The Cobra Kai Blooper That Reveals A Fight We Never Saw
There is a lot of fighting on the series Cobra Kai, as the titular dojo from the 1984 movie The Karate Kid constantly spars with rival Miyagi-Do. The fighting goes beyond the All-Valley Karate Tournament, and extends into a school, mall, and country club — even into the series blooper reel.
This particular fight is revealed in outtake footage released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in advance of the third-season premiere January 2021 on Netflix. While it is a comedic moment, the scene presents what would have been a major showdown of characters Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) and Robbie (Tanner Buchanan) before the season finale karate championship.
In the first season episode "Molting," Robby — the estranged son of Cobra Kai sensei Johnny Lawrence — is already training with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) when he meets Daniel's daughter, Samantha (Mary Mouser). Although the two teens interact innocently enough, there does seem to be a flirtatious vibe as they socialize at the LaRusso poolside dinner. The timing is made awkward when Miguel goes to the LaRusso home to introduce himself as Sam's boyfriend. Before he gets a chance, he sees Robby and Sam laughing together. Dejected and heartbroken, Miguel leaves, setting up his drunken outburst later on.
Could it have gone another way? The outtakes certainly suggest it could have.
Was Miguel supposed to confront Sam?
The outtakes suggest Miguel might have confronted Sam and Robby, rather than walk away. Emerging from the shadows, Miguel shouts, "What the f***, Sam? I thought we had something!" In response, Robby asks, "Are you the dude that was hugging my dad?" Miguel and Robby rush to meet each other, and engage in a shoving match over a series of "Are you kidding me?" and "Don't hug my dad!" outbursts — referencing the episode "Counterbalance" when Robby sees Johnny (played by 1980s bad guy actor William Zabka) acting fatherly towards Miguel.
Based on the laughter and clapping from the cast as the two young men fight, and the total lack of choreography in the skirmish, this was likely just a gag that especially amused the giggling Mouser. But the shocked expressions on the cast's faces makes it seem as if Miguel really did say something in the scene instead of simply turning and walking away.
Perhaps Miguel was originally scripted to have an outburst, but the moment was edited out. Left to stew and wonder about this new kid at the LaRusso home, Miguel's spiral in the next episode is more impactful, as is his "No Mercy" trajectory. It makes more narrative sense for Miguel to leap to conclusions, even though the situation could have been diffused if he had just asked Sam what's up. So many of the conflicts in this show actually arise from poor communication.
As it is, the blooper reel sets up an interesting "What if ... ?" theory of what could have been had the Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do star students met sooner.