we expected it, with Kreese somehow convincing a Terry Silver who I, personally, never cared about and still don’t care about, Tory still exhibiting outwards signs of hostility towards basically everyone and Robby, oh, Robby, making the wrong decision, pushed this time not by jealousy over Miguel, but by a broken heart.
But Robby isn’t, has never been, Kreese. He’s not a black or white character, he’s all shades of grey, and it’s hard to believe this show won’t attempt to redeem him at some point. Not just because he’s got the perfect setup, but also because …that’s what this show is all about: redemption.
Tory is another matter all together. She has shown glimpses of humanity, and her backstory is the kind that makes you feel for her. But she feels much closer to irredeemable than Robby does. And honestly, storytelling-wise, that’s okay. Not everyone can or should be redeemed.
We just kinda want Robby to be.
Just like before we wanted to be here, with Daniel and Johnny working together. It’s, however, all a journey. And journeys are more enjoyable when they’re done properly. This is the start of the friendship we always dreamed. However, for it to be anything worth all these years of anticipation, there needs to be enough buildup. And, as for Robby, well …he’s going to find his own way.
He can, of that I’m sure. And, despite the fact that I have always cared more about the adults in this show than the kids, I’m surprisingly finding that I very much want him to. What can I say? The show has gotten to me. And I’m not sure I would change anything about my journey, not the love I had for the original, not the time I resisted giving into the charm of this show, and not even the fact that I enjoy the level of cheese this show provides so much more than I enjoy a lot of supposedly “serious” shows.
It is what it is, and with it being 2022 already, well, we should all just be watching stuff we enjoy. Like Cobra Kai.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Cobra Kai 4×01 “Let’s Begin”? Share with us in the comments below!