Summary
“Underdogs” is the most focused episode yet, reigniting some old rivalries as the Miyagi-Do students compete among themselves to determine the Sekai Taikai team.
“Underdogs” is the most focused episode of Cobra Kai Season 6 thus far, and the one most reminiscent of earlier seasons in how it’s built on seemingly friendly and lighthearted conflict hiding a slightly more sinister undercurrent. Episode 4 finds the Miyagi-Do students reeling from the previous episode’s revelation that only six of them will be traveling to Barcelona for the Sekai Taikai.
This means that the entire dojo has to compete against itself to determine who’ll make the cut, leading to many old rivalries and resentments bubbling back to the surface. Smartly, the episode doesn’t bother to check in on Kreese and Cobra Kai and instead hones in on the internal competition, with Barnes returning to shake up the usual dynamic.
The Top 12
Barnes is brought in to provide an objective viewpoint. Daniel and Johnny have their own ideas about who the six students should be, and they’re rooted in certain biases. Daniel suggests Anthony, for instance, clearly for no reason other than he’s his son, while Johnny is adamant about Devon.
Barnes is looking for excellence in speed, strength, endurance, and teamwork, and puts them to work in a number of different challenges to whittle the larger group down to a top 12.
Most of that Top 12 consists of the usual suspects, but there are some more surprising inclusions such as Mitch — aka Penis Breath — and Demetri. Devon also makes the cut, and in a refreshing turn, it’s the dynamic between her, Kenny, Demetri, and Hawk that comprises the bulk of the drama.
The Top 6
(L to R) Nathaniel Oh as Nate, Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso, Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny, Oona O’Brien as Devon, Khalil Everage as Chris, Gianni DeCenzo as Demetri, Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene, Jacob Bertrand as Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz, Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz in Cobra Kai. Cr. Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix © 2024
Barnes uses a capture-the-flag battle royale to determine the Top 6, but it ends up being a lot more complicated than intended.
There is, at least, a clear top four — Tory, Sam, Robby, and Miguel. No surprises there. But the bottom four — Hawk, Demetri, Devon, and Kenny — are all tied, meaning that Barnes will need to evaluate and determine two winners based on his own criteria.
Johnny, who has clashed with Barnes throughout the entire process, doesn’t like this idea since he thinks it disadvantages Devon. He visits Barnes to insist he gives her a fair shake, and the two end up fighting. Johnny wins, but both men bond over their respective glory days being behind them.
After this, Barnes declares it’s too close to call. To determine two winners, the four remaining students will have to play a final game of capture the flag out in the woods.
The Final 2
It’s here where some of the character-based subplots come home to roost.
Throughout Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 4, Hawk has been trying to tell Demetri that he hasn’t yet applied to MIT. Both of them had planned on going there together since they were kids, and Demetri has already gotten in, but Hawk, inspired by his trip to the “safety school” in Episode 2, wants to keep his options open.
When Demetri finally finds out about this he’s devastated, and of course, the two of them come face to face over one of the flags. They fight, and Demetri lands a cheap shot — cementing something of a heel turn — to secure the victory.
Meanwhile, Kenny is forced to abandon his pursuit of the flag due to sudden, explosive diarrhea. As it turns out, he accidentally imbibed some laxatives which found their way into his water bottle, and he immediately fancies Anthony for the crime. This leaves Devon with essentially a free pass to Barcelona.
At the end of the episode, though, it’s revealed that Devon was the one who drugged Kenny’s water to ensure her spot. Daniel is rightly worried that with Demetri and Devon, Miyagi-Do won’t be fielding their strongest team at the Sekai Taikai. And that’s to say nothing of the potential repercussions of the events in the final game.
Read More: Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 5 Explained
