Summary
“Now You’re Gonna Pay” lives up to its title, with the theme of money threading prominently throughout, as several characters have to shelve their pride.
This recap of Cobra Kai season 3, episode 3, “Now You’re Gonna Pay”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.
Longstanding fans of The Karate Kid will be pleased to see Bobby in “Now You’re Gonna Pay”, and amused to learn he has become a preacher, of all things. A drunk Johnny interrupts his sermon about forgiveness, proving he has a funny sense of timing, while Bobby asks for pre-emptive forgiveness before sweeping his legs out from beneath him. They later talk, and we learn that Bobby put a good word in with the judge to get Johnny off lightly after the parking lot incident in the premiere. They have a nice chat, during which Johnny insists he won’t go to his step-father, Sid, despite him being loaded and Johnny needing the money. We know what that means, don’t we?
After Daniel narced on him, Robby is in prison and is refusing to answer his old sensei’s calls. We get the sense this has been going on for a while. In fairness, Daniel isn’t doing well either. Business is still down at the dealership, and a very smug Tom Cole turns up with Anoush and an offer to buy the company. While Daniel and Amanda negotiate with him, Anoush tells Louie that Cole has signed an exclusive contract with the Japanese distributor Doyona, convincing them to cut ties with the LaRussos completely. If they don’t sell up, they’re going to be ruined.
Money is definitely a theme of “Now You’re Gonna Pay”. Miguel needs cash to pay for a surgery that may or may not enable him to walk again. When Sam goes to see him in the hospital, she gives him a card that reminds him of their date at the fair, but their romantic moment is interrupted by Hawk. Later, when she and the rest of Miyagi-Do try to raise money for Miguel’s operation with help from the cheerleaders, Hawk spots her again and becomes furious, as ever. He’s everywhere! Johnny is also trying to raise capital by pawning his stuff, including the Dodge Caravan Robby stole from the LaRusso dealership, but all his possessions are worthless.
After talking to Anoush, Daniel confirms the bad news. Cole is hoping other dealers pull out too, leaving the LaRussos ruined. Daniel takes the opportunity to explain how Mr. Miyagi got him into selling cars, laying out the importance of following one’s passion (in a nice touch, Amanda mouths along, having heard it all before.) But this idealism doesn’t solve their current predicament. They can’t compete without Doyona and if they don’t sell up they might end up with nothing at all. Some compromises are going to have to be made.
The same goes for Johnny, who ends up visiting Sid after all. The meeting, predictably, doesn’t go well, but Johnny is able to retain his pride by threatening Sid with exposing what happened with his secretary — creating one of those “hash brown Me Too” things — and stealing an expensive ornament on his way out. Elsewhere, Hawk and his boys jack the proceeds from the car wash, which Miyagi-Do reports to Sam — she opens up Miyagi-Do again, with her in the sensei role. It’s better than nothing, especially since Cobra Kai evidently aren’t going to let sleeping dogs lie.
In a little moment of triumph, Daniel and Amanda tell Tom to do one, as does Anoush, who gets his old job back. They have a plan, and as “Now You’re Gonna Pay” ends, we see Daniel arriving in Tokyo.
But it isn’t all good. Johnny, having pawned Sid’s ornament, is able to pay for Miguel’s surgery. At the hospital, he asks that his name be kept out of it, but Carmen sees what he does, and her mother asks him to stay and pray with them. He does, missing his visitation with Robby, who is really getting the short end of the stick in this season, isn’t he?
What did you think of Cobra Kai season 3, episode 3, “Now You’re Gonna Pay”? Comment below.
