#meta : daniel larusso

[lanichols]

[yenforfairytales]

Might be a hot take, but I’ve always thought that Johnny is Kreese’s weakness, and Daniel is Terry’s. Like, I know some people think Terry’s weakness is Kreese (and to some extent, yes), but Daniel seems to be his absolute obsession, his total undoing. Kreese at least had the best friends/comrades in arms thing, but the Daniel thing is just plain weird from any side. This once 17 year old brat has such a hold on Silver that the man threw away 30+ years of peace at the mere mention of his name. It was never about Cobra Kai. It was always about Daniel.

YES. I completely agree. And as more time has gone by since Season 4 came out, I've noticed even the more casual fans have noticed. Someone took this screenshot from YouTube, but I've seen similar comments on reddit too.

And Kreese, being another master manipulator, knew exactly what he was doing when he brought up Daniel to Terry again in 4x01...

There was literally no reason for Kreese to bring up Daniel LaRusso unless he knew that Terry would care. Why would Terry care. 👀

Kreese knows how to get people to come to him. How to dangle something that they want in front of them that only he can seemingly give.

When no other tactic worked on bringing Terry back into the fold, Kreese brought out the big guns and dropped Daniel's name.

Not to take away at all from the love and friendship that Terry felt towards John. But it became nostalgia and obligation, ultimately ruining their bond.

Little side note-- the fact that we watched Kreese make others do what he says in order to get what they want for three seasons made the prison scene in 5x07 even more satisfying:

AND the first person to play the uno reverse card and use this tactic against Kreese was Daniel. Terry's student. You gotta love it.

There's always been a little Cobra Kai in you...

I mean, we could speak at length about the parallels between Kreese and Terry and their star students Johnny and Daniel. The narrative mirrors and foils. But it's precisely their respective relationships with their students that is more compelling.

Anyway. I'm going to quickly list examples of Daniel's hold on Terry and then focus on the meat of the issue.

Terry falls apart and goes ALL IN on everything Cobra Kai only AFTER Daniel rejects his apology.

Terry gives Daniel multiple warnings to not interfere but never tries to gets rid of him like Johnny or Kreese after no warnings at all.

Terry dated a woman who looked a lot like Daniel with similar values.

Terry treats Kenny near identically to Daniel as a student but in the sincere way he wishes he had with Daniel.

Terry loses his cool when Daniel wants to surrender and walk out of his life.

Terry tells Chozen he considers Daniel his only rival. As in Equal.

I'm sure there's plenty I'm forgetting but you can find posts in the silverusso tag about all these topics and more. x.x

Now, let's get to one of the most important and defining scenes for Terry's arc. And again, it's a direct result of Kreese's manipulation:

Kreese, knowing what makes Terry tick and how to get him further on his side, comments that Daniel really knows how to hold onto a grudge. As if he doesn't. Anyway, it's twisting the knife into Terry again when he's clearly already low.

You don't think Kreese noticed how hurt Terry was at the rejection?

He notices everything. He learned in Vietnam from his Captain how to use love against someone as a perceived weakness. Many thoughts on that.

Anyway

The way in which Kreese says, "So... what now?" Tells me that he told Terry this was going to happen. You also have to remember their conversation leading up to the garden scene:

Terry was damn near close to defending Mr. Miyagi and Daniel over Kreese's own personal grudge. To the point where Terry was rolling his eyes and sighing over his friend being overdramatic about what happened in the past.

He was tired of hearing about it.

I'm sure Daniel told Terry the truth about that Halloween night. And look who Terry seems to side with...

Kreese wanted violent retribution and Terry was the one that talked him down. It was Terry's idea to apologize to Daniel and we'll just allll get along. Easy peasy. Surely, Daniel would forgive him.

But, Daniel proved Kreese right in Terry's eyes. As I'm sure Kreese hoped would happen. Couldn't have worked out better. I bet on the car ride over to Miyagi-Do, Kreese was complaining how this was a waste of time and LaRusso isn't the sweet kid you remember etc.

From that day forward, Terry is determined to prove Daniel wrong. About him, about Cobra Kai, about everything. Terry is going to make Cobra Kai work and help kids and he'll be the best sensei ever and Daniel will be sorry!

You'll be sorry you weren't a part of it!

I firmly believe that Daniel is Terry's true weakness and he didn't even realize it. But Kreese did.

And if Daniel had seen it, then he could've had Terry eating out of the palm of his hand.

The one movie quote they haven't used in the show yet is, "For person with no forgiveness in heart, living even worse punishment than death."

I'm hoping they'll use this with Daniel realizing he can help heal himself, and Terry, by forgiving him. Of course, Terry will have to do something more to redeem himself. I'm just saying.

And then maybe Terry can see that Daniel was his weakness all along, but there's still time to make him a strength.

One could argue that he already felt that way while he was being arrested. The way he was looking at Daniel... That awe. Daniel LaRusso got the best of him, again, all because he couldn't let him go.

Here's to hoping that Season 6 ends our suffering lmao.

I mean, who else has ever given Terry Silver goosebumps?

[variousqueerthings]

sometimes think about amanda from the perspective of the kinds of guys that usually become obsessed with daniel, and i dont mean by that that she was bullying him or threatening him (although I do believe in amanda ribbing daniel, she needs to want to put him in his place a little), but that she's also a very forceful personality who perhaps felt a bit jarred by the amount of space that daniel just naturally takes up, and i like to think that she felt a very similar kind of "I don't know what's up with this guy, but I want to do something to him" feeling to his usual rivals, it's just that she was smart enough to know that it was fuck his brains out, and also she's not evil about it (unless they've discussed it beforehand)

(that being said, if amanda were evil...)

[cas-atheia]

Someone wrote an analysis or something on Daniel's ill-fitting suits and I was looking at it earlier but forgot to like or reblog it before I moved to a new post and I can't find it now. Does anyone know who it made that post?

[msfbgraves]

Anthony sees things. Things he isn't supposed to see. Like the way Sam tries herself on everyday before school. The way his parents' whole life strains with effort. The way they dress, the way they talk, breathe, live - some curated performance of succes, their whole selves smoothed over the cracks that everybody sees: the forced neutrality. Mom doesn't talk that way. Dad doesn't talk that way. They don't schmooze or play golf or give to charity but they do, because that is what success is, something they both chase with barely covered fear in their eyes.

It makes him angry, and upset, because his whole life seems like a bunch of mirrors, reflecting back what he's supposed to see into something that makes him want to scream.

Like the way he isn't supposed to like Louie.

Well, he does. Because Louie doesn't give a shit. The only thing he's lying to himself about is Anoush and that is funny. But Louie doesn't try, Louie is and Anthony can breathe around him, the way he can breathe around grandma and Ness, because they don't want him to be

gone

His whole life seems like a test drive, a plea to justify his existence, the screaming effort Dad puts into loving him.

Like, Mom just... takes him in stride, you know? Like it isn't supposed to rain on vacation, but you deal with it, and Dad is trying to convince himself he likes rain, he's here because of the rain, damn it, and he's going to enjoy it because he has to.

And Anthony doesn't want to deal with it, how loving Sam is something they don't have to work at.

Fuck that. He's sick of being lied to.

If they want him gone, he can be, and it's a relief to all of them, the way it drowns out the way Dad can watch him with some of the same anger Anthony feels and he is like, fuck yeah, Dad, come on, man, stop lying

Then he makes him waffles, and Anthony eats.

[purpleheartskies]

"Party Time"

I remember after s4 came out most people did not like this episode (s4e8)... probably for some of the same reasons that I love it. 😏

From a storytelling pov, one thing I love about s4e8 and s5e4 is that each episode starts out with a beautiful image of the "happy" "family" and rest of the episode reveals the dysfunction underneath. It's some meta storytelling and more of that irony and juxtaposition that is weaved throughout the series. And interestingly, these episodes in s4 and s5 are the only ones in which Shannon makes her appearance in that season. (I recently posted about the contrast portrayed in these episodes between Shannon and Carmen when it comes to Johnny.)

I've always noticed the overshadowing absence of Robby in Johnny and Miguel scenes throughout the series, as well as in the Johnny, Diazs, and LaRussos "family" scenes in s4. Robby's absence was also ever present in the prom night "family" photo. Robby should have been there. Robby is Johnny's real son, and the LaRussos had taken Robby in for a time. At one point, Daniel had even told Robby, "I'm glad you're part of this family." After the events of the school fight, Johnny, Daniel, and Sam each eventually chose a side, and it wasn't Robby's. Johnny and the LaRussos had thought the worst of, rejected, and eventually replaced Robby. (Of course, Sam can date whoever she wants. However, Robby had been her karate partner and friend before they had started dating after she pursued him, despite him reminding her of his precarious situation. Also, he had been protecting her that day in school when Miguel assaulted him. Robby deserved better treatment from Sam. I go into this more later.)

In an s3 interview, Tanner said that they (the writers) were just tearing Robby down the entire season and were building everyone else back up. His comment and how prom night went in s4 remind me of this saying, "You can't build your happiness on someone else's tears." This saying implies that karma will come due for people who do so. This saying applies to Johnny and the Diazs, in particular, but also to Sam and Miguel when it comes to them building their happiness on Robby's "tears". Daniel and Amanda have their faults in this too, as they support Sam in her decision to date Miguel. Also, Miguel had gotten badly injured by accident, but they ALL act like he had done nothing wrong at all and they ALL vilify and scapegoat Robby for the school fight. Although karma came for a short while on prom night for these characters, karma did come. Robby had a great night, while Johnny, Daniel, Amanda, Sam, and Miguel had crappy nights and couldn't face the hard truths about themselves/their relationships.

"I love you too, Robby"

I love the scene transition after the "happy family" photo. It fades into the scene of Johnny and Carmen coming home and Shannon making her one and only appearance in s4. The hard reminders and truths started hitting as soon as that photo faded out. I also love the scene transition from "I love you too Robby" and Miguel crying to Robby laughing with Tory and the ferris wheel in the background. In s3e9, that same ferris wheel is in the background as Johnny and Ali were ending their date night. This is yet another subtle reminder that Robby is Johnny's "real" son.

In this post, I'm going to focus on Robby & Tory, Sam & her "choice", Daniel & Amanda, and Johnny. I'm not going to focus on Miguel's prom night specifically. I did that in a recent post.

Robby & Tory

I loved Robby and Tory's instant chemistry in the probation office scene in s3e8. That scene established some important similarities between them, which I talked about in more detail in my Tory post. Two similarities I want to highlight here are that they were both at the probation office without an adult and that they don't have stable home lives. Basically, these two kids don't get to be kids like the other kids in the story do. They haven't had childhoods for a while, their whole lives it seems. Though Tory's mom had been healthier earlier on in Tory's life and had been able to provide for her and her brother, Tory's story about why she agrees with the "no mercy" teaching indicates that she'd experienced a lot of trauma during that time as well. Tory's aunt's comments about Tory's dad's temper indicate that she possibly has trauma due to him as well. So, I loved that prom night became Robby's and Tory's night. They got to glam up, be teens, and have fun with kids their age. They also connected more with each other in terms of empathizing with and understanding each other. They each have trust issues because of their childhood traumas, and they each had been betrayed by their most recent exes. Although Robby didn't really open up to Tory about anything, Robby's kindness and empathy allowed Tory to feel safe enough to share things with him.

Earlier in the day, Robby asked Tory if she's going to prom, and she said to let the rich kids have their party. She herself then brought up and dismissed the idea of herself in a ballroom dress. This makes me wonder if she'd actually imagined herself in one. If not recently, then maybe when she was a kid, at that age when little girls dream of being Disney princesses. Class started, and Kreese told them that the lesson is about throwing your opponent off-balance and to pair up. Robby instinctively looked over at Tory, and they paired up. He told her that crashing you-know-who's big night would be a way to get her opponents off balance. She said that him being their would do a better job of that. He reminded her that he got kicked out of school so he can't go. Ugh... don't even get me started on this. Robby not being in school while his attacker gets to keep going irks me to no end. Tory then indirectly asked Robby to prom, and Robby, somewhat surprised, cutely asked her if she was asking him to prom. She played it off and said that it's a "tactical move". Girl, just own it. We don't blame you. 😏 Silver then offered them a stylish night out (though of course they didn't know he had his own ulterior motives).

I loved Robby and Tory's prom walk-in, just after Miguel and Sam had said that the night would be about themselves. Robby's "evil" plan to throw this toxic couple off balance was to do a show-stopping dance. It was simple and brilliant and had Sam and Miguel taking turns staring at them all night. Yes, the school fight had been traumatic for Sam and Miguel, but it had been traumatic for Robby as well. And, this toxic couple acts like Miguel's actions against Robby in the school fight had been okay, just like they act like cheating on your partner is okay. I didn't mind their exes being petty one night and showing them up.

Besides, Robby and Tory are better off without these two. Sam didn't treat Robby right, and Miguel had just been using Tory. In s4e1, when Robby had called Sam out for cheating on him, she simply brushed it off as things being "more complicated" than she had thought. Robby rightly reminded her, "There's nothing complicated about it. It's a choice, and you chose." In s3e6, Tory asked Miguel, "Were you just going out with me to get Sam's attention?" Miguel deflected, "Is that really what you think?" acting like Tory was wrong to think that. Right before this, he had said, "I never cared about Miyagi-Do or Kreese, I cared about us." The latter part is definitely not true. He'd been pursuing Sam all of s2, even while he had been dating Tory. Tory rightfully questioned his answer, before asking if he'd been using her. Miguel was gaslighting her, and I was proud of her for standing her ground. Yes, she had been wrong in the school fight, but he had been too. He is responsible for his own actions: using Tory to make Sam jealous; approaching and kissing Sam while she was drunk; seeking out and attacking Robby and antagonizing him to his limit. All of these actions are Miguel's, and his alone. No one, not even brainwashed, "crazy" Tory, deserves to be gaslit. Neither Sam nor Miguel are willing to take accountability for their faults in their relationships with Robby and Tory, respectively. Sam though at least is capable of guilt and remorse, while Miguel has been shown to not have these qualities.

Anyway, after their show-stopping dance, Tory complimented Robby's dancing. He said that his mom was a dancer, implying that he had learned from her. This is yet another parallel Robby has with the OG Karate Kid: a couples dance followed by him explaining that he learned to dance from his mom. Tory said that she had to teach herself. Robby then complimented Tory's dancing but admit that she'd more likely win a karate competition than a dance one. Tory said that she hopes so, and then confided in Robby that all these Encino kids have their lives cut out for them and she won't ever have that. She said that she's hoping to win the tournament so that she can look at that trophy and know that she was best at something. When she put herself down about it and said it was stupid, he sincerely told her that it wasn't and that he gets it. She looked at him then, like she was realizing that she can safely be herself with him, and then rested her head on his shoulder. She then asked if their exes were still looking, and he said that he didn't care anymore. She looked at him and said that she didn't care either.

At the prom after-party, they were in sync in the fight that Sam started. I'll get into the context of that fight later, but I love that the dance and the fight both highlighted that Robby and Tory are better partners than Sam and Miguel are. (In s5, Robby and Sam can also still do the balance wheel, while Miguel just watched from the sidelines.)

The superior couple, in sync on the dance floor and in a fight.

Later, in Silver's car, I love that Robby complimented Tory's karate moves. He doesn't feel threatened by either girl's karate skills, and in fact, has always recognized and praised them. He also got a good laugh out of Tory wanting to return her dress the next day. He didn't judge her for that.

Throughout the episode, Robby followed all of Tory's cues. She asked him to prom indirectly, and he confirmed that that is what she was asking. He lead her onto the dance floor. When she told him that they were watching, he said let's give them something to look at and started dancing with her. While dancing, she rested her head on his shoulder first, and then he leaned in more. In the car, he kept his distance until she gave him cues that she wanted to do more. He was kind, genuine, humble, sweet, empathetic, and respectful.

Sam & her "choice"

In s3e8, Sam and Miguel started getting back together. Miguel made a grand entrance to the city council meeting and gave a speech that framed himself as the victim and hero of the school fight. He basically gaslit everyone there by leaving out important context of his actions during the school fight, which he used to portray himself as the victim. He talked about being the victim of bullying but left out his own actions as a bully---because of course he doesn't view himself as a bully but as someone who was justified in his assault against his innocent victim. Sam, who since the school fight has acted like Miguel has done no wrong ever, joined in on the speech and together they swayed the city council into allowing the avt to continue. It was a moment of triumph for them, and it rekindled their toxic relationship. Although Sam was truly a victim in the school fight and her intentions for getting the avt reinstated were genuine, Miguel ended his speech by saying that people deserve a chance to be champion. Earlier in the episode, Miguel had told Johnny that Miguel needs to prove that he can be a champion again. Miguel's sole purpose the whole time was to get the avt reinstated for himself, which is why during the avt in s4e10 he left after he realized that he was no longer fighting for himself anymore.

Anyway, after the city council meeting in s3e8, Sam took Miguel to Miyagi-Do---the place where she and Robby had become training partners to friends to boyfriend and girlfriend; the place that Robby had helped her father revive. Robby unfortunately found Sam and Miguel there, after Robby had been in juvie for months because he had accidentally injured his bully/attacker Miguel, aka Miguel "strike first, strike hard, show mercy sometimes" "why didn't you hold back after I had attacked you" Diaz, during the fight in school that Miguel himself had started and escalated between them while Robby had been trying to protect Sam. Here, at Miyagi-Do, Robby saw for himself what Tory had tried to tell him earlier that day---Sam would betray him ("Watch, she'll turn on you.") and would leave him behind ("Then, why are we both here?"). Sam didn't have to keep dating Robby after the school fight, but Sam could have stuck up for him. Instead, she allowed Robby to be vilified and scapegoated completely for the school fight, never speaking up for him that he had been defending her that day when Miguel had attacked him. In fact, Sam took part in vilifying and scapegoating him, which Robby knew about. While in juvie, Robby had seen Sam's tv interview in which she threw him under the bus to portray herself and Miyagi-Do as the "good guys" and expressed that they all "love" Miguel. Like Robby said to them before he left Miyagi-Do that night, "You two deserve each other." They had built back their reputations after the school fight by stepping all over him. Miguel's tragic "back"story is not an excuse for him to deflect accountability from himself to everyone else, but Miguel lacks humility, self-awareness, and the ability to have remorse and take accountability for his actions in the school fight. Sam also lacks the self-awareness to consider how she's hurt Robby through her betrayal.

In s4e1, Sam dismissed cheating on him by saying that her feelings had been more complicated than she thought. After Robby rightfully countered, "There's nothing complicated about. You had a choice, and you chose," she said that he was right. Then, she diverted the conversation by saying that that doesn't mean he has to make the wrong choice and that he is a "good person". She not only assumed that he had joined Cobra Kai but also assumed that he'd done so because of her choice. Not to mention, she also actually believed that she had the right to judge him for it, completely oblivious to the fact that she had teamed up with the two people who have hurt him so much. In fact, earlier in that conversation, she said that she was angry at him for what happened in school. But, she has never been angry at Miguel for what he had done in school. Instead, she'd declared to the world on live tv that Miguel needs their help and "we love you, Miguel", while never doing the same for Robby.

In s4e8, Robby knew exactly how to throw this toxic couple off balance: all he and Tory had to do was show up and steal the show... and that they did! From the moment Robby and Tory entered prom, it was game over for Sam and Miguel. While on the dance floor, they kept taking turns staring at Robby and Tory and getting annoyed with each other.

At the prom after-party, Tory ended up in line behind Sam for a drink. Sam immediately taunted Tory, "Seems like you're always behind me in line. First Miguel, now Robby. I have a half-eaten cupcake if you want some." Sam comparing her exes to her leftover food is just low. Back in s4e4, while Tory was telling the kids at the birthday party the story about the dragon and the prince, Sam said, "Is that the prince that you stole from another princess?" and Tory countered, "The other princess wasn't dating that prince anymore." Girl, Sam, I'm with Tory on this. You had broken up with him... back then, you still had better standards for boyfriends. Sam was now accusing Tory of stealing Miguel from her, which Tory didn't do. In fact, Sam is the one who had kissed Miguel while he was dating Tory.

So, to recap, Sam (1) falsely believes that Tory had stolen Miguel from her, (2) completely disregards that she herself had kissed Tory's boyfriend, (3) dismisses cheating on Robby with Miguel as her feeling being "complicated", and (4) compares her exes to leftover food.

After Sam's cupcake comment, Tory said that she'd kick Sam's ass if she hadn't told Sam's mom that she wouldn't. Sam told Tory to stay away from her family. Tory then said that she doesn't take orders from tiny little bitches. Sam struck first in response.

Miguel arrived after a bit and stopped Sam from hitting Tory again. He asked Sam what she was doing, and she said that she's doing what Johnny said and not taking Tory's shit anymore. Miguel didn't know who had started the fight, though. This was like at the roller rink in s2e8, Miguel got mad at Sam for tripping Tory, without even knowing what had happened. In that case, Tory had tripped Sam first. This time, Sam had attacked Tory first. Regardless, as always, Miguel was quick to blame Sam.

After this, Miguel tried to stop Tory from attacking Sam, and he and Tory fell to floor. Tory started to struggle with Miguel, telling him to let her go. Robby came on the scene then, and after Robby pulled Miguel away from Tory, Robby tried to punch Miguel. Sam stopped him and declared to Robby, right in front of Miguel', "You think I broke your heart? You broke mine too!" Sam's way of saying this was gaslight-y, "You think..." Oh Sam, smh, you did break his heart.

At the end of the fight, Robby knocked Miguel into the girls and the three of them fell into the pool. Tory teasingly pulled Robby in when he lent her hand to help her out. He laughed it all off and didn't care at all. Meanwhile, Miguel got pissed off at Sam.

"Tonight was supposed to be for you and me. You ruined it!"

Earlier, before the "family" photos, Sam said "no karate, no rivalries", after Miguel had said, "Can't believe we finally get a night to ourselves." When Tory showed up at prom, with Robby no less, of course Sam would be upset about Tory being there. However, never once has Miguel shown understanding towards Sam regarding her issues with Tory. He's always upset with or guilting Sam about Tory, trying to put Sam down about it. After the fight, Miguel immediately blamed Sam for ruining the night, although he hadn't been there to see who had started that fight. Sam asked Miguel why he was taking Tory's side and if that was why he's been staring at her. He immediately countered with, "Let's not talk about the moment you had with Robby, huh?" once again diverting blame from himself, as if he himself hadn't shared a moment with Tory during the fight. He then said that he wanted to go home, and Sam said that she did too.

If Sam were happy with her "choice", she wouldn't have been sneaking glances at Robby, wouldn't have been jealous and compared him to her leftover food in an attempt to insult Tory, and wouldn't have declared that he had broken her heart too. Which he hadn't! Not to mention, she had gone behind Miguel's back to talk to Robby in s4e1 to convince him to come back to Miyagi-Do. Clearly, she didn't believe in the power of her and Miguel's "love" to "conquer all" and keep the senseis together. And, what would she have done if Robby had come back? Assumed that Miguel would have been okay with her doing this behind his back, or at all? Also, during the family dinner in s4e3, Sam was totally checked out. In s4e10, Miguel didn't stick around to support Sam and selfishly ran off because it wasn't about himself anymore. Robby, in contrast, stayed to support Tory even though he also had a lot on his mind.

In s5, there's nothing that shows that Sam's fully invested in this shallow, toxic relationship... not even their declarations of love at the end because she found the fugly octopus necklace that he had bought her... right before she found Miguel making out with a random girl. She had broken up with him to work on herself, which was a good decision. Her subconscious even distinguished him from the others in her dream. While the others recognized her as an individual, dream Miguel referred to her as his girlfriend who wasn't supportive of him: "You're my girlfriend, Sam. Why can't you just be supportive?" This is important given that he hadn't supported her during her match with Tory. He'd abandoned her right before the match. On the phone in s5e1, he gaslit her into believing that she should only focus on his issues that he created for himself by running off to Mexico for no urgent reason, while also minimizing her issues with Tory as just "karate". Dream Miguel was possessive of her and was gaslighting her, just like actual Miguel is/does. This is what narcissistic abuse looks like. I know people will dismiss this because Miguel treats Sam this way. But my unsolicited advice is " Learn to recognize this type of behavior. Doing so will help you protect yourself in relationships."

Sam's definitely been having "buyer's remorse" wrt her "choice". "Buyer's remorse" is a form of cognitive dissonance: the discomfort a person feels when their behavior does not align with their values or beliefs. Usually people deal with cognitive dissonance using defense mechanisms such as avoiding the topic, undermining proof of it or undermining the person who points it out, or belittling its importance. Sam does all of these here by saying her feelings were "complicated" and deflecting the conversation and accusing Robby of making a "wrong choice" after he points out her "choice". She also projected onto Robby her own feelings that she'd made the "wrong choice".

Sam: "I thought that that was over, but it was more complicated." Robby: "There's nothing complicated about it. It's a choice, and you chose." Sam: "You're right. But that doesn't mean you have to make the wrong choice."

Girl, you are the one who made the "wrong choice". You know it. You just can't admit it yet.

Daniel & Amanda

Before I continue, I will say, both the notion that Daniel is a worse father than Johnny and the comparison of how Daniel treats Anthony is similar to how Johnny treats Robby are f-ing ridiculous. These claims are used to minimize how atrociously Johnny treats Robby.

Amanda's been called the "voice of reason" by the fandom since s1, but that's because she dismissed Daniel's past trauma from Cobra Kai and his legitimate concerns about Johnny reopening Cobra Kai. Amanda has continued to dismiss Daniel, even in s5. When she eventually decided to fight Silver, she clearly said that she now believes it's the right thing to do. This confirms that she wouldn't have supported him otherwise. That is, she wouldn't have just believed him that Silver was dangerous too, despite everything that had happened with Kreese. She herself had to believe that Silver was a threat, before she would be by Daniel's side.

Amanda was also dismissive of Sam and her trauma and feelings due to Tory and the school fight. Though Amanda was making the right choice from a practical standpoint to help Tory, Amanda did not consider the psychological and emotional toll it took on Sam and just wanted Sam to see things her way.

Amanda is stubborn, self-righteous, doesn't care to understand others, and dismissive of any issue that she herself doesn't view as a concern, even if her loved ones view those things as concerns.

When it came to Anthony and dealing with him being a bully, both Amanda and Daniel failed him. In s4e8, Amanda started the night wanting to keep it quiet that Anthony was grounded for being a bully.

Amanda: "I get nervous having family over while we're dealing with the Anthony crisis." Daniel: "I know. Bullying is the last thing I ever thought we'd be dealing with." Amanda: "Yeah, well, two more weeks in his room with no screen time and he'll get the message." Daniel: "If he doesn't, maybe we take him to a professional." Amanda: "Whatever happens, can we keep your mom out of this? I'm finally on stable ground with her."

Amanda called the situation the "Anthony crisis". Their answer to it was to punish Anthony. If that didn't work, then Daniel suggested that they try therapy for Anthony. So basically, they believe the issue is with Anthony only, and of course not with them. Amanda was also way more concerned about how she looked in front of Daniel's family, especially his mom... to the point that Amanda didn't want Anthony to come downstairs to be part of the family photos! Like, wtf, Amanda? Your failure as a parent should not mean that you leave Anthony out of a family event or family memories!

Later, she condescended Louie's sister, Vanessa, before even hearing her assessment of Anthony based on her studies.

Louie: "She's in her second year of grad school for child psychology." Amanda: "Who is?" Daniel: "Uh, Cousin Vanessa. She wants to help out with Anthony." Amanda laughs... Amanda: "Oh, no offense, but if we were gonna get a pro, we could do better than Marisa Tomei Junior." Louie: "I am offended. I'm gonna make you eat those words."

At least Amanda admitted that she was impressed by Vanessa's knowledge. Amanda and Daniel then told Vanessa that she could have at Anthony. She told them that she wants to talk with them. Later, Amanda became absolutely defensive and unraveled while Vanessa pointed out truths about their parenting of Anthony: the ramifications of giving Anthony his own electronics; Anthony learning life lessons from the internet because they were too busy with work and now the dojo; them not correcting Anthony's behavior after he picked up "things" from the internet; them acting out when they get defensive; and them loving Sam more than Anthony.

Amanda: "Okay, I'm sorry, how many stones do you plan on throwing from your glass house? I'm curious if you've ever taken care of anything bigger than a goldfish. What are you writing?" Vanessa: "See, this reaction is at the root of the problem." Amanda: "Excuse…" Vanessa: "You're acting out." Daniel: "No, no, we're just working through this. We're not acting out." Vanessa: "I can prove it with a simple test… Now, why do you think you love your daughter more than your son?"

Amanda is not so much the "voice of reason" in this scene, just like in many others.

Amanda and Daniel keep themselves in denial about the flaws in their parenting skills. Daniel had suggested earlier that Anthony is the one who needed therapy, but Vanessa rightly pointed out that the problem starts with their behaviors. That's why she had wanted to talk to them and not Anthony.

Daniel took it a step further later on. He went to Anthony's room, seeming to want to smooth things over.

Daniel: "Look, I know this suspension and the no screens thing sucks. But not as much as it sucks to be bullied. So I hope you understand why these consequences are necessary. We're trying to help you to grow into the person we know you are, Anthony. I know it's been crazy around here this last little while, and that part, that's on me. This tournament stuff made me lose focus on the things that are most important."

Anthony then said that he's actually looking forward to the tournament and that he hopes they win, screw Cobra Kai. I wonder if Anthony added that last part in because he knows that's how to win Daniel over. Daniel was appeased by that response and was about to leave, but the device Anthony had been hiding made a sound. Daniel realized that Anthony was defying their punishment of no screens.

Daniel broke and chose Johnny's way instead of taking the Miyagi-Do way. Daniel literally broke Anthony's device, and Anthony shockingly asked if he's insane. Daniel then yelled: "Quiet! You're gonna learn to listen to us and do as you're told, and if you don't, you'd better strap yourself in for a rough ride because I am done playing games with you." He asked if Anthony understood, and he said yes.

Daniel had just basically admit that he has been off-balance because of the tournament stuff, and he sure acted like it after he realized that Anthony had a tablet. Daniel also doesn't seem to know all the details about why Anthony bullied Kenny. Anthony partly bullied Kenny because Anthony himself was being bullied into it. So, Anthony did know what it was like to be bullied. Anthony, understandably, made the wrong choice and became a bully. He was also jealous about Lia liking Kenny and that fueled some of the bullying. Of course, Anthony bullying Kenny was wrong regardless, but there was more context to the situation that Daniel didn't try to understand, or care to even find out. It was a complicated situation for a kid to be in: bully or be bullied (even more). Also, before he had gotten caught as the bully, Anthony had allowed Daniel to believe that he was being bullied by the kid in Cobra Kai who owned the hoodie that Daniel had found in Anthony's room, so Daniel's anger with Anthony was understandable. Regardless, Anthony needed some solid mentoring to learn how to handle and grow from the whole situation, which he never got.

instead of actually trying to understand who Anthony is right now and helping him with whatever led him to bullying some other kid, Daniel and Amanda have their idea of who they want Anthony to be and are trying to help him grow into that... apparently just by punishing him. This is similar to what Robby had taunted Daniel about in s4e6 wrt what he would say to Robby: "Let me guess, your sales pitch is, "I'm here to rescue you." "This isn't who you are, Robby. I can "help" ." Blah blah blah blah blah." Daniel admit to Robby that he had said all of this before. After the school fight, Daniel had called the cops on Robby before even talking to him and hearing his side of the story and understanding him, his situation, and what "help" he really needed. Daniel had made decisions for how to "help" Robby based on Daniel's own view of who Robby is and what had happened. Daniel's idea of "helping" Robby was just punishing him, just like with Anthony and this bullying situation. Daniel's stance on this hasn't changed. Hence, him repeating the same things to Robby in s5e6, "Robby, the things I did, juvie, I was... I was just trying to help you," as well as wanting Robby's validation that he had made the right decisions for Robby, which Daniel hadn't.

So, does Daniel know who Anthony is? Or Robby? Or even Sam? Because many parents do this. They have their own idea of who their child is or who they want their child to be and want them to become that person, instead of actually understanding who their child really is and helping them to grow into the best version of themselves.

Neither Daniel nor Amanda know Sam, either. Same with Robby, especially for Daniel. Ever since finding out in s1e9 that Robby is Johnny's son, Daniel has projected his issues with Johnny onto Robby and has rejected/disowned him whenever he has screwed up and Daniel has had a bad altercation with Johnny (s1e9, s2e10, and s3e2). In s2e10, Daniel and Amanda were quick to blame Robby for Sam not coming home and for getting drunk at Moon's party, without knowing what had happened and that Robby had actually tried to stop Sam from drinking. Before the party, Amanda had told Sam, "Well, look, whatever you do, have fun, make good choices. I know I don't have to worry about you." Amanda clearly overestimates Sam's ability to make good choices. The next morning, they realized that Sam wasn't in her room and hadn't come home the night before. Then, they saw Aisha's message about Sam being drunk and the cops showing up at the party. When Daniel tracked Sam down to Johnny's apartment and Johnny didn't let him in, Daniel understandably fought his way in to make sure that his daughter was okay. He first asked Sam if she was okay and then asked her why she didn't text or call. Robby then cut in, taking the blame on himself that he brought her there. Daniel went from panicky while speaking to Sam to furious while speaking to Robby. Daniel cut Robby off and said, "Wait, now, don't even start. I gave you a second chance. This whole thing was a mistake. You know, you wanna end up like him, that's up to you." Daniel believed that Robby was the reason that Sam had gotten drunk. After all, Johnny is an alcoholic. In s3e2, Daniel repeated something similar to Johnny: maybe Robby has too much of Johnny in him. But, Daniel later claimed to Robby that Daniel had been wrong to say those things. I've always noticed that Daniel hadn't said that he had been wrong about those words, just that he had been wrong to voice them: "What I said to you the last time we saw each other was... terrible." Daniel believes that Robby has too much of Johnny in him, but that Robby can be who Daniel knows he can be. Hence, Daniel's words while rejecting Robby: "If you wanna end up like him, that's up to you." Sadly, despite all the time Daniel had spent with Robby, Daniel doesn't recognize that Robby is already leagues better than Johnny.

In s2e5, Daniel had called Robby "family", but in s2e10 in the car with Sam, Daniel talked about Robby as if he is a lost cause and said that Robby has his own family:

"I thought I could help him. But he's got his own family. I need to focus on mine."

This means that Daniel had stopped thinking of Robby as family, and Daniel's belief of Robby being a lost cause started in s2e10. That's why he didn't care for the details of what had happened in the school fight and had automatically believed that Robby had done it on purpose, "I can't believe Robby would do that." Daniel said this to Sam and Amanda in the hospital just a few hours after Daniel had said those things to Sam in the car about Daniel having tried to help Robby. After the school fight, and moreover due to seeing Johnny almost kill someone in the garage while looking for Robby, Daniel has believed the worst of Robby and that juvie would "help" Robby, although it had really been an accident. Daniel could have at least tried to put up a real fight/self-defense case for him, but Daniel did in fact think the worst of him, that he had done it on purpose in the moment by mistake. Daniel had told Robby that he could learn from his mistakes. In s4e6, Daniel only remembered Robby after Amanda talked about kids with anger issues being thought of as lost causes in need of wake-up calls. Daniel had essentially given up on Robby back in s2 before the school fight, the morning after Moon's party.

In s3e8, after Robby got out of juvie and rejected Daniel's offer of a home at Miyagi-Do, and noticeably Daniel's offer hadn't been for a home again with the LaRussos, Amanda suggested to Daniel that he let Robby figure it out on his own and "let him go", which Daniel did pretty quickly, especially after Sam told Daniel to give Miguel a chance in s3e9. In s4, they moved onto having "family" dinners with the kid who had caused the whole mess with Robby in the first place. Robby had been dropped by the LaRussos, by Daniel in particular, as "family". Interestingly, Robby's place across from Sam and next to Johnny at the table during the "family" dinner in s4e3 was vacant. A silent reminder of Robby's place in the "family".

Amanda's and Daniel's poor judgment in blindly trusting Sam is combined with them not knowing who she is or recognizing her flaws. They've been onboard about her dating Miguel again, also acting like he has never done anything wrong to Robby or Sam before that devastating moment in the school fight. The extreme irony here is also that Daniel and Amanda had worried that Robby had done something to Sam, gotten her drunk and/or worse, the night of Moon's party, but it was Miguel who had taken advantage of Sam, seeking her out and kissing her while she was drunk, at Moon's party. In turn, Robby had tried to stop her from drinking, took care of her, and made sure she was safe.

In s4e10, Sam and Daniel had a touching father-daughter moment in which he finally accepted her for who she wanted to be in terms of how she did karate. Daniel had wanted her to be LaRusso 2.0, a pressure she still feels based on her dream in s5.

Amanda and Daniel don't know their kids or Robby at all, just the ideas they have of them in their own heads: "help you to grow into the person we know you are." As in, Anthony hasn't met this unspoken standard they have set for him. Same for Sam, and same for Robby.

Daniel does try to bond with his kids, but he doesn't seem to know how to associate with them outside of karate or talking about Mr. Miyagi. Daniel especially doesn't know how to bond with Anthony because he doesn't try to take interest in his hobbies. Because of all this, Anthony feels disconnected from Daniel and the family. Maybe Daniel could combine the two to start: buy a karate video game and play it with Anthony. Daniel's comment to Anthony in s4e7 was also really low:

It's also important to note that Daniel and Amanda don't realize that they emotionally neglect both their kids. That is why Sam is also struggling in some ways. For example, Amanda didn't take into account Sam's psychological and emotional needs when it came to helping Tory. Anthony, especially, is emotionally neglected. As Vanessa pointed out, Anthony was essentially raised by screens, mostly learning things from the internet, and is not loved as much as Sam is. They also emotionally neglect Robby, dismissing his issues with Daniel since s3e2 as "he's a teenager" and even overlooking how Johnny treats Robby.

In these significant ways, Daniel and Amanda treat Robby like they treat Anthony and Sam. It shows how integrated Robby is in the LaRusso family, even if they don't realize it.

Daniel: "I can't believe this. Anthony, you can't just pay people to do the hard work. Part of growing up is to learn how to accomplish something on your own." Anthony: "I know." Daniel: "If Mr. Miyagi was here, you know what he would say right now?" Anthony: "I don't care." Daniel: "What?" Anthony: "All you ever do is talk about Mr. Miyagi. Okay, I get it. He was a great man, he taught you karate and he taught Sam her first move, the wax on, wax off, okay. I've heard all the stories, and I'm getting sick of it." Daniel: "Oh, you're sick of it. So you don't wanna learn how to defend yourself. To learn how to use skills that will help you in life." Anthony: "Not if it means cleaning up bird shit." Daniel: "Hey, language. You know, I thought you were mature enough to appreciate all this, but I guess I was wrong. Just go back to your video games."

Oh, Daniel. Maturity is YOU not losing your balance and saying and doing some of the things you do, like this.

Daniel and Anthony had a nice moment of bonding later and Daniel accepted that Anthony didn't have to do anything he didn't want to, but their conversation was all still about karate and Mr. Miyagi. After this, Anthony tried a first time to start over with Kenny, but Kenny was rightfully angry at Anthony. This led to Anthony getting caught with Kenny's trap and exposed as the bully.

After Anthony got caught, neither Amanda nor Daniel gave Anthony any mentorship about how to resolve things with Kenny. They only punished and yelled at Anthony for being a bully and getting suspended, and later for using his tablet while grounded. Well... Daniel was upset at Anthony for being a bully, while Amanda was upset at Anthony for it because it made them, especially her, look bad. Regardless, neither of them gave him the proper tools to make things right and "hash things out" with Kenny. Anthony did try to apologize properly to Kenny at the avt, but it was a "wrong place, wrong time" situation and Anthony fumbled through the apology. But, that's the point. They didn't guide him at all about how to make up for being a bully. Another parenting fail! Good job, adult LaRussos!

What's also ironic is that Daniel claims that Cobra Kais are bullies, but his son isn't Cobra Kai and was in fact bullying a kid in Cobra Kai. Yet, Daniel didn't evolve in his thinking about Cobra Kai and bullies. In s3e9, Sam had convinced Daniel to give Miguel a chance because he wasn't Cobra Kai's number one bully anymore. Anthony is now proof someone who isn't in Cobra Kai can be a bully too. Daniel has completely stuck his head in the sand about Miguel since the school fight. Daniel had also started calling Miguel a "champ" since their first conversation in s3e9, right after Sam had dismissed Daniel's concern about Robby's feelings about her getting back with Miguel and said that Miguel isn't Cobra Kai's number one bully anymore. Daniel acts as if Miguel's win in the s1 avt is suddenly real, now that Miguel's no longer a Cobra Kai bully in Daniel's eyes.

Although Amanda and Daniel unraveled on prom night, it was disappointing that neither learned from their night. Neither heeded what Vanessa had pointed out to them. Daniel also used the Cobra Kai that is in him and just yelled at Anthony for using a tablet. Because Anthony took out the trash the next morning and said he wanted to make some changes, Daniel thinks he had a parenting win, but Daniel didn't give Anthony any meaningful lessons in this situation that he could apply and carry with him in his life. Maybe Daniel didn't have any Miyagi saying to regurgitate at Anthony because Mr. Miyagi didn't have to give Daniel a lesson for something like this. Regardless, even Mr. Miyagi would be shaking his head at Daniel-san if he saw how Daniel had regressed and lost his balance with Anthony. Daniel, maybe you should be asking yourself, "If Mr. Miyagi was here, you know what he would say right now?" Overall, Daniel's and Amanda's behaviors were at the root of the "Anthony crisis".

Johnny

Before I continue, I want to make clear, Johnny is a complicated character, and my feelings towards him are complicated. I feel sympathy for him when it comes to his bio dad, stepfather, and Kreese. I also feel sympathy for him when it comes to what Silver did to him on prom night. However, I think Johnny is heartless, unforgivable pos when it comes to Robby. It is very possible to have those two opposing sets of feelings towards a character or person based on context. Having trauma doesn't give a parent, not even Johnny, the right to give their kid trauma. Johnny got karma on prom night, not because he deserved mind games and a beating from Silver, but because of how he treats his son. Johnny has replaced Robby completely, in addition to mistreating and traumatizing him his whole life. Johnny has also been trying to move on with another family with no consideration for his son or accountability for his past wrongs towards his son. This is true, even in s5, when Robby kept having to literally change himself to keep up with Johnny's sick obsession with the Diazs and making sure that they are happy no matter what, due to his poor mental health. Well, "You can't build happiness on someone else's tears." A parent especially cannot build their happiness on their child's tears. No matter what happens in s6, this is the story so far. And in s4e8, Johnny got a real hard reminder that night that he will always be an unforgivable failure when it comes to Robby. In s5e10, Silver once again reminded Johnny that he has screwed up Robby (and as I've pointed out before that the scene transitions that sandwich that comment are great examples of visual storytelling and subtext in the show). Although many fans claim that Johnny is redeemed, Johnny himself is portrayed as not believing that himself. Narratively, Johnny continues to mention his failures with Robby. Even in s5, the plot device baby was used to highlight Johnny's "need" and "internal struggle" when it comes to having to be a father to and making things right with Robby. S4e8 explored that "need" and "internal struggle".

Soon after the "family" photo faded out, Shannon arrived just as Johnny and Carmen started planning their night alone. Carmen asked who she is, and Johnny introduced them. Carmen possessively said that she's Johnny's girlfriends. Shannon recognized her possessiveness, so made her own place known: Robby's mom. Carmen kindly excused herself, so that Johnny and Shannon could talk. Shannon asked Johnny if he has a phone and he said that he did, but it was inside. This right here is the first reminder of how Johnny chooses to disregard his responsibility as a father. Johnny has a son who is Miguel's age, but he doesn't care if his son or son's mom can reach him if they need to. He doesn't care about what's going on in his son's life. Moreover, he knows that Robby is training with two very dangerous people, and Johnny simply doesn't care. He has proven time and time again that he is the problem between himself, Shannon, and Robby when it comes to being a father to Robby.

Shannon then mentioned that this rich guy Silver came by and gave Robby a car to take to prom so that he and his date could go first class all the way. Johnny immediately focused on Robby going to prom and not on the real threat: Silver had gone to their home and was trying to insert himself more into Robby's life. Shannon then told Johnny that Robby going to prom isn't the point, but that Silver also gave her a wad of cash, which she showed to Johnny. She said that Silver said that he wanted to make sure Robby was taken care of, would find Shannon a new place to live, and even offered her a job. She said that she didn't ask what the job would be because, if there's one kind of person she knows, it's a rich guy who wants something. It's only after this that Johnny tried to show that he cared, "Son of a bitch". She then said that she tried to talk to Robby, but Silver has his hooks in him, and since this is "Cobra Kai or whatever", Johnny needs to handle this. Johnny tried to act determined and said, "I will."

Later, Johnny broke into the CK dojo. Silver called the office phone, and Johnny picked it up. Silver was watching Johnny through the security camera and taunted Johnny that he's breaking and entering. Johnny then told Silver that Johnny doesn't know what Silver's deal is but to keep his cars and cash away from Robby. Sure, Johnny... You wouldn't have even known about this if Shannon hadn't told you. Silver then correctly pointed out that prom is a special night and did Johnny even know that Robby was going. Nope, Johnny didn't know because Johnny doesn't care about Robby or his life. Silver continued that, as long as Robby's with him, Silver's going to take care of him. He also said that Shannon is a special lady and deserves so much better. Johnny called Silver an ancient piece of shit, and told him that he would kick both his and Kreese's asses to the nursing home. Silver then said that he'd love to see Johnny try and told him to meet him at the address of the old dojo.

Right after Johnny got to the old dojo, Silver surprised him with a kick to the head, disorienting him. Silver said that that was for betraying his sensei. Then Kreese and Silver started a back and forth in which Kreese was surprised that Silver had brought Johnny there and Silver said that he was trying to prove his loyalty. At one point, Silver said, "The only way that loser has a shot at winning the tournament is with the Diaz kid, right? How's that kid's confidence gonna be when he sees his sensei beaten to a pulp? It'll totally throw him off balance. Just like your lesson." lol Silver was so off the mark. Johnny wanting to be a father to and loving Robby is what threw Miguel off-balance. Johnny started fighting Silver, and even used Miyagi-Do against him, but Silver got the upperhand again. He was about to do more and asked Kreese if he wanted to see more, but Kreese told him to let Johnny go and that they'll settle it at the tournament. They just left Johnny there after that. No doubt, this whole experience was insane for Johnny.

Later on, Miguel came to Johnny's apartment to talk about Miguel's own rough night. He found Johnny on the ground, drunk with his tv smashed near him. Miguel even said, "not again", which means that Miguel has found Johnny like this before. Miguel then helped Johnny to bed. Johnny admitted at one point that he's wet from pee. Wait. So, Miguel isn't concerned at all that his mom is dating (and in s5 having a baby with) an alcoholic who gets drunk like this?

Miguel told Johnny that he's going to bed and they can talk in the morning. Then Johnny said:

"I wanna be a father to you. I really do. I try to protect you. Try to be there for you. I just suck at it. I really suck at it, but I want to so bad."

Miguel, of course, believing that he has taken Robby's place in Johnny's life and is entitled to it, told Johnny that he's doing just fine and that he loves him. Johnny started crying and said:

"I love you too, Robby"

This was Johnny's final line in this episode. The whole experience with Silver was a grim reminder for Johnny of his failures with Robby. This is also the first time Johnny said that he loves Robby. Of course, Johnny's behavior throughout the series doesn't prove that. In fact, as the series has gone on, Johnny's behavior has gotten worse because his mental health has gotten worse. He tries to suppress all of his negative emotions and trauma with alcohol and with the validation he seeks and gets from the Diazs. Johnny needs to put his son over himself, but Johnny is just focused on himself. Right now, with his mindset, Johnny will never be able to truly love Robby until Johnny truly loves himself. And, Johnny's failures with Robby add to Johnny's self-loathing. His subconscious is always there, even throughout s5, reminding him that he has failed with Robby and has to make things right with Robby. In s5, Silver straight up reminded him that he will screw up another kid now too. However, Johnny has convinced himself that he doesn't know how to fix it. Sadly, Johnny doesn't try on his own, and Robby has even given Johnny chances too. After the s4 avt, Johnny especially could have started to make thing right with Robby, but Johnny chose not to. He chose the Diazs over Robby again, psychologically, emotionally, and physically endangering and harming Robby as Johnny did.

As messed up as this experience with Silver was, Johnny still didn't do anything more to protect Robby from Silver and Kreese. This experience was more proof to Johnny that Robby isn't safe, but Johnny still left Robby with them. Robby had to get himself out of Cobra Kai, which of course Johnny in s5 falsely took credit for to feel better about himself.

As I said, Johnny got karma for how he treats Robby. The cut from Johnny and Miguel crying to Robby laughing especially makes it feel like the universe was on Robby's side that night.

Sadly, Johnny has wasted all of Robby's childhood. Since s1, he has wasted the last few years that he could have given to Robby on Miguel. It's unforgiveable, heartless, cruel, and shameful. No child deserves to be treated by their parent the way Johnny has treated Robby.

Johnny got his due that night. A reminder that he has a kid who anyone can hurt, and who Johnny doesn't even care or try to protect his kid unless someone tells him to. Johnny so easily discards Robby, and in s5, Robby's greatest threat was Johnny himself, not even Silver.

The prom night episode is one of my favorites. This was probably the only episode that Robby won all the way through. He also smiled the most in this episode.

"I think the highlight of my night was still your dance moves."

(Regardless of what will be in s6 or what payoffs we'll get in the story, this is an analysis of what is in canon so far. Please don't reblog or reply with any dismissive comment or tag expressing negativity towards the show writers, the writing, or the serious aspects of the show. Such comments/tags minimize the contents of the post, which discusses the serious topics (such as trauma, bullying, neglect, and abuse) that are explored in the show and should be respected.)

[miyagi-hokarate]

Daniel LaRusso 8, 17, 24, 25 for the character ask game!

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!! Sorry for taking forever to answer this 😭 (I am neglecting the other asks in my 'box)

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I've been lucky enough to curate my fandom experience that I haven't been subject to anything egregious for long, but I know there's a loud number of people who insist Daniel is "the real villain/bully" and whatnot. No one in the fandom "does things" with that (fanart, fanfics, etc.), but reading meta is always like running into a wall lmao. Dodging them like bullets in The Matrix

17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

Funnily enough, I'm not much of a big shipper! Obviously there are exceptions (as you can see on my blog...) but I'm more likely not to be emotionally invested in a ship than otherwise. Daniel as a protagonist is a slight exception, as I quite like a few of his ships to varying amounts of investment (Lawrusso, Danzen, Damiko, Dali, etc.) but Silverusso is not one of them. Besides through an analytical lens, it's not a ship I find myself engaging with much — but it sure does make for some terrific meta!

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

HAHA OH NO, I'M BAD WITH THESE (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)

This is going to sound so dumb, but my favorite Shakespearean play is Romeo and Juliet, and I have made comparisons to Daniel and each of the lovers before because I am Shakespeare-brained (not in a smart way — in a nerd way); in Romeo's case, they're both lovers who're pushed into violence when all they wanted was to be merry. In Juliet's case, they're both fiery, determined youths who wield that bright, spirited spark in a tightly held fist (and Daniel would 100% do Juliet's soliloquy, yappyass). The Venn Diagram of the things I like are a hot mess

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Oh in the beginning, I thought Daniel was a fine fellow but didn't think much else. He was cute and spunky, but I otherwise wouldn't have said much about his character or his nuances and depth. It wasn't until watching The Karate Kid II, season 2 of Cobra Kai, and rewatching The Karate Kid when I realized, "Man, this is a great kid."

I love Daniel now, if that isn't clear ahdkkskfj. I mean, there's just so much to love: the previously mentioned fire, his spirit, the love and sensitivity he has, the earnestness Daniel exhibits all the time, his desire to learn and connect, and much more. Daniel (EXPLODES)

Thanks for the ask again!! and answered so late AAAUGH

(Send mecharacter asks!)

[cobra-wives]

hello - welcome to my cobra kai/karate kid/miyagiverse-adjacent side blog, cobra-wives! here you can find my art, fics, thoughts and rambles, and just overall fandom discussion. blog stuff below the keep reading line - IT'S PARTY TIME!!!

✦ call me ari or bird... i go by my username as well!

✦ my prns are she/her :-)

✦ if it wasn't obvious, terry silver and john kreese have ruled my brain (whether it be conscious OR subconsciously) for the last... 5+ years? please don't ask me who my favorite character is - i’ve been a hardcore ck fan since 2021 and a casual one before that, and while i would love to say it changes every month, it's always been and always will be kreese.

✦ THIS IS A SIDE BLOG: i will usually follow back from my main, @holydongbird! (and on that note, you're literally not obligated to do so - i just repost images of bruce springsteen and dabble in what rare occasion i dip my feathers in my other fandoms.)

✦ i don't take commissions or run merch... YET. in the meantime, please do NOT be shy about leaving a request, ask, or whatever in my inbox - i LOVE talking to my fellow cobras, and please don't feel bad if your asks are simmering in my inbox for a while - i'm probably super ruffled up in classes or life!

✦ i'm not particularly squicked by anything that isn't basic gtf away from me criteria (let's be real, karate kid iii tossed THAT one out the window), but i don't go out of my way to look at stuff that makes me uncomfortable!

✦ i am also very active on ck twitter - come find me at holydongbird!

✦ TAG USAGE ON MY PAGE:

standards: ch. tags for characters (ex. terry silver, daniel larusso), ships (ex. cobra husbands, samtory), etc. 

fanfiction/meta analysis: bird writes

personal muffinry/rambles: bird musings

any and ALL art: doodles (if it’s in video format, it WILL be under animatics!)

spoilers are NOT tagged under a spoiler tag, rather, please block the tag that you wish to avoid! (ex. i don’t use cobra kai s6 spoilers, but try blocking cobra kai season 6!)

edits are under fanvids!

looking for a specific era of the ck-verse on this yap page? i tag everything according to movie/show relevance :-)

i hope this pinned makes things a little more accessible for my mobile pals, and i hope you have a great day. thanks for stopping by my blog and as usual, COBRA KAI NEVER DIES!!!

[yenforfairytales]

Terry Silver's sincere apology and more rambling

THIS. This right here. Every single time

Every time Thomas says that Terry's apology to Daniel was sincere it makes me a little more feral about these characters.

And I believe in the video that before he was cut off he was saying that "things started to percolate." As in - the rejection continued to permeate Terry's thoughts and actions, boil over, spread as he wallowed and stewed over it...

Just the thought of Terry going home, alone in bed that night, growing angrier and more upset as he plays back their interaction in his mind, and the hurt and rejection just continues to fester in his chest until he has to get up and hit a punching bag until he feels better. Until he feels nothing at all.

It's also canon that he drinks when he's upset... But he hadn't quite spiraled out of control at that point. Anyway

If I were a braver person I would love to ask Thomas what he thinks Terry would've wanted to happen had Daniel accepted the apology. How exactly does Terry view a friendship between them?

I find it FASCINATING

Because

No matter what, Terry canonically wants Daniel around. Everyone else is simple for him to discard; he even got rid of Kreese so he never had to see him again(not that he was happy to see him to begin with). But with Daniel he still purposefully kept him around, even if it was just so Daniel could watch him take over the world with Cobra Kai.

Which makes it canon that Daniel's rejection was Terry's motivation to really go all in on Cobra Kai, his fuel to spread the message, and to keep Daniel nearby - he wanted to prove to Daniel that he could run Cobra Kai

That he, Terry, could make it work this time. All by himself. He could be better than his father. Better than Kreese. He was going to prove to Daniel that Cobra Kai really could help kids around the world and that Daniel was wrong about him. That all fits with Terry teaching Kenny in a way that he probably wished he taught Daniel.

It's a shame that Terry lost control yet again and things of course escalated to an insane amount. Keep in mind that Terry was desperate. He's dying and running out of time.

I just love Terry and Daniel and their dynamic so much. I can only hope we get more of them next season.

And obviously my little shipper heart wishes they'd make up somehow and be friends like Terry wants. Like Daniel's other rivals. Honestly, Daniel's ability to turn these tough warriors into his Ride or Dies is something to admire. The soft way these old men look at him. 😭

And it haunts me what could have been. The fic potential. What if Daniel had said yes. Just imagine. You know Terry had it all laid out in his head, rehearsed his apology over the years...

I just need a soft happy ending ok. Even if it's just Terry saying goodbye to Daniel one last time in the garden, a bittersweet parallel to their first meeting.

[transcodedcharacterstournament]

Sorry it so long, but the list is finally done

Here are our pair ups

I included almost every character so the tournament is going to be long

Left side

Jesus vs Hamlet

Dean vs Sam

Rose Tyler vs The Doctor

Mob vs teruki hanazawa

Emily Prentiss vs Penelope Garcia

Anakin Skywalker vs Obi-Wan Kenobi

Aziraphale vs Crowley

Jessie vs james

toph vs Sokka

julian bashir vs James T Kirk

Jadzia Dax vs Ezri Dax

Spock vs Odo

Luke skywalker vs Leia skywalker

Hunter vs Luz

Alador blight vs The collector

Raine vs Lilith Clawthorne

Dipper vs Mable

Sonic vs Shadow

Marco diaz vs Pidge

Katsuki Bakugo vs Ejirou Kirishima

Kagamine Len vs miku

bot lightbulb

Test tube vs Apple

Tree vs black hole

saw vs Golf ball

Dr. teeh vs Animal

Floyd pepper vs janice

Zoot vs lips

Fjord Stone vs Yussa Errenis

Zukko vs Azula

Veth Brenatto (Nott the Brave) vs Pyrrha dve

silver vs blaze

Howl vs Aizawa

Walter White vs Jesse pinkman

Noelle vs Ralsei

Perfuma vs Bow

Jim Lake Jr vs Steve Palchuk

Hiccup vs Danny Phantom

Fox Mulder vs Dana Scully

Harley Quinn vs the riddler

Neo vs Trinity

Deanna Troi vs Brunt

Worf vs Saavik

Dr Habit vs Kamal Bora

Scout vs Ms. Pauling

Right Hand Man vs Henry Stickmin

Reginald Copperbottom vs Ellie Rose

Kurapika vs Alluka Zoldyck

Kite vs Daisukenojo "Beat" Bito

Link vs Zelda

Miles Edgeworth vs Franziska von Karma

Rolan Deep vs Chip

Jay Ferin vs William Wisp

Ashe Winters vs Kian stone

Gillion Tidestrider vs Edyn Tidestrider

donnie vs leonardo

Madeline Hatter vs Darling Charming

Kokichi Ouma vs Shuichi saihara

Aiko Umesawa vs Hajime Hinata

Komatu Naegi vs chihiro fujisaki

Randy Radman vs Jaques Kensignton

Shiki Misaki vs Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu

Eddie Munson vs Jonathan Byers

Nancy Wheeler vs Max Mayfield

peter parker vs Cecil Palmer

BOYD vs Lena Sabrewing

Yuuki Mishima vs Naoto Shirogane

Futaba Sakura vs Akira Kurusu

Ricky Potts vsJane Doe

Koichi Hirose vs Narciso Anasui

Adeleine vs Meta Knight

Ferdinand von Aegir vs Lorenz Gloucester

Gomez Addams vs Morticia addams

Sir Crocodile vs Yamato

yellow caballero vs Gold

Akari vs Silver

Right side

Penny vs Champion Cynthia

Captain3 vs Agent 8

Apollo Justice vs maya fey

bill s preston esquire vs ted theodore logan

Kermit the Frog vs Gonzo

Jack Kline vs Castiel

Kazuhira Miller vs Revolver Ocelot

Mizuki Akiyama vs Mafuyu Asahina

Scaramouche vs Venti

Alucard vs Juste Belmont

Rika vs Wallac

Bede vs Celestia Ludenberg

Omega vs Pavel Chekov

Amy rose vs Tails

Gerard (Gerry) Keay vs Jonathan Sims

Jane Prentiss vs Martin blackwood

Aether vs Lumine

Diluc Ragnvindr vs Fischl

Sasha waybright vs Marcy wu

Lars vs finn

Jim Hawkins vs Mulan

onoda sakamichi vs shinkai yuuto

Vivian vs Birdo

Bridget vs Poison

Jack Spicer vs Enid

Taliyah vs Jinx

Yoshiko "Yohane" Tsushima vs Rina Tennoji

Marceline vs Wendy Corduroy

Optimus Prime vs Rodimus prime

The Master vs john sheppard

haruhi fujioka vs Haku

Jason Todd vs tim drake

billy batson vs Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2

Maxwell Klinger vs George Costanza

Gyro Gearloose vs ron stampler

Daniel LaRusso vs Miguel Diaz

Xion vs Lauriam 

Alice Yabusame vs Marina

Anna vs Rin Hoshizora

David Jacobs vs Ambrose

Lestat vs Quentin Coldwater

Orel Puppington vs Chucky

Reze vs Isabella Yamamoto

Mrs. Frizzle vs Dr. Doofenshmirtz

Ellen Ripley vs Orla McCool

Peril vs Baldwin

Sidney Prescott vs Envy Adams

akiyama mizuki  vs Flower

Oswald Cobblepot vs Margo Hanson

Charlie Kelly vs Newton Geiszler

Remy vs Meowth

knock out vs Lavernius Tucker

Raiden vs lappland

Party Poison vs Nico di Angelo

Hera vs P03

Leo Demonheart vs Suzuki Iruma

Doug Ramsey vs Marty McFly

Lake vs Jenny

Will Graham vs Herbert West

Anne Boonchuy vs Carmen Sandiego

Paul Atreides vs Yoon Jong-woo

Ritsu sohma vs Ruby Rose

Ruffnut  vs Momoe Sawaki

Xie Lian vs Raikou Shimizu

Chai vs Hisirdoux Casperan

henry morris vs Dave Strider

Jeremie Belpois vs Lloyd Garmadon

Gandalf vs Dolores Abernathy

Arthur Kingsmen vs Mako

Kurama vs Vash the Stampede

Shiver vs Luigi

Kim Kitsuragi vs tristian

Rouge vs Zoe

Shinji Ikari vs Dororo

[luci3skydi]

I repurposed the text for this from an a/b/o fic wip that I’ll probably never post, but it really goes to show how much space comics require: all three of these pages were one written paragraph originally. Which is below:

(I changed the text a little.)

Meta rant under the cut (not necessary to understand the comic):

So there’s this quick moment where Daniel offers a handshake to Johnny right after the sucker punch in the beach fight. He says, “Okay, man, now we’re even, huh?” angling for some sort of truce, but he keeps his right hand raised in a fist, protecting his face. It’s quick, but this moment says a lot about how Daniel and Johnny function within and react to the world around them. 

Daniel offers the handshake, but is that only because he’s losing? He knows the fight’s inevitable as much as Johnny: he’s got the fist up. The fist is sincere. But is the handshake? As far as Johnny’s concerned, there’s only one path forward that makes sense: they finish the fight. But Daniel offers nonviolence, equilibrium as an alternative. It’s a baffling move.

Does Daniel actually believe they can end this here? Right after he landed the first real hit? Is he dumb? Or is this just plausible deniability in front of Ali (‘see, I offered him an out! I’m the good guy!’) Is it a taunt, like Johnny probably sees it?

It reads like an ill-fated attempt to save his skin, doomed to fail, but he tries it anyway. He’s got his pride and his world view (“well, it wasn’t his, was it?”) and someone to defend, so he doesn’t back down, but he can also try to turn this around (and maintain the moral high ground) by letting Johnny decide: the hand of friendship, or the way of the fist. If Johnny chooses peace, well hallelujah! But if he chooses violence, hey, Daniel’s still a good guy. The guy who got beat on, yeah, but for standing up for what is right. Daniel has moral clarity in spades and the strength and spunk to defend it. 

Johnny really doesn’t have that same strength in identity and purpose that allows Daniel to adapt and prosper (when he’s not beset on by enemy forces) in life. Johnny’s plans at the beginning of this movie are so heartfelt and good and simple: he’s got one year to make it work, and that’s what he’s going to do, make it work. But the second he’s faced with Ali snubbing him and Daniel standing up to him, he throws all that out thoughtlessly. Because what he does and who he is are not the same in his brain. He molds himself into a Kreese clone to get friends, success, and a girlfriend. And that’s worked until recently. But his life is built on shaky foundations. (Enter Daniel “Bull in a Bonsai Shop” LaRusso.)

I think the difference between Johnny and Daniel is that Johnny only ever sees one path forward, he’s rigid. And Daniel’s flexible, he can see outside of what is supposed to happen, to what he really wants to happen. How he thinks the world could work, if people weren’t so hung up on pride and selfishness and how they’re supposed to be doing things. I think that’s why Johnny and him clash so badly in Karate Kid: Daniel is a disturbance to the natural order. He is a destabilizing element to the balance of Johnny’s universe (he questions Kreese!). He is another way to live and be happy outside of the narrow confines of masculinity and ‘might is right’ that Johnny has built himself up around. He thinks outside the box. And that makes him a freak and a twerp and an enemy. It makes him something dangerous to be crushed. 

This choice between the open hand (‘open hand’ = karate, and in this metaphor; Miyagi’s karate, violence as a last resort) and the fist (‘the way of the fist’ = Kreese’s karate, violence as first response) is really a choice between Johnny’s plans to better himself, and his need to assert his dominance and win. And he chooses violence, (self) destruction, and essentially to lose everything (and for what? Pride? Kreese and the Cobras’ approval? Somehow winning Ali back by doing exactly what she doesn’t want him to do?) 

In Cobra Kai Johnny’s a ‘I’m just giving it to you straight, this is how the real world works’ kind of guy, and one of his big character growth things is realizing that it doesn’t have to be that way, he has the power to make it different. Kreese’s Cobra Kai doesn’t have to be his Cobra Kai. He can let things go. He can fight for Robby (I mean, he doesn’t, but he could.) He can move forward and improve and even lose without it killing him. Karate Kid Johnny doesn’t have that awareness, he only has one view (Kreese’s view) and that is ‘if a man confronts you, you strike first, strike hard, no mercy, sir.” So that’s what he does. And he doesn’t think twice about it. 

So when faced with this choice he chooses poorly, and he doesn't even see it as a choice in the first place. He takes less than a second to consider it. He fails at the first hurdle, and he doesn’t even realize it. 

[izzythehutt]

hey, i was wondering how you were hoping kreese’s arc goes in s6 in regards to his relationships with johnny and tory. i love reading your cobra kai metas and would love to hear your thoughts on this!

There's like........what I want, what Martin Kove, insane John Kreese actor/apologist wants, and what we can reasonably expect the Big Three to actually give us, given what they've alluded to in interviews about where we left the characters at the end of S5. These are all kind of different things, though.

I think we've officially left that character in the darkest place he's ever been, because he's un-tethered from any pretense of following rules (he's a fugitive) and he "hates everyone" (per Josh Heald.) Up until now Kreese has always operated within a system, part of his whole game is hiding his ruthless, Darwinian nature under a veneer of respectability—playing up the retired Vietnam vet who just wants to help kids shtick. No more! He's faked his own death and assaulted people to escape from jail. This is full-on, willing to kill Captain Turner to survive Kreese. I fully expect their to be some guerilla warfare motif in S6 with how he operates from the shadows.

Season 5 kind of played with him realizing his mistakes and the ways he's hurt people but also dismissed the notion of him changing his ways and reaffirmed him as the Big Bad of this universe (even worse than Terry, because he can do what he does without the benefit of money or power.)

So, I see him starting S6 as the most menacing version of himself. I fully expect him to go full-on Hannibal Lecter, weird creepy phone calls to Johnny, showing up at Terry's place like a slasher film villain, etc. I really hope that Thomas Ian Griffith decides to come back for S6 because I feel like the Kreese and Terry relationship is one of the major unresolved plot threads of the show (and the fact that they had no scenes together in S5 felt like they were saving that confrontation for S6.) I would like Kreese to get a giant "I told you so" speech to Silver. He earned that. And then idk, they fight to the death over a snake pit.

As far as Johnny goes...well, I think in Martin Kove's perfect world Kreese would straight up kidnap him until he agreed to come back to Cobra Kai, lol. TB3 basically said that Kreese feels rejected by Johnny, someone he's always held out hope of reconciling with, so I expect some lashing out....though I do wonder if it will be directly or if he'll redirect his anger at someone like, say, Daniel—because it would be easy to blame Larusso since Kreese hates him anyway and blames him for their relationship going south in the first place.

I honestly believe that Kreese's ideal endgame would be dying at Johnny's hand, tbh. I think doesn't want to hurt Johnny, but he wants Johnny to be "tough" and to affirm the rightness of the CK ideology and carry it on. So while I've never really thought that him "attacking" Johnny directly would be an in-character thing for him to do, I could see some provocation (particularly if S6 is the last.)

We're definitely not going to see a "reconciliation" between them, but I do think Johnny has been in denial about the effect of the relationship on his life and the degree to which he's still deeply wounded by it. I think Kreese is kind of his last "monster" he has to slay—that is, coming to terms with that relationship and eventually forgiving him. And idk, maybe Kreese gets a Vader death. I would be down for him going out like a champ, like body slamming Terry into a snake pit because he's about to kill Johnny or something cray cray like that.

(Sidenote—I can't wait for Kreese to find out about the Lawrence Baby and be super weird about it.)

As for Tory...that's a big question I'm on the fence about. A lot of people think she's "done" with CK/Kreese after her awful experiences in S5, which would make sense, but also seems unlikely because at this point her character is his character's only major link to the younger cast. I could see her attempting to be the voice of reason with him if he gives her some of his weird fugitive Hannibal calls (maybe suggesting he turn himself in?) Obviously Robby won't want her to have anything to do with him, but Tory, for all she felt disillusioned with him "giving up" on their plan in S5, is a very loyal kid, and I would like to see her having some mixed feelings about him or a conflict around that relationship. Kreese kind of let her go at the end of S5, so maybe he'll try to stay away. If he gets CK back he's going to want her back as a student, though.

I think the set-up for Kreese and Sensei Kim reconnecting and forming the latest iteration of CK was a pretty obvious foreshadow, so I assume they'll do something with that. It could be interesting to see him work with a woman. If the Sekai Takai is at the end of S6 then I expect it to be in some country without extradition laws to the US so Kreese can emerge from the shadows again to menace our heroes.

[senseibalance]

 @pointmoskowitz​ asked:🎤 + talk about the larusso famalam and daniel's relationship with them AND @senseimercy​ asked:🎤 + daniel’s relationship with his family 

VOICE MEME ;  send 🎤 + a question/meta about my muse or anything you are curious about either mun or muse, and I’ll make a post replying to it but with a voice recording app, so you hear me talking about the topic.

both of you wanted the talk about the fam so here it is. enjoy the ramble and my nasal valley accent that is fake because i'm not even from america.

[miyagi-hokarate]

7 + 8 + 12 for Daniel :)

Hehe hellooo

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

This is such a basic answer, but I just adore it whenever people have Daniel with friends and family ahdkksfdhj; spending time with his ma, learning karate with Mr. Miyagi, becoming friends with Johnny and the Cobras, bonding with the girls he's befriended, etc. I'm a sucker for fluff, especially when it comes to Daniel ahdkskdk

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I don't know about FANDOM (or at least the fandom on Tumblr), but the "Daniel is the real bully" theory is a thought I dislike and disagree with immensely. Any sort of meta discussion or (rare, if it exists) fanfiction that leans towards that interpretation is a 'No' from me, bruv. Anyone Anti Daniel LaRusso is getting the BOOT 🥾

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Going to give THREE headcanons for the price of ONE for funzies:

1. I like the idea of Daniel's favorite flowers being daisies, being as so he's beside them a few times in the first movie

2. Daniel's bike is a sixteenth birthday present (in the same vein as gifting someone a car for their sixteenth)

3. Daniel sometimes makes "snow angels" with his fingers of the bonsai leaf clippings

Thanks for the ask !!

(Send me character asks!)

[phoomwhoosh]

For the meta writers asks! :3

4, 5, 14, 15, 22

Thank you! That first question stumped me. XD Under a cut because it got a little long:

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

This bit from flowers pressed too hard (Daniel LaRusso meets Ruben from Shootfighter) is a part that I am rather fond of:

“Here to sign-up for our Under 18 classes?” Not-Quite-Johnny asked suddenly, surprisingly stealthy for somebody his size.

That sounded exactly like the type of question that Johnny would ask to be an asshole except this guy was being sincere and smiling a little bit and, wow, okay, he looked like Johnny if he was nicer sometimes. (That wasn’t very fair to Johnny, though, was it? Hadn’t he done enough nice things for him?)

The smile kind of fell away when Daniel took too long to answer because he was still marveling at how hot Johnny’s clone was. Seeing that grin vanish made Daniel come back to himself.

Then the guy stage-whispered, “Are you high, kid?”

That last bit never fails to make me grin. For the record, Daniel is in his late 20s in this fic. XD

5. What character that you’re writing do you most identify with?

So, I’m currently very much resonating with Lazlo (Dragon Age: Origins character) but that could be because I played as him in the game and have had a lot of time to think about him.

14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?

This varies. Sometimes, the title comes to me right away (like with Kiss with a fist) and sometimes it starts-off with a different title and then I find a better one and sometimes WIPs are just known as WIP of Date Created for a while.

15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?

Summaries. Summaries are the bane of my existence.

22. Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?

Sometimes I reread them and cringe. Occasionally, I’m like, “Wow, I’m really glad I wrote this.” A lot of the time, I find myself going, “Why did I stop writing this?” and then I think about the story again and very rarely resume it.

Questions are from here.

[yenforfairytales]

Terry Silver + Unknown Caller Theory

Strap in my fellow feral Silverusso, we going for a long ride!

I mean... why in the world would a billionaire presumably keep the same number he had from the 80's AND answer an Unknown number...

BECAUSE HE WAS HOPING IT WAS DANIEL

Look at his reaction to the phone call:

There's a slight hesitation before he answers

He grabs it as if ripping off a bandaid (strike first!)

He answers a little hopefully but cautiously. I'm going to assume not many people have his personal cell

By the time Kreese starts to say 'Long', Terry is already pulling the phone away from his ear

After Terry hangs up, his arm drops heavily and his shoulders slump in disappointment

He goes right back to his music without skipping a beat. Which the actor has said is a way Terry distracts himself from feeling

Obviously we know that he wasn't happy to hear from John Kreese. And because we know that they spoke over the phone in KK3 - more specifically that Terry did indeed have a cell phone in 1985 - it's not unreasonable to assume that Kreese remembered Terry's number. But that only works if Terry never changed his number. Which is possible.

Knowing Terry his number is probably a pun of his name or something lol

Anyway, what I'm getting at is-- If Terry did not want to hear from Kreese, then why didn't he change his number?

I think it's fair to say that a billionaire wouldn't give out his number to just anyone. And the only other person from his past that we've seen is Daniel LaRusso. They had to set up times to meet up sometimes, right?

Ok maybe I'm reaching a bit

But c'mon! Over the course of almost forty years, it would be nothing to change your phone number. Easy peasy.

And it appears that Daniel was not far from his thoughts. Nothing forgotten. Terry was very aware of Daniel's car commercials to the point that he knew their catchphrase. Terry IMMEDIATELY refers to Daniel as 'Danny boy'. Like it was yesterday.

There was no: "What was that nickname I used to call him...?" And it's been said but, he was happy to see Daniel as opposed to angry at seeing Kreese.

So it's not crazy to believe that he kept that line of communication open. Boy, what I would give to see some of Terry's therapy sessions.

Now on the other side of that, it's perfectly reasonable to think that Daniel changed his number many times lol. He kind of lived like a nomad, not much money, probably was afraid of Terry contacting him. Daniel tells Johnny that he never heard from Terry again. You could take that to mean that he half-expected it. Heard from him how, Daniel?

But Yen, you may ask, why didn't Terry ever call Daniel if he did indeed keep that line open on purpose?

Well, take Mike Barnes for example. He tells Daniel that there were many times he wanted to reach out to Daniel to apologize, but was afraid of "triggering" something painful in Daniel. And since Terry went to therapy, he was probably told something similar. Terry did say that he understood Daniel's initial angry reaction, but still tried to appeal and apologize.

Maybe a part of Terry always hoped that-- when Daniel was ready, then they could talk. So he kept his number, the last number he knew Daniel had, just in case.

Then there's the UNKNOWN part of all this. You can't convince me that Terry Silver, of all people, wouldn't know every single last person who had access to his personal phone number. Meticulous and two steps ahead of everyone, Terry Silver.

And so

Why on Earth would he answer an Unknown caller? Why not let it go to voicemail? Why not hang up and consider it a telemarketer or something?

Because he knows who has his number. And out of two long lost friends there was only one that he was hoping to hear from.

Is my thinking anyway.

NOT TO MENTION. NOT TO MENTION THAT TERRY WAS WEARING RED DURING THAT SCENE.

Facing a very zen garden I may add

When we see Terry with Kreese, even in KK3, he wears more yellow, black, it's the Cobra Kai colors

DANIEL was the one who wore red all the time. It's in his name- LaRusso. But that's a post rant for another time. Because throughout the rest of Season 4, Terry never wears red again.

Anyhoo, I'm going to randomly talk about Terry's silk robes now lmao.

So... since it looks like Terry started his morning by playing the piano, seemingly right out of bed, threw on a robe etc, can we infer that he was shirtless under there?

I mean, we got to see him getting ready for bed here:

In nothing but a robe and sleep pants.

I must accept that he plays the piano shirtless like the sexy god he is 🚬

And studiously ignore how lonely he must be, going to bed alone and waking up alone, enough that he must play a difficult song on his piano first thing in the morning to distract himself from his thoughts and emotions, since he can no longer numb the pain and loneliness with drugs and violence. 🚬

Cheyenne doesn't count because she didn't seem to fill the void either. TiG said it was mostly the music and art collecting for Terry. No mention of beautiful women. Hmm.

This post got away from me. What was I talking about

What do you guys think? I love this show too much? Agreed!