Underdogs – With the announcement of the Sekai Taikai’s new regulations, episode 4 begins with Miyagi-Do ramping up their training. After a few brief scenes of the students training and even with the announcement, Miguel Diaz (Xolo Mariduena) and Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) appear to be as confident as ever. Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz (Jacob Bertrand) and Demetri Alexopoulos (Gianni DeCenzo) aren’t so much as so, and Demetri says he’d rather focus on more obtainable goals, such as getting into MIT.

Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) are having an equally hard time naming their best six, which ultimately leads to them bringing in an unbiased outsider, Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan). Barnes wastes little time taking charge of the students immediately after Daniel and Johnny introduce him to the class. It doesn’t take long for the students to learn that he means business as he runs them through rigorous drills and assesses their skills. After testing them on everything from teamwork to endurance, he names 12 students that he later narrows down to 6 from there in the following days.

Despite being named one of the 12, Devon Lee (Oona O’Brien) isn’t happy that she didn’t receive any special attention for her efforts. While Anthony LaRusso (Griffin Santopietro) and Mitch (Aedin Mincks) put in extra hours at the dojo, Demetri opts to spend time with Yasmine (Annalisa Cochrane). This changes when she discovers that he is meekly content with accepting that he’s gone as far as he’s going to go in karate. She tells him exactly what he needs to hear to further his ambitions and they immediately show the following day when Barnes apprises them of the final challenge he’s designed to choose the top 6.

He refers to it as a Battle Royal challenge but it turns out to be nothing more than a capture-the-flag type of event where every student has flags attached to their body. The goal is to steal the other fighter’s flags until they’re gone. The fighters with the most flags are the winners. Things not only get heated between the pupils but Barnes and Johnny nearly come to blows at one point as well. The exercise ends with Robby, Tory, Miguel, and Sam being named as the top 4. The bottom 4 end up tied and will require further competition.

Later that evening Johnny visits Barnes under the guise to apologize for their earlier argument. This only escalates into another dispute after Johnny refers to him as a goon for hire and Barnes to him as a cream puff. Johnny gets his desired results when Barnes promises to review his notes. This is unveiled to the students the following morning, in the form of another competition. This one is another capture-the-flag-inspired challenge but it involves finding a flag in the woods rather than stealing it from an opponent. That, however, does not mean that one student can’t take it from another once it’s discovered. The goal is to get back to the finish line with the flag in hand.

Given the intensity of the challenge, the pupils are given a few minutes to stretch and prepare. During this time, Johnny provides Devon with words of encouragement while Hawk tells Demetri that he didn’t apply to MIT.

While the remaining 4 competitors race off into the woods, Daniel learns about Johnny’s fight with Barnes. Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young) returns to the finish line in record time but much to the surprise of everyone, it is without the flag. When he races to the outdoor bathroom clutching his butt cheeks, the mystery about Mitch’s missing laxatives is half-solved. Devon comes in behind with the recovered flag, leaving Hawk and Demetri vying for the final flag.

Hawk reaches the remaining flag first but Demetri is not far behind. There is a brief confrontation that ends with Demetri returning to the finish line with the flag. After a brief celebration and the official announcement of the Miyagi-Do team, Devon is revealed as Kenny’s saboteur.

The episode ends with Daniel confronting Johnny about his fight with Barnes. Daniel asks him if he really thinks they have their best team. Johnny assures him that their team can handle anything.

 

Cobra Kai Review

Not a horrible episode and I really enjoyed the outdoor games. It was also nice to see Barnes play a role in the selection process. I would have much rather seen Hawk get the final slot, but at the same time, I’m glad it was Demetri because Hawk was the obvious choice. As for Devon, I never doubted that she wouldn’t make the final lineup. Now, it’s just a matter of choosing the captains, which is bound to cause a whole handful of conflicts on its own. This episode deserved a 5.6 out of 10.

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