WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Cobra Kai Season 4, streaming now on Netflix.
The last two seasons of Cobra Kai have centered around the second All Valley Tournament. Daniel and Johnny kind of teamed up and pitted their students against the sinister duo of Terry Silver and John Kreese. It wasn’t just about the tournament, though, because both sides had agreed that the losing duo would renounce their titles as sensei. With that in mind, the stakes couldn’t have been higher as action kicked off.
Miguel was the favorite to win the boys' division, but after getting hurt he decided not to fight, leaving Hawk to represent Miyagi-Do against Cobra Kai’s Robby Keene. Their fight was intense, but thanks to an unexpected turn of events, Hawk won a sudden-death match. Shortly thereafter, Tory and Sam renewed their rivalry on the mat. Tory won -- but only because Silver bribed an official. The results mean that entering Season 5, Hawk and Tory are the top students at their respective dojos and could soon find themselves fighting each other. But the actors who play them have been on opposite sides before.
Jacob Bertrand and Peyton List had a connection before Cobra Kai. They once shared the screen in a Disney Channel original movie called The Swap, which aired in 2016 and is now streaming on Disney+. The movie showed sophomores Jack Malloy (Bertrand) and Ellie O’Brien (List) going through difficult times. They complained over text about how hard they had it and wished that they had each other’s lives. That was a mistake, however, because doing so activated their phones as magical totems, which made their wish come true and switched their bodies.
Jack and Ellie tried to switch back, but the spell could only be broken if they made their lives better. They both had to understand each other’s trials. Jack's mother had recently died and Ellie’s father had just left. By literally seeing through someone else’s eyes, they both came to terms with their own situations. Jack needed to embrace the emotion that his dad wouldn’t let him feel and Ellie needed to move from the father that left her. In the end, they switched back with a much-improved outlook on their lives.
What made The Swap a successful Disney Channel movie was the chemistry between Bertrand and List as they drove the story forward in a way that allowed viewers to connect to the emotional issues. That chemistry is something that Cobra Kai can use to its advantage going into Season 5.
Just like in the film, Bertrand and List’s Cobra Kai characters have emotional baggage. Hawk was bullied, became a bully and is currently working on a redemption arc. Meanwhile, Tory started as Samantha LaRusso’s nemesis, but Sam's mother Amanda has started to see what’s behind Tory’s ways. With Miguel, Johnny and possibly Robby going to Mexico, Hawk and Tory will likely be at the forefront of future conflict between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do. That will mean more screen time for the two of them and maybe they'll be able to make a connection and see each other’s struggles for what they really are.
To see Jacob Bertrand and Peyton List star as Hawk and Tory, watch Cobra Kai. All four seasons are streaming now on Netflix.
Source: Trendz OH
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