Downward Spiral
Directed by Steve Pink
Carmen comes home after a long shift at the hospital, only to find that her kitchen faucet has sprung a leak. She phones Johnny for help, but before she can even explain the situation, she finds him standing at her door in an aviator's flight suit and they immediately start to make love. A Top Gun-inspired montage ensues set to "Playing With The Boys" by Kenny Loggins, complete with a rowdy beach volleyball game and Johnny taking a sunset motorcycle ride with his newborn child. As Carmen wakes up beaming next to Johnny, she relates her dream to him.
At home, Daniel paces nervously as he watches and waits for Silver's next move. Chozen believes he is simply looking for the right time to strike and theorizes that Barnes will be on their side after losing his furniture store to arson, but Daniel points out he may not realize Silver was responsible and has apparently left town while the insurance company investigates. Nevertheless, Chozen assures Daniel that Silver will not mount an attack on his watch. With Chozen watching the house in person and the dealership remotely, Daniel and Amanda leave to attend a charity auction.
Shannon shows up at Johnny's door after trying to reach him by phone, but Johnny explains he has been busy job hunting. She has come to pick up Robby's belongings, as she is taking him away to spend the summer at her parents' cabin. As Shannon enters the apartment, she is impressed with Johnny's redecorating but quickly deduces that he got Carmen pregnant. As Johnny explains his struggle to find a job after losing the dojo, Shannon suggests he join a ridesharing company and puts him in touch with a door-to-door tech service to supply him with a "real" phone for the job.
At the Splasharama water park, Anthony ogles Yasmine and Moon in their bikinis, which Sam finds disgusting. When Moon asks Sam how she is doing in the wake of the breakup, she claims to be coping well, but appears uncomfortable when Eli and Miguel show up at the pool. She tries to make small talk with Miguel and allows him to sit next to her, but their interactions are clearly awkward.
Also at the park, Tory and Robby meet up for the first time since the latter's return from Mexico. Though the time away has helped him to work out some issues with his father, Robby implies he still has unfinished business with Miguel. He then tries to talk Tory into taking a break from Cobra Kai, noting that Silver is even more dangerous than Kreese, but Tory argues she can't just quit and refuses to let Robby tell her what to do. Resigned, Robby drops the subject and accompanies Tory to a water slide.
Nearby, Kyler boasts to his fellow Cobra Kai that he will become the next "King Cobra" in lieu of Robby. Kenny posits that Robby is still with the dojo, but Kyler disagrees. As his buddies leave, Kenny observes Anthony from a distance with an ominous smirk.
Daniel and Amanda arrive at the charity auction, one that helps underprivileged teens in the Valley, and meet its founder, Ava Garcia. Only too late, they realize the auction is taking place at the home of Terry Silver, also a donor who is angling for a spot on the board, much like Amanda herself. As Amanda and Ava make their way inside, Daniel privately warns Silver not to ruin this day for his wife. Silver smugly responds he has no intention of doing so, but observing Daniel's barely contained rage, he pointedly hopes that no one else spoils it for her.
Johnny greets the employee from Tech Town at his door, only to find Demetri who has apparently gotten a summer job. He wastes no time in showing Johnny an array of smartphone models, but chuckles when Johnny says he is looking for something under $50. Realizing his former sensei is serious, Demetri instead offers him an old weathered phone with a broken screen, which Johnny accepts, before backhandedly thanking Demetri for helping him out.
Back at the waterpark, Kenny and the Cobra Kai proceed to bully Anthony, burying him in inner tubes before kicking him into the pool. Eli promptly confronts them and quarrels with Kenny until Tory intervenes and suggests that Eli and the others stay on the other side of the park, away from Cobra Kai to avoid a potential fight. Eli agrees, provided that Cobra Kai does the same. Having observed Kenny's behavior, Robby approaches Tory and points out that Cobra Kai is not the right place for him.
At Silver's house, Daniel tries to convince Amanda that Silver is plotting something against them, but Amanda doubts he would do so in front of multiple witnesses at a charity auction. After Daniel leaves to put in a good word for her with Ava, Silver approaches Amanda to offer her a glass of wine. He tries to explain he is not Daniel's enemy and that he has a different vision for Cobra Kai, while also revealing that Daniel sent Chozen to disrupt his dojo and assault his prospective employees. Amanda is taken aback by this news.
Johnny's new job as a rideshare driver is off to a rough start; he is routinely late to pick up customers, disregards traffic laws, plays loud music, delivers cold food, and his Eagle Fang van is cluttered with empty beer cans, one of which he urinates in — to an unfortunate passenger's disgust. Unsurprisingly, he receives nothing but 1-star ratings and a litany of complaints.
Disgruntled with having to stay on their own side of the park, Mitch complains to Bert and Devon that the one ride he waited for all summer is currently in Cobra Kai territory. Fed up with the arrangement, Devon tells them they have just as much right to the park as anyone and marches off towards the Cobra Kai side, taking the two boys with her. A huge shoving match ensues between the two dojos, which Robby and Tory rush to break up. Miguel and Eli notice Robby getting physical with the Eagle Fang fighters, leading them to assume he is still with Cobra Kai. Before the situation can get out of hand, however, a lifeguard interrupts and threatens to kick them all out of the park.
Seeking a way to coexist with their rivals, Bert suggests a race down one of the largest waterslides at the park. Eli volunteers for his side, while Tory accepts his challenge on behalf of Cobra Kai and lays out the terms: Whoever wins gets the park for the day.
Back at the auction, Amanda relays to Daniel what Silver told her about Chozen, but Daniel claims he was just put in a bad situation and had to defend himself. Daniel is then called to the podium, where he presents his donation; a trio of rare, authentic bonsai trees. Silver wastes little time in outbidding everyone for the trees with a $30,000 donation, much to Daniel's chagrin. Silver then takes the opportunity to form a joint initiative with the charity and offer free karate lessons to underprivileged teens, encouraging everyone to enroll their children in Cobra Kai. Afterwards, Daniel advises Silver to treat the bonsai with respect, but Silver instead expresses an interest in grinding the plants into mulch.
Johnny delivers food to Lyle, the pawn shop owner, who is disgusted that Johnny sampled it first and promptly dumps it in the trash. When Johnny complains about all his bad reviews, Lyle suggests he simply quit, but Johnny explains he has a family to provide for now. The two men finally find common ground, both working jobs they hate to support the ones they love. Lyle reasons that once a person realizes what truly matters in life, working an unpleasant job becomes more tolerable. As with their previous interactions, Johnny seems to take Lyle's words to heart, but finally in a wholesome way this time.
As Tory and Eli prepare for their race, Robby approaches Kenny and confirms he is quitting Cobra Kai. He tries to convince Kenny that it will turn him into someone he doesn't want to be, but Kenny is resistant, claiming that Cobra Kai has made him stronger than ever and he will never quit. Disappointed in his former mentor, Kenny walks away.
Cheered on by the students of all the dojos, the race for the waterpark commences. However, Eli discovers that his inner tube has a leak which causes him significant slowdown. As a result, Tory wins the race easily, but the opposing side quickly calls them out for cheating, leaving Tory disturbed. Eli angrily confronts Kenny for sabotaging his inner tube, and a brief fight ensues; Eli gains the upper hand before Robby intervenes, pushing Eli into the pool. Miguel then faces off with Robby before the lifeguard arrives and ejects everyone from the park.
Upon noticing Silver discussing Amanda with Ava, Daniel confronts him and demands to know what he said. Preying upon Daniel's paranoia, Silver claims that he made disparaging comments about Amanda, causing Daniel to incidentally shove Silver into the bonsai trees, sending both crashing to the floor. Afterwards, Ava clarifies that Silver actually spoke very highly of Amanda, who walks out of the house in embarrassment due to Daniel's behavior. As Daniel follows her to apologize, Silver smirks, having succeeded in his plan to sow strife in Daniel's marriage.
Inspired by the pawn shop owner's wisdom, Johnny calls Shannon from the road and tells her he wants Robby to spend the summer with him instead, finally choosing to live up to his role as a father. To that end, Shannon allows him to pick up Robby from the waterpark instead, but not before Johnny misses the stop for yet another customer in his rideshare.
In the parking lot, Robby and Tory argue about who caused them to get kicked out of the waterpark. Robby insists it was all Cobra Kai's influence and gives her an ultimatum to choose between him and Cobra Kai. When Tory chooses the latter, Robby tells her he is done trying to help everyone and walks off. He soon finds himself in a heated argument with Miguel, which is broken up by Johnny who urges them to get along. Adamant that they will never be friends, the two teens go their separate ways.
Back at home, Amanda is furious with Daniel for ruining the charity event, claiming that he can never put his karate rivalry aside for even one day. Daniel blames the entire event on Silver's manipulation, but Amanda places most of the blame on Daniel for refusing to let the past go. Daniel counters that Silver will not stop until he ruins their lives and insists that he and Chozen will handle him, but Amanda declares she will not be there to see it — she then leaves Daniel, taking the kids with her.
Tropes:
- Aesop Amnesia:
- Daniel still hasn't learned that he needs to keep his temper in check when one of his foes is being a Villain with Good Publicity in public, as it just leads to him looking like the bad guy. This time, his actions end up alienating Amanda as well.
- Speaking of Amanda, she has forgotten that when Daniel is talking about how dangerous and sociopathic an old Cobra Kai sensei is, she needs to believe him before the bastard shows his true colors in the worst way.
- Oh Kyler...the fact that he still hassles Eli even though the latter is the reigning All-Valley Boys' champion who kicked his ass badly in the quarterfinals.
- Bait-and-Switch: The episode begins Johnny apparently having another rock-and-roll romantic dream about Carmen, only for it to be revealed that it's actually Carmen's dream.
- Being Good Sucks: After some Character Development, Eli wants nothing more than to avoid a fight, ignore Cobra Kai, and have nice day at the water park with Moon and their friends. But when they start hassling Anthony, he's reluctantly forced to step in.
- Big Sister Instinct: Sam doesn't exactly have the most favorable relationship with Anthony, but she draws the line at Yasmine trolling her brother.
- Brick Joke: After Daniel shut down Miyagi-do in the season opener, Demetri mentioned that he's probably going to have to get a summer job now. In this episode, we see the job he got is a technical support assistant with Tech Town.
- Bullying a Dragon: Eli is the current All-Valley champion and not only previously kicked Kyler's ass with almost no effort, but also decisively defeated Robby, who himself issued a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown to Kenny. Despite this, both Kenny and Kyler seem to think hassling Eli is a great idea. And that includes Kyler calling Eli "lip" again.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: When Kyler and Kenny comes across Anthony at the water park, Kyler doesn't recognize him. When Anthony points out that Kyler dated his sister (without saying Sam's name) and has been to their house before, Kyler remarks, "I date a lot of sisters."
- Call-Back: A double call-back! Carmen's 80s-styled dream of Johnny and their new baby resembles Johnny's dreams about him and Carmen possibly getting together, which happened back in Season 2. At the same time, Carmen expressed a fondness of Tom Cruise in Top Gun during season 4, and now Johnny in her dream mimics Cruise, even to the point of reenacting the famous volleyball scene.
- Cassandra Truth:
- Robby tries to warn Tory of the dangers of staying with Cobra Kai, but she rebuffs him. As a result, she spends the rest of the season terrified of crossing Silver and (later) being tortured by Sensei Kim.
- Robby also tries to warn Kenny as well, only again to be harshly rebuffed. Kenny eventually learns the hard way that Silver is only using him and cares about nothing but coming out on top.
- Finally, Daniel tries to warn Amanda that he's not overreacting to Silver, and that Silver is a master of psychological manipulation, but — as with Kreese — Amanda only finally believes Daniel after the villain has caused a lot more damage.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Kenny tries fixing the tube slide race for Cobra Kai by secretly poking a hole in Eli's tube so it'll deflate as he goes down the slide. But because of how easily noticeable it is, Eli quickly figures out what happened and confronts Kenny about it, which escalates into a fight that gets both sides kicked out anyway.
- Conflicting Loyalty: Robby finds himself struggling to reconcile his abandonment of Cobra Kai with his loyalty to Tory and Kenny.
- Continuity Nod: When Kenny and Kyler corner Anthony, the latter remarks on how Kyler used to date his sister and attended his house for dinner at one point (in Season 1).
- Curb-Stomp Battle: When Kenny finally attacks Eli, Eli easily fends him off until Robby comes in and pushes Eli into the pool.
- Double-Meaning Title: It refers to both the slides at the water park and how Silver/Cobra Kai are getting more influential while their enemies (particularly Robby and Daniel) feel helpless to counter them.
- Eating the Eye Candy: At the water park, Anthony can't help but check out the potential hot numbers he'll be seeing when he starts high school in the fall.note
- Face–Heel Turn: It's made clear in this episode that Kenny will never accept that he has gotten even with Anthony and will continue bullying him for the hell of it. Worse still, he feels his loyalty to Cobra Kai and Silver is more important than his friendship with Robby.
- Faux Affably Evil: Both Kenny and Kyler project a chummy and approachable tone when they speak to Anthony. This was only to lull Anthony into a false sense of security moments before Kenny kicks him at the lazy river.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing:
- Demetri is notably absent from the water park despite Yasmine and all his Miyagi-Fang friends being there; it's even shown Moon, Tory, and Sam meeting up with their current significant others (Miguel and Sam still have lingering feelings despite being on break with each other). When Johnny's scheduled tech appointment arrives, it turns out to be Demetri (to the dismay of both sides), who had mentioned his plan about getting a summer job earlier in "Long, Long Way From Home".
- While Carmen's romantic dream is very much like one of Johnny's dreams (and we're at first meant to think it's his), a hint that it's actually Carmen's comes in the way of how Johnny is dressed up and acting like Maverick from Top Gun, which is definitely not something Johnny would dream.
- Hard Truth Aesop: As Lyle (the pawn shop owner) tells Johnny, the reality is that most people find themselves in careers they don't like. But providing for your loved ones is more important than getting to do your dream job and keeping that perspective helps make doing that job easier.Lyle: You know, not everybody gets to do their dream job. Most people hate what they do. Think I ever wanted to work in a pawn shop, let alone own three? Dealing with the likes of you is the worst part of my day.
Johnny: Really? Why don't you quit?
Lyle: Because it pays the bills. But most of all, it allows me time for what matters most. My family.
Johnny: You have a family?
Lyle: Three kids. You'll never meet them. The point is, once you figure out what matters most, doing that other stuff gets a little easier because you know you're doing it for them. - Hourglass Plot: When Hawk first meets Kenny, he hassles him by pinning Kenny into the bathroom stall; Kenny could do nothing but panic. When Hawk first encounters Kenny in this season, Kenny becomes The Bully that attempts to intimidate Hawk, who has reformed as a Bully Hunter.
- Jar Potty: One of Johnny's many lapses in professionalism during his stint as an Uber driver.
- Jerkass Has a Point:
- When Kenny leads the Cobras in ganging up on Anthony, Anthony protests that not only did he apologize to Kenny for the bullying, but Kenny also gave him a beatdown at the All-Valley so he got his revenge. Unfortunately, Kenny's too far gone by this point.
- Once again, Lyle gives Johnny a snide lecture that ends up being (wittingly on Lyle's part or not) exactly what Johnny needed to hear.
- Kick the Dog: Silver makes an extravagant winning bid for Daniel's beloved bonsai plants, only to quietly tell Daniel that he plans to mulch them. He also makes Daniel believe (falsely) that he was badmouthing Amanda to the other country club patrons.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: Yasmine remains supportive of her friends, but it's clear that she still hasn't entirely shed her habit of pointless cruelty, as her idea to troll Anthony shows. In fairness to Yasmine, this is definitely less malicious compared to the cyber-bullying she used to do back in Season 1 and she seems to drop this idea the moment Sam voices her disapproval.
- Male Gaze: Plenty to be seen at the water park (even for female viewers), but one particular shot gives the audience a thorough toe-to-head one-over of a sunbathing Yasmine.
- Mr. Fanservice: Eli and Robby have another chance to show off their chiseled physiques.
- Ms. Fanservice:
- Yasmine and Tory wear bikinis at the water park. Moon and Sam also appear in swimsuits.
- Amanda wears a flattering dress when she attends the charity event at Silver's mansion.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Eli and Tory manage to broker a peace between the two groups at the water park by agreeing to keep to a side. Then Devon, Mitch, Bert, and Chris decide they're not content with the slides on their side and go over to the Cobra Kai side, kicking off tensions again and eventually getting everyone kicked out.
- Pet the Dog: As much shade as Lyle has thrown at Johnny over the series, he briefly hints that he hates being a pawn shop proprietor as much as Johnny hates being an Uber driver.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: When Kenny first sees Anthony again at the waterpark, he refers to him as “looking pretty pasty.” Whether or not he intended to, the word is considered derogatory toward white people.
- Rage Breaking Point: Daniel decides he's had enough of Silver's petty dickery and knocks him down. Unfortunately for Daniel, this alienates everyone else at the charity event, which is what Silver wanted all along.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: When it looks like another massive brawl is about to break out, the lifeguard is having none of it and kicks both Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Fang out of the water park.
- Refuge in Audacity: Johnny does all kinds of unprofessional things during his Uber fares, but the peak is peeing into an empty Coors can while driving. With his passenger indignantly watching from the backseat.
- Saying Too Much: Chozen takes responsibility for what happened at Barnes's furniture store. But Amanda knew nothing of that incident, and this becomes her final straw, causing her to distance herself from Daniel and taking both Sam and Anthony with her.
- Sherlock Scan: Shannon realizes Johnny has another baby coming from just a few (but very obvious) clues: his apartment was completely refurbished and fragrant, the lewd artwork had been taken down, and she recognized Johnny's uncertain expression from when she was pregnant with Robby (while Johnny was neatly folding some clothes, no less).
- This Is Gonna Suck: Hawk's reaction when he sees Cobra Kai bullying Anthony and knows he has to put a stop to it. He may not be afraid of Cobra Kai, but he's just so done with their antics.
- Thought They Knew Already: When Amanda rants about Daniel fighting, Chozen apologizes for the fight at the furniture store... which Amanda knew nothing about.
- Troll:
- Yasmine briefly contemplates on messing around with Anthony by flirting with him and asking him if he's been working out. Sam is not amused.
- Silver pretends to be badly injured by Daniel, who protests that he only shoved him lightly. In fact, the whole event is nothing but him using psychological warfare on Daniel.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Amanda calls out Daniel hard after he gets physical with Silver at the charity event, throwing a wrench into her dreams of social climbing.
- Writing Around Trademarks:
- Best Buy is alluded to when Demetri tells Johnny that he (as well as the other Tech Town employees) can't call himself a "Geek" on the job because the term was already taken by them.
- Johnny says he has to pick up some guy named Jimmy John, which he's likely mistaking for a sandwich from Jimmy John's.
- You Have to Believe Me!: Daniel tries desperately to convince Amanda of how Silver was manipulating him, and the situation, at the charity auction. But his story sounds crazy and she is furious at him for ruining her chances with the charity organization, so she does not believe him.
