I just finished watching the just released final episodes of the Cobra Kai series. Yep, I’m sure there are endless blog entries out there saying that right now.
Nope, this one won’t be like those.
Double spoiler alert: first one is the typical “don’t read on if you’re gonna watch it”. Second one is: despite how much I loved it, this is not the typical feel-good cheering on or critique of the series. So don’t read on for that either.
These are just some thoughts on how much I relate to it. Johnny’s journey, specifically.
When I first started watching Cobra Kai at the beginning (over six years ago), I was, like many people, looking forward to seeing where the storylines would go with all the characters and their families. After all, I was an 80s kid and the Karate Kid has always been one of my very favorite movies.
But things immediately took an additional focus. From the very first scene beginning in the present day.
Johnny Lawrence…..the guy who had so much glory when he was a lot younger….is now a man in his early 50s who just unhappily slammed the alarm. He’s living in a shitty apartment and about to start another day of a dead-end, meaningless life with no one close to him (with any hints of his past success having disappeared many, many years ago).
I still remember how that hit me.
Because even though Johnny’s personality (and many of his strengths and weaknesses) couldn’t be more different than mine, his life path was eerily similar. For those who have never seen any of my entries: no, I wasn’t the stereotypical guy who peaked in high school. Far, far from it.
But I have had the same long lasting slide from a similar level of success (as a young adult) to a very long period of failure that’s lasted into middle-age.
Fast forward to today, and I’m almost his age at the beginning of the series. And here I was watching the feel good conclusion that has played out over the course of six long seasons. It’s what you’d expect: after tons of highs and lows as he rebuilds his life, it all comes together in the end.
Now he has a life full of family, friends, and a bright future. And just as important: redemption and success again.
And that really hurts to see.
Because now I’m that guy a few minutes into Season one, episode one. But unlike Johnny, I don’t know if I’ll ever have the opportunity to come full circle. And even if I did, it’s hard to imagine having the energy to pull off such a long, exhausting transformation.
There’s even one more small parallel. A quirky one that makes me grin for a second. One of my very, very few close friends has always called me sensei. Not because I know karate, but as a compliment to the accuracy, clarity, and teachable nature of some of my life views and skills.
And what’s the basis of Johnny’s later life transformation? Yep, he becomes a sensei.
Could that be my path too? Sounds nice, but it’s not gonna happen. I could never enjoy being a teacher, because I don’t have enough interest in being around sharing life with, well, people.
What does that leave then? Just another 50 year old guy who never wants to hear that alarm to start a new day. Who may never find his way out of this life hole.
As I’ve said a few times before here, it’s simply another example of how real life can easily be far apart from the typical movie-life ending. Sensei Lawrence may finally change from ace degenerate to ex-degenerate, but the reality looming for Sensei A appears very different.
Until the day that the alarm never goes off again.
Mister A's domain 