Summary
Peyton List stands out in an atypically dramatic episode that really ups the stakes for Part 2 and 3.
Cobra Kai is known for being much more of a comedy than a drama, but Episode 5 of Season 6, “Best of the Best”, bucks that trend entirely. The Part 1 finale shunts Peyton List to the forefront, and she delivers perhaps the best performance of the series thus far as she grapples with a terrible loss that completely alters the dynamic of the upcoming Sekai Taikai.
Throughout this season the show has avoided forced conflict to splinter the Miyagi-Do team, but while the outcome of this episode does once again put Tory on the opposing side, it’s under much different circumstances than usual. The days of petty high school rivalries seem to be done with now, and the stakes are much more serious.
Trouble In Paradise
Following the events of Episode 4, things aren’t going swimmingly for Miyagi-Do. Hawk and Demetri still aren’t getting on, Kenny still thinks that Anthony poisoned him, and the pressure of the upcoming Sekai Taikai is getting to everyone, especially the six students who have been chosen to represent the dojo in the tournament.
Since a male and a female captain need to be chosen, that means that both Sam and Tory and Robby and Miguel will need to fight each other to determine who gets the honor. These are rehashes of old conflicts, of course, but in new contexts, since everyone is ostensibly on the same side now.
“Best of the Best” does a good job of weaving the competitive elements into the ongoing character arcs. Tory has a lot riding on the tournament since she has no other prospects and still feels slighted by Silver having bribed the ref in her All-Valley win. Miguel, too, after being referred by Stanford, thinks winning the tournament is the best path for his future.
A Tragic Loss
Early in the episode, Kreese reveals himself to Tory and tries to recruit her. She rejects him, but this proves vital at the end of the episode.
Tory is still caring for her mother, who seems to be getting better. That is until Tory returns home and finds her dead on the floor. She has suffered a pulmonary embolism. There was nothing anybody could do, but Tory understandably takes the loss incredibly hard. She gets angry. She lashes out. And, crucially, she keeps the development to herself.
Since this happens right on the eve of her fight against Sam, it affects everything that happens next. Cobra Kai handles this exceptionally well, and List is superb. Credit must also be given to Charlotte Ann Tucker, who plays a young version of Tory in a couple of flashback sequences that highlight Tory’s relationship with her mother and the difficult circumstances they had to navigate to get to the present day (reader, my girlfriend sobbed watching this.)
Old Habits
The Miyagi-Do students are once again forced to fight among themselves | Image via Netflix
In the midst of all this, Daniel and Johnny slip into some of their old habits and begin trying to actively sabotage each other. Tensions erupt completely when Daniel keeps Johnny at work doing test drives so that he can secretly coach Robby and Sam, and Johnny catches him in the act. While his efforts to try and start his own dealership with all of Daniel’s staff are clearly bluster, a line has definitely been crossed.
Amanda is able to smooth things over, though, by telling Johnny about Daniel’s recent Miyagi-related discoveries, blaming them for him acting out of character. They both apologize and agree to referee the matches, but there are still some simmering undercurrents.
The Captains Are Determined
Robby defeats Miguel after overcoming a 2-0 deficit to cement himself as the boys’ captain, spurred on by the sudden arrival of Tory. But Tory doesn’t exactly look happy to be there, and when her match with Sam begins, there’s wild aggression and desperation behind her eyes.
During the match, Amanda gets the call about Tory’s mother and tells Daniel to call the fight off immediately. He does, but Tory is furious, accusing him of taking sides. To an extent, so does Johnny, who thinks that allowing her to fight through her problems will help her in the same way it helped him.
This leads to the match being suspended, Tory storming off, and Daniel and Johnny arguing. Johnny says some unsavory things about Mr. Miyagi because of what Amanda told him, and Daniel hits him. Both men agree that they’ll continue to work together to win the Sekai Taikai, but after that, they’re done.
Since Tory has gone, Hawk takes her spot, and Sam becomes the girls’ captain. Daniel bestows the captains with the Sekai Taikai headbands. As he’s putting Sam’s on, though, he suddenly recognizes it — there is one in Miyagi’s box. He must have competed in the tournament.
Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 5, and thus Part 1, concludes with the Miyagi-Do team arriving in Barcelona, where they and the other competing teams line up around the mats of the Sekai Taikai arena. They’re shocked to see Kreese and Da-eun arrive with a new batch of Cobra Kai students — and they’re more surprised still to see that Tory is among them.
Read More: Cobra Kai Season 6, Episode 1 Explained
