Cobra Kai creator teases when S6 will begin.

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By Peter Veunnasack

Contains spoilers for Cobra Kai Seasons 2-5.

Late Monday night Jon Hurwitz quote tweeted Twitter user @bryanedwardhill and had this to say:

“Similarly, S6 of Cobra Kai begins roughly a year after our S2 finale. Time moves slowly in the Miyagiverse. #CobraKai #KarateKid”

Twitter

Let me remind you some of the things that happened in the S2 finale “No Mercy”.

  • (Aug/Sep 2018) Daniel finds Robby and Sam at Johnny’s apartment and Daniel briefly squares off with his high school frenemy before being stopped by their respective offspring.
  • The teenagers return to school after a cruel summer and a karate war ensues in the halls of West Valley High School.
  • Sensei Kreese takes over Cobra Kai.
  • Johnny abandons his Dodge Challenger and throws away his phone as he’s getting a friend request from Ali Mills Schwarber over Kari Kimmel’s haunting rendition of Bananarama’s Cruel Summer.

That was all in the finale. Since then, Daniel has gone to Okinawa, setting up his relationship with Chozen, who ultimately comes to the United States to help his friend take down Silver’s Cobra Kai.

Jon mentions “time moves slowly in the Miyagiverse”. Limited to 10 episodes a season, the writers understand the plot points they need to cover in order to tell the narrative of their story. And because of that, some things have to move fast. Miguel’s recovery, many of the students’ advancements in karate skills just to name a couple. Devon Lee was introduced in S4 and by the finale of S5 she had already enrolled into 3 different karate dojos made it to black belt.

Could we see a bit of a time jump at the beginning of S6? Jon’s “roughly a year after our S2 finale.” would put us in the fall of 2019. Most of the teenagers are entering their senior year so could we skip pass the first days of school? What about Terry Silver being incarcerated and John Kreese escaping prison after assaulting law enforcement and a doctor? I’m confident these questions are being brought up in the writers room, which has been opened since early February.

“BIGGEST SEASON OF COBRA KAI YET”? Many in the fandom speculate that “biggest” means either a longer runtime on the season or possibly more episodes! The writers use their words carefully when crafting out a script. They can fill many gaps using dialogue without having to show us everything. So many questions with one final season to answer them.

Tell me if you’ve interpreted Jon Hurwitz’s tweet differently below.

Ralph Macchio recently mentioned at the ATL Comic Con that they could start filming in May. We learned from writer/producer Michael Jonathan Smith that in the previous season, they were able to start filming with two scripts ready as they were polishing the rest of the episodes.

Timeline from tvtropes.org was used as a reference. Visit for a more extensive timeline.

You can follow me on Twitter or Instagram.

School Spirits Review: Episode 1×05 “The Twilight End Zone”

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By Sara Ashton

Contains spoilers for episode 5.

These characters are coming into their own in this episode as more backstories are revealed, even the dead ones.

This episode follows directly on from the cliffhanger with Claire, and the same question is on everybody’s lips… what was she doing having her teacher’s phone number? Rainbow Wedell plays this character with a gripping intensity that keeps the audience wondering whether Claire is guilty of having something to do with what happened to Maddie, or was it something else?

It is a treat to revisit the dead club as they have a groupchat, all while decorating for some event which seemed unfamiliar to begin with. But the banter between these dead friends.. Or acquaintances are a great addition to the show which mostly engages in heavy storylines, so it is good to have their banter, even in death which breaks it up a bit.

We then learn that Claire and Maddie were neighbours growing up, and not is all that it seems. They appear to share similar backstories, however Maddie appears to have pushed Claire away and clearly regrets it.

Maddie’s backpack also gets found, which adds more mystery to this tale. Who has her backpack? The killer? Was it found somewhere and ended up in this house which Xavier knows? 

Simon and Nicole do clash heads in this episode over their differences, but ultimately they want the same thing – to discover what happened to Maddie – despite Xavier. These teens should put all that behind them in her name, in my opinion. 

We then learn that the reason the dead friend group – who I once likened to The Breakfast Club – are celebrating, or honouring the anniversary of Wally’s death. It seems tradition for these dead souls, but I suppose they have nothing better to do!

Maddie’s mom shows up again in this episode, and is sober. This is a rare sighting for the teen which results in some contemplating moments for her. Peyton List plays into the emotional vulnerability with poignance. She wishes to put her investigation on hold for her mom, if it means she gets to remain sober.

Claire and Anderson also buttheads in this episode. Yes – there’s a lot going on. Prior to this, Simon discovered Claire was receiving straight As on her essay in class but kept turning in exactly the same paper supposedly for different books. Everything between these two keeps getting more and more shady, even as the seconds go by at this point.

Claire seems hung up on asking Anderson whether he mentioned her when he spoke to the police – why? It almost seems too obvious that Claire would be the one who sent Maddie to an early grave. I have a small suspicion there is more going on between these two characters than we realise, especially when a video surfaces of Anderson and Claire arguing in what appears to be the school parking lot. The video had to be recorded by someone, right? Perhaps it was Maddie? Who knows.

This episode also proved that even ghosts have their demons… 

Maddie and Wally open up to one another in an emotional exchange where they discuss their moms. Even in death, Wally seems to be stuck in a rut regarding what his mom wanted for him. This results in emotional exchanges and truthful moments between these characters as List and Manheim channel this emotional, charged energy.

Rainbow Wendell | Photo by Ken Kwok/Paramount

Simon hatches a plan to attempt to uncover the truth about Claire – his idea being Xavier asking Claire to the homecoming dance, even when Xavier is in her bad books… Good idea? We shall see. Will the cheerleader crack? Time will tell. 

Maddie revisits the place where she woke up, down in the basement of the school. She and Simon discover a fallout shelter – being able to converse down there meaning someone had to die in that specific place for this to have occurred…

On the surface, Nicole is exchanging words with Maddie’s mom. Nicole seems to be very on edge as she opens her car to put something into the trunk. Maybe I’m just on edge and am reading too much into things? But she has officially made it onto my suspect list. Kiara Pichardo does a great job at projecting some kind of urgency from this character, it appears uncomfortable – perhaps she is hiding a secret? 

Another standout from this episode is Rhonda’s desperation to crossover from the dead club to find peace. And who can blame her? I’m sure as the episodes progress, she will either get what she wants or we shall see her tough exterior soften as a result of Maddie. These ghosts are sure to work together at some point or other! Maybe we will see them at homecoming if we’re lucky?

As far as episodes go, this was a slower one but things did pick up midway through.

You can follow Sara on Twitter and/or Instagram.

Book Review: “Undercooked: How I Let Food Become My Life Navigator and How Maybe That’s a Dumb Way to Live” by Dan Ahdoot

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By Peter Veunnasack

If you’re a fan of Dan Ahdoot’s standup, a fan of any of the characters he’s played, or a fan of his podcast, you owe it to yourself to pick up his newest book Undercooked: How I Let Food Become My Life Navigator and How Maybe That’s a Dumb Way to Live.

I listened to the entire book, which is narrated by Dan himself, within an entire work shift the day it came out. He name drops everyone from a former chef on Iron Chef America to Matthew McConaughey, and references things in pop culture from Care Bears to the K-pop band BTS.

Dan takes us on an incredible journey to different points in his life and gives us an insight on his relationship with food and the impact it made during these moments. Dan paints such a vivid picture with his words and listening to him speak in different character voices and accents makes it even more fun. He holds nothing back. He opens up about past relationships, share stories about hunting, visiting prestigious restaurants and beautiful locales. He really lets the readers into his world.

Like his podcast, there’s some history lesson in the culinary arts, and the endless mentions of fancy dishes and cuisines left my mouth watering and wanting to try it all. Dan gets so personable that you can’t help but laugh at stories like the one about hillside, or the one about the risotto. And sometimes maybe against him. *cough cough Katie*.

He wasn’t setting out to make us like him more or like him less. He wanted to tell us how much food meant to him. And it’s his stories that made me respect the man even more. Can I get this in movie form??

To hear more insight in the making of this book, tune in to Dan’s latest episode of his podcast Green Eggs and Dan where he’s his own guest.

That’s The Spirit! The Story So Far: School Spirits

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By Sara Ashton

Contains spoilers for episodes 1-4.

Mystery, murder and mayhem – Just 3 words to describe the latest show to arrive on streaming platform Paramount+.

The show follows Maddie Nears as she wakes to find herself… Dead. Ironic, I know. Not her best day!

So, she sets to find out what happened to her as she has no recollections of why she no longer has a pulse and is unable to leave the school grounds where she met her untimely end.

The first 4 episodes have been a haunt (in the best way) as we have been taken on a journey and been witness to several possible scandals and intrigue. 

There are many characters in this show who you could point the accusatory finger at, but truth being your opinion can change with every new episode as new things come to light with these dynamic, and sometimes shady characters.

Peyton List is a standout in her role as Maddie providing some melancholic, emotional moments as she pursues her journey for truth. List tackles this role with her dynamic acting skills.

Humour is sprinkled throughout with her newfound dead friend group who somehow resemble The Breakfast Club. These spirits of others who have had the misfortune of dying in the school or on the grounds and are just waiting to pass over. There is only so many graduations one person can take, right?

Credits Ed Araquel/Paramount+

The spirits have their uses and there are many of them who are attempting to comfort Maddie in her journey of finding the truth. Nick Pugliese has a standout role as Charley. Just a kid who died too soon. His kind aura is one that is appreciated by Maddie and his scenes are always ones certain to move. Milo Manheim adds a dash of humour as jock Wally Clark who seems to be having the time of his life lounging about the school as he explores the afterlife to his full potential.

The first two episodes begin quite slow as they set the groundwork, establishing the characters dead and alive and highlighting possible person of interest as the mystery begins to kick in.

In terms of the living… Maddie’s best friend, Simon plays a great part. Kristian Flores plays with grief and emotion as he lashes out, particularly in episode 3. Frustration bubbles on the surface as he longs to find out the truth of what happened to his best friend. Call him the Sherlock Holmes of Split River High as he gets himself into sticky situations in hopes of uncovering the truth, no matter how bad the outcome might be.

There is no dull moment as there are arrests, and even car crashes as we explore the high school, their students and teachers in more depth as the series continues. Episode 4 leaves us with the question, what is up with Mr Anderson? If there’s a shady teacher when I see one – he seems so sketchy, almost seemingly having something to do with Maddie’s disappearance. He seems nice on the surface, but it is becoming increasingly evident he has been hiding something, specifically when he declines the sniffer dog entering his classroom. (Shady, right?) – And why did he call Claire?

This mystery keeps unravelling as the characters are being further explored, making them more likeable for the viewers.

With each new episode, the question still lingers… What exactly happened to Maddie Nears?

If the rest of the season continues with the same levels of acting, writing and suspense – we are surely in for a treat!

New episodes of School Spirits are available on Paramount+ every Thursday.

You can follow Sara on Twitter and/or Instagram.

Cobra Kai Season 5 is the Best Karate Kid Sequel!

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By Peter Veunnasack

Where do I begin? How about starting with April 8, 2022 when I asked Ralph Macchio and William Zabka if they could describe Season 5 in one word? Ralph says “Awesome!” followed by William’s “Mind-blowing!” in the same cadence Johnny saying “..smartphone” in episode 2×08 “Glory of Love”. He goes on to continue giving me more words! One comment he makes that completely agree with is that every season of Cobra Kai has been “it’s own thing”. Back in June I was a guest on “Kicking It With The Koves”, a podcast hosted by Martin Kove and his twins Jesse and Rachel Kove. The one-word description came up again and Martin describes Season 5 as “Mayhem!”. Kudos to the three of them for being able to give an answer while being put on the spot. I couldn’t think of just one!  I thought of a plethora of words! “Intense!” “Chaos!” and the phrase “I need a cigarette!” all come to mind. And I don’t even smoke cigarettes! But after my initial watch, I processed as much as I could while on a family vacation and I thought about all of the moments that made me smile, or that made me happy. I would describe Season 5 as “Maturation”.

Season 5 starts off by showing a different side of Chozen we’ve never seen before. And I think it sets a tone. Immediately I thought to myself that they have my full attention. Some of our characters matured, and some start to learn things from one another. This is definitely me piggy-backing on my one-word description of Season 4, “Growth”. One of the things I often do when I watch an episode of Cobra Kai, I try to see who wrote the teleplay and who directed the episode. To my surprise, creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald and Hayden Schlossberg, took a backseat in both departments! Based off of memory, all of the directors have worked on previous seasons, with the addition of a new name on the writing team! But make no mistake, “The Guys” as other writers refer to them as, have their fingerprints all over this. The comedy continues with many “Peak Johnny” moments, a term as my friend Sensei Pi’ilani coined, but also some heaviness. What the show also continues to do is give us these moments of levity when it’s really needed. And within those moments of levity, we also see the maturation of our characters where you’d expect some dialogue action to go one way, but it goes another. They continue to use our expectations against us.

By the fifth season, you would think you’ve pegged what’s become a Karate Kid or a Cobra Kai staple. Wondering what episode a fan favorite background character might show up in, how a certain home electronic breaks, which, if any, of the legacy characters return? Some people watched the two trailers and saw the first look photos and thought too much was revealed. You guys have no idea! “The Guys” have a good pulse on our fandom. You know the epression “fan service”? ‘That’ is not a bad thing in our fandom. Jon, Josh and Hayden are the hugest fans of the Miyagiverse! Hayden once said Season 5 is the “What if Cobra Kai won in The Karate Kid Part III?”. Jon Hurwitz had this to say about the second trailer:

Season 5 also takes our characters and puts some of them in a different settings, and the blocking and framing of other scenes makes you feel like this is their two part movie sequel to that third film! And it wouldn’t be Cobra Kai without fighting. The kicks, punches and action all deliver as usual. There is a few instances that come to mind where the tension was so thick that I found myself on the edge of my seat. If you are somewhat active on social media, you’d know how we all love our memes and screengrabs. I think content creators will have a field day with the dialogue! So many great quotes, quips and badass one-liners, that it takes you back to the days of the cheesy 80’s and 90’s action films we enjoyed watching! I mean, come on. The Fist has a sensei with hair like Goku and an eye patch. An eye patch! The season is filled with heart, comedy, action but also with sadness, heartaches and pain. You can expect some set ups from previous seasons to be paid off, some great call backs from some of your favorite moments on the show ‘and’ the films. My advice is to go in and expect awesome fights, great dialogue, intricate story telling, and most of all, character integrity.