Cobra Kai's third season has arrived and it hit hard, fast, and with no mercy.
Now that you've seen the credits roll, we're here to ponder the questions it leaves us
with, from Aisha's possible return to Sam and Miguel's uncertain future.
In the finale of season three, Sam LaRusso and Miguel Diaz convince the rest of the students
from their respective karate dojos to sign a sort of treaty.
Essentially, they decide, whether their teachers like it or not, to merge their two factions.
While they agree to use the Miyagi-Do dojo as their training ground, they haven't yet
settled on a name or a design.
Presumably, they won't be using those already established by either dojo, and will create
a new identity for themselves instead.
But what will that be, exactly?
A new name would certainly be appropriate, as becoming one united dojo will likely require
a merging of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence's drastically different technical and educational
styles.
While he's splintered off from the most brutal aspects of Cobra Kai's philosophy, Johnny
still sees karate as a means to becoming a hardened butt-kicker.
Daniel LaRusso's karate, in tremendous contrast, is all about balance and peace.
Neither sensei is all that interested in compromise, especially when it comes to each other.
Moreover, on a purely technical level, these are two totally different schools.
LaRusso teaches Okinawan karate, while Lawrence teaches Tang Soo Do, a Korean karate variant.
Whatever emerges from this union will be a fusion of the two forms, and, by necessity,
something entirely new.
Can the students learn each others' moves while keeping their teachers on the same page?
The first season of Cobra Kai ends with the climactic 2018 Under-18 All Valley Karate
Tournament, in which Miguel Diaz of Cobra Kai defeats Robby Keene, then representing
Miyagi-Do.
A lot has changed since then, most notably the fact that these fighters have switched
sides.
Robby is now the presumed ace of Cobra Kai, while Miguel is helping to lead the newly
combined Miyagi-Do-Eagle Fang dojo.
Now, the remaining factions have agreed to resolve their rivalry once and for all at
the 51st Annual All Valley Tournament.
During the last tournament, the make-up of the finals was a foregone conclusion.
But going into season four, things are very different indeed.
There are enough prominent characters in contention that there are absolutely no guarantees that
the next tournament will end with a rematch between Diaz and Keene.
There could even come a twist in which Cobra Kai is eliminated in the semis, with the championship
match coming down to one of Daniel's students facing off against one of Johnny's.
Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz has been ride-or-die for Cobra Kai ever since the first season
of the show.
In the absence of Miguel, Hawk becomes the dojo's top prospect early on in season three.
Hawk gets less and less comfortable with Cobra Kai throughout the season, however, as Kreese
gradually pushes out longtime allies and replaces them with the likes of Kyler, the very bully
who Hawk joined Cobra Kai to defend himself against.
By the time the brawl at the LaRusso house breaks out in the season finale, Hawk has
had enough.
He turns against Cobra Kai, joining forces with Demetri and the unified Miyagi-Do and
Eagle Fang dojo.
Cobra Kai doesn't take kindly to traitors, and one can imagine that they won't be waiting
until the tournament arrives to exact some serious revenge against Hawk for his betrayal.
Tory, the last remaining character from the season two squad, is not exactly the forgiving
sort, while Kyler may very well resume his favored pastime of menacing Hawk.
"Traitors.
You better watch your back."
As Hawk was once the most zealous follower of John Kreese's Cobra Kai philosophy, he
should have no illusions about what he can expect from his old tribe, now that he's turned
decisively against them.
In the original Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso finds himself constantly menaced by Johnny
Lawrence and his buddies in Cobra Kai.
The feud begins to consume them, and eventually even threatens their lives.
So, after Mr. Miyagi breaks up a particularly bloody and one-sided fight between Daniel
and five Cobra Kais, Miyagi and Kreese agree to settle the conflict at the upcoming All
Valley Under-18 Karate Tournament.
During the weeks between this fateful meeting and the climactic tournament, the Cobras are
forbidden from picking fights with Daniel at school, or anywhere else.
At the end of Cobra Kai's third season, Daniel, Johnny, and Kreese agree to use the upcoming
tournament to determine the fate of the Cobra Kai dojo, but no other specific terms are
established.
Given the all-out gang war that erupted between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai this season, fans
are full of questions.
Will the dojos agree to a similar cessation of hostilities, so that the students can focus
on preparing for the next tournament?
While such an agreement would likely deny us a few of the fight sequences that make
the series so thrilling, it would help to differentiate Cobra Kai's fourth season from
its third, which is so thoroughly characterized by its patterns of violence.
Season three expands John Kreese's backstory tremendously, using flashbacks to reveal his
tragic youth and his traumatic capture in the Vietnam War.
In 1969, young Kreese saved the life of Silver, a fellow soldier.
Silver, who felt he owed Kreese his life, fervently promised that he'd be there for
Kreese for the rest of his life.
In the finale of Cobra Kai's third season, after present-day Kreese has agreed to stake
his dojo on the tournament's outcome, he picks up a photo of himself and Silver and places
a phone call to his old friend and comrade.
Fans of The Karate Kid trilogy are already familiar with Kreese's intensely loyal war
buddy Terry Silver: Alongside Kreese, he's the antagonist of The Karate Kid Part III.
There, Silver is a millionaire industrialist who puts his entire life on hold to construct
a complicated revenge scheme against Daniel LaRusso on Kreese's behalf.
It appears that Kreese is calling in a favor from Silver — but what might that favor
be?
Silver is portrayed as a formidable fighter in The Karate Kid Part III, and his money
could certainly come in handy as well.
But Silver's greatest talent is for deception and manipulation.
Might Kreese use him as a fresh face to torment unsuspecting students?
By the end of Cobra Kai's third season, Miguel Diaz and Sam LaRusso have reunited.
This is a serious blow to Robby, who spends most of the autumn in juvenile detention,
then returns to Miyagi-Do to find that his girlfriend has reconciled with her ex.
"You two deserve each other."
Now, as the show is concerned, they absolutely do — but, you know, in a good way.
Miguel and Sam have each grown a lot since they were last a couple: Miguel has shed the
Cobra Kai skin that so hurt their relationship, while Sam has come out the other side of a
rage- and fear-fueled breakdown.
They're both better, stronger, more considerate people for having undergone these trials,
and are more able to bring out the best in each other as a result.
This is all very well and good for the two lovebirds.
But Cobra Kai is, however, a big ol' karate soap opera, which is just not the most stable
ground upon which to build a healthy and lasting relationship.
History isn't on Miguel and Sam's side either: So far, no romantic relationship between high
schoolers has survived an entire season of Cobra Kai.
Do Miguel and Sam have what it takes to make it through what struggles lie ahead and survive
as a couple through the end of season four?
Of all the regular cast members of Cobra Kai, life has been hardest on Robby Keene and Tory
Nichols.
Robby has been effectively on his own for years, with a deadbeat dad and an addict mom
who is, thankfully, now in recovery.
Tory's mother is on dialysis, and Tory works two jobs to support her and her younger sibling.
They begin the season as bitter enemies, since Tory is Sam's nemesis, and their rivalry is
what led to Robby's own terrible mistake while fighting Miguel.
However, there are moments between them at the probation office and later in Cobra Kai
where there seems to be an understanding between them — and maybe even the spark of something
more.
Robby and Tory have more in common than just rough childhoods: They've both benefited directly
from the Cobra Kai philosophy.
Robby is routinely thrashed by fellow inmates in juvenile detention until he abandons his
Miyagi-Do scruples and stands up for himself in a violent fashion.
Tory would likely be at the mercy of her predatory landlord if not for the personal intervention
of Kreese himself.
Tory has been a true believer in the Cobra Kai philosophy from the beginning, while Robby
is a recent convert.
All this, plus the fact that they're the two remaining teenage leads at Cobra Kai, means
there's a real chance they'll end up a couple ... at least for a little while.
After roughly three seasons of will-they-won't-they drama, Johnny and Carmen finally hook up in
the season three episode, "The Good, The Bad, and The Badass."
They both seem pretty pleased about this, but are hesitant to commit to anything serious,
because of Miguel.
Johnny is Miguel's mentor and closest father-figure: Getting serious with Carmen would mean wagering
one relationship on the others' success.
What happens to Johnny and Miguel's bond if Johnny and Carmen's doesn't work out?
The results could be disastrous — a fact that weighs heavily upon Carmen and Johnny's
minds.
It appears as if Johnny might torpedo this new romance right out of the gate when he
meets up with his old flame, Ali Mills, for a very date-like afternoon and evening.
Selfies are taken, Golf N' Stuff is visited, ice hockey is played, and a whole lot of emotionally
potent reminiscing takes place.
Thankfully, the night ends with Johnny and Ali renewing their very-much-platonic friendship,
and the day seems to go by without anyone seeing the two of them together and getting
the wrong idea.
Johnny seems genuine in his interest in pursuing a real and truly committed relationship with
Carmen, despite the risks it involves.
But of course, there are still plenty of ways for Johnny to screw this up next season.
During the first two seasons of Cobra Kai, Aisha Robinson is a regular member of the
ensemble.
In season one, Aisha goes from being the victim of relentless bullying to one of the Cobra
Kai dojo's most promising students.
In season two, Aisha acts as the connective tissue between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do, maintaining
friendships with members of both dojos.
But in season three, Aisha doesn't appear at all.
Early in the season premiere, "Aftermath," it's revealed that Aisha's parents have not
only pulled her out of Cobra Kai, but out of West Valley High entirely, enrolling her
in a private school instead.
The infamous rumble in the halls of the school last season is to blame.
This is the only mention of Aisha in all of season three, much to fans' dismay.
This doesn't necessarily mean Aisha is gone from the show for good, however, according
to series executive producer and co-showrunner Jon Hurwitz.
Before the season premiere, Hurwitz told TVLine that Aisha may return in the future.
Perhaps in season four?
Cobra Kai has teased a rematch between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence since the show's
very first episode.
The show is, after all, built around the pair's infamous rivalry.
The two of them have come to blows only briefly throughout the first three seasons of the
series: It happens once in season two's "No Mercy" and is broken up by Sam and Robby,
and again in season three's "Nature vs. Nurture," after they fight off a group of chop shop
tough guys together during their search for Robby.
Neither fight lasts very long, and they both end in a draw.
"Okay, you guys really like fighting each other."
"He's instigating.
I'm just defending myself as usual."
"She knows firsthand that's bulls---."
By the end of the third season, their dojos have combined.
Daniel and Johnny are now set to begin training their students side-by-side, as partners.
Tension between these legendary rivals is at an all-time low, and apart from sparring
at the dojo, it doesn't seem like the two will be going at it again any time soon.
That said, we'll be disappointed if we don't get one actual no-holds-barred LaRusso-Lawrence
rematch before the end of the series.
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