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Demetri is wonderful (my thoughts..) MASSIVE SPOILERS!

posted 2 years ago by avortac4 (3752)
4 replies | jump to latest

Hey, stop insulting Demetri!

We have all known people like that, stop bullying the nerds already, please. Sure, he can 'get on your nerves', but then you should check your nerves. He never bothered me at all, I enjoyed every second of him. Both the actor and the character are great in my opinion.

His bad sides might be that he's kind of 'talkative' and nitpicky, criticizing things all the time, which might seem whining or complaining, but in the end, that's what we need to correct things that are wrong - for someone to point them out. He can seem a tad annoying, but it comes from his insecurity and confusion, and I can relate; this world is a confusing place to someone who is either rational or expects as much sympathy as they have, let alone both.

Demetri forgave all his enemies, how many of you can say the same? His output may get on the nerves (though not mine), but it's what inside that counts, and he has a good heart - I don't think anyone can deny this. He tried to console and uplift Hawk when he was down, he never wanted to be mean to him and his other friends even when they became a-holes; he even told Hawk and Robby are 'ex-a-holes now'.

He is nerdy and a bit too blindly devoted to pop culture, but he's honest and realistic about his own limitations and failures; he calls himself Alfred, while Hawk is Batman. What more do you want?

In any case, I wanted to write a post after watching all episodes (phew!), as this show left me with confused feelings.

The problem with this show is that it has so much good and so much.. I can't really call it 'bad' per se, as it keeps its head above water most of the time, but there are 'disappointing downsides' and 'repetitive tropes' and feeling of not going anywhere, but repeating what was already done, just in different ways, with different details.

Season 3 might be the peak for me, although the first season still shines bright in my book. The second season I wasn't too sure if, too much teen drama and 'Stingray' (glad they toned that down a lot).

The Japan-trip is a definite highlight, it's just handled with so much respect and meeting Kumiko-san and the old enemy was powerful - it makes the viewer reflect upon the passage of time and how everything changes quicker than we realize. It definitely had that effect upon me.

However, seasons four and five seem a bit corny; it's like some old TV show that uses cliché plotlines and filler because of a contract because it has nothing to say, but has deadlines to meet. I noted something was going on when, instead of bringing the main story to new heights, they started diverting to useless sidelines and adding more and more characters instead of cultivating and carefully fleshing out the existing ones more.

I mean, did we really need to bring Miguel's (or is it Migel?) father into the picture? What was the point of that? I have to commend the actor's ability to switch on a dime, it was an amazing and impactful moment, when he changed from a happy-go-lucky 'good dad' into a 'paranoid drug dealer' in a second. Holy cow, what an actor!

Then we really, REALLY didn't need 'Karate's Bad Boy' in the story. Heck, even Terry Silver was a bit much in my opinion (the pianoplaying scene was well done, rhythm-wise, but the fingers didn't reach the correct places for the pitches required).

The seasons after three were a bit of a mess, bit of a hit-n-miss. Mostly it felt like they were running in place instead of taking us somewhere new. Another tournament. Then another tournament to prepare for. Even Sam said 'I am right where I started' or something like that - true for the show, too.

Things just keep resetting. Although we finally got Johnny and Daniel's friendship, Johnny keeps being sloppy for comedy, and Daniel is still a hothead (being lost on some road, meeting some truck driver guy, why would he prepare to FIGHT, when he could just say 'Thousand bucks if you take me to the nearest gas station' or something?)

It's an uneven mess with a cartoonish story arc with a ridiculous villain and so many needless fights. I was hoping the show would go to a direction where no one would have to fight anymore, but nope, more teen fights and adult fights and everyone should've died by now from all those punches, kicks, slashes, wounds and injuries. Not fun to watch.

The novelty has worn off, and yet they keep peddling the same stuff over and over. So they inject romance (sigh) and reproduction as a 'happy' thing (double groan, isn't this world overpopulated enough?)...

I don't know, it felt like someone had a VISION of a great story, something that truly needed to be told, shown and said, but instead, we get a few great moments, lots of teen drama, comic-style villains and lots of sappy moments followed by teen karate fights. Where did the subtlety go? Not every episode has to have a fight!

[–] avortac4 (3752) 2 years ago

Heck, I'd be happier if there weren't fights at all, but the story would be all about how Johnny realizes his mistakes, grows into a fully-functional adult human being that can handle things without fights, without getting angry, being centered, balanced and yet commands respect due to charisma and inner power.

Instead, he never really grows, except how 'society brainwashes us' to - a simp husband for some sloozy he knocked up. Sigh.

Daniel could also have grown up so much from being this hotheaded moron who is always tense and ready to fight. He could have, instead, become relaxed, more smily, more friendly entity that is always ready to shake someone's hand and greet them with encouraging, welcoming energy instead of 'I'll punch you so hard if you come closer' that you can see in the Japan scene, where the former enemy approaches him - that's the WRONG energy to use to welcome anyone, regardless if they were an enemy in the past or not.

Daniel could learn a lot from 'Dog Whisperer', by the way - after all, he always used the wrong energy in the movies, so you'd think he would have learned at least something in this show, but no, even in the very last episode, he's still looking for a fight as a solution, instead of using FRIENDLINESS and telling the guy(s) that he will gladly pay them if they will just drive him to the city or something.

Daniel could've grown to become closer to what Terry Silver's carefree, hippie-style character is before he devolves into his old maniac self again. He could be just everyone's friend, not taking any insults to heart, just laughing it off, understanding the other entities in front of him instead of looking at them with those hateful eyes, and just doing his best to get along. He could've at least asked Terry, why do you have to be evil? Come on, drop the old pain and let's start over. Of course Silver is gonna be crazy if Daniel feeds him bad energy and hatred as well. He doesn't give him a way out.

[–] avortac4 (3752) 2 years ago

Silver is a bit of a disappointment as well in any case, he could've made for a really cool villain, if he had remained subtle.

What I mean is, on the outside/surface, he could be the cleanest individual ever, friendly, happy, sharing his wealth and having wonderful garden parties, while in the shadows, behind the veil, he would, in a very SUBTLE way, manipulate things, events and people to his favor.

Remember Daniel being really sneaky about trying to get rents raised in the strip mall? That's the kind of thing I mean, but even a bit more subtle. The way Silver was 'disrupting Daniel's marriage' is sort of perfect in my opinion. That was a masterful manipulation - or really good writing of such a thing, that's when I said 'brilliant' out loud, I think.

Then he becomes a cartoon villain that just beats up everyone. HOW BORING!

This show showed us so much promise, then it never QUITE filled that promise. It gave us hope, and yet stayed one inch away from filling that hope, then took it away.

Then did it again... I mean, the same beats happen pretty much in every season, and who can even keep up with all the things that went on with Robby's story arc?

This show truly feels like there were too many chefs ruining the soup; some were absolutely brilliant gourmet ones, others were used to make soup from literal garbage in some dark alley in a third world-country (I don't know if that's the term anymore, it used to be non-developed, underdeveloped, developing, and so on)..

It's a real shame, because there are genuinely funny moments, wonderful screen charisma, and it's amazing what these old geezers are able to do in front of a camera for a TV show, I could never imagine doing that at their age!

It's also great to see the same actors playing the same roles, even karate's bad boy is pretty darn amazing on the screen (sorry, I am bad with names).

Something is missing in season 4 and 5, though. It doesn't feel as genuine, as soulful, as interesting, as novel..

[–] avortac4 (3752) 2 years ago

It feels less of a new type of food, or even a fresh meal, but more of lukewarm leftovers from two days ago.

The problem is that we are not shown much that we haven't seen before. There are storylines that go exactly nowhere. It's cool that they finally realized that old enemies can become friends, but making everyone constantly a friend and enemy and whatnot, becomes a bit tiresome. The teen soap is as boring as it ever was, who cares if Sam and Miguel become a couple or not? Sam seems more likable in 3, 4 and 5, though, and she seems to have lost weight, too.

It's remarkable how little cops are really involved in anything, although buildings are set on fire, places are constantly invaded (why is it so easy to invade Daniel's home and Miyagi-Dou? Can't Daniel afford some kind of security system with fences, cameras, alarms, etc.? Huh?), cars are burned up, people thrown through windows, .. I mean, holy cow, what do the police do in this valley?

Not to mention the constant, incessant fights in all kinds of places, people's faces and hands are broken and blood flows all the time, yet cops are almost never to be seen.

I get it, it's a TV show, but some moments kind of kill the immersion.

The overly-coreographed mass-fights are also a bit of a headache and confusing to watch; sometimes it's even hard to know who to root for, because everyone keeps changing sides and switching loyalties and whatnot, not to mention how hard it's to keep up with what's even happening with the shaky cam and such.

Five years is a long time, I guess the vision was drained out, someone just wanted to show how fun it would be to show Johnny and Daniel as 'adults' (of sorts), and what happened after the movies, and yet make the audience root for the 'bad guy' and show Daniel for the bully-instigator that he truly was in the movies (Daniel REALLY didn't need to hose Johnny, or cause those traffic accidents, now did he? DID HE? He would've been FINE if HE hadn't instigated!)

[–] avortac4 (3752) 2 years ago

But it seems like the river has run its course, the story has been told, and there is no more.

You can reheat the same meal over and over again, but it won't be the same, and will only taste more and more stale every time.

It's probably time to bury the nostalgia and go home. It was a wild ride, there were amazing performances, wonderful moments, great and respectful storytelling, but it looks like it's pretty much over. I don't even care what Kreese's original plan was, it took too long to materialize.

I mean, Kreese might be out of prison, but it's not the same as being actually free - the cops will be looking for him, it's not like he can just lead Cobra Kai again, and with the scandals, surely the whole thing will be shut down by now.

In the first season, there was the hopeful feeling that Johnny becoming sensei would fix his life, make him see what's important, realize to become the adult he didn't know he could be, and just enjoy life from thereon, without holding grudges, being happy with Daniel's success and move on. But instead, it became this mess of screaming to kids and making them do ridiculous things in the name of self-improvement, while remaining partially juvenile himself.

I was hoping Johnny and Daniel would bury the hatchet and realize adult life has so much to offer if they join forces and understand each other's perspective as to what happened, that they could become good friends and just have fun in life, or possibly combine their styles, learn from each other, and teach karate in a harmonious spirit, and everyone will be happy.

I mean, some of that did happen (yay!), but a bit later than I hoped, and not quite as happily as I hoped, and of course for the wrong motivations - to 'defeat an enemy'.. does everyone really need a villain to join forces? Can't they just join forces because they SEE how good that would be?

Seasons 4 and 5 feel like lukewarm re-hash, whereas season 3 was still brilliant and poignant.

Demetri is wonderful (my thoughts..) *MASSIVE SPOILERS*!

Demetri is wonderful (my thoughts..) MASSIVE SPOILERS!