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Cobra Kai’s Johnny Lawrence Is My Life Coach
Who would have guessed?
*Cobra Kai spoilers head.
I am late to the Cobra Kai series on Nexflix but I have more than made up for it. I love that show so much that it is (almost) embarrassing.
When Miguel whipped Kyler’s ass in the cafeteria fight, I was on my feet cheering him on. And when Daniel went to the cemetery to visit Mr. Miyagi’s grave — never mind the fact that the sensei has a 200-yard plot all to himself — I might have teared up a little.
Part of this enthusiasm is because I am a child of the 80s and have lived through a number of horrible reboots. Exhibit A: Point Break. Exhibit B: Red Dawn. But a larger reason for my fixation on this sequel to The Karate Kid franchise is Johnny Lawrence.
Yes, skeleton dressing, leg sweeping, mercy hating Johnny Lawrence is my new favorite underdog. And this is primarily because he reminds me of myself.
No, I don’t eat pizza from the gas station on the regular for dinner and I don’t guzzle Coors Light like it’s water, but as someone in their late 40s, I get what it’s like to try to live with remorse.
By now, I can see the error of my ways with a clarity I was unable to muster in my twenties and thirties. There were things I didn’t pursue that I wished I had. Exhibit A…
