Cobra Kai Season 1 Episode 8 Recap – Molting

[00:00:00] Johnny brings the Cobra Kai dojo to a car dump. They‘re taking the training to the next level. Since the dojo doesn’t have that much money, they will use the car dump for physical training exercises. They made a makeshift course using whatever they could find and started training. Johnny ends things by sending out a couple of dogs to hunt his students down. They scramble like ants, fearing getting bitten, as the dogs rush over at the sound of Johnny’s whistle.

[00:02:00] Daniel invites his mother and cousin for some family time. They‘re having lunch near the pool. Daniel tells Lucille, his mother, about how the committee allowed Cobra Kai back into the All Valley Tournament. Sam tells her grandmother that the Cobra Kai students can’t all be bad. Lucille takes Daniel‘s side and tells Sam that the bullies from Cobra Kai made Daniel’s teenage life a living hell. Sam tells Daniel that some students at her school train in the Cobra Kai dojo. Daniel tells Sam to stay away from them because they will never change.

[00:04:00] Miguel is training hard for the tournament. He‘s the only one training for the tournament because he’s the only one who can stand a chance to defend the Cobra Kai name. Johnny discovers that Miguel is dating Sam, so he tells Miguel his side of the story about what happened between him and Daniel. For Johnny, he‘s the good guy, and Daniel stole his girl, Ali. Of course, for Daniel, it‘s the other way around. Johnny tells Miguel to watch out for the LaRussos, especially Sam’s father.

[00:07:30] Daniel and his mother talk about how he’s gotten back into Karate. Daniel explains he missed Karate so much, and he also misses Mr. Miyagi. Everyone is having a great time except for Sam. She keeps thinking about what her father and grandmother told her about Cobra Kai. She already had a bad experience dating Kyler and didn’t want things to end up the same with Miguel. As she‘s playing with her food, an argument breaks out between the adults. Louie uses the LaRusso name to make shady deals for himself. Daniel doesn’t appreciate getting his name used by Louie. Louie says he’ll make up for it, but Amanda isn’t pleased. Louie keeps making mistakes, and she’s sick of it. Lucille doesn’t share the same sentiment.

[00:09:00] She tells Amanda that they will always look after family. Amanda retaliates and tells her mother-in-law that they’ve always looked after Louie for everything in his life. Daniel tries to get control of the situation, but all hell breaks loose. Even Anthony and Sam get into an argument, and all he can do is watch as everyone starts arguing. Meanwhile, Johnny takes Miguel home and meets with his mother. She invites Johnny to dinner, but he doesn’t want to bother them. Miguel’s mother insists, so he tags along, and they talk about the tournament.

[00:11:00] Miguel’s mother wants Johnny to promise that Miguel won’t get hurt in the tournament. Johnny assures her that Miguel may sustain some injuries but nothing too serious. Miguel steps out of dinner to talk to Sam. She tries to convince Miguel to move to another dojo to avoid any issues with Daniel. Miguel says he can’t leave Johnny after everything he did for him. Daniel calls Sam for help as Amanda and his mother are still arguing after dinner. Sam tells Daniel she’ll just finish the conversation with her lab partner. Miguel realizes that Sam hasn’t told Daniel that he’s her boyfriend. He gets curious why but Miguel doesn’t bother asking.

[00:12:30] Back at dinner, Johnny learns that Miguel and his family come from Ecuador. They left their home country because Miguel’s father was evil, so his mother didn’t want him to go down the same path. Johnny apologizes for being nosy, but Carmen doesn’t mind. She tells Johnny that past mistakes must not determine one‘s future. Johnny realizes that he also can’t let his mistakes determine his future, so he returns to his apartment and starts cleaning up.

[00:14:00] The next day, Robby arrives at Daniel’s house to train and sees Sam sunbathing. They go up north to be one with mother nature. Daniel explains that Mr. Miyagi took him up the mountains for training. While Daniel and Robby are training, Johnny is cleaning up his act. Instead of drinking beer, he drinks orange juice.

[00:17:30] Daniel and Robby move on to the next part of training. Daniel explains the art of balance as the core fundamental of Robby’s training. He tells him to go up a tree and start making their Karate moves without falling. Robby does his best but falls from the tree after trying to land a hook kick. Daniel tells Robby to go up again and do everything until he gets it right.

[00:20:00] Miguel, Eli, and Aisha watch a movie, but Miguel is bummed up about something. Aisha asks Miguel if he‘s okay. He tells her about his Sam problem. Miguel knows that Daniel has a problem with Cobra Kai. Since Miguel is part of Cobra Kai, he knows that Daniel will also hate him. Aisha tells Miguel that Daniel is a good man, so he just needs to talk with him. Miguel tells Aisha that he hasn’t even been invited over. He knows Sam hasn’t told anyone about their relationship because she’s afraid of Daniel’s reaction to him being in Cobra Kai. Eli suggests that Miguel should just go over and introduce himself.

[00:21:30] Back in the forest, Robby is already making all his moves without falling from the tree. He finds Daniel and sees him balancing his whole body on one of his hands. Robby interrupts Daniel’s concentration, so he falls on his back. Daniel explains that he‘s doing Mr. Miyagi’s most powerful move. He hasn’t mastered the technique, but he almost did it once in his 20s. Robby tells Daniel that he made all the moves without falling, so it‘s time to head home.

[00:23:30] Sid is eating lunch when Johnny walks in. He thought Johnny would ask him for money, but it was the other way around. Johnny returns Sid’s money. He tells Sid that he’s never coming back to him for help. Sid laughs at Johnny and tells him he’ll be back because he always needs his money. Johnny says he never needed the money, but it‘s the only thing Sid could ever give him. Johnny leaves Sid’s house with a smile on his face.

[00:24:30] Daniel and Robby make it back just in time for dinner. Sam made her mother and grandmother get along for the first time. They invite Robby to stay for dinner, and he accepts the invitation. That night, Miguel rides his bike to Sam’s house. He‘s determined to introduce himself to Daniel but sees everyone having dinner near the pool. Miguel sees Sam talking to Robby, and they‘re having a great time. He hesitates and just goes home. Miguel thinks Sam is seeing someone else.

[00:26:00] Johnny is at home writing a letter for Robby. He admits his mistakes and asks for a second chance to change things between them. He‘s still writing when he hears glass breaking outside his apartment. Johnny peeks and sees Louie with a bunch of men wrecking his car. He goes out to confront them, but Louie tells him he‘s wrecking his car on behalf of Daniel. Johnny beats them up, but he can’t stop them from burning his car. Johnny gets furious and forces Louie to give him Daniel‘s address. Louie gives in, so Johnny takes one of the men’s bikes and confronts Daniel.