- "It's not about the prize. It's about eliminating what stands in the way."
- ―John Kreese[src]
"The Prize" is the second episode of the sixth season of Cobra Kai.
Synopsis[]
Kreese faces a dangerous test to prove his worthiness. Daniel offers Johnny a helping hand while the teens contemplate life beyond high school.
Plot[]
In a flashback, a young Kreese and Terry Silver are ready to leave South Korea and say goodbye to a young Kim Da-Eun. However, her grandfather scolds her for interrupting his lesson. Kreese steps in and stops her but Kim Sun-Yung beats him up. Da-Eun kicks him and chokes her. He then lets her train with them. In the present day, Kim Da-Eun is training and Kreese is ready to team up.
At the Diaz apartment, Miguel is reading his Stanford personal statement to Johnny, Robby, Carmen and Rosa and they are happy with how he wrote it. However, the pipe in their apartment breaks and the plumber is still working on the situation. Carmen vents about how their family is expanding and how they can't afford to send El Serpiente to Stanford but Johnny promises her that the Sekai Taikai will help them win the money.
In South Korea, Kreese and Kim Da-Eun are talking to each other about how Kreese enjoyed training with Master Kim despite his brutal teaching methods. Da-Eun also tells him that he was hoping to see Kreese once she arrived in America but she was too focused on spreading her grandfather's legacy. He counters saying that she got Cobra Kai to qualify for the Sekai Taikai but she explains that winning the tournament is not up to her but her grandfather. Kreese is surprised that he is still alive.
At West Valley High School, Miguel, Eli and Demetri are attending the college fair, where Sam explains to Miguel that she picked schools close to Stanford, but Miguel admits that the school is too expensive. The binary brothers explain that they want to go to MIT. A representative from College of the Valley gives Miguel a brochure so he can consider going to community and transferring to Stanford.
Johnny goes to the LaRusso house to find a mattress after he tells Daniel and Amanda about how the Diaz apartment is flooded. Chozen explains that it is not a good time to rent. Daniel has his two former rivals go with each other to explore housing.
Back in South Korea, Kreese asks Master Kim for his blessing to spread his legacy but refuses. He then berates his granddaughter for failing her goal. Master Kim chastises Kreese for focusing on prizes, but after Kreeses tells him about Johnny beating up his former students, he gets impressed and tells him to prove himself.
During a college tour at College of the Valley, Demetri explains that University of Phoenix would be a small school if they weren't online. However, the tour guide is tackled by Brucks, who was trying to catch a small red Frisbee. He and Kyler are surprised to see Miguel and the binary brothers there. Eli apologizes to Brucks for brutally beating him and admits he was brainwashed, but Brucks accepts his apology, saying it changed him for the better. Kyler also explains that Brucks goes to MIT, and Demetri is surprised. He then asks his former bully victims if he is still hanging out with him.
Johnny and Chozen are looking at houses for rent, but have a run-in with the realtor. He insults him, but Chozen diffuses the situation. Johnny and Chozen leave the house after Johnny kicks the open house sign.
Meanwhile, Kreese is on his quest to find the Kim family knife; however, he is bitten by a snake and poisoned.
Back at the college, Miguel, Eli and Demetri are at a fraternity house called “Theta Omega” where Kyler is being hazed by the fraternity members. Hawk, on the other hand, chugs beer and puts the finished cups on the spikes of his Mohawk; the partygoers chant “Spikes”, and the fraternity president, Zenker, is impressed. Later, Miguel and Demetri overhear the students planning to disqualify Kyler from their process.
Later, Johnny and Chozen see the realtor at another house, and the realtor tells Johnny that he will never rent to him. However, an old high school classmate agrees to help Johnny as long as his financial situations are settled.
Back at the cave in South Korea, the poison badly affects Kreese, and he turns into his younger self while seeing a darker version of a younger Terry Silver. He is then back in his present day self, and encounters Johnny Lawrence. Inspired, he tries to encounter the snake again.
The binary brothers are curious about how Brucks got into MIT by asking about his SAT score. Meanwhile, Zenker tries to haze Kyler again, but Miguel makes him tell the truth that Kyler won’t be let into the fraternity. Kyler then pours beer on Zenker’s head; Hawk, Demetri and the others watch in shock, while Miguel smiles and Brucks laughs along with some other partygoers. When Zenker tries to beat up Kyler, Kyler stops him, and a fight begins at the fraternity house. Miguel defends Kyler, and then Brucks takes down other students as well. Eli and Demetri fight the others, and after they win, they flee the house.
At LaRusso Auto, Johnny vents to Daniel about supporting the Diaz family and Robby, and how he needs to get his finances on track. Daniel tells him that he needs to get a real job in order to help the Diaz's.
In South Korea, Kreese encounters the snake and this time, he kills it in order to retrieve the knife.
Back in America, Brucks admits his real SAT score and that the MIT he's referring to is Midwest Industrial Training. Kyler tells Miguel about how he didn’t pursue his dreams, encouraging Miguel to pursue his. When Kyler asks if Miguel thinks West Valley High will let him back in, Miguel is about to ask why Kyler would want to return to West Valley High before a few other fraternity students walk up. They ask if Kyler and Miguel were involved at the Theta Omega house fight, and Kyler admits they were. The student says the Theta Omega fraternity members weren’t exactly nice, before asking if someone knocked out Zenker; Kyler admits he did it. The student tells Kyler if he’s looking for another house, he’s in, and even says there’s no hazing involved, just as long as he keeps his personality the same.
Johnny arrives at LaRusso Auto and decides that he's ready to work with him. Daniel and Amanda see Johnny sell a car to a customer, and the customer praises him for selling her a car. Johnny says that balance is important, and Amanda and Daniel welcome him to the dealership.
Kim Da-Eun berates her grandfather about the quest, but Kreese comes back with the knife and the head of the snake. Impressed, Kim Sun-Yung allows him to teach at the dojo alongside Da-Eun.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
- William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence
- Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso
- Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz
- Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene
- Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso
- Peyton List as Tory Nichols (credit only)
- Jacob Bertrand as Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz
- Gianni Decenzo as Demetri Alexopoulos
- Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Payne
- Vanessa Rubio as Carmen Diaz
- Martin Kove as John Kreese
Guest Starring[]
- Barrett Carnahan as Young Kreese
- Aedin Mincks as Mitch
- Khalil Everage as Chris
- Joe Seo as Kyler
- Bo Mitchell as Brucks
- Nick Marina as Young Silver
- Rose Bianco as Rosa Diaz
- Alicia Hannah-Kim as Kim Da-Eun
- C.S. Lee as Kim Sun-Yung
- Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi
Co-Starring[]
- Chase Steven Anderson as Gary
- Sarah Anne as Young Kim Da-Eun
- Christian Carlson as Zenker
- Nick Jandl as Baz
- Cody Kahaku as Jarryd
- Alex Lecca as Andrés
- Michael Rub as Denzo
- Lucia Scarano as Gloria
Trivia[]
- This is the first appearance of Brucks since Season 3.
- After Zenker smugly admits he never actually intended for Kyler to join the Theta Omega fraternity, Kyler pours beer on Zenker’s head; this is a callback to the scene at Moon’s ‘end-of-summer’ party where Hawk pours beer on Demetri’s head in Season 2’s Pulpo and the scene where Kyler pours Pepto Bismol on Miguel’s head in Season 1’s Ace Degenerate.
- Kyler locking Zenker’s arm is a callback to the cafeteria scene in Counterbalance where Miguel locked up Kyler’s arm in the same way.
- When Johnny asks Chozen how he knows what kind of market it is for renting, Chozen refers to having watched both Selling Sunset and Property Brothers. Selling Sunset is also a Netflix series. Property Brothers airs on HGTV in the United States, though it is included on Netflix in some regions.
- Kyler’s role in the episode is reversed from the bully to the bullied.
- This is the first time that Demetri and Sam have appeared in a season’s second episode since Strike First (Demetri) and Back in Black (Sam).
- Demetri’s role is major in this episode while Sam’s is only minor.
- Chris, Mitch, and Robby’s roles are also minor in this episode.
- Demetri’s role is major in this episode while Sam’s is only minor.
- This is the only episode from Part 1 of season 6 that Devon and Tory don’t appear in.
- The song that plays during the frat party fight is called Crank It Up performed by Joey Valence & Brae.