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.
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