Posted in: Netflix, streaming, TV | Tagged: cobra kai, martin kove, netflix, Ralph Macchio, season 4, william zabka

Cobra Kai Team Talks Season 4 Twists, Training Days & Daddy Issues

There are some major developments and fun sequences in the latest season of the Netflix series Cobra Kai including the major arc that sees the dojos in Daniel LaRusso's (Ralph Macchio) Miyagi-do and Johnny Lawrence's (William Zabka) Eagle Fang posting a united front against the menacing John Kreese (Martin Kove) and Terry Silver's (Thomas Ian Griffith) Cobra Kai, something that flew under Daniel's radar in his own home, and daddy issues. The stars and EPs break down the main arcs of season four to Entertainment Weekly. Consider this your major spoilers warning.

While the collaboration was on, the protagonists knew it was doomed from the getgo. "There are so many open wounds there, I think it was important that we didn't undercut it and just tie it up into a bow, like, 'Everything's swell now!'" says Macchio. Zabka agrees: "For them to work together in harmony from go would've been dishonest. They're both coming with their baggage, so of course, there's gonna be landmines." The temporary agreement sees the students of both dojos train with one another to learn their respective styles. Reluctantly, even the senseis agree to train in each other's styles in the process. Shockingly, they put up with each other's regiment, but futilely remain rigid and loyal to their own styles even extending their demands to their students when the partnership falls apart.

Daniel subjects Johnny to the Miyagi-do training we're used to seeing with his various students, but when the tables are turned, Johnny creates a "manly" regiment that's about as far apart from the "wax-on, wax-off" and sanding methods of Miyagi-do. Daniel shovels coal, pulls at a chain, does bare-knuckle push-ups on a wooden platform, and punches at tennis balls fired from a machine. There was one segment that didn't make the cut. "It was supposed to be like vodka and eggs," says Heald. "Ralph had to drink it, and it took like an interminable amount of time for him to choke down whatever the heck the prop master made. It was like baby food in real life." After several failed takes, Macchio couldn't ingest the mix in one chug. "I kept thinking of Stallone in the original Rocky film, taking the five eggs down," he remembers. "But I went for it — it just didn't make it into the episode."

While prepping for the All-Valley Karate Tournament, Daniel finds out the consequences of allowing his son Anthony (Griffin Santopietro) too much autonomy as he starts acting out in school by bullying a new student Kenny (Dallas Dupree Young) due to peer pressure from his equally obnoxious friends. "I wanted him to be more of a bystander/follower as opposed to the leader," says Macchio, who admits that the Anthony character had trouble "fitting into the show" in early seasons. "There's a great book called 'The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander' — there's an element of being a bystander that is as harmful, if not more, than [being] the bully." Hurwitz broke down the power dynamic. "Anthony was a great vessel for this kind of bullying story, where he is making fun of a kid, and it's in the service of getting laughs from his cronies," he explains. "You see the power structure even within that group where he gets bullied by his friends, so he, in turn, is passing the bullying along, and that's not an uncommon thing amongst children."

As parents, Daniel and Johnny carried a lot of problems into their children and students. Robby (Tanner Buchanan) came to accept John Kreese's teachings in Cobra Kai, but continuously harbors trust issues of his neglectful father Johnny and his rival Daniel. He tries not to make their mistakes when taking Kenny under his wing so that Kenny can be better than he ever was in season four. Meanwhile, Johnny tries to act not only as sensei to Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), but also act as a father figure he never had. "He never had a father, so he's doing the best he can, the way he's been informed by '80s movies and '80s rock," Zabka said of Johnny's bond with Miguel and relationship with Miguel's mom, Carmen (Vanessa Rubio). "Beef jerky has been his dad! He cherishes Miguel and he's afraid of losing that bond. Daniel seems to have it all, and all Johnny has is Miguel and Carmen, so he is very protective of that, and he overcorrects." For more on season four including Daniel and Johnny's score to settle in the ring, the redemption arcs of Hawk (Jacob Bertrand), Robby, and Tory (Peyton List), the tournament's controversial finish, the unexpected development between Silver and Kreese, and what's to come in season five, check out the complete interview over at EW.

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