We Need To Talk About That Insane ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 2 Finale

Let’s talk about the most important moment of the Cobra Kai Season 2 finale: The use of the song “Cruel Summer.” Kidding. Although I not only love Kari Kimmel’s emotional, stripped-down version of the classic tune, but I audibly gasped when the series dropped Bananarama’s original version into the finale to mirror the way it was introduced in the original Karate Kid movie. It was a joyous moment in between two long-stewing — and if we’re being honest, inevitable — battles. The first was a relatively brief dust-up between the youth karate version of the Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote, Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. The second melee was an all-out war between the Cobra Kai dojo and Miyagi-Do Karate.

The simmering rivalry finally reached its explosive crescendo with an epic ten-minute free-for-all that featured the analogs from each faction squaring off. It was Tory vs. Samantha, Hawk vs. Demetri, Mitch vs. Chris, Stingray vs. Unemployment, and of course, the main event:

Oh, and also Miguel vs. Robby.

You know the backstory. Miguel used to date Sam; Robby is now dating Sam, Miguel and Sam kissed at Moon’s party. Robby is Johnny’s son; Johnny is a surrogate father to Miguel; and Robby is living with the LaRusso family. This fight was unavoidable. In my Season 2 review, I mentioned how the overarching theme of the new season is the complex relationship between mercy and honor. During the end of Miguel and Robby’s skirmish, Miguel has the opportunity to finish off his opponent, to live up to the old credo of Cobra Kai and show “no mercy.” Instead, he remembers what Sensei Lawrence, who in a world of flawed characters has morphed into the unlikely voice of reason, told him at the beginning of the season.

“I wasn’t taught the difference between mercy and honor and I payed the price for it. If I’m extra hard on you, it’s only because you have the potential to be better than I ever was.” Miguel takes a beat, relinquishes his hold on Robby, and apologizes. He shows mercy. In a typical show, that’d be enough. The pupil learns an important lesson from his sensei, implements the message, and is rewarded for his virtue. But Cobra Kai isn’t your typical series.

Unfortunately, Miguel is punished for his virtue and finds himself on the wrong end of a spin kick from Robby that sends him flying over the railing of a second story landing, falling backwards onto a bannister below. In the end it’s Robby, the star pupil from the peaceful Miyagi-Do dojo, who ends up being the one who shows no mercy.

What does all of this mean for a (probable) Season 3? Let’s discuss.

Does Miguel Die in Cobra Kai? Is Miguel Really Dead?

The season concludes with Miguel lying in a hospital bed, his fate unknown. During a recent interview with IndieWire, Cobra Kai co-creator Josh Heald spoke about the heartbreaking scene.

“We knew we were going to end the season with Miguel in peril and seeing that not everything just resolves in a black eye and shaking hands the next day,” Heald said. “If this fight is going on for this long with the many people, it’s inevitable that somebody’s going to get hurt pretty badly. That’s the first time we’ve seen that in 20 episodes, with all these characters knowing pretty extreme forms of karate, and it’s surprising that we haven’t seen a character get this hurt before.”

Unfortunately, we’re probably going to have to wait until we get closer to Season 3 to learn Miguel’s fate. With that said, Cobra Kai is ultimately a story about redemption. Miguel suffering a legitimate injury raises the stakes for everyone involved and heightens the conflict between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do. My guess? Miguel will survive and be back for Season 3.

Johnny Is Kicked Out Of Cobra Kai

Another huge development saw John Kresse return to power as the new sensei of Cobra Kai. With Miguel injured, the students are looking to embrace the “strike first, strike hard, no mercy” philosophy that Kreese instilled in the original Cobra Kai three decades ago. What does this mean for Season 3? One of my favorite pop cultures tropes is sworn enemies forced to work together to take down a more serious threat.

At the end of Season 2, Johnny and Daniel share a grim, silent elevator ride that says so much without either person uttering a single word. Their rivalry has gotten way out of control and now a teen’s life hangs in the balance. Could Season 3 be the beginning of an uneasy alliance between the two? Will Daniel and Johnny join forces to take down John Kreese’s new Cobra Kai? Time will tell.

More Karate Kid 2 Easter Eggs?

I wrote about a few of the Karate Kid Easter eggs from Season 2 in my review, but Tory showing no mercy to Samantha in Cobra Kai and Daniel showing mercy to Chozen in Karate Kid 2 appear to be mirror images of each other.

Another interesting callback:

Tory: “This isn’t a tournament. There are no rules.” (Cobra Kai)
Mr. Miyagi: “Daniel-son, this not tournament; this for real.” (Karate Kid 2)

What About The Ali Mills Schwarber (Elisabeth Shue) Of It All?

Nothing is confirmed, but all signs point to Elisabeth Shue appearing in Season 3. You only end the season on that kind of tease if you plan on bringing Ali Mills Schwarber back into the mix at some point.

All of these questions will be addressed if (but, honestly, more like when) YouTube renews Cobra Kai for Season 3.

Where to stream Cobra Kai