Sleeper – The episode begins with the LaRussos generously hosting Carmen Diaz’s (Vanessa Rubio) baby shower. While Amanda LaRusso (Courtney Henggeler) races around the kitchen making last-minute preparations, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto), and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) debate the easier sex to raise in the living room. An anonymous package at the front door with an ominous ticking soon interrupts. When the footage briefly switches back to Amanda in the kitchen, it sounds as if a bomb goes off in the living room. Seconds later, Johnny and Daniel come in, covered in pink powder.

When Kim Da-Eun (Alicia Hannah-Kim) introduces John Kreese (Martin Kove) to her prize pupil, Yoon (Daniel Kim), he also meets Kwon Jae-Sung (Brandon H. Lee), a talented student with a penchant for acting out. Kreese makes Kwon his special assignment.

Training is well underway at Miyagi-Do as well, but Tory Nichols (Peyton List) and Samantha LaRusso’s (Mary Mouser) newfound friendship raises her doubt with Johnny and Devon Lee (Oona O’Brien). Elsewhere, Nathaniel/Nate (Nathaniel Oh), Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz (Jacob Bertrand), and Demetri Alexopoulos (Gianni DeCenzo) anxiously debate the hosting country for Sekai Taikai. When Daniel joins the morning session, it doesn’t take Johnny long to raise his concerns about Samantha and Tory. Daniel turns it into Johnny’s problem by mocking his earlier claims that raising a girl was easier than raising a boy.

Daniel, Chozen, and Amanda discover a locked trunk of what appears to be Mr. Miyagi’s hidden treasurers while helping Chozen move into their guesthouse. Elsewhere, Kim officially introduces her students to Kreese, along with his offer to participate in the Sekai Taikai tournament. Kreese briefly introduces himself by sharing Johnny and Daniel’s story. He also uses Kwon’s expected interruption to begin teaching him his lesson. Johnny and Lee take on a similar task by arranging a sleepover with Samantha and Troy.

Daniel and Chozen appear to be opposed to digging around Miyagi’s trunk, while Amanda can’t contain her curiosity. After she wins out, they find what appears to be a bunch of boxing memorabilia along with a newspaper article about Jim Watkins being hospitalized after a severe beating during the theft of a valuable necklace. Despite his condition, he was supposedly able to identify his attacker as Keisuke Miyagi. Things get even more confusing when they find a passport with the supposed Keisuke’s picture and birthday. Keisuke looks exactly like Mr. Miyagi but has a birthday of 1918, not 1924. The address on the passport is listed as 691 Hill Street.

Kreese’s laborious punishment of Kim’s entire class begins to show its success while Johnny and Lee have little success turning Samantha and Tory against one another. Daniel, Chozen, and Amanda arrive at the Hill Street address to discover a rundown boxing gym. Despite the looks, it’s packed and when they begin asking questions, one of the boxers flees. When Chozen and Daniel catch up to him, he immediately recognizes the picture on the passport. Johnny and Lee ramp up their efforts by staging a call from Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) to Amanda and a fake text from Miguel Diaz (Xolo Mariduena) to Tory. It doesn’t take them too long to uncover Johnny and Devon as the real culprits and leave.

Simultaneously, Kwon realizes Kreese has set him up and confronts him. After a bit of back and forth, Kreese tells him to take his anger and give it a purpose. That is exactly what he does when he attacks Yoon and claims his place at the head of the class. Kim doesn’t initially approve of this until she realizes that Kwon is no longer a distraction.

After catching up and questioning the runner from the gym, Daniel and Chozen learn that Miyagi was part owner of the boxing gym with the runner’s grandpa. It’s also suggested that he fled to Okinawa to escape conviction for the robbery, although Daniel and Chozen had been led to believe Miyagi had fled Okinawa to America. Despite all this, the runner claims that his grandpa said that Miyagi was a good man.

Devon and Johnny nearly get their wish when Samantha and Tory almost come to blows while waiting for their Uber drivers to arrive. Instead, this slight lapse only appears to make their bond stronger. Devon tells Johnny that this might be a good thing, although he doubts it.

After returning home, Daniel appears to be having an equally hard time swallowing what he’s just learned about Miyagi. Both Amanda and Chozen attempt to improve his mood by reminding him that the man said his grandfather said Miyagi was a good man. Amada also mentions making the most of the time they have, which appears to have more of an impact on Chozen as he later researches flights to Okinawa.

With Kwon as the lead pupil now, Kreese finishes teaching Kim’s pupils that the only way to beat an opponent with more heart is to be heartless. Despite the huge accomplishment, he tells her there is still one more piece of the puzzle.

Training appears to be going just as well as Miyagi-Do now that Samantha and Tory are no longer holding back. At the same time, Hawk brings attention to the announcement that Barcelona, Spain will be the host country for the tournament. Not only that but there are some new stipulations as well.

The episode ends with the students learning that there will only be 6 members from each dojo accepted into the tournament. There will also be one male and one female captain per team.

 

Cobra Kai Review

Not a horrible episode and I like the fact that not all members will make the tournament will create an internal struggle within the dojo. The discovery about Miyagi was equally interesting and makes me wonder if he has a brother. Maybe there is more to the man than either Daniel or Chozen ever knew. I give this one a 5.4 out of 10, and I liked the sleepover bit, despite it being a bit childish.

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