Cobra Kai Season Two: Did Our Predictions Happen?

Cobra Kai is my new Game of Thrones. The karate dramedy has just as many twists, turns, and jaw-dropping moments.

I watched the entire second season in one day. It's a darker season, and I LOVED it. I'll be thinking of  that crazy, terrible, dark ending until we get season three (which you can announce any minute now, YouTube!).

After I watched season one, I posted ten predictions for season two. I thought I'd revisit those predictions. Let's see how many I got right.

Note: I will be rewatching season two, of course, a second time (and probably a third and fourth. I'm not that obsessed, it's just THAT good). I'll come back and post new predictions for season three soon.

Also note: THE FOLLOWING CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR SEASON TWO.

I repeat-- SPOILERS AHEAD. Stop reading. Go watch the show. Come back after. 

My Original Ten Predictions for Season Two of Cobra Kai. Four of my ten predictions happened. Two or three can still happen (and I'm holding firm to a couple of those). So, overall, I'd say I did an okay job :)

1. Miguel trains with Kreese and leaves Johnny: DID NOT HAPPEN



And thank God. But there is a divide, and Sensei Kreese takes over a number of students. Miguel comes very close to slipping entirely into the dark side, but thanks to the excellent development of Johnny's character, Johnny's relationship with Miguel becomes stronger than ever.

Throughout season two, I kept predicting we'd have a big Hawk versus Miguel story. That happens just briefly, but then that ending comes. THAT ENDING. Oh, God. I won't tell you about it here. Even with spoiler warnings, I just can't write about it. Heartbreaking.


2. Johnny joins Miyagi-Do Karate: NOT YET!



I'm holding firm that this will happen. He may not become Daniel's student. But I see Daniel and Johnny working together before this series concludes. Johnny's evolution is too big and too great, and he needs the balance that Miyagi-Do offers. Spoiler, obviously (I've warned several times, but just don't want to get yelled at in the comments!): Johnny abandons Cobra Kai at the end. He won't abandon the martial arts. So where will he go? It may take another season or two, but I see Johnny and Daniel teaming up to defeat Kreese.

3. Sensei Kreese takes over Cobra Kai: IT HAPPENED!



YEP. At the end, Kreese has control of Cobra Kai, and as also predicted, Hawk will be his top student.




4. We will see a Johnny versus Kreese fight, and Johnny will lose: IT HAPPENED!

Not only did it happen, but it was the opening scene! And think how awesome the opening scene sets up the entire series AND that terrible ending.

"Showing mercy to an old man?"

Johnny shouldn't have done that. The show does a powerful job of showing, unfortunately, that showing mercy can get one hurt.

5. Samantha LaRusso gets back into karate with her father: IT HAPPENED!



Yep! Robby and Sam are his top students. Miyagi-Do continues to grow. But what will happen to Robby after that tragic ending to season two? I just don't know, and I won't be able to stop thinking about it until season three.

6. Terry Silver is revealed as Miguel's father: DID NOT HAPPEN

But still possible! Miguel's mom continues to talk about how bad Miguel's father was. This could be another epic moment later in the series.

7. Ali returns: IT KINDA SORTA HAPPENED!



The one happy cheer we have for the ending is that Ali returns a Facebook message Johnny sent her! This sets up a potential return, something fans are craving, no doubt. Come on, Elisabeth Shue! We want you back!

8. Robby gets seriously hurt: DO I HAVE TO ANSWER THIS?



I predicted someone would get seriously hurt, and I thought it would be Robby. I was half right.

I don't want to say any more. I just want to go cry in a corner!

9. The big rivalry will be Samantha versus Miguel: NOT SO MUCH

Yes, they are at odds all throughout, but there's hope for the two of them. As we saw in the trailers, Cobra Kai has a new badass woman of its own-- Tory. And Tory made one hell of a match for Samantha this season. Their story is far from over.


10. We will NOT get a Johnny versus Daniel rematch. But Daniel will fight: NO AND YES!

I didn't think we needed Johnny and Daniel fighting. I SO want them to be friends. Season two had a great moment (the Mexican dinner scene) just like season one (the car ride and drinks after). Those are some of my favorites. Unfortunately, it can never last. Daniel finds Samantha drunk and passed out at Johnny's, and it starts a quick fight. It's a jump-out-of-your-chair moment, and it was perfect. No fight-to-the-death. Just a good, legit squabble.

My other favorite scene: Daniel saving Robby on the beach! Every Karate Kid movie had a scene where Miyagi saved Daniel, and it was always a brilliant, adrenaline-rushing superhero moment. In season one, we got that with Johnny saving Miguel. This time, it was Daniel's turn to be the superhero. And it was perfect.

Season two gets another A+ from me, and it's possibly even better due to the greater progression of the characters, the (re)introduction of the ultimate villain, and the dark and disturbing actions that may lead to . . . the loss of a beloved character.

Thank you to the show's creators, actors, and YouTube for giving us one of the greatest shows of our time.

NOW, tell me. What did you think of season two? Any predictions you had that did or did not come true? Let me know in the comments!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe Chianakas is a the author of Rabbit in Red, a popular horror trilogy. His next book, Darkness Calls, is represented by Metamorphosis Literary Agency. Follow Joe on Facebook or Twitter.

Ten Predictions for Season Two of Cobra Kai

If you are a fan of The Karate Kid and haven't watched Cobra Kai-- YouTube's new series that tells the story of Johnny and Daniel thirty years later-- you're missing out. You don't have to be a Karate Kid fan to enjoy it. This is, without a doubt, the must-see show of 2018.



It has character development that rivals the twists and turns in Game of Thrones. (Good people turn bad, bad turn good, who I root for constantly changes!)

It has comedy that's as hilarious as Rick and Morty (I sang extra loudly to an REO Speedwagon song on the radio this morning).

It's got Shakespearean drama. Johnny and Daniel's kids could be Romeo and Juliet.

Cobra Kai is that good.

But this post isn't a review of the show, which currently has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes-- geez, how much more evidence do you need to watch it?

This is a post about everything I want to see in the second season of Cobra Kai. And yes, YouTube has already confirmed a second season!

So, here are ten predictions of what we will see in season two. Share your thoughts in the comments-- I'd love to know what you think!

SPOILERS AHEAD, obviously. We're talking about season one, so if you haven't watched it yet, STOP READING AND GO WATCH TV. (Can't believe I just wrote that.)

Ten Predictions for Season Two of Cobra Kai:

1. Miguel trains with Kreese and leaves Johnny.



He is the Annakin Skywalker of the show, and he not only won't turn back to good, he will only get worse. I don't want this to happen-- I love the kid! But it has to happen. Why?

Daniel repeats a Miyagi-teaching near the end of the season: "There's no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher. Teacher says, student does."

Johnny has witnessed what Cobra Kai teaching does to kids (it takes seeing his son hurt by the students simply applying his teaching!). and Miguel and Hawk have to remain bad in order for him to realize how terrible "No Mercy" is. Plus, we're seeing Miguel become the young version of Johnny. We just got to see him before he turned, whereas by the time we met Johnny in the original film, he had already been manipulated by Cobra Kai. I could see a long-term redemption perhaps, but it's not in Miguel's immediate future.

And there's one big factor we have to remember. Miguel will learn in season two that Robby is Johnny's son. Miguel has father issues, too-- he and his mom left a "bad guy" behind. Seeing Johnny as a bad father will destroy Miguel's view of him, sending him into the next father-figure. He'll seek even more revenge under Kreese's guidance.

2. Johnny joins Miyagi-Do Karate. 



It may be too late for some of his students, but it's not too late for him. He saw what Miguel did to his own son, and everything about Johnny's character at the end of the show screams "save me."

He sees how respectful his son because of Miyagi-Do. Can you imagine Johnny and Daniel teaming up? It would be incredible! Johnny can offer the aggression of Cobra Kai without the attitude. He needs balance in his life, and Miyagi-Do is the way he'll achieve balance, rebuild a relationship with his son, and ultimately become the hero we wanted to see him be in season one.

3. Sensei Kreese takes over Cobra Kai.  



Miguel and Hawk will become Kreese's top students. This will be another knife in Johnny's back that drives him to change his teaching. Imagine the terrible moment of Miguel telling Johnny that he's the weak man, and turning total heel by joining Kreese's team! Just as Robby wanted to get back at Johnny by training with Daniel, Miguel will get back at him by training with Kreese.




4. We will see a Johnny versus Kreese fight, and Johnny will lose. 
 
It's not because Johnny is weak. It's because Johnny still has great fear of the old evil Sensei. He will realize he has more to learn, but that he can't learn it from Kreese. So, where will Johnny go? This may be another factor that drives him to Miyagi-Do karate.

5. Samantha LaRusso gets back into karate with her father.



We saw this pretty clearly at the end, when Sam practices in the family dojo. It was also foreshadowed when Aisha told her at the tournament that it would be nice to have more girls involved.

6. Terry Silver is revealed as Miguel's father.

Miguel's mother tells Johnny that they left a "bad guy" behind a long time ago, and that Miguel doesn't have any relationship with his father. The father was involved in all sorts of bad business. We know that Silver was involved in corrupt business around the world. There are even similarities between Silver and Miguel's appearances. I expect this to be a big twist near the end of season two, and it will hopefully change Miguel again. He'll seek redemption, as Johnny has. There's hope for the kid, but he's got a lot of uphill battles to fight.

7. Ali returns.



There were just WAY too many references to Ali in the first season for her not to return.Prediction: she will have broken up with her husband, moved back to California, and will start dating Johnny again. I have no doubt that the two will get together, if Cobra Kai can get Elisabeth Shue on board. Johnny even kept a gift from her and carries it with him thirty years later. This will happen, if the actress will agree to the work. Can everyone message her now, please?

8. Robby gets seriously hurt.



Johnny's character is incredibly well developed on the show (props to the writers!). While I do think Johnny will be good, rebuild his relationship with his son, and even partner with Miyagi-Do karate, it may not happen in episode one of season two. Remember how brutal The Karate Kid Part II became? It wasn't about a tournament. It was a street fight. Robby could get jumped by Cobra Kai, get seriously hurt, and this may be another factor that finally forces Johnny to reject Cobra Kai teaching.

9. The big rivalry will be Samantha versus Miguel.

He hit her, even if it was an accident. We'll see girl power in season two. Especially if Robby gets hurt, we will see not a Romeo and Juliet romance, but a Romeo versus Juliet story. This will lead to the 2019 All Valley Tournament, and it will be Sam versus her ex-boyfriend.

Sam will win, and we will cheer!

10. We will NOT get a Johnny versus Daniel rematch. But Daniel will fight.
 
I was furious we didn't get to see the "Rocky III" fight they had planned after a day of drinking. If Johnny and Daniel are to grow, we can't root for them to fight. Believe me, I want to see it, but I also know that the show has to be better than that. They must evolve into characters of mutual respect at least. We will see Daniel fight, though. In previous films, Mr. Miyagi always saved Daniel and fought off the bullies. Now, it's Daniel's turn. And-- connecting to prediction 4-- I am betting we will see Daniel save Johnny from Kreese. That would be quite the showdown!

What are your theories and thoughts? Let me know!

P.S. Cobra Kai writers-- if you need someone on your staff, well . . . get in touch with me! :)

Why did I even write this? Here's a little about me, if you're interested.

Like many kids in the 80s, I watched The Karate Kid so many times I had warped the VHS tape and begged my parents to buy me another. Not only that, but it was my reason to get involved in the martial arts myself. I trained for over twenty years and opened my own successful dojo-- Metamora Martial Arts, an after-school program for kids and parents. That program produced eleven black belts, multiple world champions, and earned Black Belt Magazine's BEST youth program in the entire United States one year! Currently, I run a karate club at a college, where I am a professor of communication.

I write creatively, too. My current series is called Rabbit in Red,  a horror adventure/mystery for teens and adults, and it's developed an international fan base!

Learn more about me at www.joechianakas.com.