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Netflix’s middle ground, in both continuing the binge model and also dividing a season into chunks, is successful for a show like “Arcane,” primarily because the gap spans a couple of days to a week. In the case of “Cobra Kai,” the decision to break the final “super-sized season” into three chunks of five episodes each, but spanning a gap of four to two months between each installment, is playing with fire, especially regarding whether the show could actually sustain a fanbase like this. Thankfully though, this chunk of episodes of “Cobra Kai” (season 6) part 2 is highly impactful, with the last episode almost working as a mini-season finale.
Cobra Kai (Season 6) Part 2 – Episode 6 “Benvinguts a Barcelona” Recap:
As part 2 begins, the fallout of the revelation that ended in the last episode threatens to send shockwaves within the Sekai Taikai Tournament, with Tory Nichols (Peyton List) having joined up as the second captain of the newly formed Cobra Kai Team under the stewardship of John Kreese (Martin Kove) and Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hannah Kim).
While a majority of this part, especially the first three episodes, would be specifically dedicated to the interpersonal issues occurring within all members of the team, rendering them essentially underdogs, the team of senseis isn’t too far off falling from the bandwagon. Things have been strained between Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka), regarding Johnny’s derision about Miyagi Do’s defense, and they don’t see signs of improving, especially considering Cobra Kai is nipping at their heels.
But the two captains finally agree on one thing: networking with the rest of the dojo senseis on the day of the tournament. While Daniel goes around shaking hands and gladly handing sponsors, Johnny hatches up a conversation with Nunchuk sellers, getting into heated conversations with Kreeese while also producing new antagonism with the sensei of the Iron Dragons Dojo (Lewis Tan). Daniel’s salesman charm allows an opening in his conversation to introduce Mr. Miyagi’s Sekai Taikai headband into the conversation, which sparks. One acquiesces that this is the real deal, with the blood on the headband signifying an earlier, darker time, while the other remarks about an olden sensei, Serrano, who might be able to help Daniel with his questions more directly.
Both Johnny and Daniel, however, have to cut their respective conversations short to handle a drunken Chozen, who had finally returned from Okinawa, upon apparently learning that the love of his life had moved on. Chozen’s anger is directed toward the food (no steaks) and towards orchids until the three senseis are politely asked to leave.
Robby Keene, meanwhile, has a shaky start with the tournament as well as his love life in general. While the rest of the team are also shocked at what they perceive to be Tory’s betrayal, Keene is understandably perturbed. He feels as if his relationship with Tory is at a standstill, primarily because Tory didn’t tell him about the death of her mother. His relationship with the rest of his teammates strains towards rockier territory as well, when needled by the male captain of the Cobra Kai Team, Kwon Jae-Sung (Brandon H. Lee), into taking up on the challenge for a kick-off, only to lose not only the challenge but the boys’ room at the hotel in the process.
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The night thus becomes understandably uncomfortable, especially for the guys, but for Robby, the idea of existing in a relationship pause seems to do more harm than good. Considering his focus is wavering, it is only going to worsen. That is proven right the next day in the first match of the tournament, which is a four-way team match where the captains need to be protected. If one of the captains is defeated, the entire team will suffer. The Miyagi-Do are already on shaky ground as a result of inter-fighting, even between Demetri and Hawk, and Devon’s own impostor syndrome, leaving only Miguel and Sam to somewhat pick up the slack. The team loses when Robby is distracted by looking at Tory, leading to Kwan flipping him over and defeating him.
But it’s not sunshine and roses for Cobra Kai either, because, with almost military precision, the Iron Dragons would strategically retreat themselves from the chaos before attacking the weakened Cobra Kai with their full strength. A new team is in the mix, with newer opponents, not the least of which is Sensei Wolf, the same man with whom Johnny had a tiff the previous day at the buffet. Miyagi-Do’s start to the tournament isn’t going great.
Cobra Kai (Season 6) Part 2 – Episode 7 “Dog in the Fight” Recap:
Showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg take the transformation of Miyagi-Do into underdogs piece by piece very literally. Daniel LaRusso is taken out of the events the next day when he receives an envelope from Master Serrano, asking to meet him at a secluded spot in Barcelona. Not heeding any of the warnings given by his wife Amanda (Courtney Henegeller) or Lawrence’s annoyance at Daniel being concerned more about his former master’s legacy than his own—the tournament—LaRusso sets off on the trip, taking a taxi.
As is par for the course, if one looks like a trap or sounds like a trap, it is a trap. Having reached a secluded alleyway where even tourists don’t venture and left to his own devices with the taxi driving away in a hurry, it leads to a weird subplot of Daniel being knocked out, waking up to find himself stuck in a dog cage by his captors. He finally manages to escape by using a keychain he had bought from one of the street youths earlier that day and fights through the group, only to finally face off against a long-haired bad guy. While he defeats him somewhat easily, Daniel is shocked at seeing a Cobra Kai tattoo on his right arm, leading him to reasonably assume that Kreese might have been involved in taking him off the board.
Meanwhile, back at the competition, the day begins with the domination of the Iron Dragons, especially with one Zara Mallik (Rayna Vallandingham). Miyagi-Do, on the other hand, gets quite handily knocked out in the day’s competition, but the prime question on everyone’s mind is whether Robby deserves to be captain. And while Miguel isn’t directly questioning that, Demetri, in the middle of his diatribe of his future at MIT or returning home to save his dignity, does echo Hawk’s sentiment that the captain should have been Miguel rather than Robby.
The final elimination round, with the competitors having to fight on narrow beams held up in the air, presents a perfect chance for Johnny Lawrence to go solo. But the nature of the competition requires balance, as Sam rightly points out, but Lawrence ignores her, ordering them to go aggressive instead of the “Miyagi-Do” crap. It doesn’t work, however, with almost all of the team members at Myagi-Do battling it out and falling over or toppling over with the other opponents in tow. The only one able to rack up some points is Miguel, who truly battles with the most elegance, but Johnny doesn’t notice Miguel’s skill because he is more worried about limping through the first elimination round with the least number of points.
This leads to a stony oppressive silence-filled meeting in the locker room, with Johnny unsuccessfully trying to incite their fight with “tough love” only for Sam to revolt against Lawrence by arguing that it’s his fault for not following through with her father’s teachings, Devon standing up for Lawrence against Sam, and Robby trying to bring them in together only for Miguel to snidely comment against him. This leads to Robby and Miguel’s confrontation, with Miguel pointing out that the captaincy might have been suited to anybody else other than him, and Robby’s argument of him having won it fair and square.
Johnny Lawrence’s arc is pivotal in this moment. While comforting Devon as she confesses to sabotaging Kenny’s chances of competing in the Barcelona tournament, he offers a unique perspective. Lawrence encourages her to focus on “kicking ass” instead of drowning in guilt. At the same time, he reflects on his own mistakes, admitting that he may have pushed his students harder than necessary. This leads to him taking a changed approach, encouraging the Miyagi-Do team to work on their balance. It didn’t exactly help them in winning against the Dublin Thunder (those Irish accents are something else), but the defeated Robby does start to wonder whether Miguel, the sole fighter able to score points for Miyagi-Do and save them from elimination, might have been right after all.
Daniel’s return to the hotel coincides with a meeting with Kreese in the lobby, with Daniel almost coming to blows at Kreese’s apparent responsibility for his kidnapping when they are finally interrupted by Sam, and he apologizes profusely for his absence. Meanwhile, Johnny and Miguel are unable to enjoy their victory because Johnny gets a call from Carmen’s mom, informing him about a complication in Carmen’s pregnancy, leading to Johnny and Miguel leaving immediately, dropping out of the tournament as a result.
Cobra Kai (Season 6) Part 2 – Episode 8 “Snakes on a Plane” Recap:
This is the episode of reconciliations, which also oddly occurs while Daniel is trying to recuperate after his night out. As Daniel rests, he instructs Chozen to ensure that the kids stay in. His fears are valid, considering Daniel, strongly believing that Kreese had a hand in his kidnapping, would try something untoward. Kreese too, is following on the same strand of plans, as he instructs Kwon to keep up the pressure on Miyagi-Do, even off the mat.
The problem with Daniel’s instruction – Chozen had already given the go-ahead for the kids to go on a night out. Chozen, now wracked with responsibility after having been out of commission for over two episodes, decides to get in the fray to look after the kids and ensure that they are okay, as well as that they haven’t started fights. Both Chozen and Sensei Kim’s trips down nightclubs and bars to search for the kids lead to them getting into altercations with the local goons, which oddly seems to feed into a residual love-hate relationship between the two of them.
Meanwhile, the new constant Zara gets into the skin of both Miyagi-Do and now Cobra Kai female contestants. Robby Keene, nursing his broken heart, decides to finally jump into the fray and get into the drinking business, or at least start it through. His contemplation turns into resignation when he finds Tory, accompanied by Kwon and his goon, entering the bar as well. Lovesick and pining for Tory, Robby’s melancholia isn’t helped by Kwon’s needling, with Kwon implying heavily that he has slept with Kory.
Broken-hearted and dejected, Robby would go on a bender, which would be noticed by the watchful Zara. Her competitiveness against Tory has risen to animosity, and in an effort to get back to Tory, she seduces (implied) Robby to spend the night with her. The next morning, Tory’s return to the hotel is marred by the vision of a confused Robby walking out of Zara’s room, with Zara coquettishly waving at her, leaving Tory angry and confused as well.
On the Demetri and Hawk front, while the relationship between Hawk and Demetri is somewhat strained, Hawk puts Demtri in hot water when a video call to his girlfriend Moon leads to Moon, and her best friend Yasmine, having to watch Demetri enjoying dancing with a woman at the bar. Yasmine, angry, apparently dumps Demetri, which leads to Demetri being utterly angry and snappish at Hawk.
Meanwhile, Sam, having moved away from the drama, would come across sensitive soul Alex, the tall Russian (heavily Ivan Drago coded) fighter of the Iron Dragons team. Sam would meet Alex while he was training on the beach and would notice the bruises on his back, a phenomenon she reasons to be a part of a rigorous training ritual that she had witnessed Sensei Wolf admonishing to his students. When Alex refuses to elaborate, she doesn’t press him. The two instead go on a walk where they are stopped at an alley by Kwon and his goons. Both Alex and Sam would be ready to get down and dirty, but their fights disperse due to the sounds of incoming sirens.
However, this adrenaline rush makes Alex believe that love is in the air, as he leans forward to kiss Sam, which Sam immediately rejects. While Alex doesn’t react unfavorably, he is heartbroken and walks away. Back in the States, Daniel calls up Amanda and asks her to convince Kenny to come down to Barcelona, to fill up the empty slot that had opened up. However, Kenny refuses to consider any issues related to Miyagi-Do, convinced that Anthony LaRusso is responsible for sabotaging his chances of being in the tournament and making him the target of viral memes. This finally leads to Amanda literally putting her foot down, urging Anthony to try and make amends with Kenny, and even breaking up a fight between the two of them when their conversation eventually leads to blows. Truly this karate brings out the violent streak within everyone.
However, this entire Devon/Kenny/anthony faux-pas gets resolved with Devon calling from Barcelona and apologizing to Kenny, with Kenny promising to think about her apology, while Anthony at the same time promises to drink laxatives if that would make them even. After that major step, Kenny would have to agree, if that would entail Anthony taking a quick ride to their house to rush to the bathroom.
Finally, the plane ride of Johnny and Miguel from Barcelona to the States is fraught with tension, and not helped by the presence of a classist, combative rich guy, as well as an air hostess clearly not happy to deal with Johnny and his shenanigans. But even in the middle of these shenanigans, with Miguel finally having enough and walking over to a new seat to stay away from his sensei, Johnny finally breaks through. He apologizes to Miguel for not giving him enough support, both at the tournament, as well as for not being kind enough to understand Miguel’s perspective of not having won the captaincy for the Sekai Taikai and the perks associated with winning captaincy. In response to Johnny’s apology as well as his restraint while facing off against the boorish passenger, Miguel punches the guy and knocks him out.
As the two of them finally land and reach the hospital, they do get a mild scare upon seeing a bloody, empty hospital bed, but soon learn that both the baby and Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) are okay. Carmen feels okay enough to convince the two of them to return to Spain and ensure that they win the Sekai Takai.
The next morning, we learn that the attraction shared between Kim and Chozen does seem to have led to a consummation. But while enjoying their morning coffee and promising that what happened in Barcelona stayed in Barcelona, they spot the same long-haired man with the Cobra-Kai tattoo. Both of them call their respective plus ones—Daniel and Kreese, respectively—and the foursome follows the man only to realize that they have stumbled upon a conspiracy, where not only is Sensei Wolf involved but also Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffiths).
Cobra Kai (Season 6) Part 2 – Episode 9 “Blood In Blood Out” Recap:
Here’s the point: how Terry Silver manages to just get out of a jam is simultaneously ludicrous but also completely on point. We do find him completely dejected, nursing his anger at a bar that is also an underground fighting club. Stingray was not the most reliable witness, and thus Silver was able to walk away mostly unscathed. But as his plan stands now, his enmity is against everyone, so his plan is to again buy out a new dojo, this time Wolf’s dojo, so that he could become the backer of the dojo that had been the champion of the previous Sekai Takai.
In the present, Silver reveals that he had been the one to initiate the kidnapping, with the long black-haired man revealed as one of Barnes’ flunkies during “The Karate Kid III.” Kreese would take the step to finish off Silver, but Kim stops him, reminding him that there is still a tournament they would have to win.
And while Silver is back, the events of the last couple of days have also made Daniel jaded enough that he doesn’t shy away from indulging in a few dirty tricks of his own. Under his blessing. Chozen steals Kreese’s eunjungdo from his locker and leaves a gift certificate at the spa in its scabbard. That rattles Kreese, who immediately walks up to Silver and punches him directly in the nose. Kim would have to try hard to ensure that Cobra Kai wouldn’t be disqualified right then and there, but she also notices Chozen’s smug smile, realizing that they had played a dirty game.
This episode is also a step towards reconciliation finally beginning, with Miguel and Robby finally having a heart-to-heart and Miguel pledging support to Robby and his captaincy. It doesn’t come a moment too soon, because Kenny’s arrival coincides with Devon dropping out, and both Hawk and Demetri are still under suspicion regarding Kenny’s loyalties, considering his past with Silver.
For Tory, though, she had been faced with the same amount, if not more, of questions as Cobra Kai advanced towards the semi-finals. Her fights had been unfocused, and she had been costing them points, with the only reason Cobra Kai advancing being due to Kwon’s ferocity. On the opposite end, Miyagi-Do, having reconciled somewhat, is working as a repaired clock. But Robby, finally deciding to end this Kenny feud once and for all, tags him in during their battle, and Kenny proves himself, racking up points due to single-handedly knocking out two of his opponents.
Their locker room conversation reminds them that this is the final time they will be fighting together as a team. After all, almost all of them had come from dojos elsewhere but had found a home at Miyagi-Do. And Robby, now fully ready and confident, boosts them up, along with the long-awaited hug between Hawk and Demetri. It allows the senseis to bypass a pep talk as well. After all, the kids are ready anyway.
The fight between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do would be moving forward, except now with the continuous brawl occurring between all the players, with one player tagging in and out, the battle beginning between Tory and Robby throws Robby out of the loop for a second. Robby barely manages to battle through before tapping out. As the rest of Miyagi-Do battle Cobra Kai with astonishing moments of camaraderie and skill, Robby and Tory have their heart-to-heart outside the circle, where Robby soon realizes that he has been played.
With Demitri and Hawk proving to be fantastic tag-team pairs, tagging in and out rapidly and confusing Cobra Kai players, or not letting their opponents tag in, the only dangerous player remaining is Kwon. As Kwon manages to defeat Miguel, he taps in on Robby, and Robby, using the anger and honing it in, manages to kick Kwon’s ass, defeating him and resulting in Cobra Kai’s elimination from the quarter-finals.
In the final moments of the episode, Silver, whose team, the Dragons, have already advanced to the finals, leaves Daniel with a parting gift. He actually continued the investigation, leading to him gifting the scoreboard of Miyagi’s time during the Sakai Tekai, which reveals that Miyagi had actually killed someone in his round. Kreese meanwhile finds his Eunjangdo safely back at his locker, but he is too beholden with rage and revenge against Terry to let it go.
Cobra Kai (Season 6) Part 2 – Episode 10 “Eunjangdo” Recap:
Ideally speaking, the dream sequence where Daniel imagines himself fighting the younger version of Miyagi should have been in an ideal world, shown to be played by an older Ralph Macchio fighting against an older Mr. Miyagi. This is why, even if it is deepfaked, I appreciated the rare appearance of Pat Morita as Miyagi, where he advises Daniel-San of his weakness—he was never strong enough to accept the truth.
Of course, this renders Daniel somewhat distracted the next morning as the team prepares for its final round. In the lobby, while Tory and Robby try to have a conversation, they are interrupted by an angry Kwon who clearly tries to call yesterday’s defeat a fluke. Robby thankfully doesn’t rise to the bait. Meanwhile, Miguel notices Alex’s almost murderous looks he is throwing his way, which baffles him initially, but upon learning from Sam, just baffles him further. All the while Kreese plans to assassinate Terry and stealthily follows him, eager to drive his eunjangdo through him.
All these events would be paused by a meeting called by the chairman to all the dojos, where it is revealed that one of the dojos had used performance-enhancing drugs on their students. Having realized it now, instead of disqualifying the entire game, the Sekai Taikai removed the offending team and instead included Cobra Kai in their stead, as they had the most points. That’s a low blow for everyone, but also such a convenient and foolish ploy to make them players in the season.
This leads to Johnny planning an attack on Cobra Kai again, with Daniel trying to stop him, though now Johnny notices his dejection and tries to resort to insults again. But now, as if taking the viewers into account, the show puts Miguel as the audience surrogate to ensure the senseis get a pep talk from arguably one of their most successful students about their abilities and the successes that they have achieved outside the shadows of their senseis, and that pulls Daniel and Johnny out of their funk.
Cobra Kai (Season 6) Part 2: Ending Explained:
How do the semi-finals of the Sekai Taikai conclude?
At this point, even telling the lineup of the opponents seems unnecessary because the show itself is interested in ensuring our central players will face them. But credit to the showrunners for leaving this batch of episodes with an episode that feels like a season finale. But the methodology to construct that sequence is laughable.
The Robbie vs. Axel match is a fascinating one. After all, the “Rocky” inspirations seem especially noticeable in the training montage sequence of Robby, Sam, and Miguel, guided by both Daniel and Johnny. But now the battle with Robby, and how Axel’s defense as well as offense is extraordinary in them being almost impossible to break, the route of the battle seems to be going towards the Appollo vs. Drago fight, with Drago killing Appollo.
I am sure that Robby wouldn’t have been murdered by that guy, but we would never know, because suddenly the chairman is attacked by the senseis of the banned dojo and knocked out. This results in a massive brawl, with all the kids squaring off against each other, teaming up, knocking out, and battling out all their grievances.
The adults, including Chozen, Kim, Daniel, and Johnny, try desperately to stop the brawl, but they find themselves cornered on their own, most noticeably Johnny with Wolf. Daniel meanwhile finds himself fending off against the long black-haired man who had presumably been sent by Silver to dispatch Daniel. Chozen and Kim meanwhile team up to take down the senseis of the banned dojo, until the chairman finally regains consciousness and knocks those two senseis out.
Meanwhile, Daniel, having dispatched his opponent, goes to aid Johnny against Wolf. Johnny, in that commotion, sees Kreese slipping away and follows them. Kreese had decided to execute his plan and kill off Terry, but in the commotion drops his eunjangdo. Undeterred Kreese tries to battle him with his bare hands, until they are interrupted by Johnny, who attacks Silver on behalf of Kreese, reminding Silver that he owes him one. Every single one of these battles stops due to a major incident.
This entire event would be live-telecast, and as the entire LaRusso and Lawrence family watches the carnage occurring, Tory and Robby finally team up to battle Zara, with Sam too joining the fray. In that heated battle, Sam is attacked by Kwon, which comes to the attention of the already angered Alex, who had already been buddy-pummelling Miguel. Seeing Sam hurt, he attacks Kwon, throwing him across the ring and hitting one of the cameras. Kwon, in rage, sees the eunjungdo and arms himself with it.
Daniel might not have realized what Kwon is actually about to do, but he does understand the significance of his dream and tries to stop it. He is too late, as Kwon, in his murderous rage, tries to execute a spinning kick in midair, with the hand holding the knife braced to drive through Alex’s heart. Alex, being tall, attacked and hit Kwon’s knee, rendering him off balance mid-jump, and he crumpled and fell on the knife, embedding itself in his chest, killing Kwon instantly.
Cobra-Kai’s midseason finale ends with a shocker—a death that comes out of nowhere. It makes sense that this is the final season. After all, when would questions about consequences rise up in this heightened and cartoonish world otherwise? The final batch of episodes for this season will be released on February 13, 2025. Here’s hoping it sticks the landing, though after watching these episodes, I do think it will end exactly how it had begun, but without reaching any great heights.
