I never thought Daniel was that likable in the films (Mr. Miyagi was obviously the hero of the story, probably why his face is the final shot of the first two, and the third as well when he and Daniel are hugging, but we see only Miyagi's face), but he was not a villain. He was just a bratty kid. I liked that they made Johnny more of a bully than a true villain, as he had enough grace to congratulate Daniel after getting beaten at the end of 1 and pushed back at Kreese's craziness at the beginning of 2.
My point is, if you go about, rich and successful, but try your damndest to screw a guy who's trying to get back on his feet, that's a pretty black & white villain in Cobra Kai. The result of Daniel's meddling set a chain reaction that spelled misery for all. Antagonist to the nth degree, in context of the show. Edit: That said, I tend to see the good in everyone, even if it's a tiny sliver. Daniel, to me, has a lot of good in him, yes.
Nah. A black and white villain is someone who's entirely motivated by malice or greed. Daniel is at least partially motivated by a sincere belief that the Cobra Kai teaching methods are destructive and dangerous to kids in the community. Of course he's also motivated by his subconscious resentment towards Johnny, based on their past. But he's someone that wants to do good and deceives himself into thinking he is doing good. That makes him a gray character, not black and white.
Agreed. And remember that Johnny was the ringleader of the group that bullied Daniel pretty hard, and even though Daniel got over on them at the tournament, it can be hard to ever really let go of all of the resentment you have towards the bullies. Factor in, like you said, his belief that the teachings of Cobra Kai were destructive, and it's no wonder that just the mere sight of Johnny still left a bitter taste in his mouth early on in the current series.
Oooooh Yeah. Thanks for posting. When is it coming out? Ill be loving this new series with Silverman. Definitely! I think Johnnie Lawrence is the main reason why I'm following up on Cobra Kai. I began to realize that he is a much better person than introduced from the first karate kid movie. But this is only a fictional character. He is a great actor and he deserves to be in the spotlight of the golden screen.
From the end of the trailer, it looks like it is coming out Dec. 31. Very cool - I binged the whole season last New Year's and will probably do the same this year.
December 2021? Wow were definitely in for a treat.. That's an excellent timing to release a new series.
It's funny - the third movie is not at all good (well, maybe the ending), but the character they are bringing back is very cool. I guess you have to watch it to know what's going on.
I like that Johnny is basically the same guy now that he was back then. He really hasn't changed that much. He is still a bit of a jerk with too much macho pride, but was never the ridiculous over the top bad guys that Kreese and Silver were/are. I always liked that Johnny had the humility to congratulate Daniel and say, "good match," at the end of I after being defeated rather than being a crybaby sore loser. Not sure I would say Terry Silver is "very cool," but he is wildly entertaining, like a cheesy villain in a silent movie, lol.
I cant wait for Mike Barnes to show up somewhere along the way and start tearing people apart while in the end Johnny Lawrence kicks him by the nuts and save by the bell... Yes... Sirrr...!
You guys do know this is just a show, it's make believe, none of the characters are real and none of the stories are based on true events. So just enjoy it as it is, so who care how each character is portrayed.
That's very rude and insulting for a first time introduction of yourself. Welcome to Hoffman's...........
You do know that your comment here is threadcrapping; and thus is unhelpful, uninteresting and irrelevant. So either join in the conversation in a productive and non-condescending way, or shove off. Yeah, we all know that it's make believe, and we still like to talk about it anyway. It's part of the enjoyment.
I find like the Johnny character way more entertaining and believable than Macchio’s character. The writers and William Zabka did a great job of turning Johnny into much more than the movie role. I never saw part III, but I’ve been looking for a used copy at a few record stores with no luck. They have huge DVD sections so I’m hopeful one will turn up soon. No luck on streaming either. Plenty of I and II, but never III. Looking forward to New Year’s Eve!
Thinking about it too much, Barnes was a hired mercenary in III and I doubt he would have stayed close to Silver after his loss, considering he kicked Daniel's butt the entire match and only lost because he was told to keep giving points back so as to inflict more hurt on his opponent. The humiliation of the loss would have made him far away from the whole situation and everyone involved. And that was the stupid thing about Daniel's win in III. It did not feel earned. He got destroyed the entire match and won with one move at the end. In I, it was a very even fight that Daniel won by a nose (the crane kick to the nose, that is, haha). His win there felt earned. I think it helps that Zabka can actually act, while Macchio is a subpar actor at best.
Part 3 should be available on most of the common platforms: The Karate Kid Part III streaming: watch online I remember seeing this in the theaters and being a bit disappointed after the entertaining first 2 parts. That was a long time ago though so it may be time to revisit it.
I think it was already mentioned in this thread, but the storylines of II and III should have been reversed. After not only surviving, but winning the fight to the death with Chozen in II, for Daniel to be scared out of his mind by some young karate star and getting destroyed like he did in the match (until the contrived ending where he pulled one move out of his behind to win) made no sense.
Half way through. Really enjoying it. Will finish the season tomorrow probably. A new New Year's tradition.
Oh man I don't wanna read this yet for I just started watching. Terry Silver just showed up... and YES ..! The party has just begun....Wooowh.. Happy New Year!