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Seasons 1 & 2 Discussion


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Ralph Macchio and William Zabaka spoke to Syfy Wire following their Cobra Kai panel on Sunday.

 

Unfortunately,  there isn't much new here - but they did have a quick Q&A about capes and super powers.  One thing I found annoying was the guys constantly asking the host to repeat the questions.  I don't know if it was the mikes or the acoustics int he room.  Not much in the way of spoilers either (the cast already had table readings and will be shooting in Georgia very soon).  All they could say was new characters would be coming into play.  

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Some more interviews from NYCC:

Ralph Macchio chats about his role and what Daniel will be dealing with as the sensei of Miyagi Do Karate:

 

 

Billy Zabka chats about the character of Johnny and a little behind the scenes info about shooting that scene in which he fights the bikers who torched his car:

 

Finally, the producers of Cobra Kai:

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Teaser trailer for Season two!  We're given a quickie tour of the Miyagi Do dojo courtesy of Tanner Buchannan, Mary Mauser,Xolo Mariduena, and Jacob Bertrand:

 

   

 

 

There also seems to be a hint that there may be a new location/set for Cobra Kai dojo as well!  Or perhaps a new student?  I hope we can get a bit more.  Filming of the series must have begun by now.

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On 7/13/2018 at 12:40 PM, magicdog said:

I thought being a streaming show they weren’t eligible for Emmys?

What would make you think that when both Netflix and Amazon Original series have won many Emmys?

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After hearing this recommended for months, I only just now got around to watching. It does live up to the hype.

I was very impressed by the actors, especially the young ones. It's hard enough to play multidimensional characters. But ones that transform are especially so. Xolo Maridueña as Miguel totally deserved the lead, and Jacob Bertrand as Hawk really pulled off both versions of himself - even if there wasn't quite as much depth to either. And in the other direction, Tanner Buchanan just screamed "smarmy" the moment his face appeared on the screen, but you could also find yourself rooting for him as the ultimate hero. I hope more of them get some growth as well. (Including, as many of you said, Daniel's son.)

All together there's a strong message about nurture vs nature, as well as the potential for change. Daniel is better, but not perfect. Johnny is flawed, but not without good qualities. The heroic kid became pushy and aggressive and the laptop thief a peacemaker. All while kicking up 80s nostalgia really hard. I wonder though if they're going to give any gray area to Miyagi and his teachings. They could say that if you're too passive you miss opportunities and life passes you by, so you need a little Cobra Kai even if the "no mercy" angle is wrong. But that doesn't seem to have been set up.

Naturally I have a few quibbles. The motorcycle travel time as @magicdog pointed out. The money - Johnny would surely be under a lease that prevents rent changes so soon. Nor would he suddenly have lots of cash from one class of students. The convenience of a stack of karate flyers on top of a billboard, or of the school faculty being over-the-top incompetent. I could even nit-pick the unlikelihood of Sam and Robby both getting a Kaiser Soze reference since that movie would have come out 7 years before they were born. But none of those are really the point. And the show is so good at what is the point that it gets an A+ from me. 

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2 hours ago, Amarsir said:

I wonder though if they're going to give any gray area to Miyagi and his teachings. They could say that if you're too passive you miss opportunities and life passes you by, so you need a little Cobra Kai even if the "no mercy" angle is wrong.

I think they might.  Both Johnny and Daniel and their respective styles are obviously yin and yang and therefore, are meant to being balance to the other.  I think if they become friends they will at some point merge their two styles.  Ralph Macchio mentioned at NY Comic Con that Daniel was going to have a bit of trouble teaching Miyagi Do, since teaching a class is different than teaching one on one.  We saw that Johnny was the opposite - he thrived in a classroom environment - once the students got past his insults.

The No Mercy mantra is open to interpretation, as it could be used to instill a person to take on challenges and not give up.  

2 hours ago, Amarsir said:

Johnny would surely be under a lease that prevents rent changes so soon

Agreed.  Chances are he would have signed a 1 year lease and unless the contract provided for a raise in rent sooner, he likely would not have had to deal with it until the lease expired.

 

2 hours ago, Amarsir said:

I could even nit-pick the unlikelihood of Sam and Robby both getting a Kaiser Soze reference since that movie would have come out 7 years before they were born.

I give that one a pass, since we've all seen movies and TV shows that were made before we were born, and in cases like that film, the ending is quite legendary.

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22 hours ago, magicdog said:

I think they might.  Both Johnny and Daniel and their respective styles are obviously yin and yang and therefore, are meant to being balance to the other.  I think if they become friends they will at some point merge their two styles.  Ralph Macchio mentioned at NY Comic Con that Daniel was going to have a bit of trouble teaching Miyagi Do, since teaching a class is different than teaching one on one.  We saw that Johnny was the opposite - he thrived in a classroom environment - once the students got past his insults.

Oh that's a good observation. I could totally see that. And with Kreese back to be the bad guy, we don't need Johnny and Daniel in full-on opposition anymore anyway. I could totally go for them co-teaching the same students, each coming in and saying "Ignore everything he just said."

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I'm a bit annoyed the other threads for the show disappeared, but we can always rebuild them, right?

I found this video in which the poster learned that a few more original KK cast members will likely be making appearances in Season 2  as they were listed under cast members (not sure if they'll be cameos/one-offs or as regulars):

It seems Israel Juarbe ("Freddy Fernandez") and Sean Kanan ("Mike Barnes") will be there, as will Rob Thomas ("Bobby Brown").  This makes me suspect there may be a class reunion episode in the works since it would allow for one off appearances and allow viewers to find out what became of many of the characters.  I predict with Freddy Fernandez, we'll learn he was the one who planned to use Daniel and set up the rivalry between him and Johnny so that the other guys could try to get a chance at Ali (since everyone feared incurring his wrath as he still considered her his girlfriend). 

There's also a podcast for the show called the Cobra Kai Kompanion.  Here's the FB version:  Cobra Kai Companion.

Edited by magicdog
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I watched Season 1 not expecting much but ended up really loving it. It is awesome how many shots they sling at PC nuttery and how interesting the rivalry is between Daniel and Johnny even after all these decades. It's like even when they come close to making up something happens, usually a misunderstanding that sets them off again. 

I hope S2 is just as strong and it doesn't turn into a farce like so many other tv shows. 

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Update:  It seems the first 2 episodes of Season 2 have been prescreened at SXSW (South by Southwest) in Austin, TX and so far, the love is off the charts according to those who've seen it!

Here is one review: The reviewer is sworn to secrecy as he has seen all 10 eps of Season 2 but could say that the first episode as predicted, picked up moments from where the finale left off.  Also, 

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[F]eatures an encounter fans have been waiting for since the opening minutes of "The Karate Kid part II.

Looks like Kreese and Johnny DO get into it!!

Found a few vids that may be of interest:

ET Canada interviewed Ralph Macchio, William Zabka and Martin Kove on the upcoming season - although no real spoilers to chat about.  

The Kove interview:

This one is a bit of a wildcard:  It's from a fan who regularly did a chat on the show and discussing variables between characters.  Now he did a video on speculation that Kreese is indeed real and not a ghost/hallucination of Johnny's:

I like this guy's channel - and he did a great video on Easter eggs from Season 1.  Now he does an examination on the Season 2 trailer:

Edited by magicdog
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I'm always so behind...I started watching this when it first came out and then got sidetracked. I just (finally) finished it, and LOVED it. I really wasn't expecting YouTube to put out something so good. They did a fantastic job of honoring the original movies, but have really added so much more to the stories, especially Johnny's. Adding more shades of grey to him and Daniel both is just great. I do love the humor and the drama around two men in their 50s who just cannot let this rivalry go. 

I love all the parallels with Johnny/Daniel, and Miguel/Robby. And Hawk is interesting (is he a Dutch in the making?) Though I find Robby's Prince Valium hair to be distracting.

I won't repeat so much of what's already been posted, but I'm impressed. I hope season 2 continues to bring it.

On 3/9/2019 at 7:39 PM, Jediknight said:

Well, I know what I'm doing on April 24.

That version of "Cruel Summer" was badass.

Yes, I loved it. I hope they'll release it when the series comes out.

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Storydive did another great analysis of the full trailer.  It seems some of our previous speculations have come to pass - including the scuffle between Kreese and Johnny, Johnny truly believing Kreese was dead (and not lying to the tournament committee), the friendship rift between Demitri, Hawk and Miguel, Hawk going further towards the dark side via Kreese's influence, Daniel having more balance issues, and Demetri joining Miyagi Do.

I noticed Hawk had changed his hair color from blue to red - bad sign!

Plus - Robby's ex buddies making a return- I knew they wouldn't let things go!  

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I can't wait for Season 2.  I knew I would enjoy Cobra Kai but I was surprised with just how damn good it really was.  Early buzz on Season 2 says that quality continues.

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Woah, it's getting real in S2. A little soap-y but still looks good. I'm already scared of Tory with a Y. Could she have come along with Kreese? She's obviously skilled.

Cool to see more girls getting in the ring, so to speak. Did I miss Aisha in there? Can't wait to see more of Demetri...I like him.

I do hope we continue to see Johnny grow and eventually fight back against Kreese. I don't care if it's predictable, I want him and Daniel on the same side at some point. I don't need them to be BFFs but the series should end with them making peace with other and their competing philosophies.

Oh Hawk.

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YouTube Debuts an ESPN Films 30 for 30: Daniel Larusso vs. Johnny Lawrence

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The promotional stunt is timed with the second season launch of YouTube Premium's "Cobra Kai" on April 24.

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YouTube today, in collaboration with ESPN 30 for 30, dropped an all new special, DANIEL LARUSSO VS. JOHNNY LAWRENCE, which revisits the 1984 Under Eighteen All Valley Karate Tournament where the world witnessed one of the most epic rivalries in all of sports history - Daniel LaRusso vs. Johnny Lawrence.

Over 35 years later, the controversial match between the Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai adversaries continues to create a rift among fans, athletes, historians and sports insiders, raising questions - Who really should have won? Was the Crane Kick legal? And most importantly, who would win in a rematch?

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I am SO excited for this. I'll be able to start watching tonight. I'm already rooting for another season.

Side note, Zabka has some acting chops. I hope he gets some recognition and new work from this series.

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10 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Who wants to bet that Kreese just bought that trophy somewhere and added the nameplate?

Totally!  Not only that, but I could count down the moment Kreese stepped out of the dojo to the moment Johnny called him back!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.....

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And it has been binged.

That was better than season 1, and that finale, holy crap.  Where the hell do you go from there?  And Amanda is without a doubt the Miyagi of this show.

Going to spoiler this, in case people just want reviews right now and not spoilers.

Spoiler

Miguel might be paralyzed (don't think they're going to kill him off), and Robby should be facing some serious jail time.  Both Johnny and Daniel's lives are falling apart.

Ali's definitely going to be the catalyst for Daniel and Johnny working together.  She'll show up, knock some sense into them, and they'll align to take down Kreese.

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18 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

I think this is vague enough without giving too much away: the school's security guards are going to be facing some interesting questions about why their response time is so slow.

Seriously, even Wolfram & Hart wouldn't think about giving them an interview, let alone a job.

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Spoiler

I must admit, I was teary eyed when he reunited his gang and it kind of hit close to home. I remembered my dad reunited with his childhood buddies and it was sad how some of those health problems plagued them for years, sometimes never giving up their habits.

Episode 6 featuring Johnny's gang! Spoiler alert!

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OMG - just finished the whole season last night.  I think season 2 might be better than season 1 (if that's possible)  I LOVED episode six  I loved all the musical callbacks to the movie & the references to the other two.  I may or may not have cried & screamed while watching.

And William Zabka had better get some Emmy love this time around - he was just amazing.

I really need a season 3

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Just finished the binge!

Oh my goodness that was intense!!!  Where do we go from here???

Some things we predicted did come true:  Kreese's takeover (although I'm surprised he took everyone but Miguel.  How could they all turn on Johnny??), a reunion with Johnny's old buddies (and a body bag!), a response from Ali, Robby & Johnny beginning to mend their relationship, Robby's ex-partners in crime returning and a few nods to the first three KK films including highlights from their soundtracks!

Moon - WTF????  Definitely didn't see that coming!  I guess breaking up with Hawk really pushed her in a whole new direction!!!

I missed Miguel's grandma, who finally appeared towards the end of the season.  Wonder why?  OTOH, it was nice the Lucille (Daniel's mom) returned and had an awfully sweet moment with him reminiscing about his dad.

I think it was unfair for Johnny to get the blame for what happened to Miguel.  It reminded me of Season 1 when his mother was pissed at him when he got beat up by Kyler.  It was out of his control.  I do blame him for what happened once Robby took Sam to his place.  He really should have called Daniel.  I do give Johnny and Robby props for looking out for Sam when she was drunk.

Big surprise (not!!) - learning that Dutch is in stir in Lompoc.  Interesting that the old CKs mentioned he had been in Juvie more than once in their youth.  So great seeing Bobby, Jimmy and Tommy again.  It was also cool to hear that same song from the soundtrack as they biked along their road trip!  I could see a movie with those guys with the highlights of their trip!!  Their real life friendship really comes through!

Tory is NUTS.  That is all.

Just when it seemed things were coming together, they were not only torn apart, but ripped to shreds!!!  How in the name of Miyagi is this going to be resolved??? 

Worse still - waiting another year!!!

Kudos to all the actors - everyone was great but Billy Zabka in particular really nailed Johnny's emotional notes!  He came so close to tears many times, but he managed to keep it together.  

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25 minutes ago, CrazyDog said:

Johnny discovering the internet is one of my favorite scenes.

That's what bugs me!  I'm a bit younger than the character but I've had internet access for 20 years (hooked up at home via a phone modem and before that I used to visit the computer lab on my college campus).   I know Johnny isn't the most tech savvy guy out there (I know I'm not the most tech savvy woman!), but the internet shouldn't be so foreign to him!  

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4 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

They did overdo the Johnny stuck in the 80s bit, but I still have to laugh at the scenes. Him barely knowing about Facebook was the same. 

I did laugh at his 80s Whitesnake dream about Miguel's mom.

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On 4/26/2019 at 5:09 PM, magicdog said:

Some things we predicted did come true:  Kreese's takeover (although I'm surprised he took everyone but Miguel.  How could they all turn on Johnny??),

He didn't get everybody, notably absent in that scene were Aisha and Bert.  Aisha's character in the 2 seasons, shows she wouldn't join Kreese's Cobra Kai, she'd be loyal to Johnny.  It makes complete sense that Kreese wouldn't recruit her.  And it seemed like the ones he got were already followers of Hawk, so they'll go where he goes.  Miguel was the one that could keep Hawk and his followers somewhat in line, but without him, it's Hawk leading the pack, and that's not good.

Kreese has what he wanted, a Cobra Kai with a Dutch leading it, and no Johnny, Bobby, or Tommy, who will see Kreese for the shithead he is.  This current batch won't have second thoughts about purposely injuring somebody.

Edited by Jediknight
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I really loved this season. William Zabka still kicks it out of the partk, although it was definitely more of an ensemble than last season, which was more focused on Johnny's story. 

My only complaint was that the last episode ratcheted up the drama to ridiculously high levels, starting with Daniel's (over)reaction to Sam not coming home and fighting with Johnny, all the way up to the high school fight. While that was some pretty amazing fight choreography and great cinematography for a 3 o'clock high showdown (and it was awesome to see Hawk get his just desserts from Dmitri), it was too over the top. And then it gets topped off by Kreese's hostile takeover. Just too much.

I loved the reunion of the old Cobra Kai, and how they all tried to warn Johnny about Kreese (even though they just confirmed what he already suspected). I liked the developing relationship with Johnny and Carmen (falling apart just i time for Alli's return?). The reconciliation of Robbie and Johnny got way too glossed over, and I'd like to see more development of their relationship next season. And I'd like to see Johnny and Daniel finally, definitively, put their pasts behind them and move forward. They keep getting these moments of reconciliation that are immediately followed by pulling the rug out from under them.

I really would love for William Zabka to get an Emmy nod this year. He totally deserved it for last season. #EmmyforZabka

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On 4/26/2019 at 6:27 AM, Robert Lynch said:

Robby looks exactly like the actor that played Shawn from Boy Meets World! Am I the only one that sees that?

You are not the only one. I was trying to remember where I knew him from earlier, and that was who I thought it was, too.

(But then I saw that he was Kiefer Sutherland's kid on Designated Survivor, so that was where I'd seen him.)

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Another homerun IMO. Season 2 was fantastic. My opinion hasn't changed since season 1, I'm Team Johnny all the way 🙂  I can't believe that I'm routing for Johnny Lawrence, but William Zabka has been fantastic in this series. He's really making the character a true anti-hero and worth routing for.  It's a long shot I know, but an Emmy nod for him would be nice. 

Damn the finale was brutal. The school fight was amazing and the consequences will be explored in season 3.  It's going to be another long wait until it returns. (I have no doubt it will be renewed for season 3) 

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The end scene hopefully means Ali is returning. They mentioned in S1 she was a doctor and so is her husband. Maybe she will be able to help with Miguel.

William Zabka is great shows he capable of more then the bully roles he played. 

Kreese continues to be evil. Even in the movies he was a Psycho.

Poor Tommy put in a body bag which is what he screamed in the original Karate kid movie. 

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Well, is it time to bring on the speculations and predictions for Season 3?

First, some questions:

  • What happened to Robby after the fight?  Did he go to his dad's place or someplace we have yet to know about?  
  • Come to think of it, where did Johnny go since he left his car behind?  What will he do now that Kreese has stolen his Dojo from him?
  • Is Tory really Ali's daughter?  I have my doubts due to her psychotic attitude and claiming she grew up without monetary support from her dad.  I saw this YT vid which had an interview with members of the cast including Peyton List.  The super beneath it was "Tory Schwarber" (at 3:41).  Either this was a presumption on the part of the interviewers or they let the cat out of the bag too soon.  If we go with the premise that the character's last name is Schwarber, I suspect that Tory is the product of an affair Ali's husband had 17 years ago and Ali may have found out about it.  This could lead to my next speculation:
  • This could mean Ali  is single (separated or divorced from her husband) and has left Denver to continue her practice in S. California.  Since she is a pediatric surgeon, it's highly likely she will end up performing a procedure to save Miguel's life and/or get him mobile again.  I had suspected one of the kids would end up being severely injured and it would make sense for Ali to reappear in this capacity.
  • Will  Johnny and Ali renew their old love affair?  Or will it be closure on that chapter of his life so he could move forward with someone else?  If Elizabeth Shue is willing to put in the appearances as a love interest, I'd love to see them try again.
  • Will Carmen calm down and forgive Johnny?  It wasn't his fault what happened to Miguel, but since it was due to Robby's actions.....  
  • Will Johnny and Carmen renew their burgeoning romance or was it over before it really began?  I personally wasn't crazy about the idea of them having an affair since I thought it was be too easy and too obvious.  I know other viewers have different opinions on this.
  • Will Daniel still have marital strife?  I hope not too much, as I truly think he and Amanda are a great couple!  Watching them make that 10 car sales quota showed just the kind of team they are together!  Amanda was right about Daniel's obsession with his CK rivalry getting out of hand, but I'd hate it if this were what caused them to separate.
  • Samantha is feeling guilty over what happened to Miguel (some of it deserved).  Could this lead to something else down the road?
  • Daniel is forced to close Miyagi Do, due to being stretched too thin between work and family responsibilities.  What now?  

Now for additional speculation:

  • Season 2 had call backs to the second film (and a few from KK1 & KK3).  The death of a loved one (but no one suspected it would be Tommy!), second chances (Kreese getting it from Johnny only for Johnny to get burned), and Okinawan references of one sort or other.  That means KK3 will feature a bit more prominently in Season 3.
  • Mike Barnes didn't show up in Season 2 despite all the hoopla propagated by Sean Kanen.  Perhaps they're saving him for that.  Terry Silver could also show up now that Kreese took back Cobra Kai just to say hi.  We still don't know what he's been up to over the past 30 years.  If he offered Kreese a job when he was down and out, he might still be in business somehow.  
  • Johnny has to find a job and find Robby.  Perhaps Robby will come across Johnny's car and phone and go looking for him.  They just started working things out and I really want to see that continue.
  • Daniel has to get back to running the dealership, but what of his students, new and old?  This leads me to:
  • Will Daniel end up going down a darker path and Johnny oddly enough helps him?  I definitely predict they will finally bury the hatchet on the rivalry and focus on helping their kids and each other.

Under hits & misses:

I had predicted Johnny's mom died before the events of the first KK film but according to that conversation with Miguel, she died shortly before Robby was born (2001-2002).  She was the only positive presence in Johnny's early life (except for her marriage to Sid) so I'm surprised she couldn't be more of an influence before Johnny's life went into free fall.

I also thought Johnny would check into AA and get help for his drinking - nope.  What I didn't expect was Robby's mom hitting rock bottom and resolving to get sober after her trip to Mexico.

I had thought Robby and Johnny would have worked on their relationship sooner in the season.  I also thought they would have moved in together only for him to move into Daniel's place. 

At least I called it when Robby's former partners in crime came for revenge and some of his dishonest actions came back to haunt him at the beach club.  I hope this doesn't mean he's going to fall into, "Well, I'm a no good kid, I nearly killed someone, and people still look at me with suspicion.  I might as well go back to what people think I am" mode. 

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So I gather that

Johnny skipped town

Robby skipped town (separately).

Miguel's situation is up in the air.

Sam is now on team Miguel.

Also, there are 3 "schools" at play. There's Johnny's Cobra Kai, which is essentially defunct. There's Cobra Kreese, where the dumbasses like Hawk are continuing to be abused. Then there's Miyagi-Do, which Amanda has forbidden Daniel from starting back up. I have to assume that, like Karate Kid 3, two dojos join forces. Like Johnny runs Miyagi-Do with Daniel.

I know Sean Kanan has been itching to be on the show, but I'm more interested in seeing what happened to Terry Silver. Apparently, he became a millionaire by dumping toxic waste in Karate Kid 3. I'm rooting for him serving time and losing his fortune. It's funny that Kreese manipulated Johnny into losing Cobra Kai, but how is he going to maintain that place with angry parents, fewer students and his abusive personality?

I joked about the possibility that the community bans Karate / Martial Arts after that school incident, a la Footloose.

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