There are a few key episodes in Cobra Kaiseason two that call for spoiler talks. As long as the stories took place after the season’s debut and we included spoiler alerts, the Cobra Kai actors and creators were happy to talk about those episodes. This one contains information on Episode 6. We won’t reveal anything in episode seven or later if you haven’t seen episode six by the time you read this.
Still:spoilersahead.
In episode six, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) visits his original Cobra Kai group from The Karate Kid while on leave from the Cobra Kai dojo. The question of whether it was wise to entrust John Kreese (Martin Kove) with the care of the students is a separate matter. That is not the subject of this tale.
In this tale, Ron Thomas, Tony O’Dell, and Rob Garrison, who previously played Bobby, Jimmy, and Tommy, respectively, make cameo appearances. Tommy was battling cancer when the group came together for one final celebration.
Where Was Dutch?
Any returning Karate Kid character is always welcome, so Thomas, O’Dell, and Garrison were a pleasant surprise. However, there were five original Cobras; where was Dutch (Chad McQueen) then?
We discussed the possibility of including Chad McQueen’s character in the script with Heald, but we weren’t entirely convinced of that. “Early on, it appeared that the timetable would just not work. With that exception though, Rob, Ron, and Tony were overjoyed to be able to put these characters’ faces back on and give them a little more to chew on.”
It seems as though there are no animosities between the programme and McQueen or the other way around, and it seems perfect sense that his high school friends won’t all be able to attend, even in an emergency. Even Johnny hadn’t seen them in a while, after all.
Stepping Into the Foreground
Johnny was made a key role in Cobra Kai, and for at least one episode, the other Cobras received authentic dramatic passages. The wonderful thing about television is that. Sulu may be the subject of a whole Star Trek episode, but Kirk and Spock must be the main characters in a film.
Heald continued, “In the first film, they were requested to play the other guys on the bikes and the other guys giggling behind Johnny. Here, it was extremely fulfilling for us to watch them carry the same weight that Johnny does throughout life, about how Cobra Kai ended for them and what that has meant to them as adults, even in a small manner.
Cobra Kai is still the story of Johnny Lawrence, therefore the other guys get to participate in it more fully, in proportion to Johnny’s transition from the movie to the programme.
Heald added, “It was also just fun for them to fill that gap in the show up to this point of giving Johnny some countrymen and friends and some people who have lived an experience with him and see a different side of Johnny Lawrence if only for a brief moment.”
The Bar Fight
The Cobra Kai class of ’84 got to demonstrate their fighting prowess upon their return in a confrontation inside a biker bar. They had to shoot it quickly, as they do with most battles on Cobra Kai.
Wow, the fight sequence took four hours to shoot, Zabka remarked. “Before that, we had approximately an hour to learn the battle scenario. There were many stunt fighters in that fight, and they all had their moves down, but as for the original Cobra Kais, Rob, Tony, and Ron, we picked everything up right there on the spot. We went directly from the scene of drinking beer to the point when we need to learn this battle. We immediately picked it up from watching the stuntmen execute it.”
All of them had fought in The Karate Kid, either attacking Daniel, receiving a lesson from Mr. Miyagi, or going one-on-one in the pivotal competition. But each of those was produced according to a filming schedule.
In contrast to The Karate Kid, when we had months to prepare, it happened quickly, Zabka recalled. “We must be in top fighting shape and prepared to perform at any moment because this performance moves so quickly. We must warm up and stretch every day. I’d say that the entire battle sequence took four hours. We had a deadline to meet. We had to acquire it. The fight was exciting, especially being back with the original Cobra Kais; working with them once more was like having family over for dinner. It is a large brawl from several angles, with many men and a lot of choreography. It was incredible.”
The Actors Have Kept In Touch
Although Johnny hasn’t seen the old Cobras in a while, Zabka has maintained contact with them ever since.
We all get along really well, Zabka added. “I frequently run into them. I probably see the actor who plays Tommy, Rob Garrison, once a year because he lives in West Virginia. He’ll visit California and stay with me at my home. I spend a lot of time with Ron. Jimmy’s actor Tony O’Dell resides just a short distance away. Since The Karate Kid till the present, we have all stayed close, close friends and brothers.”
When they didn’t have much time to shoot the big reunion, that worked out well for the creators.
Jon Hurwitz stated, “We all have high school pals that we maintain in touch with over the years, some of whom you see frequently, some of whom you’re trading group texts with or Facebook messaging with.” “The guys you see in episode six, including Billy Zabka, are still extremely close to this day. Before the shoot, they trained in karate for two to three months while filming the first Karate Kid. As a result, they trained together for four, five, or six months in a setting very similar to the Cobra Kai dojo, where they developed an extremely strong bond. Billy Zabka keeps in touch with these individuals even now. Rob Garrison and he, it sounds like, speak once every two weeks or so, and the other guys, several times a year. The fact that their natural chemistry and histories were able to shine through in addition to their acting prowess was what made it so much enjoyable, even though some of these guys hadn’t performed in a while. Because they were meeting up with old pals, it had the feeling of an old friends’ gathering.”
They ve Been Waiting
For Zabka, Ralph Macchio, and now Martin Kove as John Kreese, Cobra Kai has been a wonderful opportunity to reclaim his signature role. The success of season one gave the producers the confidence to include this episode in season two, and according to Zabka, his co-stars were cooperative in season prior.
They were tremendously thrilled, and it was difficult for Zabka to enter Cobra Kai without them. “I had the impression that we were all one, the entire group. Since we were a pack, I had an 8 × 10 photograph of the original Cobra Kais taken on the set of The Karate Kid’s final battle scene hanging on my wall. In a way, I transported them there with me in spirit for the entire season since I knew there was a potential they might join me if everything went well. I was overjoyed to find that the authors figured out a method to let them in.”
Episode six was a significant step towards Johnny Lawrence accepting who he was and who they had all become, despite how much Cobra Kai has been about Johnny Lawrence’s redemption.
It seems to have come full circle, according to Zabka. “The opportunity to work with those men once more, be in their company, and experience that spirit made producing that episode for me the highlight of the season. When we first met, it was completely natural and has remained that way ever since. It was fantastic to include that in the presentation.”
YouTube Premium is currently offering the second season of Cobra Kai.
