Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 3: The Laura Lawrence Tribute Explained

Contains Spoilers for "Cobra Kai" Season 6, Part 3

Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) is finally getting beyond his sense of self-doubt and self-loathing. His redemption arc is one of the best things about "Cobra Kai," and, after years of trying to build a relationship with Carmen Diaz (Vanessa Rubio), he's finally happy. Johnny manages to find true love in "Cobra Kai," and now he and Carmen are building a family together.

While early in Season 6 there's some concern that Carmen might miscarry, she holds on through the Sekai Taikai. When it's shut down and restarted, Johnny must figure out his priorities. But then he rushes to the hospital and declares that he wants nothing more than to marry his girlfriend there and then — before the baby comes. With both of their sons, her mother, Johnny's old rival-turned-best friend Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and his wife Amanda (Courtney Henggeler) in tow, they do just that.

Hours later, Johnny and Carmen proudly present their daughter, Laura, to the group. Though Carmen explains that Laura is named after Johnny's late mother, those with fuzzy memories might not remember who Laura is and how large she looms in her son's life.

Though we only briefly see Laura Lawrence in the "Karate Kid" series of films, offscreen she builds up quite the place in Johnny's psyche. In "The Karate Kid," we briefly see her as a snobby country club mom type who is quite pleased by Johnny's squiring of Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue). We see her and Johnny's stepfather, Sid Weinberg, in crowd scenes at the club. They're most prominently displayed when Daniel tries to sneak into the country club to pull Ally away from Johnny and ends up with a bunch of spaghetti dumped on him instead. 

"Cobra Kai" deepens that connection. It turns out that Laura was often Johnny's only refuge from his abusive stepfather, who drove Johnny toward the comforting lies of Cobra Kai and John Kreese (Martin Kove). It seems his biological father abandoned him and his mother, though Johnny frequently clung to the hope his dad would return, which never happened. By the end of the '90's, Laura hated being married to Sid, and when Johnny turned to partying in the wake of his All-Valley loss to Daniel, the rift between Johnny and Sid deepened.

Before the events of the first season of "Cobra Kai," Laura Lawrence (Candace Moon in "Cobra Kai") passed away. Johnny explains to Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) during a conversation in Season 2 that Laura died around the time his son Robby (Tanner Buchanan) was born. That contributed to Johnny's alcoholism, and eventually his abandoning of Robby and his mother Shannon (Diora Baird). A specific illness or accident is never named, but she died suddenly, and Johnny has never been able to come to terms with the loss.

Laura died at some point in 2002, and Johnny spent years drinking and confessing his feelings to her grave, living off Sid's (Ed Asner in "Cobra Kai") dole. When he finally picks himself up, envy of Daniel and a wish to make his mom proud are what drive him. She is a major catalyst in his life, even after death. He continues trying to make her proud by regaining his sobriety and becoming a worthwhile sensei, as well as a loving father, stepfather, and husband. 

With his life finally back on track, Johnny can't help but think of Laura, the influence she's had on his life, and the way everything has turned out for him. In the series finale (titled "Ex-Degenerate"), just before Johnny prepares to fight for his dignity and that of his dojo in the Sekai Taikai, he remembers going to Laura's grave at his lowest point, a bottle of booze in his hand. He's shaken out of that memory by the arrival of his wife with his newborn daughter. He realizes he's got something to fight for — and something to keep him moving forward. This is exactly why he names his daughter after his mother; her gentle, indomitable spirit has brought him this far. It's a loving gesture from a son who has never forgotten what his mother did for him, and from a wife who did not know Laura but wishes that she had.

When Johnny beats Sensei Wolf (Lewis Tan) and manages to make Cobra Kai the top dojo in the world, he asks where his daughter is and celebrates with her and Carmen on the mat. Days later, with his pride intact and Cobra Kai back up and running, he visits his mom's grave with a fresh batch of flowers and a picture of her namesake and his family together in the hospital.

Laura is the only positive parental role model Johnny has in his life. Between his biological father and Sid, he has no positive male role models. That more than anything seems to have contributed to the arrested development he suffers throughout "Cobra Kai." This has resulted in Johnny doing many, many problematic things — from drinking and driving (which is among the worst things he's done) to the reckless way he initially trains his students.

But Johnny isn't a thoroughly bad man, and he shows plenty of positive qualities, like being empathetic and protective toward his students. He's a good friend when the chips are down. He's also evolved into a great dad and a wonderful spouse to Carmen. He's even figured out how to provide for her and their family. Thanks to Laura's guidance, it looks like the next generation of Lawrences might just be alright after all.