5x08 Taikai

5x08 - Taikai: 6.7/10 (Fair, Above Average)

I’ve been enjoying the episodes more and more since they started focusing more on Karate, and this one was no exception. Nevertheless, it isn’t perfect; the writing this season has been particularly poor, with many predictable plot points and silly clichés. Some elements don’t feel natural and seem added for dramatic effect alone.

The earlier seasons showcased how just being physically bigger is a huge advantage in a fight, which is something we saw two episodes ago in “Extreme Measures”, where Daniel got his ass handed to him by Silver. So now the writers want us to believe that Silver, a cunning and calculated man, would send in a 5’4 kid with under a year of experience to fight Hawk? I’m also disappointed in Miguel and Robby for sending in Hawk, too—while he might not be a bad fighter, he certainly doesn’t have what either of them do. Now, don’t get me wrong—I certainly understand why Robbie and Miguel wouldn’t choose themselves. They’ve just managed to repair their relationship, but if this is as serious as Daniel and Johnny make it out to be, then they should have made the tough decision.

Sadly, the poor writing doesn’t end there. The cheating ref trope was unbelievable, leading me to question the writer’s credentials and why they were even allowed to write for “Cobra Kai.” I mean, come on now! We’re talking about the biggest Karate tournament, and the people representing them can’t figure out that the ref is biased? Don’t get me wrong—I’ve seen some questionable judging in real life—but when that happens, almost everyone calls it out, and in this case, having us believe that some of the best in the world couldn’t spot a biased ref is asking too much.

While some characters have been fleshed out in the past few episodes, notably Kreese and Tory, other characters haven’t had much development or even screen time, and it’s another example of why the show’s cast being so packed is both a strength and a weakness. It was nice to see, for once, that Johnny’s obsession with 1980s movies worked in his favour.

Frankly, the season has had more misses than hits, but with all that’s taking place and only two episodes remaining, I wonder if we’ll even get to the Sekai Taikai tournament this season. I honestly wouldn’t mind them wrapping it up before the tournament and delaying that until the next season, but if they somehow manage to squeeze it all in, I wonder if it’ll come across as rushed. Even though the writing was mediocre in this episode, I still enjoyed it and kept watching because it’s not a show I take too seriously.

8.5/10

Cobra Kai or rather Silver keeps throwing money around to solve any problems but it luckily doesn't always work.

"That's not true."
The introductions of Daniel, Johnny, Chozen, and Amanda were so funny xD
I like how Johnny and that one Taikai guy get along :)
The two 1x1 competitions were nice. I don't really wanna see Kenny winning (gives him way too much self-confidence but I'm sure his fall will come). Kenny didn't fight fair / with honor but it seems indeed realistic that he could win this way (real fights are often over with one move).
Even some German: "Auf Wiedersehen" :D

I'm glad that Tory finally makes her own decisions again (she shouldn't really have relied on Kreese but I get why and at least he said "I've put you through enough").

I was also super happy when Sam found the necklace!
Not so happy when Miguel messed everything up...
I was rooting for them but now I'm not so sure anymore. IMO it's on Miguel now and I'm not sure if he deserves Sam after a stupid move like that (it's not like he even fell in love with that girl - he just wanted some "action"...).

Tory picked a really bad moment to talk to Sam... :o
I hope that it worked out.
Would be cool if Tory would even join their Dojo!
Speaking of that: I wonder which new name they'll pick for their merged Dojo.