All Valley
Directed by Steve Pink
The episode opens with Robby in a Training Montage as he performs various tasks around the LaRusso dealership — waxing cars, washing windows, sweeping floors, running the flag up the flagpole, and even stapling documents — all according to Daniel's personal instruction. After many long days of menial chores designed to teach him muscle memory, Robby gets frustrated about having learned nothing, much like Daniel felt with Mr. Miyagi. That night, Daniel spars with Robby for the first time and shows him what he has truly learned.
At the Cobra Kai dojo, Johnny is irritated to discover that his students are "flinchers" and orders a face-punching exercise to remedy their fear. In his office, he flips through a karate magazine and sees an ad for the upcoming All Valley Karate Championships. Miguel then enters to seek Johnny's advice about Sam, whom he wants to date. Johnny encourages him to pursue her, telling him that "all the babes want to date a Cobra Kai". Miguel then notices the ad, but Johnny says they are not yet ready for the tournament.
With Robby on his lunch break, his delinquent friends Trey and Cruz come to him with a proposal. They want Robby to acquire the security code for the dealership so that they can strip the cars for parts to sell. Robby is resistant, but the thugs threaten him with violence if he does not comply. Later that day, Robby secretly records Amanda inputting the security code for the door on his smartphone.
At school, Miguel approaches Sam to ask her out, but after her experience with Kyler, she is not interested in dating anyone. Following Johnny's advice, Miguel refuses to accept defeat, and Sam eventually agrees to a friendly outing. Miguel asks his fellow karate students where they should go, and Hawk suggests a tattoo parlor before removing his gi to reveal a soaring hawk with a blue mohawk inked upon his back. Their conversation is interrupted when Johnny, having called to sign his students up for the the All Valley, learns that Cobra Kai has been permanently banned from the competition. Johnny yearns to take his frustrations out on the committee, but Miguel tells him there might be a smarter way to fight back.
At the dealership, Robby strengthens his bond with Daniel by helping to trim the bonsai trees. When Trey and Cruz arrive later that night, Robby refuses to give them the code, unwilling to betray his new mentor's trust. Robby defends himself using the karate he has learned, but is eventually overwhelmed and cornered. He then points to a security camera above him, causing his attackers to promise revenge and flee.
As Johnny prepares to face the All Valley committee, Miguel takes Sam to the Golf N' Stuff Family Fun Center, and they spend the evening in a montage set to "Young Hearts" by Commuter, mirroring Daniel and Ali back in 1984. After a night of fun, Miguel attempts to demonstrate some of his karate skills on Sam, who easily turns the tables on him and pins him to the ground, where they kiss.
At the meeting, Johnny is taken aback to find Daniel on the committee, but proceeds to make his case for Cobra Kai to compete. The committee explains that the dojo was banned due to the unethical actions of John Kreese, Terry Silver, and Mike Barnes at the 1985 All Valley tournament, but Johnny has no knowledge of Silver or Barnes and tells them John Kreese is dead. He then explains how his new Cobra Kai differs from the old, in that he is helping bullied kids become stronger and more confident, and even adds that his students are making a difference in his own life as well. Johnny's sincere speech impresses the committee, who vote to reinstate Cobra Kai despite Daniel's adamant objections. Afterwards, Johnny and Miguel meet up at the dojo to celebrate their respective victories with a toast.
Tropes:
- Call-Back: It's revealed that Cobra Kai's ban was a result of Kreese, Terry Silver, and Mike Barnes’s actions in The Karate Kid Part III. Johnny quitting Cobra Kai after Kreese strangled him in The Karate Kid Part II is also acknowledged as when Johnny is questioned about Barnes and Silver, he tells the committee he has no idea who they are.
- Continuity Nod:
- Rather strangely, the Golf N' Stuff's sign remains broken since The Karate Kid. You'd think the place would've fixed that well before Miguel and Sam went there for their date.
- Daniel’s attempt to open a bonsai tree store called Mr. Miyagi's Little Trees reportedly did not last long after the events of Part III, something he attributes to bad luck.
- Deadpan Snarker: Consistently displayed throughout the episode.
- Amanda makes a snide comment about how Daniel is liking his training methods for Robby.Amanda: I think you're enjoying this a little too much.
- Miguel and Sam engage in friendly Snark-to-Snark Combat on their date, especially when Sam wins Señor Octopus.
- Amanda makes a snide comment about how Daniel is liking his training methods for Robby.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Sam gently turns down Miguel when he asks her out (though not for lack of interest), so instead he invites her to a friendly outing that's "Not a Date" which ends with "not a kiss".
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Miguel's date with Sam is a huge success and manages to win her over. Johnny successfully wins his appeal to overturn the ban and he is ready to start training for the All Valley Under 18 Tournament.
- Gargle Blaster: The "good stuff" Johnny cracks out for the toast. Miguel can't resist making a face when he sniffs it.Johnny: Drink it! It'll put hair on your balls.
- Hands-On Approach: Miguel tries this while teaching Sam a karate stance. She notices, but doesn't mind. To the contrary, she is happy to then demonstrate her own knowledge of karate.
- "Hell, Yes!" Moment: Johnny and Miguel celebrating they're "the man" together after Miguel's wonderful first date and Johnny's successful appeal to the committee.Johnny: Hell yeah we're in; Cobra Kai is back baby!
- Insecurity Camera: Subverted. When two of Robby's former criminal associates attack him because he refused to help them break into the dealership, he gets them to back off by pointing out that they are standing in front of a security camera that has captured the entire altercation.
- Irony: Miguel, in telling Johnny about his interest in Sam (without saying her name), claims that Johnny would "really like her". On first watch, this is funny because neither of them yet realize that Miguel is describing the daughter of Johnny's arch-nemesis. But this shifts from irony to deep Foreshadowing in Season 4, when Johnny and Sam do end up genuinely respecting each other.
- Jerkass Ball: Daniel still votes to ban Cobra Kai after Johnny gives a sincere speech about how he has broken from Kreese's teachings and made his own dojo a haven for bullied outcasts. Plus, Daniel holds a grudge against Cobra Kai for what Kreese, Silver, and Barnes did in the 1985 tournament, even though Johnny was not involved in that at all.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Having cut ties with Cobra Kai after Kreese strangled him in the second film, Johnny is unaware of what Kreese did with Terry Silver and Mike Barnes during the 1985 All-Valley Tournament that resulted in the dojo's ban. It actually works in his favor, as some of the committee are thankful to hear that Johnny's vision for the new Cobra Kai sounds nothing like the 80's era Cobra Kai.
- Never Speak Ill of the Dead: When asked about Kreese, Johnny says he died some time ago. The committee expresses condolences while Daniel is dismissive. This ends up alienating Daniel from the rest of the committee, and they side with Johnny on letting Cobra Kai compete.
- Noodle Incident: When Johnny first approaches the committee, they misunderstand why he is there, and reassure him that they have changed the tournament's food vendor.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: The All Valley Committee Members (with the exception of Daniel). Despite the lifetime ban, they are willing to allow Johnny to make his case, and turn out to be receptive to his plight, because he had broken ties with Kreese, never had any association with Silver or Barnes (whose antics resulted in the ban to start with), and seemed sincere about being a positive influence on his students. Not to mention that Daniel's seemingly inexplicable vehemence against Johnny, who kept his cool throughout the meeting, only served to make Johnny look more sympathetic to the other committee members.
- This Is Going to Suck: Johnny's reaction when he realizes that the late-arriving committee member is Daniel.
- Verbal Backspace: A fairly subtle one at the committee meeting, where Johnny calls his student a bunch of losers – then promptly changes it to "unique" before the board members catch on.
- Wax On, Wax Off: Daniel trains Robby this way by having him do various jobs around his car lot, like pulling up a flag, cleaning windows, and, yes, waxing cars. When Robby learns that Daniel wanted both lots done, he senses that he hadn't learned anything, gets frustrated with the chores (as Daniel himself once did), and storms off. Not at all discouraged, Daniel says "I love this part!" before asking to see what moves he's learned.
Johnny: Never accept defeat.
