At times, watching Cobra Kai is a little baffling. Cobra Kai 4×07 “Minefields,” however, isn’t one of those moments. We started watching this show because of the nostalgia factor, and we’ve stuck with it because it’s fun, if a lot cheesy, it has engaging characters, and yes, because some part of us apparently cares about Johnny Lawrence and Daniel Larusso being friends. Who knew?
However, the show does border on the ridiculous at times, often in a way that makes you feel like you are in on the joke with the writers. It’s, after all, been four seasons, and though we could say Johnny and Daniel have gotten a bit better, they’re still acting like teenagers about 90% of the time. And they’re leagues ahead of Kreese and a Terry Silver who keeps pretending he’s fine playing second fiddle, something we don’t believe for a second.
Cobra Kai 4×07 “Minefields” is one of the episodes that reminds you of why you invested in this show. It focuses on the relationship between Johnny and Miguel – one that’s built of actual caring and mutual respect. Johnny very much loves for Miguel and would like to be a father figure to him – has already been one for a few seasons – but as his relationship with Robby has proven, he isn’t exactly sure how to do that well.
On the flip side, we have Daniel, the presumed better man, who has a stable family and the money to make sure his kids are comfortable, and yet he’s having problems with both his kids. He doesn’t listen to Sam, and he doesn’t even know Anthony. This is particularly problematic as it relates to his youngest, who’s just going around being the kind of bully that pushed his father to learn karate in the first place.
The episode doesn’t really play the who’s better game with parenthood. It is, however, meant to show us how our perceptions of these characters and the relationships they have with each other can always be adjusted, because people aren’t only one thing. That was always the message of Cobra Kai, from the beginning. Johnny wasn’t just the bad guy; he could be more. He was more.
Of course, the show has taken that message further. If Johnny could be better than the villain of the story that meant Daniel could be worse than the hero of the tale. And as much as this has held true with both, it has also held true for all the kids – from Robby to Miguel, Sam to Tory, and now Anthony too. And though, at times, that’s frustrating, it’s also life.
Anthony Larusso is one of the villains of this tale. Just what his father never wanted him to be. And Johnny Lawrence, well, this episode makes him look more like a hero than anything. And that’s without even going into Hawk. He is the victim of Cobra Kai’s bullying who has also been a bully himself. Now, he’s lost his confidence along with his hair. And let’s not kid ourselves, Hawk has done bad things. He has also done good things. And hopefully, somewhere in the middle of all the rights and wrongs, he can find who he truly is.
That’s the point of this story, after all, of all stories. To discover who you can be and then decide how to be that person. Because who we are is also a decision. What we do every day is a decision. And Hawk isn’t the only one who will have to decide who he wants to be going forward.
Sadly, those decisions are also coming for a Terry Silver and John Kreese. And though it looks like those decisions might have already been made, the fun thing about life is that you can always decide differently. Every day is a new chance. And though some – like Kreese – have a longer way to go than others, like Tory or Robby, they can still make the right decision.
We’re just not sure they will.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Cobra Kai 4×07 Review: “Minefields”? Share with us in the comments below!
Cobra Kai season 4 is available to stream on Netflix.
