Season three of Netflix’s excellent Cobra Kai dropped on January 1st, and if you made a New Year’s feast by binging every episode, you too might have learned some valuable and inspirational lessons about life, love, and city council meetings. Daniel, Johnny and their karate kids taught us all to:

• Believe in the power of obsession. Obsession with karate, that is. What’s on the television in the bar? A story about the kids involved in the karate debacle at the end of season two. What are all the kids, from the jocks to the popular kids to the dorks, in the hallways of school talking about? Karate, of course. There’s not one person in all of Greater Los Angeles who doesn’t share in the absolute fascination with the subject of karate, despite how few people were being involved. Karate…what could be more interesting than that?
• Believe in the power of Dee Snider. After Miguel’s (Xolo Maridueña) accident he was in a coma. When he awakens, he’s unable to feel anything from the waist down. Surgery, physical therapy and wishful thinking didn’t help get Miguel out of his wheelchair, so Johnny (William Zabka) did the most logical thing: sneak him to a Dee Snider concert. Miguel, who was probably born fifteen years after Dee Snider was last culturally relevant, immediately started singing along and, miraculously, tapping his feet. Paralysis: we’re not gonna take it!

• Believe in the power of coincidence. No matter what exotic locale you find yourself in, someone you used to know (ex-girlfriend, former rival, whomever) is coincidentally very close at hand. Daniel travels to Okinawa to rescue his business, and without even having to Facebook-stalk her, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita) from The Karate Kid Part II appears. That leads to the reappearance of reformed karate thug Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) and the little girl Daniel (Ralph Macchio) rescued from a typhoon, who just happens to be in a position to save his business. Hooray!
• Believe in the power of the impassioned speech. After the karate mayhem caused by the warring Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai dojos at the end of Season 2, the city council wisely decided to cancel the upcoming All-Valley Karate Tournament because anything karate is a beacon for trouble in the area. After failed attempts by Johnny, Daniel, and the evil Kreese (Martin Kove) to persuade the council to changed their minds, it only took one plea from the newly-recovered Miguel to get the council, without comment or a formal vote, to reverse their decision. The kid who almost got killed by karate wants the chance to get hurt again? Heck yeah, let’s do it.

• Believe in the power of the internet. Johnny barely understands computers, to the point of not getting that they need to be plugged in, but with a little help from Miguel he makes a Facebook profile and almost instantly finds his (and Daniel’s) old love, Ali (Elisabeth Shue). One DM later, and the two are meeting up for the first time in over three decades, having an almost date. Interestingly, even though she is a doctor who helps children, she doesn’t involve herself in Miguel’s care. But she and Johnny enjoy a great day together and later they connect with Daniel and his wife in a short but sweet scene. Thanks, Zuckerberg!

• Believe in the power of fighting it out. Aside from the aforementioned council meeting, there’s no Cobra Kai conflict that can’t be resolved with a well-choreographed karate battle. Someone giving you dirty looks? Need a bit of information? Another karate dojo exists? It’s time to grab your nunchaku and sweep the legs. Not just Daniel and Johnny, but their kids and their students all duke it out regularly. Noses are bloodied, arms are broken and the consequences are few. And though the show’s reliance on using kicks to the head and sending kids flying through windows started to get a bit predictable after a few episodes, each battle was epic in its own way. Hajime!

• Believe in the power of flashbacks. Whether its Kreese’s extensive Vietnam War backstory, or the clips from the Karate Kid movies that explain various plot points, the show makes sure that anyone just starting their Cobra Kai journey isn’t left out. It really helps the narrative to explain how Kreese, Daniel and Johnny became who they are today, and when old-school characters like Ali and Kumiko turn up, they fit seamlessly into the modern-day stories. And Mr. Miyagi, who passed away long before the beginning of Cobra Kai, is still a character in the show, looking large off screen after Kumiko reads his letters to Daniel.
• Believe in the power of product placement. Netflix doesn’t have commercials, but that doesn’t stop them from advertising. Shoutouts to State Farm, American Eagle, In and Out restaurant, Enterprise car rental and even Crystal Light were only some of the unsubtle plugs the show dropped entirely without shame. Hey, if it keeps the show in business, it’s worth it.
• Believe in the power of second chances. Boy, does everyone screw up. Every single episode is an example of the Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen happening. But the characters in this show, almost without exception, get to repair mistakes and friendships. They are allowed to redeem themselves and the story is better for it. Daniel’s daughter, Sam (Mary Mouser) and Miguel, get a second chance at love. So do Johnny and Miguel’s mom, Carmen (Vanessa Rubio). Ali returns to give closure to her relationships with both Daniel and Johnny. Johnny proves his worth again and again and Daniel gets to save his business and his marriage. Only Johnny’s son Robby (Tanner Buchanan) and Kreese are in need of redemption by season’s end.
• Believe in the power of charm. Minor quibbles aside, this is a very enjoyable show, and much of the credit for that goes to William Zabka as Johnny. Instead of choosing to portray Johnny as just a dumb drunk, the show avoids easy clichés and gives Johnny nuance. Yes, he’s a doof who drinks too much, but he’s smart in his own way, and he wants so much to be better than he is. Johnny is the show’s hero, the one you root for, even when he’s making life worse for himself and everyone else, and that is because of the considerable charm of both the writing and Zabka’s acting.

Cobra Kai season three is every bit as enjoyable as as the first two seasons, and season four, which this season teed up well, is coming soon. I believe I can’t wait.