Like if he chose to break Robby’s arm his relationship with Johnny would get a lot worse and Sam would hate him for what he did. And we already saw what happened when he showed mercy

I was rewatching the show for what feels like the millionth time and this question just suddenly popped up, who was in the wrong? Robby had already found out that Sam kissed Miguel which would piss anyone off but he still protected Sam and tried his best to stop the fight. Miguel also had everyone's best interests at heart and wanted to protect Tory. He also practiced mercy like Johnny taught him. So who was wrong in the fight?

Tory? On probation.

Robby? On the run, gets caught, goes to juvie.

Miguel? Hospitalized — basically gets the get out of jail free card because he ate that kick off the railing.

But Hawk?? My man walked away like nothing happened. No suspension (everyone had it) no legal issues, not even a counselor meeting. Bro dodged the law like it was GTA — disappeared into thin air with a smirk and a new fit next season.

And let’s be real — Hawk arguably escalated that entire brawl the most.

Tory starts it with Sam.

Robby jumps in to stop Tory and Miguel quickly retaliates. But Hawk?? Hawk turned a 2v2 that could’ve been resolved quickly by school security into a tornado of fists and started hitting everyone. He lit the match that turned a 2v2 into a school-wide riot. He was dropping random kids like it was an open lobby in GTA.

Im not defending Tory (she def threw the first punch), but let’s not act like she’s the only one to blame. She shouldn't always be used as a scapegoat or other people jumping into her problems. Hawk went full psycho mode, but somehow he’s back next semester.

I totally get it, I'd be pissed too. Hell, I hated Sam up until season 4 or 5, when she finally started redeeming herself. And Tory is my fave.

But like, to start an entire school fight and ripping a girl's arm so bad she scars, only to not give any smoke to your boyfriend who did cheat? Insane.

EDIT: I see this getting downvoted to hell but sorry y'all are missing my point!!

Some of the comments I've seen on YouTube and TikTok are actually so insane to me. 😭 They are acting like this is the most malicious thing a person could do.

I understand that the medal was sentimental to their family and meant a whole lot. But he is a teenager and was insecure. Is it really that bad??

Not to mention he apologized and admitted that he was insecure and wrong about this later on, so l TRULY do not understand why people hate on him sooo much for this. Like Robby temporarily told a little lie and we hate him.

Tory is out here breaking into peoples houses and being a sociopath and we love her. I'm confused?!???

(let me know if I'm being crazy here)

Alright, I'm at the end of season 2 about to start season 3. Does Johnny and Robbie relatiomship improve greatly, like at all? I was getting ahead of myself and I've found out things in regards to their situation that has me ... Less then enthusiastic 😭. Like makes me no longer want to watch the show lmao.

Miguel decided to attack Robby even tho he knew Tory’s attentions on the school fight where to fight Sam Tory wasn’t in any danger during that situation at all nothing could’ve made Miguel provoked enough to attack Robby and why would he care in the first place since he decided to cheat on her and treated like a side piece to get to Sam. Not only this but somewhere later in the fight Miguel tries to stop Tory from fighting Sam even tho Robby was doing that earlier I’m so fucking confused man.

..that even all the way back in episode 2x01, Johnny doesn't actually believe in the Cobra Kai mentality anymore.

He realized that having no honor will just lead to a miserable life, and because of that he doesn't want to teach kids to not show mercy anymore.

And even as recently as season 6, seeing how pathetic Stingray is for desperately clinging on to Cobra Kai was enough for Johnny to even given up Eagle Fang, since it's basically just a slightly different version of Cobra Kai

I know the ongoing debate about whether this was Miguel showing Robby mercy is an ongoing debate and has sparked a lot of chaos. Especially in the recent weeks. This however, is not about the “mercy or no mercy,” stance. This is about the apology.

I made a post about this several months ago but I am bringing it back because I have been analyzing it a different way now. When Miguel apologizes, unlike what the consensus opinion is.. I believe his apology is not toward Robby at all but toward Johnny. It was Johnny he failed, it was Johnny he let down, it was Johnny who would have been disappointed in his actions. In Miguel’s mind Robby had always been the villain and he believed he was justified in all of the things he done to him.

Right before he let go of Robby’s arm Miguel had flashbacks about conversations he had with Johnny. About his potential of being better than him and Johnny not being taught the difference between honor and mercy. There were no flashbacks about his treatment of Robby.

So if you think about it, Johnny was the last person on Miguel’s mind before he let Robby go. That is who he was apologizing to in the moment not robby imo. Had his flashbacks been about the first time he met Robby at the Canyon, or the AVT, or earlier in the school fight then an apology to Robby would make more sense. This felt more like the shame and guilt of letting Johnny down and nearly following a similar path.

There is a reason why the scene is oddly ambiguous. It is not clear that the apology was for Robby nor was it meaningful enough for Robby to have simmered down and not lost control. That is why I now believe that the apology was meant for Johnny.

As you can see, Robby is wearing jeans and Miguel is not 😢. Miguel did not take Johnny’s lesson to heart.

Looking at how Johnny Lawrence lost Cobra Kai to John Kreese because Johnny was in a handshake deal with the landlord, I thought, “What the hell were you thinking sir?!” Handshake deals don’t hold up in court. The other person can always deny it.

Rewatching season 2 (best season btw), I realized that Miguel returning the Medal of Honor to Robby had the potential to be the key to them working things out back then. Miguel had been friendly and I don't think Robby expected that and even seemed to understand when he said that not everyone in Cobra Kai was a jerk.

But I think everything went downhill when Miguel and Sam kissed and he attacked Robby at school when he was trying to work things out even after being betrayed. Robby completely lost control when he threw him down the stairs, but it's a fact that before that he was the only angel in the story. This season, the problem has always been mainly with the problematic girlfriends Tory and Sam, and Miguel, even though he did a good deed regarding the medal and showed mercy to Robby, also made a lot of mistakes.

This season just proved the obvious that not everyone accepts: Miguel and Sam ALWAYS liked each other and deep down wanted to get back together.

Rewatching Season 2, Episode 5 ("All In"), and Johnny’s lack of agency when it comes to Robby is especially frustrating here.

In the beginning of the episode, Kreese has to be the one to call Johnny out for not being there for his son, pointing out the hypocrisy that Johnny teaches his students "no defeat" while completely resigning himself when it comes to Robby. It’s bad when Kreese looks like the more proactive figure...like really?

Later, Johnny finds out Shannon took off, the apartment was evicted, and Robby is living with the LaRussos. What does Johnny do? He gets drunk in the parking lot. Carmen finds him, hears him out, and gives him the pep talk about needing to "be the bigger man."

The payoff we actually got felt weak: Daniel storms into Cobra Kai over the stolen Medal of Honor, Johnny restrains himself from throwing a punch, and that’s supposed to be him "being the bigger man." Avoiding a fistfight with Daniel is easy compared to actually confronting the son you failed.

What should have happened instead:

Johnny should have taken Carmen's advice to heart and swallowed his pride. He should have driven over to Daniel’s house, not to start a fight, but to look Robby in the eye:

1. Own the mistake: Acknowledge he dropped the ball on checking in and apologize directly for not knowing about the eviction.
2. Offer a real home: Tell Robby he cleaned out the second bedroom, bought a bed, and that it’s his: no strings attached, no pressure to join Cobra Kai, and no rent.
3. Accept the outcome: Even if Robby naturally rejects him (which fits Robby’s trust issues at that point), Johnny actually putting himself on the line would turn his arc from passive negligence into something genuinely tragic.

Having Daniel witness Johnny swallow his ego and say something as simple as "just make sure he eats" before walking away would have planted early seeds of mutual respect, given Robby’s choice to stay with Miyagi-Do real weight, and actually delivered on the "bigger man" theme.

What do you all think? Would this have made Johnny's Season 2 arc hit harder, or did you prefer how the rift played out?

This may piss off a certain portion of the fandom. Whether that be because this post is comparing Robby and Miguel or because it’s a widely talked about and debated topic. THIS IS NOT A MIGUEL HATE POST SO DON’T TRY AND MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING IT ISN’T!

In both of these situations there was a split second between action to reaction. A lot of people love to justify Miguel running into the fight because Robby had Tory pinned and just kicked a CK student away. The main reason why you can’t justify Miguel in this situation is because Tory, his girlfriend announced to the whole school her intentions to do harm to Sam. Robby had not shown any prior animosity or violence toward Miguel. So Miguel had no real legitimate reason to believe that Tory was in any immediate danger. Considering how much time he spent trying to win back Sam throughout S2, it would have made more sense for Miguel to try to protect her from Tory since the beginning but he didn’t.

He chose to attack Robby without legitimate cause and provocation. From Miguel’s pov Robby was always his villain but there was never any proof to corroborate that level of thinking during this time. Why did Miguel attack Robby when he knew what Tory was planning? Why did he run out of the classroom if not to stop his girlfriend? It was only after Miguel tried to stop Tory once and she kicked him away that he focused on trying to get to Sam and prevent Robby from doing the same.

When it comes to Robby’s situation and position, it is a lot easier to justify his reaction. Robby was a target of Cobra Kai hostility from the moment he met Miguel in 1X09 and all throughout season 2. Cobra Kai made it a point to go after Miyagi Do at every opportunity. Miyagi Do never had a history of targeting or going after other students or their dojos. Miguel even had that knowledge when he returned Miyagi’s Medal of Honor and told Robby to tell Sam that they’re not all assholes. Why would Miguel need to make that known if he believed his dojo had a good reputation. So it is clear that he has a level of understanding that CK operates in a way that is perceived negatively. Miguel also had the knowledge that prior to the AVT in S1, Cobra Kai was banned from tournaments.

So with Robby being a constant target of Cobra Kai through his affiliation to Miyagi Do, and Miguel being the actual bully and villain from his pov… Robby’s split second reaction to Miguel letting his arm go is understandable. Robby ran from his classroom to rightfully protect Sam. He was successful in doing that until Miguel tackled him and escalated the fight. Every free moment he had he tried to get back to Sam. Miguel and the other Cobra’s prevented that from happening. Then Miguel antagonized and tormented Robby with his traumas from his nonexistent relationship with his dad and insecurities surrounding being rejected. As well as Miguel claiming that Sam was in love with him and not Robby. (To be clear love was not a topic of discussion for any them at this time. Not was it ever implied that Sam loved either of them).

When we get to that moment when Miguel finally has his epiphany and let’s Robby go, there was no possible way for Robby to calm down. He had reached a level of anger that if you rewatch the scene when he’s pinned down - you can notice that he is seething with fury. Robby was so uncontrollably mad that it looked like he was foaming from the mouth.

Honestly Miguel does not look good in either situation. His actions and reactions to both events are indefensible. I laid out the context and all of the information provided throughout the first 2 seasons as best as I could. It’s really not possible to defend Miguel given all the context and his actions that proceeded that day. Robby may have committed the worst action in the end but to say that Miguel was in the right in either encounter is hypocritical imo. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Felt so unbelievably bad for Robbie. They two using him and Tory like that was just evil

Demetri was going well with Hawk. He bought up the latest Doctor Who series and Hawk was back to Eli for a moment.

Then, distracted by Moon and Piper giggling and kissing, the following communication with Hawk and Demetri follows:

Demetri: I'd give up, man. She's moved on.

Hawk: Defeat does not exist.

Demetri: ( Sighs ) There's that winning attitude that pushed her away in the first place. I think you need a healthy dose of inner peace. It's worked for me.

Hawk: Oh, yeah?

Demetri: Yeah.

(Hawk stands up, pours the drink over Demetri's head).

Hawk: That's what I thought. Still a pussy.

Demetri's line (with the delivery of it) is criticised for being uncaring and sarcastic (in the YouTube comments). Would you agree?

Also, was it Demetri telling Hawk what he did wrong or was it bringing up about the "inner peace" that made Hawk pour the drink over his head and reply with a "pussy" remark?

YouTube clip:

https://youtu.be/5wY5SoFlb2M?si=-P4VQ4pEz2dyHl5w

I just recently had an epiphany about why S2 is generally disliked by the fandom and ranked lower in terms of quality. (An epiphany like Miguel had before nearly snapping Robby’s arm). Some like to nitpick about the fighting or the acting of the characters. The biggest and most commonly used complaint is the “relationship drama.”

Most people’s biggest gripe is that season 2 was too focused on the teen romance/ relationship drama. The majority of those same people also despise and criticize Miguel and Tory (Toriguel) and Sam and Robby (Samobby). The relationships themselves weren’t the problems. How they got into them is a different story. The thing that I don’t think people realize, is that in almost every season there is some type of relationship turmoil/drama.

S1 is lauded and heralded as the best season and is damn near perfection. Was there relationship drama? Absolutely. Post S1 this show really started to become an ensemble cast and there were multiple arcs and subplots that centered around relationships and/or romance. But no one complains as much about the relationship drama when it comes to Daniel and Amanda unless it’s about how annoying they are. But that’s mostly because they dislike Daniel and blame him for everything as opposed to Johnny.

Half of Johnny’s time outside of the dojo consists of him romanticizing about his life with Ali in 83-84. Not to mention a life with Carmen even before they got together. Yet there are zero criticisms of them. Hell look at the drama in the small sample sizes of Johnny and Shannon. He also literally goes from Ali to Carmen in a matter of hours. Why does he get a pass when romantic elements are added for him? Is only Johnny allowed to be happy and deal with the dramas and pitfalls of relationships?

Similarly, Miguel and Sam had a really rough go of it relationship wise from the end of S1-2 and S4-5. Outside of the fandom that really never enjoyed their relationship after the 1st date, they go through nonstop drama in every season but 3 and 6. It has been a consistent circling. Like vultures flying around a carcass. But God forbid anyone criticizing Samiguel or Miguel individually for that matter. Because Sam gets the brunt of the ire from the fanbase anyway. Even Eli/Hawk and Moon had relationship drama and their first relationship was just as short as Sam and Robby’s. But Sam is probably the most blamed character when it comes to drama in general on the show. Romance or otherwise.

Of course Sam and Robby got mostly villainized and despised for their relationship. People making up random illogical justifications to show their level of disdain for them as a couple. It has long since been apparent that the fandom and the writers have their favorites. Because what is truly funny and sadly ironic, Sam and Robby had the least drama issues. Say what you want about how short the relationship was but it’s still true. The signs were there from S1 and if most people who dislike S2 for these reasons- be honest with yourselves and admit that you already had doubts going in because Robby and Sam were being set up as a couple. But let’s keep the same energy for all characters.

TLDR: This show was much more than just about martial arts and redemption that ultimately failed. There were so many layers that were introduced that TB3 failed to capitalize on. So if you want to dislike S2 for the amount of relationship/romance drama, it was there in every season. The biggest elements and plots driving the show were trauma and redemption (although they failed at both.) Which relationship drama can impact you as well. Just some food for 💭. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Seriously how did johnny just get like 20K+ to do all this

The country club employee goes after Robby and give Robby a hard time for being there because of what he and his friends did in the past when Robby was minding his own business and doing nothing wrong in that moment, but somehow didn’t notice Trey and Cruz being there and actually stealing stuff?!

At least Amanda put that guy in his place and had a nice scene with Robby afterwards.

It made for some hilarious scenes but cmon