After a grueling wait, Cobra Kai is back with its swan song. The first episode of season 6 picks up after the downfall of Terry Silver and the Cobra Kai dojo. And for the first time since the beginning of the show, there is peace in the valley. We see a montage of this peace: Robby and Miguel live with Johnny and Carmen, who is pregnant. The two are now close friends with most of Cobra Kai’s students becoming Miyagi-Do students, healing old wounds and forgiving old betrayals. Robby has finally enrolled back in school and is still in a relationship with Tory.
We then cut to Amanda and Daniel in their kitchen as Daniel celebrates Terry Silver’s downfall. Amanda expresses worry about John Kreese, who escaped from prison in the previous season’s finale. Daniel reassures her that he will be arrested on sight if he comes back to the valley. Amanda then questions entering the Sekai Taikai, a prestigious karate tournament they qualified for last season. Daniel says that after this tournament, he plans to step down as a full-time sensei to which Amanda is happy.
In the next scene, Johnny is driving Miguel and Robby to his old Eagle Fang dojo as he wants to practice breaking bricks. However, Johnny finds the dojo has been torn down and he must train exclusively at Mr. Miyagi’s. At Mr. Miaygi’s, Robby and Miguel appreciate the state of their dojo, but they worry about Sam and Tory. Sam and Tory put aside their feud, but have largely avoided each other since Cobra Kai was beaten. Robby says it took him and Miguel a long time to work out their issues, but they got there. Robby hopes to jump-start Sam and Tory becoming friends.
In the next scene, Johnny interrupts Daniel and Chozen to tell them that his dojo was demolished and that he has a new lesson plan for training. However, Daniel tells Johnny that Chozen’s lesson is being taught today much to Johnny’s anger. Before any more argument can ensue, Hawk and Demetri interrupt them and give a presentation to the rest of the dojo announcing the renaming of the dojo to Miyagi Fang. Daniel believes the name insults Mr. Miyagi as it misrepresents the kind, gentle man he was. Johnny offers a compromise, but Chozen shuts him down. The two argue and end up agreeing to a fight for the dojo’s name.
We then see, Miguel, Sam, Robby, and Tory at the arcade on a double date. Robby and Miguel try to involve Sam and Tory but the two want nothing to do with the date. While walking to the next activity, Sam states that they are on a double date with each of their exes. Sam also mentions while she and Tory are no longer enemies, they are nowhere near ready to go on double dates. We then see Robby tell Tory that it was Miguel’s idea to help them stop avoiding each other. Tory expresses the awkwardness of training in Sam’s dad’s backyard after being enemies for so long. Sam expresses doubt in Tory’s willingness to learn Miyagi-Do.
We then cut to Johnny at a pawn shop. Daniel comes in and tries to get Johnny to cancel the fight with Chozen. Johnny says Eagle Fang is more than just a name. He built his dojo, won All-Valley, and earned a spot in the Sekai Taiaki. It’s what the name represents. Johnny receives a text from an unknown number telling him to meet at Coyote Creek. This is the place where Kreese used to take Cobra Kai students and run brutal drills. We are led to believe that Kreese is texting Johnny and he angrily drives to the creek.
We then see Miguel try to spark conversation going but with little luck. Miguel mentions senior year and Sam says she is anxious about choosing a college. We also learn that Miguel applied to Stanford. Miguel asks Tory about college but she says that she can’t get in anywhere due to being on probation for her part in the school fight in season 2. We then see Robby try to reason with Kenny, a former Cobra Kai student who Robby mentored who became an angry bully under Silver’s teaching. Kenny completely ignores Robby but Robby persists. Robby is stopped by Shawn, Kenny’s brother, and Robby’s former cellmate in juvie. Shawn tells Robby to back off and they leave.
In the next scene, Chozen trains for his fight with Johnny. Daniel urges Chozen to back down but to no avail. In their conversation, we learn that Chozen has a drinking problem and is still slightly traumatized from his fight with Terry Silver, which left him with eighty stitches. Daniel suggests that Chozen return to Japan for a while to get his head straight but Chozen declines. Daniel then tells him that fighting Johnny will not make him feel better. Chozen however believes it will ensure the legacy of Miyagi-Do, which is all he has left.
Following a brief scene, we learn that Stingray, a former Cobra Kai student, texted Johnny. We see Kenny and Shawn at the batting cages where Robby tries to reason with Kenny. Shawn and Robby begin to fight and Kenny joins in. Miguel joins in and takes Kenny down. Kenny goes for a bat but is stopped by Tory. Kenny tells her to leave when Sam comes and they use Miyagi-Do techniques to de-escalate the fight. Shawn and Kenny leave and Sam takes notice of Tory’s quick learning of Miyagi-Do. Tory smiles and jokes that fighting Sam enough times must’ve rubbed off on her. Robby and Miguel smile at the two getting along.
Back at Coyote Creek, Stingray urges Johnny to take back Cobra Kai, his legacy. Johnny declines but Stingray persists. Stingray then gets serious, telling Johnny that Cobra Kai helped him like and respect himself, especially when Johnny was in charge. Johnny begins to consider Stingray’s offer as, throughout the episode, he has felt more like a student than a sensei. We then see Kenny training in his backyard. Shawn joins him telling Kenny that his anger will land him in juvie. Kenny rebuffs them but Shawn tells him that Miyagi-Do will help him be the man their dad wants to see when he returns from his army tour. The two brothers embrace.
We then cut to Daniel and Amanda talking about about Chozen and Johnny. Daniel feels that he should quit while they’re ahead. Amanda tells Daniel that if Sam and Tory can work out their differences so can Chozen and Johnny. Sam comes home and tells her parents about her and Tory coming to an understanding.
Chozen prepares for his fight with Johnny. Daniel tells him they should give Johnny the name and no one has to fight. Johnny eventually concedes, saying that Eagle Fang is just another Cobra Kai, which is John Kreese’s legacy and he wants nothing to do with him. Daniel is happy the two agreed. They still fight but this time for fun.
We see a montage of the fight between Chozen and Johnny and more training at Miyagi-Do. Kenny arrives and is accepted by Robby and Miguel. The three senseis prepare them for the tournament and reveal a new patch, a bonsai tree with an eagle flying over it. The three are finally on the same page with a united dojo. We then see Kreese walking through the woods where he sees students training. He tells them to tell Kim Da-Eun that Cobra Kai is back. Cut to Black.
Overall, this was a good start to the season. William Zabka shines as Johnny Lawrence. The development of Sam and Tory’s relationship was a strong part of the episode. Since the beginning, it’s been seen as one of the main rivalries of the show. John Kreese’s return will be interesting as we can only imagine what he has in store for the main characters; good acting, strong development, and setting up things to come. Cobra Kai’s swan song is off to a great start.
Rating 8/10.