COBRA KAI
NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by DissedHerb
Episode 1: Let’s Begin
Gentle piano music plays as we open on a large home with a pool, sculptures, and Terry Silver playing the piano. His cell phone rings and he answers. Hearing Kreese’s voice, he immediately hangs up.
Daniel and Johnny begin their Eagle Fang Karate training at the Miyagi DoJo. The two take turns explaining the strategy to beat Cobra Kai at the next All Valley Tournament. Johnny embraces the idea of aggressively training, while Daniel continues to maintain his patience. With the confusing instructions, the students have trouble learning from the two teachers. Johnny’s students constantly aggress while Daniel’s students are more pacifist. Daniel disagrees with Johnny’s teaching style, and some of his property gets damaged.
At Cobra Kai, Tory trains on the body dummy, recalling her loss to Sam in the Laruso house. She scolds the boys for their failure at the home invasion. Kyler reminds her that half of their group quit. Robby arrives and Kyler comments on how Robby hasn’t practiced with them, but Kreese still allows him to stay. Kreese tells Robby he needs to train if he wants to be a Cobra Kai. Robby reminds him that he never wanted to join, he just needed a place to stay, which is still on Kreese’s office floor in a sleeping bag. Kreese tells Robby that he is more talented than Johnny, and that he needs to compete in the tournament, win or lose.
The LaRusso’s arrive home with a new alarm system. Amanda tells Daniel over a glass of wine that she feels isolated since the rivalry with Kreese needs to remain under wraps from the authorities for the safety of their children and business. Daniel attempts to reassure her that teaming up with Johnny ought to be enough to end Cobra Kai. Sam listens in.
Johnny hosts Miguel and his family for a homemade Mexican dinner, despite the fact that they are Ecuadorian. They talk about Miguel’s rekindling with Sam, and Miguel talks about Johnny’s date with Alli. Carmen tells Johnny that they should take it slow in their relationship.
Kreese visits Terry unannounced during a party he is throwing. Terry’s partner Cheyenne steals Kreese away for mimosas. Johnny and Daniel split their groups into two, with Johnny training the Eagle Fangs and Daniel training the Miyagi Dos. As punishment for helping Kreese, Johnny has his students practice leg sweeps on Hawk. Tory walks in on Robby working out and scolds him for missing the home invasion, and tells him that Cobra Kai isn’t for him is all he wants to do is hide.
Kreese tells Cheyenne about their special forces operation in Vietnam, the first time she heard of Terry serving. Another partygoer compliments Kreese’s jawline. Cheyenne tells Kreese about her development of a mindfulness app. Kreese and Terry mention Cobra Kai. Daniel attempts to lead his students in meditation while Johnny loudly teaches outside. Hawk takes a water break and notices the picture frame holding the painting given to Daniel by Chozen. Hawk is confronted by Daniel’s students, including Demetri, who reminds him of his misbehaviors. He attempts to gain insight from Daniel, who after an argument with Johnny, scolds the boy further.
Johnny and Daniel have another confrontation in front of their students, and Johnny walks off. He later tells Miguel that Eagle Fang will compete in the tournament separately from Miyagi Do. Miguel references Rocky III, in which Rocky’s rival Apollo Creed trains him to beat Clubber Lang. Appreciating the reference, Johnny says he’ll consider it. Sam finds Robby in a skate park and speaks to him for the first time since the school fight where he hurt Miguel. Robby confronts Sam on her betrayal of his feelings for her by getting back with Miguel, which Sam admits is more complicated than she thought. She asks him to help them defeat Kreese, but Robby only sees it as a means to please his father, whom he still resents. Sam thinks Robby’s return could help both their dads. Recalling Tory’s judgment of Sam, Robby defiantly turns her down. She reminds him that this was his choice.
Kreese expresses his admiration for Terry’s accomplishments and admonishes him for his passive behavior. He reminds Terry that they started Cobra Kai together to teach people the importance of martial arts as a response to the hippie movement. When Kreese mentions Daniel LaRusso, Terry’s attitude suddenly changes. Kreese asks for Terry’s help, and Terry initially refuses. He tells Kreese that when he was running the toxic waste facility in the 1980s, his desire for vengeance and cocaine drove him to terrorize Daniel for the sake of winning a karate tournament. He says he hit rock bottom after the tournament, and found clarity through therapy. He tells Kreese that him leaving his life was the best thing to happen. Kreese tells Terry that he can be at peace all he wants, “But I still have some fight in me.” He politely thanks Terry for his hospitality, and leaves.
Johnny prepares to call Daniel on the phone to apologize, but he shows up at the door and apologizes for his attitude. Johnny invites him in so they can have a few drinks together. They discuss the joining of each other’s dojos, but the argument intensifies to the point that Daniel sits back and asks how they are going to work together. Johnny tells him they cannot.
The next morning, Sam is met by Miguel, and they see Hawk approach with a sledgehammer. Robby sets himself up to prepare the Cobra Kai students. Despite their objections, Robby challenges them all. He effortlessly beats them all, except Tory. Though she beats him, she asks him to stay. Johnny and Daniel arrive at the Miyagi Dojo to break the news to the kids, but they hear Hawk knocking down the fence with the sledgehammer so that they can build a sparring deck like the one in the drawing. Robby tells the Cobra Kais how he is joining them to fight Miyagi Do, since he used to train under them. He tells them he will teach them Miyagi Do karate so they can beat Miyagi Do, which is answered with a group, “OSU!” Cheyenne asks Terry to get a bottle of wine from his cellar, where he rediscovers his love for karate.
The episode is dedicated to Ed “Stepdad Sid” Asner, who died in 2021.
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Episode 2: First Learn Stand
A new kid in an orange shirt is seen playing a video game before his iPhone alarm goes off. He gets dressed and makes himself toast. His mom leaves out a set of Rice Krispies treats, reminding him to enjoy his first day of school. While dancing to his music, the kids on the bus see. All of them, including Daniel’s son, make fun of the new kid for his moves. The boy sits with his headphones off and a disappointed look on his face.
Daniel comes out with a pair of buffers to sand the new deck by hand, only to find that Johnny has taken care of it with a powered buffer. Johnny again attempts to appeal to Daniel’s teaching style, and they compromise to teach others’ styles. At the restaurant, Tory serves Amanda, not realizing she is Sam’s mother. Amanda lectures Tory about the damage done to her house and her children. She threatens Tory with lifetime imprisonment if she goes near Sam again. Without agreeing, Tory tells her she needs to leave, but Amanda waits for her to agree. As a manager approaches, Tory yells at another customer and gets fired. Amanda realizes she may have made the situation worse.
Anthony LaRusso plays basketball at West Valley middle school. They play two on two with the new kid, who is much better. He blocks Anthony’s shot, hitting him in the face with the ball. Anthony’s friend makes fun of him for not doing the karate his father is known for. The new kid apologizes, but Anthony admonishes him before a girl named Lia stops them. As she walks away, the new kid says his name: Kenny.
Daniel teaches Johnny the Miyagi ways. While Johnny paints the house (side to side) Daniel sits back and enjoys a beer. Johnny takes a beer, but Daniel chops off the top and reminds him that Miyagi Do karate saved him from Kreese on more than one occasion. Johnny chooses to continue painting to learn the motion. Robby teaches Cobra Kai the Miyagi moves. Kreese comments that all Miyagi moves are counter moves, which in his view puts the offender in control of the entire fight. Robby continues the lesson. Tory has another outburst and Kreese talks to her in his office. She tells him about how she lost her job and has trouble finding another one since she is on probation. Kreese tells her that she can use the experience to build herself up rather than feel sorry for herself. He asks again what happened.
Kenny returns home and takes a call from his father, who is in the U.S. Army. He tells him that “after what happened to [his] brother” he needs to be the man of the house. Kenny logs onto his MMORPG and immediately gets a message from Lia. He begins to feel better about making friends. Daniel continues training Johnny in Miyagi Do. At the end of their lesson, Daniel agrees to meet with Johnny the next day to train in Eagle Fang. Kenny chats with Lia while they play. On the other end, it turns out that it’s Anthony and his friends catfishing him on the game. They talk him into inviting Kenny out as Lia.
Amanda is approached by Kreese while she shops. She threatens him, and tells him about Tory’s actions. While Kreese expresses his respect of her defending Tory, he informs her that Tory’s mother is absent, and threatens her to stay away from her. He tells her that not all kids are as lucky as hers. Daniel knocks on Johnny’s door and it taken to an abandoned warehouse to train. Johnny has Daniel practice using standard strength training techniques.
Kenny shows up for the fake date dressed as a character from the MMO. Kenny knocks Anthony’s phone to the ground, inadvertently breaking it. Anthony’s friends begin to beat Kenny, but the boy is able to escape and run away. Daniel and Johnny attend a hockey game so that Johnny can teach Daniel the importance of aggression in competition. They help a ref call out a player on a foul, and Johnny attempts to goad the player further, while Daniel shows how to de-escalate that kind of situation. After the game, Daniel is accosted by several players who make comments about Amanda, enraging Daniel to attack. Johnny expresses his satisfaction with Daniel’s abilities, and Daniel feels good about beating the five amateur athletes. At the dealership, Amanda is approached by Tory, who returns her gift of groceries. Amanda asks herself, “What have I done?”
Kenny tells his older brother about his experiences. Being that this was Robby’s bully during his stint in season 3, he knows a guy that can help.
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Episode 3: Then Learn Fly
Johnny and Daniel teach their students using their combined techniques. They bond over the song “Two Heads Are Better Than One” as their students learn.
Daniel has Johnny, Carmen and Miguel over for dinner. Miguel talks about how he would like to go to Stanford University, but Carmen mentions how expensive it is. Miguel then accidentally spills wine on Daniel, but he calmly wipes it off. Johnny and Daniel engage each other as friends, much to the satisfaction of Amanda and Carmen, though Sam seems nervous. Terry Silver listens in on the Japanese stock report as one of his cooks serves him crème brulee. The torch causes Terry to have a flashback to his moment in the cage in Vietnam, where he promised to always be there for him his whole life. Terry decides to leave without breakfast. Kenny walks into Cobra Kai and asks Kreese if he can speak to Robby. He identifies himself as Shawn’s brother, and Robby immediately shows interest. Kreese interrupts the boy, but Robby tells him how strong Kenny’s brother is. Kreese tells Kenny to get on the mat.
The Eagle Fang students practice koi catching, with the incentive from Daniel that the first one to catch a fish with their bare hands gets to lead class for one week. At a building, the Miyagi Do students are taken to the roof with Johnny. They are to jump a gap between rooftops, but Sam speaks for the class in refusing. Kreese sets Kenny up in a sparring match with Kyler. Kenny is too afraid to engage, and Kreese dismisses him, much to the chagrin of Robby. The Eagle Fang students leave, and Miguel gets a call from his mother. He tells Daniel that his mother is having car trouble, and Daniel offers him a ride to the garage. Sam debates Johnny on the safety of the rooftop training. They trade verbal blows over mutual past failures, but Johnny reminds Sam that he genuinely wants to help. At Cobra Kai, the students leave as Terry enters. He expresses his anger with Kreese for barging into his life and bringing up his past. Kreese suggests (correctly) that Terry is merely hiding his true feelings. Terry removes his shoes and challenges Kreese to a fight. Though Terry expresses his objections, Kreese gets him to show his form. Though he is reluctant, Kreese offers Terry again to help.
Robby returns Kenny’s bag to him, and learns that Shawn got another month in juvi. Kenny blames himself, because Shawn saved him from a friend who attacked him when Kenny caught him stealing from his mother. Robby reminds him that he needs to focus on the tournament. He attempts to tutor Kenny, but he is afraid. Kenny explains that while Shawn was the strong one, he would always run. Robby suggests he use his speed to come toward his opponent, rather than run away from them. At the dealership, Daniel tells Miguel that he spent his college fund on the trip to Okinawa with Mr. Miyagi in 1986. He says that with Miguel’s mind, he can accomplish anything, even if it means not taking the linear path. On the rooftop, Johnny lectures them before Sam gets a message from Daniel suggesting she not do anything he wouldn’t. As a disappointed Johnny leads them out, Sam makes the jump, and lands perfectly on the other roof.
Terry takes his meds and looks at a scar on his side from a tattoo removal. In a flashback, Terry and Kreese are seen getting matching cobra tattoos. Kreese tells Terry that he entered Cobra Kai into the All Valley tournament, even though they are the only students. Terry tells him that his father wants him running his company or he will lose his inheritance. He tries to assure Kreese that he will still help as a business partner, but he can’t be there. Kreese tells Terry he needs him. Though Terry expresses his fear of not being able to lead a normal life after Vietnam, Kreese reminds him that in Cobra Kai, fear does not exist. They shake on a “Cobra Kai never dies.” In the present, Terry ceremoniously ties his hair back into the familiar ponytail. Upon Johnny’s return home, he decides to knock on Carmen’s door. She answers the door, but is entertaining guests. Johnny still expresses his feelings to her, and Carmen agrees to see him romantically. They make out in front of her friends and mother.
Terry returns to Cobra Kai and tells Kreese he wants another shot. Kreese refuses, but Robby convinces him. Kenny is once again set up against Kyler. After being chased back, Kenny runs up and illegally punches Kyler in the face, impressing Kreese. The Eagle Fangs continue to practice catching the koi. Miguel gets everyone to get into the pool, causing the koi to gather under the floating deck. Miguel catches a koi and earns a Miyagi Do headband. Johnny returns with the Miyagi Dos to find Miguel with a Miyagi headband on and becomes very upset.
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Episode 4: Bicephaly
Students are being taken on a tour of West Valley high school, including Kenny and Lia. She teases him about his shirt, and he goes to wipe it off. While in the bathroom, Kenny is met by two of Johnny’s students, who taunt him about his Cobra Kai shirt. As he prepares to strike first, Hawk comes in and stops him, advising him to leave Kreese while he can.
Daniel trains with Miguel, while Johnny looks on with envy. Meanwhile, Johnny continues to train Daniel’s students. Afterward, Johnny offers Miguel a ride home, but he takes an offer from Daniel, and calls him “sensei.” At Cobra Kai, Kenny tells Robby, Tory and Kyler about the incident. Kreese introduces the class to Terry Silver. They promise to enhance their training. Johnny and Carmen lie in a bed and talk about his lack of performance in bed. Johnny admits that Miguel spending time with Daniel bothers him, but Carmen sees it as an opportunity to tell Miguel the truth about the two of them.
Miguel helps Daniel to fix Carmen’s car. Once it starts, Daniel gives Miguel a driving lesson for a trip to a party with Amanda and Sam. At the party, Amanda and Sam discuss the setting while Tory changes into an outfit to entertain the guests. Sam is pleased to see Tory humiliated. Robby trains Kenny the way Kreese and Johnny taught him. Terry comes in and challenges Robby to a fight. Terry wins, and tells Robby that he is channeling his anger, but is still being controlled by his fear. Robby accepts the lesson. Johnny recalls in flashback the night his mom broke the news of her engagement to Sid. Johnny remembers the things he kept of his birth fathers including a beer can like the one he is drinking. His mom reminds him that his dad left them before throwing away the box.
Miguel drives Daniel. They discuss 80’s music and proper driving. Miguel tells Daniel that his father was involved with something illegal, which prompted Carmen to move him and his grandmother there. He knows his dad lives in Mexico, but will never tell Carmen. Daniel tells Miguel how restraint can be useful in handling a conflict.
Sam heckles Tory while she tells a story to children at the party. Tory gets the kids to throw glitter on Sam. Johnny cooks chili and gets a visit by Robby. He talks to Johnny about Kenny and Cobra Kai. Robby tells Johnny that he is only using Cobra Kai to get what he wants. Johnny argues that he is being used, but the two are at an impasse. Daniel and Miguel arrive at the party, and Sam gets up to kiss him. Tory quits and leaves, but Amanda tries to appeal to her once again. Johnny sets the table as Miguel arrives home. Johnny talks to Miguel and becomes jealous of the time he spends with Daniel. However, Miguel offers to have dinner with Johnny another night.
At the drive-in movie, Kyler messes with Kenny, who is running food. Hawk intercepts Kenny, and the two dojos meet again. Miguel challenges them to another rumble at the baseball diamond. The Cobra Kais show up and are caught in the sprinklers. The next day, the students discuss the prank while Kreese and Terry listen. Terry refuses to take part in the rivalry or Kreese’s quest for revenge. When Johnny and Daniel discuss the prank with their students, Johnny is enraged while Daniel is impressed. Before they can discuss anything, Terry and Kreese arrive at Miyagi Do.
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Episode 5: Match Point
Terry immediately apologizes to Daniel for his actions of the past. Daniel rejects him, but Terry promises to keep the Cobra Kai students away from his and Johnny’s until the tournament. Kreese reminds him that, should Cobra Kai win, they agreed to stop teaching. Terry leaves and Kreese tries to tease Johnny for teaching at Miyagi-Do, and not his own studio. After they leave, Johnny asks Daniel who Terry is, and Terry tells Kreese that it’s time to get to training so they can win.
At Cobra Kai, Robby and Tory discuss their situation while training Kenny. Terry and Kreese arrive and remind the students not to fight the Miyagi Do x Eagle Fang students until the tournament. Terry reminds them to store any anger they feel from humiliation without striking back. In a bar, Daniel tells Johnny the story of Karate Kid Part III. Johnny cannot believe that, supposedly a year after their match, Daniel was skipped to the finals of the next tournament to fight Barnes, Terry, and Kreese’s student. Daniel tells him that since he knows Terry’s methods, he should take over teaching. Johnny argues that they should teach together, and challenges Daniel to a tournament-style match to decide who teaches until the tournament.
The next day, Hawk sports a new hair color and discusses some intel Demetri managed to get on Terry Silver. Yas and Moon approach them, and Moon strikes up a conversation with Hawk. Yas tells Demetri that she won’t be in town for prom or the tournament because of a trip to Sydney. Demetri tells Hawk that Moon broke up with her girlfriend, easing his concern about them getting back together. Miguel shows them Johnny’s drunk tweets calling Daniel to the fight. Daniel wakes up hungover in the dealership. Amanda shows him the tweets and they discuss the upcoming challenge match with Johnny. Daniel also tells Amanda about Terry. Daniel admits that the fight was agreed to while drunk and assumes Johnny came to the same conclusion. Meanwhile, Johnny is training hard to face Daniel, recalling their teenage encounters.
Sam arrives home early from school to find Daniel home early from work. She asks him what led to the challenge, and sympathizes with Johnny’s methods. They then discuss Terry. Daniel only knows Miyagi Do as the way to beat Cobra Kai, and stands firm that he ought to continue teaching. Sam disagrees and says that with two martial art styles to draw from, she would have twice the arsenal of moves to use against Tory in the tournament. Daniel reminds Sam that it was she who instigated the birthday party incident. Sam argues that she can make her own decisions, before flicking her bottle cap the same way Johnny does. Daniel realizes Johnny is influencing his daughter. Terry teaches a class at Cobra Kai, explaining how important it is for them to focus on their training. Kreese says he and Terry should have a talk while the students discuss how to get payback without fighting.
Miguel walks in on Johnny training in the atrium. Miguel tells him that he wants to keep learning Miyagi Do as well as Eagle Fang. Johnny tells Miguel that there has to be a winner, and Miguel goes to his apartment. Daniel speaks to a picture of Mr. Miyagi and practices his forms. Terry and Kreese eat in a fancy restaurant, while Kreese expresses his concerns over the kids backing down from a fight. Terry reminds Kreese that training Johnny’s son Robby was the first strike. Terry suggests that Kreese may take down Cobra Kai with his own hubris the same way he did in the 1980s. He then admits to wanting to finish what they started. Kreese says they have a victory in their future.
Hawk writes a direct message to Moon in the tattoo parlor, as the Cobra Kais come in, hold him down, and Robby takes out a razor. Johnny approaches Daniel at Miyagi Do, not realizing that tweeting about it would lead all the students there to watch. Johnny asks if there is a better way to resolve the issue, but Daniel tells him that they must fight to decide what is best for the students. In the match, Johnny lands the first point. Daniel scores two points. When Daniel incapacitates Johnny’s arm, Johnny is able to take him down to score a second point. In the final bout, the two score simultaneous hits to the face, falling to the ground. There is no time to discuss who actually won, as Hawk arrives with his hair shaved down. Johnny and Daniel discuss a response, and Sam agrees with Johnny that they need to strike back. When Daniel again disagrees, Johnny leaves with his Eagle Fang students, including Miguel.
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Episode 6: Kicks Get Chicks
At the All Valley Tournament board meeting, a motion is made to step up the quality of the event. the discussion becomes heated and personal. A video playback is shown of Aisha’s tournament match the previous year in which she was paired against a male fighter. An undisclosed motion is later passed.
Daniel walks in on Sam and the Miyagi Dos to announce the new All Valley changes. These include board breaking and a separate division for the girls. There will be two champions and a grand trophy given to the dojo that wins the most first-place trophies. Though the students aside from Sam doubt their abilities to win in the tournament, Daniel assures them that this is the best thing that could have happened for them. Meanwhile, Johnny hates the changes, realizing that his dojo will need female fighters in order to fully compete. He tasks the students with finding girls to join. Terry and Kreese see themselves in the perfect position to win the tournament. A delivery arrives containing boxes emblazoned with the Cobra Kai logo.
As Tory is walking to Cobra Kai, she is approached by a woman, who turns out to be her aunt. The aunt asks her for money, but Tory sees that she is just trying to take advantage of her. As the woman makes a comment about Tory’s mother, her temper flares again. But her aunt tries to appeal to her sensibilities, to no avail. She threatens Tory one more time before leaving. Miguel and Johnny attend a high school field and pitch Eagle Fang karate to female athletes, unsuccessfully. As they leave, Miguel is approached by Moon, who turns it down but recommends her ex-girlfriend.
Amanda is visited by Tory, who requests her help. Amanda invites her in, and Tory describes her situation. She tells Amanda that the principal of the school needs her to sign off in order for Tory to return. Amanda says she will only if Tory gets help. As Tory agrees, Daniel and Sam walk in. Sam is furious to see Tory, but Tory is visibly not looking to pick a fight. Demetri visits Hawk and vents his frustration over the new All Valley rules. Hawk is upset that everyone at school knows how he was jumped and had his hair cut. He is truly remorseful for the actions he took in using his newfound strength to seem tougher, as well as for how he treated everyone. He then says that he won’t return to Miyagi Do or Eagle Fang. He says he quits karate.
In the gymnasium, Johnny and Miguel speak to Piper, a gymnast. Johnny stumbles through a woke pitch of Eagle Fang, and convinces her to join. Sam argues with Amanda and Daniel for letting Tory go back to her high school. She storms off after stating that she doesn’t feel like she is being heard. Daniel argues with Amanda about her decision. Amanda tells Daniel about the time she smashed her math tutor’s car with a baseball bat while she was in it. She did it because her tutor was having an affair with her father. She was charged with a misdemeanor, kept from walking across the stage for graduation, and her parents divorced. Amanda agrees that Tory is unstable, but maybe she needs a wakeup call. Daniel say someone else does.
Hawk and Demetri continue to argue over Hawk leaving karate. Demetri pleads with Hawk to come to the All Valley Tournament. Hawk is still depressed, so Demetri shows him their YouTube videos from their younger nerd days to remind him that they are best friends. Robby goes into a store and is approached by Daniel, who tells him he knows what he did to Eli. As he goes on to warn Robby about Terry’s ways, the latter walks in behind him. Terry interrupts and dismisses Robby. Daniel tells Terry off, but Terry tries to manipulate him into seeing things differently. Daniel leaves.
At Eagle Fang, Miguel shares a video of Piper and the gymnast crew sporting their Cobra Kai shirts, having received them for a promotion to join the dojo. Johnny feels hopeless to find female students, but Miguel encourages him to not give up. Sam drives to Santa Barbara to see Aisha. They discuss Tory coming back to school, and Aisha proposes politeness. She interprets the Cobra Kai lesson of striking first to use her manners rather than her strength. Johnny meets with Miguel at the high school debate, where a female student impresses Johnny with her attitude. At Miyagi Do, Daniel runs the team through a mock All Valley matchup. As he spars with Demetri, Hawk returns. When Daniel goes to get him a Gi, he walks in on Sam, and they reconcile over Tory. At school, Sam goes against Aisha’s advice and once again threatens Tory with violence should she act out of line.