Cobra Kai season 3, episode 6 recap – “King Cobra”

By Jonathon Wilson
Published: January 1, 2021 (Last updated: last month)
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Cobra Kai season 3, episode 6 recap - "King Cobra"
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Summary

“King Cobra” sees Cobra Kai preparing for war, as Johnny and Miguel both help to rehabilitate each other in unconventional ways.

This recap of Cobra Kai season 3, episode 6, “King Cobra”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.

Check out our spoiler-free season review.


“King Cobra” opens in Vietnam, 1968, with Kreese getting mail from Betsy. He’s summoned by a captain who considers him a real go-getter, encouraged by his lack of fear of death and the distinction he makes between that and having a death wish. Kreese wants to be a hero. The captain’s putting a team together to run operations deep behind enemy lines, which is a prospect that excites Kreese. In the present day, as we continue to hear the captain’s description of what’s required echo through the ages, Kreese goes on a recruitment tour, poaching the most ruthless candidates from a variety of sporting activities.

The new recruits include Kyler and Brucks, who used to bully Hawk, which puts something of a downer on his gloating over breaking Demetri’s arm. The dynamic is changing rapidly and Hawk isn’t going to be the top dog for long. In true Cobra Kai fashion, the new recruits have to compete for a spot.

Johnny’s attempts to rehabilitate Miguel begin to intersect with Miguel’s efforts to teach Johnny about modernity in “King Cobra”. Firstly, writing Ali a long message in all caps and liking all her photos isn’t the way to go. He needs new pictures, which is something Miguel can help him with. Perhaps it’ll be good for both of them.

Daniel, meanwhile, returns from Japan in high spirits but is brought back to reality by what Amanda tells him about Kreese and Cobra Kai. She wants to go to the police, but when they get there they learn that Kreese has already reported Amanda for striking him and has a restraining order out against her. She believes she has another option, but it’s the “nuclear” one and she hates it. But needs must, I suppose.

At Cobra Kai, sparring results in Assface being beaten by Kyler and thus ejected from the team, while flashbacks to Kreese’s time in Vietnam are interspersed. Kreese receives another letter from Betsy which his new captain keeps from him, its contents obviously important enough to make for a dangerous distraction. Tory wins her sparring match, and Hawk beats Brucks half to death to the point that even Tory looks uncomfortable, making a rather strong point to Kyler, who suddenly doesn’t look so smug.

While Miguel and Johnny are out on their photography tour, the former actually runs into Tory. She tries to apologize and explains how they’re trying to get back at Miyagi-Do on his behalf, but he says he never really cared. She accuses him of going out with her just to get at Sam, and he counters by saying that she’s the one who needs help, not just her mom. It’s a sour conversation that offends her, and she leaves. But Miguel still has a pretty good day. Despite him and Johnny getting into a pretty nasty argument about the latter pretending to be someone he’s not and letting everyone think he’s a p***y, Miguel gets so incensed that he stands up under his own power. It’s enough of a motivation for Johnny that he writes a completely honest response to Ali laying out what he has really been up to, uploading pictures of his time with the Cobra Kai kids. Of course, he bottles it, deletes the whole message, and simply replies with, “Not much, u?” in response to her asking what he’s been doing.

Amanda’s so-called nuclear option is to meet with Kreese’s landlord, Armand, and bribe him into evicting Kreese. But it doesn’t exactly go to plan. Armand agrees, and he and his nephews, Erik and Grigor, interrupt one of Kreese’s flashbacks to tell him he can’t rent there anymore. Kreese was remembering a moment of hesitation on a mission that cost the life of his friend and comrade, so he isn’t in the best of moods. We don’t see the outcome of this encounter, but it’s very much implied when Armand calls to tell Daniel and Amanda that their deal is off. Kreese takes the phone and tells Daniel to prepare his students for battle since now it’s open season on both them and him. Screaming from downstairs reveals that there’s a snake in the dealership.


What did you think of Cobra Kai season 3, episode 6, “King Cobra”? Comment below.

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