Wax On, Wax Off Redux

 
And here's another story from Pandemic 2020.

After the first few months, I was pretty much exhausted from Netflix.   I had caught up with "Ozark" and "Tiger King" and a variety of other mediocre movies and TV shows.  I was done.

And, suddenly, "Cobra Kai" shows up and I am once again hooked on another program.   But there's a little back story to this.

A couple of years ago, I remember this show first appearing on You Tube.   I immediately dismissed it because...well...You Tube.   But I did do a little research on it because the title reminded me of  "The Karate Kid."  Well, it should.   It's essentially an updating of the 1984 movie, which is not to be confused with the dreadful remake that featured Will Smith's kid.   

Okay, truth be told, I was a fan of "The Karate Kid" and have watched it multiple times.   Not the sequels.   The first installment is the best version of the story about a nerdy kid who is beaten up by bullies at school and is tutored in the art of karate by the local Japanese gardener.   This is one of those movies where, if I am channel surfing and find it on cable, I will tune in regardless of where we are in the plot.

So, in 2018, I read about this updating of the story that focuses on not just the hero Daniel LoRusso but also one of the bullies John Lawrence.  I noted that both the original actors, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, were involved in the project.   But I passed because...well...You Tube.

Last week, I read on Facebook several friends who posted about how good "Cobra Kai" was on Netflix.  Huh?  Well, in the shutdown world of 2020, Netflix obviously was scouting the fields of other streaming services to see if there was any low hanging (AKA already produced) fruit they could pick.  Netflix immediately posted the first two seasons and now promise there will be a third when we are all out of jail.

This was a wise move as I finally sampled "Cobra Kai" and found it utterly engrossing and charming.  They put the same characters into the world over 30 years later and the changes they have undergone lend to the story.  The bully is a down and out bum while the hero is a big shot car dealer.   The other fascinating choice was to put them both in the same setting as the original film with many of the same locations.  Indeed, they never left the San Fernando Valley and that alone lends another layer to the tale.

It took me no time to steamroll through Season One comprised of 10 half-hour episodes.  There is a predictability to the story that actually is comforting.   Of course, lives have been fleshed out with children and spouses and the like.   You can tell where it is going, but that is not a bad thing.   This is a rebooting that was worth the new sole and leather.

And, yes, folks, that means I'm back on Netflix.

Dinner last night:  Salad.