The Right Path
Directed by Lin Oeding
Daniel meets with Dayona's board to discuss reinstating their sponsorship of LaRusso Auto Group, but the Dayona executives rebuff his attempt, citing their wish to avoid "negative PR". Now despondent, Daniel drowns his sorrows at a local bar until he sees a travel commercial for Okinawa — the homeland of Mr. Miyagi, which he visited with his old teacher as a teenager.
Kreese continues indoctrinating his students about the values of underhandedness and ruthlessness. He challenges them to kick a bonsai plant that is balanced at the top of a tall log. The first two students fail to kick high enough to reach the plant, but Hawk succeeds by kicking the log, causing the plant to crash to the floor. Another student claims that Hawk "cheated", but Kreese replies that there is no such thing as cheating, only fighting smart.
Following his surgery, Miguel continues to fear that he will never walk again. Johnny, too, is deeply concerned about Miguel's recovery, but for now is content to leave him to his family.
Daniel arrives in Okinawa, but is dismayed to find that Tomi Village — now Tomi Village Green — has been heavily gentrified, resembling an American shopping mall as much as the bucolic little town he remembers from his previous visit. He learns that Sato built the mall to help the village survive after a crop failure, bringing the villagers a whole new economy, including modern homes and prosperity. Daniel is pleasantly surprised when he encounters Kumiko, his love interest from his first visit to Okinawa... and she is delighted to see him, as well.
Johnny visits Robby while he is doing community service, but Robby resents his presence, as he has given up any hope of reconnecting with his father, especially given Johnny's continued ties with Miguel. Discouraged, Johnny goes to a bar for solace, only to be approached by Kreese, who hopes to lure Johnny (and Miguel) back into the Cobra Kai fold. Johnny responds by threatening to kill Kreese if he goes anywhere near Miguel or his family. Unfazed, Kreese leaves, confident that Johnny will still come around to his way of thinking.
Demetri brings his Earth Science project to the school cafeteria — a dinosaur-themed Lego volcano that impresses even Yasmine. Hawk "accidentally" smashes the volcano with his soccer ball, enraging Demetri, who spent three weeks putting it together. A confrontation erupts between the Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai students, with Hawk goading Sam into shoving him. Counselor Blatt then confronts them, but Hawk manipulates her into believing that Sam started everything.
Later, the two sides participate in a school soccer game. Eager for payback, Sam encourages her fellow Miyagi-Do students to deliberately foul their Cobra-Kai rivals. The Cobra Kai students are all too willing to return the favor, remembering Kreese's lesson about "fighting smart". The two sides proceed to foul each other back and forth until the frustrated referee sends both teams to the principal's office. Hawk again manipulates Blatt, and the Miyagi-Do students are punished instead of the Cobra Kai students, infuriating Sam.
Back in Okinawa, Daniel and Kumiko meet, with the latter revealing that she accomplished her dream of becoming a worldwide dancer. Daniel is delighted to see her again, even as his current troubles still weigh heavily on his mind. He expresses his wish that Miyagi (who always seemed to have everything figured out) was still present to guide him. Kumiko states that she can make that happen, taking Daniel to read Miyagi's old letters to Yukie. Miyagi's final letter describes his pride in the man Daniel had become and his thankfulness to have been part of his student's life. Daniel is brought to tears of joy at this final gift from his old teacher.
Johnny at last approaches Miguel again, reaffirming that he will always be Miguel's sensei. He takes a tough approach to Miguel's rehabilitation, telling him to crawl if that's what it takes to move forward. Miguel falls while trying to leave his bed, but Johnny nonetheless tells him that he "fell like a champ".
After enduring another round of taunting from his fellow inmates, Robby is notified that he has a visitor. He proceeds to the common area, where he finds John Kreese waiting for him.
Daniel and Kumiko are relaxing in a bar when another memorable figure from Daniel's past suddenly calls out his name — his former nemesis Chozen.
Tropes:
- Adults Are Useless: Counselor Blatt reaches new levels of incompetence when she buys all of Hawk's Blatant Lies about the Miyagi-do teens, and lets him off the hook while punishing Sam and Demetri without even listening to their side. Thankfully averted with the gym teacher.
- Artistic License – Military: The soldier extras in Okinawa have no nametapes, US Army tapes, or ranks. They also wear white t-shirts under their uniforms instead of tan ones.
- Blatant Lies:
- Everything Hawk says to Blatt about the altercations with Miyagi-Do. He can only barely wait until her back is turned before sneering at the Miyagi-Do students in victory.
- After Sam hits a locker and storms off, Demetri claims "I don't really know her that well." It's such a pathetically unbelievable lie that even Blatt gives him a withering look.
- The Bus Came Back: Kumiko returns for the first time since the conclusion of Part II, as does Chozen at the end of the episode.
- Call-Back: Sam, humiliated by Cobra Kai in a soccer game, ends up ranting "This school sucks!" like her father before her.
- Coincidental Broadcast: The Okinawa commercial that comes on while Daniel is remembering happier times with Mr. Miyagi, which leads him to his next destination.
- Crime of Self-Defense: To prove just how ineffective the school's measures are in preventing bullying are, the Cobra Kai students have taken to provoking the Miyagi-Do students in spiteful and nasty ways, only to play the victim when Counselor Blatt conveniently walks in when the Miyagi-Do students try to defend themselves and take their side at every turn.
- Cutaway Gag: When Daniel is at the bar with Kumiko, the camera does a close-up of ice slabs being arranged like the memorable ice-breaking challenge from Part II... but the next shot reveals that's just the bartender preparing ice for the drinks.
- Cutting the Knot: Kreese gives the students a lesson in this when he instructs them to knock a bonsai tree off a tall log. After two Cobra Kai students fail to kick the tree off the top, Hawk simply kicks the log, knocking the bonsai tree onto the ground. Kreese praises him for thinking outside the box and reminds the other students he never said they weren't allowed to touch the log.
- Dead Man Writing: A variant. Kumiko shows Daniel a collection of letters that Mr. Miyagi wrote to Yukie while he was still alive, but the very last letter was written the exact week he died.
- Death Glare: Daniel gets one from Chozen.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Blatt insists that the Miyagi-Dos are sentenced to rehabilitative detention and not punitive detention. From Sam's reaction, it sure feels like a punishment either way.
- Drowning My Sorrows: After his negotiation with Doyona goes nowhere, the despondent Daniel starts to crack under the pressure of everything that's gone wrong and goes to a nearby bar to drown his sorrows. So does Johnny after Robby spurns him yet again.
- Exact Words: Doug Rickenberger accuses Hawk of cheating for kicking the log to make the bonsai tree fall, but Kreese refutes him, as he never specifically said anything about not touching the log.Doug: But [Hawk] cheated.
Kreese: No, he didn't. Unlike you, he did exactly what I asked him to do. - Foreshadowing: Johnny threatens Kreese the exact same way Chozen threatened Daniel years ago. Lo and behold, Chozen himself appears in the end of the episode, complete with a flashback of that scene.Johnny: Go anywhere near Miguel or his family... and I'll kill you.
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Chozen: Insult my honor again... and I'll kill you. - Fish out of Water: Daniel has one such moment when he discovers Tomi Village has turned into a mall. The blow is lightened when he discovers the villagers welcomed the change and he reunites with Kumiko.
- I'll Kill You!: Johnny threatens to end Kreese if he goes anywhere near Miguel or his family.
- Kick the Dog:
- Noting Sam's previous relationships, Hawk advises her to sleep with a new guy and break his heart. This prompts her into shoving him before Blatt interrupts them."Yeah, like you'll start anything, princess. Actually, why don't you go sleep around with someone new and break his heart?"
- As usual, Payne seizes an opportunity to be cruel to Robby, this time mocking his troubled relationship with his father, Sam, and basically everyone else.
- Noting Sam's previous relationships, Hawk advises her to sleep with a new guy and break his heart. This prompts her into shoving him before Blatt interrupts them.
- Kick Them While They're Down: Sam does this after tackling a Cobra Kai student to the ground, purposely stomping his chest while completely ignoring the ball.
- Kick The Son Of A Bitch: After Demetri's Lego volcano gets destroyed, he wastes no time in again taunting Hawk about his former bedwetting problem in front of a crowd. Hawk is unfazed by his taunts this time, however.Demetri: Another week, another pissing contest. Well, I shouldn't be surprised, since you love pissing so much.
Hawk: You landed one kick. You got lucky. - Loophole Abuse: The Miyagi-Dos use the soccer match as an opportunity to get back at the Cobra Kais, by way of subtlety deliberate fouling. The Cobra Kais are only too eager to foul them right back. After a few minutes of this, however, the referee is fed up and sends both dojos to the principal's office.Sam: What's a game of soccer without a little physical contact?
- The Mall: Tomi Village Green, the new iteration of the ancient Tomi Village, which is where most of Daniel's B-plot is spent. The traditional Okinawan village has been pretty much entirely displaced by a modern retail space which looks very much like an American mall.
- Manipulative Bastard: While bullying the Miyagi-Do kids, Hawk is twice able to slip back into his meek Eli persona, saying all the buzzwords Counselor Blatt wants to hear while making Miyagi-Do look like the aggressive ones.
- Martial Arts and Crafts: Looking to exploit a Loophole Abuse, Sam leads the Miyagi-Do kids into getting a bit rougher with Cobra Kai while playing soccer. This leads a bicycle kick into an "accidental" spin kick to their forehead. In a subversion of Adults Are Useless, the gym coach catches on quick enough and both sides get in trouble.
- Miscarriage of Justice: Counselor Blatt only punishes Miyagi-Do and not both them and Cobra Kai after the soccer incident. This is downplayed of course, as the former started the fight.
- Mythology Gag: Kumiko mentions seeing the Cranberries perform "Dreams" in 1995. Mr. Miyagi listens to "Dreams" during The Next Karate Kid.
- Not Bad: Yasmine is genuinely impressed with Demetri's earth science project and the work he put into it.
- Oh, Crap!: Daniel's reaction when he is surprised by an apparently very angry Chozen.
- The One That Got Away: Daniel learns that Kumiko never married, which she is fine with as she led a full life balancing her passion for dancing and being with friends and family in her home village. As Daniel is skeptical that no one has tried to lock her down, she remarks that "None of them fought to the death over me" in reference to Part II.
- Pet the Dog: Johnny visits Miguel in the hospital and gives him some words of encouragement, telling him he'll always be his teacher.
- Polite Villains, Rude Heroes: This exchange happens between Kreese and Johnny:Kreese: You may hate my guts, but I will always be your teacher. I know you more than you know yourself, and there's only one way to get you out of this funk, the way of the fist. You were the best, Johnny, and you can teach that to these kids, you've done it before. And when our boy comes back, well, we'll help him get on his feet.
Johnny: Go anywhere near Miguel or his family... and I'll kill you. - Political Correctness Is Evil: As before, Counsellor Blatt is far more concerned about crass language and hearing the right buzzwords than about the very real (and escalating) conflict between the students.Blatt: Did [Sam] enter your personal bubble without your verbal consent?
Hawk: Yeah, she definitely triggered me in my safe space. - Profanity Police: Blatt reprimands Sam for calling bullshit over the school's handling of the fight between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do in a soccer match.Sam: This is bullshit!
Blatt: Miss LaRusso! That is not how we express ourselves here. I think you need two weekends of rehabilitative detention. - Reasonable Authority Figure: The referee of the soccer game. When Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do start deliberately fouling each other, she gives enforcing the rules a good old try, but once it becomes clear that they aren't going to stop with the nonsense, she is quick to eject both sides from the field. Counselor Blatt meanwhile, is a walking breathing embodiment of Miscarriage of Justice.
- Refuge in Audacity: During the soccer game, the fouls between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do become increasingly brazen, culminating with Sam kicking a Cobra Kai student in the face with the ball nowhere in sight. This last hit is the final straw for the frustrated referee.
- Ship Tease: A very subtle amount as Daniel learns Kumiko never married. While Daniel is Happily Married to Amanda, when he and Kumiko accidentally touch hands they both blush in embarrassment.
- So Proud of You: Mr. Miyagi's final letter to Yukie before his death states that he is proud of the man Daniel has become ever since the two first met, and is thankful to have been a part of his life.
- Stranger in a Familiar Land: Tomi Village was already pretty much a relic of the past when Daniel visited in 1985. By 2018, the odds of it looking the same are practically nil. While Daniel is shocked and disappointed, one of the locals explains that the development of retail space was the only way for the village to survive catastrophic crop failures, and while the loss of the traditional lifestyle may be sad, it also meant that the locals were making more money, had more infrastructure, and all around a better quality of life.
- Tears of Joy: Daniel's reaction to Mr. Miyagi's final letters, particularly the So Proud of You bits where Miyagi described his feelings about Daniel and his family. (The viewers could be forgiven some Manly Tears of their own at this point, too.)
- Tempting Fate: Given the situation in the school, viewers could guess what would happen the minute Demetri brought his Earth Science project into the cafeteria, especially given the Cobra Kais playing with their soccer ball nearby. Between Demetri lovingly describing how much effort he'd put into the project, his proud claim that it guaranteed his group an "A", and it getting a "wow" reaction out of Yasmine, that Lego volcano was 100% doomed.
- Threw My Bike on the Roof: Hawk destroys Demetri's earth science project with a soccer ball for no reason other than to spite him.
- Unwanted Assistance: Robby refuses his father's offer to help him lift a large food pot to a counter, but Johnny insists on it anyway.
- Villainous Gentrification: Notably defied. Daniel is dismayed about the new developments at Tomi Village, which no longer resembles the idyllic village he remembers from his youth, but the villagers themselves welcomed the changes as it gave the village a new economy — and a way to survive after a drastic crop failure threatened its continued existence. For bonus points, it was Sato himself (post-Heel–Face Turn) who spearheaded the changes (and this time, it wasn't out of greed, unlike what he did with the tuna plant in Part II).
- Wham Shot: Chozen appears at the end of the episode, with a confronting Death Glare directed towards Daniel.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Tomi Village Green seems waaay too big to occupy just the space of the old Tomi Village. Also, there is no sight of the old United States Air Force Base that was built next door, which occupied a great part of what had been Tomi Village land (and would have been most unhappy to have a possible security compromise next door).
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Hawk and Cobra Kai destroy Demetri's Lego volcano (a science project) with a soccer ball, then feign to the counselor that it was an accident and that Demetri shouldn't have brought his toys to school. She believes them.
Daniel: I hope so.
