Cobra Kai tackles classism with Sam and Tory's rivalry in Season 4

Paste Magazine

"From its humble roots as a Youtube original series to reaching widespread popularity on Netflix, Karate Kid sequel series Cobra Kai delights in continuing to surprise audiences with its refreshing humor, sincerity, and a healthy dose of high school kids beating the living daylights out of each other each season," says Lauren Coates. "Though the series teeters the line of being just this side of corny, even the most outlandish of plot developments (Daniel learning Chi Blocking, anyone?) are balanced with the show’s remarkably grounded sensibilities when it comes to subjects like bigotry, homophobia, sexism, and—this season—classism. Where the original Karate Kid film positioned Daniel LaRusso as the underdog coming from humble means to topple the privileged, well-off bully Johnny Lawrence, Cobra Kai Season 4 flips the script with its complicated Samantha vs Tory storyline, challenging the expectations of both its audience and characters alike." She adds: "Cobra Kai is a show that thrives on subverting expectations and refusing to subscribe to the aforementioned black-and-white morality established in the original film. So although Daniel and Johnny’s lives are presented as seemingly polar opposites when the show begins, the series isn’t content to simply let the LaRusso family skate by on the success of its patriarch; though Daniel may have “earned” his financial success from a storytelling perspective, his children haven’t—and nowhere is that more clear than in Season 4, where Samantha LaRusso goes from a privileged somewhat-brat to a full blown villain in her constant clashes with Cobra Kai student Tory Nichols...But just as Cobra Kai works to ensure that neither Daniel nor Johnny are the flat-out good guy or bad guy of their stories, the series also explores the murky morality of the next generation of karate students by giving Tory a tragic, sympathetic backstory. She comes from a broken home with a terminally ill mother, her aunt constantly hounds her to collect disability checks that should be going to Tory, and she’s single handedly working to put food on the table for both herself and her little brother, all of which means that her ability to find and keep a job is critical. This is in stark contrast to Samantha LaRusso, who grew up with her father’s money, isn’t shown to have a job at any point during Cobra Kai, and drives around town in her own convertible."

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• Cobra Kai Season 4 warns about the perils of trusting in bipartisanship: "You know, that vaunted virtue of politicians negotiating compromise in good faith," says Melanie McFarland. "The current president swears it's possible. Everybody else has had their eyes open for the last two decades. Bipartisanship only works when each side is willing to show their cards enough to make trades that strengthen everyone's hand. Otherwise, it's just one guy extending a hand to another ready to cut it off. The new season of Cobra Kai plays this out under the rubric of honor and remaining true to traditions that have succeeded in the good old days, and showing how foolish it is to count on your rival adhering to either when their goal is to destroy you."
• Thomas Ian Griffith on joining Cobra Kai this season after starring in The Karate Kid Part III
• Xolo Maridueña discusses the Season 4 finale
• Cobra Kai allowed Ralph Macchio to work with his daughter Julia, who plays Daniel LaRusso's cousin Vanessa