#Make Johnny's coming to grips with fatherhood arc meaningful on his side

[emletish-fish]

Robby and Johnny in season 4 (how I would fix Johnny’s character arc to make it more coherent with the wider themes of the season and his narrative arc structure)

For the record - I love the hug scene. It was beautifully written and astoundingly well acted, and due to Billy and Tanner’s chemistry together, they sold it.  It’s a scene so hopeful and healing that it elevates the entire final epsiode and makes me excited to see what happens next with these two in season 5. Johnny’s not magically a better father and all is not forgiven, but my god is this a very good start of what will hopefully be something better between these two.  So I see this as a fresh starting point, rather than a culmination of an arc for these two this season. 

Robby needed a hug and to be vulnerable so badly after the AVT, and the fact that he was able to reach out to his father and recieve love and acceptance and absolution and comfort at his lowest point ever,  will always be one of the most beautiful moments in this series. Johnny’s soft lil smile at being able to comfort Robby is the second most beautiful.

Because for Robby, his over-arching  4 season arc isn’t about power, or philosophy. Robby didn’t want a trophy.  He just wanted a mentor/ father figure who loved him as he was (and when he couldn’t find it, he tried to be it).  In this moment, he got that love and acceptance he’s been yearning for, and from his real father.  which is lovely. 

BUT

but

oh but wouldn’t it have been great if this was also a culmination of a joint story-arc on Johnny’s side as well. If I cried actual tears in this, I would have sobbed like a baby and gone wailing into the woods if Johnny’s side  of this story matched Robby’s for depth.  it would have leant this moment so much more gravitas and taken from beautiful to the fucking epic level. it would have been perfect television. 

And it just takes a little tweaking to make Johnny’s story more coherent, and make this moment more earned on his side too. 

While Robby’s character arc  this season is some of the strongest writing this show’s produced, Johnny’s writing was literally all over the place this season. Like, they did not seem to know what to do with him, and he was reduced to a reactive, rather than an active character until the final few eps - which given the fact that Johnny is such a pivotal character and has previously been a super active force in driving the action - felt like a weird choice writing-wise. They made him retread the same tired jealousy themes without doing anything NEW with it, which was frustrating. honestly I’d like the fix the whole daniel and Johnny shenanagins too, but that will have to be a different post. 

I dont mind Johnny screwing up, but I do need him to learn. Johnny has grown in the prior three seasons and did learn from his mistakes. It was always a dance of two steps forward, one step back, occassionally a fall into a gigantic gaping pit of depression, climb back out, two steps forward, one step back with this dude. It was a rocky road, but there was progress - but season four had him act less evolved than he was in ace degenerate - all for unnecessary drama. It was a really jarring character regression.

 It took me until ep sevenish to realise what Johnny’s arc was even about (and that’s something that should be obvious from about ep 1 or 2.)

Now I’ve seen the whole thing - Johnny’s storyline is about fatherhood. It was about how he can grow into the role when he has no positive examples. It’s about the inherent tension he feels when his relationship with his students merges between Sensei and Dad (because several kids look to him as a father figure and sometimes he does okay and sometimes he fails miserably and once in a blue moon, he's actually great). 

If his story is about fatherhood his relationship with Robby is crucial to get right.  instead of a lot of indifference and then a mad panic to stuff the back three eps with Dad trauma, concern for Robby’s safety leading Johnny to recklessly put himself in great physical danger, and a drunken breakdown, all to show he cares - that could have been apparent from the start, in a way that enhanced the narrative arcs around it.  I wrote a post about Hawk’s arc and how it could be improved while still keeping the story beats the same here. I would imagine that Hawk’s enhanced arc is happening co-currently with this, so I recommend reading that post too. 

If I were to fix Johnny’s arc, using the same story beats and just adding a  few extra  scenes, I would do this.

Ep 1 - attempt 1 and rejection. 

Okay, just considering what happened at the end of Season 3. Johnny left Robby with a violent abuser, Johnny saw his son drop his tough-guy-I-don't-need-you-I-don't-want-you-act, nearly cry and say he blamed himself for Johnny never being around. and Johnny hurt Robby physically. 

(This one I think is especially huge because it ties into so much of johnny’s self loathing, and all of his anxieties about fatherhood. Robby never wanted to be like Johnny, but Johnny never wanted to be  abusive like his father figures, Sid and Kreese. Given that fact that even in season 1, where Robby loves to list Johnny's faults and failures, because he's lashing out and hurting, the very worst thing he can say about Johnny is that he wasn't around, not that he was abusive. neglectful but not violent. I don't think Johnny has ever come close to raising his hand to Robby. Johnny accidentally hurting Robby was absolutely devastating last season. Johnny was truly horrified at himself).  

And Robby is angry.

With that kinda set up, ignoring the relationship between Robby and Johnny til ep four is weird. Also Robby's living situation was never clear this season (when did he move in with Shannon again?????). Both those problems could be solved by a short scene in the first episode. Episode one has a 'talk is cheap amd actions speak louder than words when it comes to atoning for past misdeeds'. It's the start of the season. it shows what went down last season did have a profound impact on Johnny and he’s gonna try. It’s perfect ep for Johnny to first try showing Robby with actions that he cares.

The living situation thing has to be dealt with, because Robby is technically homeless and Johnny is his parent. Johnny, fresh off telling Hawk “Actions speak louder than words”, decides to do SOMETHING practical to help Robby and begin to make amends. 

He would seek Robby out, at some point before Robby’s confrontation with Kreese. In fact, I would place it right at the start. Robby being ‘late coming back into the dojo’ would be because he was seeing his father.  If I had my way, I would have had Robby accept an invite to breakfast out of hunger/morbid curiosity.  And he would tell Johnny that’s exactly why he’s there.  I'm just hungry. I dont give a shit what you have to say. Johnny would say that he wants to help Robby, and he can’t keep living in the dojo, kreese is dangerous.  He’d ask for Robby to hear him out - but Robby is ANGRY and he’s right to be.  He’d go for the jugular, and say something like “Why, you going to shove me face first into more lockers if I don’t listen?”  

I want Robby to be savage here, and for Johnny to feel the weight of his guilt. Johnny drops the subject of trying to explain to Robby, but still gives his offer of practical help. Robby obviously doesn’t want to be anywhere near Johnny at that point, or daniel, but he can’t keep living in the dojo, because kreese is dangerous and will just use him as a pawn until he’s no longer useful.  (this would then tie into his conversation with Kreese later that day). 

 Robby will scoff in disbelief that Johnny cares about his living situation, and be like whatya going to do about it.  Johnny would at this point offer money to pay for a motel room and groceries, so at least Robby has enough to money to have a roof over his head and food and isn’t completely dependant on Kreese. He’d ask when Shannon was getting out. Robby would say she was getting out next week, (Implying that his time living with on a dojo floor/motel would be short).  Johnny would give Robby enough money to last him until he’s with his mom again. Robby would get angry and say something like just giving me X amount of dollars doesn’t make you my Dad, call him a pathetic loser (for bonus points), and then take the money anyway, saying something like “It’s all you have to give”. 

Which is a direct hit, a real double whammy - because isn’t that exactly what Johnny said to Sid.   

I would imply that scrounging the money together for Robby has been a finacial hit for Johnny somewhere else in the episode. He's emptied his account or he's sold his TV to Lyle, etc. He's given up something for Robby's safety.

Scene 2 attempt 2 and rejection in ep 4. 

personally, I would give less space to the jealousy plot, the endless stupid montage,  and the weird rivalry over styles (have them disagree philosophically over things that matter. See my Hawk fix it ideas for what these would be).  The weird rivalry/jealousy took up way to much time. Like still keep the story beats, but trim the fact and use the extra time to expand on the conversation between Robby and Johnny in this episode. 

You know, a lot of the doorstop conversation can stay. The setting and the way it ends I would tweak.

But Robby saying he doesn't trust anyone anymore, and he's smarter and better than Johnny, so he wont be fooled or tricked or used, and He's in control now. That his deepest, most wretched fear is being anything like Johnny. The kind of knowing, understanding and gentle admonishment that Johnny shows at the start of this conversation (because he knows how it is in CK) and his inability to articulate why Cobra Kai is poison, just that it is. The way he acknowledges that Robby DOESN'T KNOW what he's in for coupled with the way Robby immediately shuts that down with an abrupt I Know Enough!

All that is great. That can stay.

I would change the setting and the ending of that conversation.

I'd have them meet up at the same cafe/diner. I'd give them 'a place' this season, to have these conversations. I would love it to be Sal's (where Johnny was for his first grand failure as a father, and the place that clearly makes him very nostalgic for Robby, but a cute, little ice-cream eating one. He doesn't know how to deal with the big, complicated and angry boy Robby's grown into. But he's trying ... At least in this reworking).

So yeah, they've been meeting up in Sals. I'd establish that Robby is now staying with Shannon and Johnny paying child support again with a simple 'How's your Mom? She getting my checks?'

I would imply they have been seeing eachother a few times. They aren't happy meetings. They're dysfunctional as all hell and they all end with Robby storming off. But Johnny keeps showing up. (umm... I just wish the writers could Let Robby be the one who leaves for once? Let him set the terms of these meetings. Let Johnny be the one who approaches him at the start and do some emotional labour). I have Johnny ask why Robby called him down, and wonder if it was just to call him a useless loser over a milkshake again, implying past meetings and milkshakes. 

 Robby would announce that he called this meeting to get Hawk to stop bullying Kenny, and the conversation can preceed as it.  After hearing Robby really begin to double down on the Croba Kai stuff, I’d NOT have Johnny just get bored of the conversation and close the door in his son’s face (WTF show. who was that joker. these two are emotional mascochists for eachother. They’re conversations aren’t ever ‘cold’ or disinterested.  they are both highkey dramatic and emotional about each other.) 

Instead, I would have Johnny ask Robby why he was so into Cobra Kai. It’s not really his style. 

Robby would scoff in disbelief that Johnny would know anything about him, his style, his likes and dislikes (fair hit, there.)

Johnny would rephrase and say, fine it’s not your fight. So why you getting so involved if you don’t want to be a pawn. 

Robby would shrug and give him not much to work with, and turn it back on Johnny and say ‘Maybe I love karate now. You always cared more about Cobra Kai than me. Maybe I’m seeing what all teh fuss is about. ’ He’d say this like it is a sad fact, because it’s how he genuinely feels. 

Johnny would insist he actually does care, and he doesn’t want to fight Robby. 

This would give Robby an opportunity to go for the jugular again.  (Look Robby has a lot of justifiable anger that he needs to let out towards Johnny, and it would make that end hug all the sweeter if they had high stakes shakespearen level drama between them instead of... lazy writing. 

I’d have Robby give Johnny an ultimatium. “Prove. Dissolve your dojo. Stop helping Mr Larusso. If you don’t want to fight me.. then dont fight me. Show me I’m more important to you that somw stupid karate war. Prove it.”

But Johnny can’t, given every thing that is at stake.  But Robby would take that as proof that Johnny doesn’t care, and he would be the one to storm off. 

I go by the rule of three; let Robby storm away from Johnny three times,  which would make his decision to go towards Johnny at the end more impactful. 

Cue the drive-in show down, the Miyagi-do trick and the fucked up revenge of Hawk getting violated/shaved.  And Johnny taking the Eagle Fangs out of Miyagi do. 

Moment 1:

This isn’t a whole scene, but just a little moment in epsiode six after hawk gets shaved. 

I'd have Robby find out about the Dojo Dissolution through Kyler being Kyler. Kyler's getting into this war and enemies and no mercy stuff, and he's crowing about what he found out at school. CK has had massive win, because that loser pulled Rhea and his other losers out of Sam's dad's dojo and it's all because of Robby.

Oh Robby. He'd have this moment of brief but incredible hope, where he thinks his Dad did that for hi.

Then Nope, they split because of what happened to Hawk and Robby's savage plan.

I would then have Kyler be full-on sadistic Kyler. Let Kyler show Robby both the full extent of what a bullying douchebag he is and also make Robby uncomfortable with the magnitude of what he's just done.

Robby was the only kid who never participated in any kind of bullying until this season. He was the last pure one. And he went from never bullying anyone, to orchestrating a physical assault of someone and a complete violation of their bodily autonomy. 

What Robby did was fucked up, and it should be treated as such by the narrative. Because for the first time in Robby's life he was deliberately cruel to another kid. Robby is so kind-hearted that this action SHOULD deeply affect him.

So I'd have Robby hear Kyler laughing about how Hawk's too scared to come out of his house, how without the hair Kyler and co. can go back to calling him lip cause of his fucked-up lip. Hey remember the good old days when we used to make him cry everyday? Those days are back, baby. They say he's quit karate. He's too freaked out ever fight again - 

the vibe would be very “well done Robby. You've completely destroyed another person. No mercy. Here's your cruelty badge from the fucked up boy scouts.” Kyler's praise fills Robby with a deep sense of shame and guilt.

But as a result of his conversation with Robby, and Robby explicitly saying that Johnny made him feel like karate was more important that his welfare, Johnny will take two steps forward with Hawk. (see my fixing hawk’s arc using the same story beats for more details).  It’s all the things he wanted to say to Robby that Robby wouldn’t accept. So Hawk obviously a stand-in replacement goldfish here, but these are words that he needs to hear too.  (and Johnny using child surrogate stand-ins to help him work through his shit with Robby would have been a wonderful on-going theme this season). 

Johnny would check on Hawk, and be much more sensitive to his mental state. He would make it clear to Hawk that he, as a person, matters to Johnny more than a stupid karate war, and take the fact that Hawk wants to quit graciously.  He will take Hawk’s well-being seriously. When Hawk starts on his self-loathing, how he deserves this because of what he did, it will strike a chord in Johnny. He’ll think of himself as a teen, and of Robby now). He’ll tell Hawk that, yeah, he fucked up before, but he didn’t not deserve what happened. (The way Hawk’s narrative treats the non-consensual violation of his sense of self as a good thing is not my cup of tea). 

Johnny would validate Hawk and affirm Hawk and remind him that he’s still a badass even without the hair.  dumbo didn’t need his feather to fly. etc.  It’s a sweet meeting and Hawk feels a little better afterwards. 

Scene 3 - the final attempt and the final rejection. 

After Johnny sees Hawk and Robby sees Daniel, I would find some space in the episode to have Robby and Johnny meet a Sal’s one last time.  Johnny called the meeting this time, and Robby has come along out of morbid curiosity and also he’s still high of telling Daniel to get bent. He's wanting to reject his other father figure too.

Side note: What the hell Daniel?  you only approach the kid when you might need to use him? Way to make the kid’s trauma, confusion and misdeeds ALL ABOUT YOU, Larusso.  The way Daniel automatically assumes that Robby is a bad person now while saying he doesn’t judge him??  

(Honestly, the way every single kid in Miyagi-do treated Robby this season was awful. He stood up for all of you and you made it clear you were only his friends when he was useful to you. Everyone turned their back on him in juvie,  and no one reach out and now they’re all acting like he’s evil, without even trying to understand what he’s going through. No wonder Robby chose cobra kai. At least Tory likes him as a person. like Jeez Miyagi-dos. Miguel had so much less judgement of Robby and he was on opposite sides the whole time and was nearly killed by him.) 

 Daniel offers Robby no way back to the ‘good side’ and scolds him for being on ‘the bad side.’ That said Daniel’s arc is all about his own trauma, so that fact that he makes this meeting with Robby all about him fits and the scene afterwards with Terry is spectacular in a chilling kinda way.  So I kinda love it. 

But I would have loved it if Johnny also reached out to Robby, because he saw what happened to Hawk, and tbh it actually is really fucked up that Robby did that. But Johnny’s coming from a place of concern, because what he dreaded is happening to Robby and he's got the fatherhood arc.

They’d start talking about the new rules, and Robby is kinda hoping his Dad will do a simmilar ‘come back to us’ pitch so he can tell him to get bent too. Johnny doesn't give a crap about the rules (queue snarky comment from Robby about his Dad fighting dirty in the AVT in 84). But Johnny isn’t here to talk about the tournament , or ask Robby back.  he does assume Robby is nervous though.

I’d have an almost ‘light’ moment, where Johnny expresses that he’s sure Robby will do great because he was a badass last year.  (Robby will do some internal screaming at praise and be so annoyed at himself). Robby will boast that they have Tory too, so Cobra Kai is going to win, and wipe the floor with all the losers. No mercy.

Johnny will be worried, but he's also losing patience and he's more direct. He'll ask if thats Robby talking or Kreese. He'll mention that Robby said he was too smart to fall for the bullshit and he was the one in control.

Robby will insist he is in control.

Johnny will say something in frustration like "Oh yeah, just like you were in control and had five your buddies hold a kid down by his neck while he screamed. You were in complete control then? That's who you are now? I thought you were meant to be better than me?" - as a call back to their previous conversation. 

None of daniel's faux "I don't judge you" while obviously judging him. Johnny is upfront that he disapproves. And Robby does not react well to Johnny trying to play 'disapproving dad' now. His unresolved feelings of shame regarding shaving Hawk make him extra defensive. Johnny reacts badly partly because being restrained by his neck is a massive trauma button for this guy, and the idea that robby did that to some other kid freaks him out,  partly because he is losing patience and partly because it really is starting to see hopeless. He's actually tried over several months to get through to Robby without any success. So they both lash out.

It goes as well as you'd expect.

I’d have  Johnny say something like “Really, cause you're doing the same sort of screwed up shit I used to do in high school. I tormented Daniel and now I know it wasn't right, but back then...” 

(This also serves the purpose of finally acknowlegding in Cobra Kai that Johnny is aware that what he did to Daniel back in ‘84 was fucked up.  He might not be able to apologise to Daniel yet for it, but at least we all know that Johnny is aware that he was in the wrong and paves the way for to realise that he is also partly to blame for the current situation with Daniel and their failure to work together. it’s not all big mean daniel’s fault, Johnny). 

Robby hates the comparison and the idea that they’re simmilar in any way. his greatest fear is being like his dad, so this conversation is driving him bananas. 

Robby will be all like :”No, it’s a totally different situation. You were an asshole to MR Larusso. But Hawk got what was coming to him. He messed with one of us, so then he had to pay.”  and isn’t that just Young!Johnny to a T. 

Then I’d bring in some dialogue from their reconciliation later, to give that scene more context. I’d have Johnny say in frustation that talking to Robby is “like looking in a mirror.”  Direct hit to both their feelings of self-loathing there.  and  an homage to the way their stories reflect each other. 

But that’s the final straw for Robby. he goes off that Dad can’t blame him when Johnny has never been there for Robby, ever.  And Mr Larusso was for a bit but then Dad ruined Miyagi-do for him as well, and then Robby’s life went to shit. (this is not exactly true. Daniel’s temper ruined Miyagi-do for Robby, but to Robby’s POV, he was kicked out because of his Dad.)  Robby will say that Johnny can’t blame him for Hawk when Robby blames Johnny for every single bad thing in his life.  (bring in that blame bit of their reconciliation dialogue) Robby would then say “I never want to talk to you again. We're done. Let me go my own way from now on. “

Johnny finally gives up in this fix-it, because this conversation was awful for both of them and he feels like it’s pointless to try and get through to Robby right now. He’s tried, and he only made it worse.  “If thats what you really want. I’ll leave you alone.”

And that is the end of their Sal’s meetings/breakfasts together. 

Moment 2 - Keep in mind, Johnny trying to reconnect with Robby is happening right in front of Miguel's salad. I'd definitely have Miguel be aware that Johnny goes to see him after seeing hawk, and have the jealousy and inadequacy Miguel feels become obvious then. Johnny’s attempts with Robby are one of the things ‘making it weird’ for Miguel. 

Johnny’s failure with Robby would make his accompany made scramble to ‘fix it’ with Miguel a little more poignant, and it would give added weight to his confession to Miguel that he doesn;t think he can fix his relationship with Robby anymore, because Robby doesn’t want anything to do with him. (but once again. this is implying that Johnny does want to be involved with Robby and it’s only because of Robby’s rejection that he’s not - and this plants another little jealousy seed for Miguel. the growing idea that he is the replacement gold-fish. the stand in son.)

Moment 3 I would have a brief shot of Robby going past Sal’s, looking in window, seeing their booth empty. So he takes this as confirmation that his Dad has officially given up on him. but there is longing in his gaze too.  because even though it was dysfunctional, for once he’d had his Dad’s complete attention. 

Scene 4 Eli and Robby confrontation at the Prom or afterparty. 

This scene would drive both their narrative arcs forward, and add a dollop of the Daddy issues and failed attempts at atonement to Robby’s otherwise splendid evening.  See my hawk post for more details on Hawk’s side of this equation. 

I would have Robby bump into someone in the drinks line. He doesn’t realise it’s Eli until the other boy turns around (because of the hair change), so he’s polite and says ‘sorry’.  Eli is offended because sorry isn’t enough. he’d be all indignant. “Oh, you’re sorry?!” etc.  Queue Kyler and Docuhebags sweeping in to give Robby ‘back-up’ and give Hawk a hard time. Robby can see how ugly their bullying really is close up.

 Hawk balls his hands into fists, and they make fun of him for not swinging at them. Hawk, now in Miyagi do, will be like “my karate is for self-defense only. And it’s so much like Robby in juvie, not wanting to fight but being forced to because people would not leave him alone. 

A bit of Robby’s old Miyagi side comes out and he diffuses the situation with his charm and his smarts and sends Kyler and co packing, thus putting a stop to them bullying Hawk temporarily.  He doesn’t apologise exactly, but he’ll say something along the lines of ‘oh, it was just a bit of hazing. hair grows back. We were just messing around. no hard feelings.’ trying to both minimise the assualt to assuage his own guilt, and partly to try explain himself to Hawk. 

I would, in this fix it, not have Eli/Hawk totally regress into being a complete timid doormat. He is genuinely trying to embrace Miyagi-do for Demetri (not Mr Larusso), but he still has a lot of fight left in him. He knows how to ‘fight smart’ and look for weakness from Kreese.  

(Robby, I’m so sorry, but you Daddy issues are so obviously that they are visible from space.)

Hawk wants to do the Daniel special, of striking back without raising a fist, so he can claim the moral high ground.  so he’d come for Robby’s Daddy issues like a WWII howizter. 

He’d say something like “Yeah, Sensei Lawrence says I never needed the hair to be a badass anyway. He told me he thinks I’m awesome, and accepts me just as I am. So that was nice to hear.  Your Dad’s been really supportive to me. He’s even okay with me joining Miyagi-do, if I think it’s the right fit for me. Mr Larusso’s been really understanding and Miyagi-do is really helping me find inner peace. You might like to try it sometime, Robby.”

For extra bonus points, Hawk could gently pat Robby on the shoulder and say something I like “I forgive you. I know how you have to prove yourself over in Cobra Kai, and I think maybe you just need to be shown a better way, and learn how to have mercy.”

Ding Ding Ding. Hawk hit on Robby’s issues with his Daddy, his replacement daddy in Mr Larusso, the fact that he  is occupying Robby’s old place of pride as the Miyagi good guy and supplanted him , all while ‘accepting’ his apology. They just need to be shown a better way used to be Robby’s line, and now Hawk’s taken it and weaponised Miyagi passivity against Robby.  highlighting the fact taht Robby has been cast out and rejected by all the Miyagi-dos, but they will accept Hawk in their midst. 

It would also hint that while Robby has been raging at Johnny and pushing him away wall season, secretly he longs to have the support and acceptance that his Dad freely gives to Miguel and now Hawk.  

Robby would show how this breaks his heart for a brief second before he covers it and storms off.  Hawk would repeat Robby’s words back to him. ‘no hard feelings’ - but he would also have a split second of looking perturbed that he had been such a dick, and hurt someone so bad without even throwing a punch.  

Robby’s jealousy would flare up, and while he couldn’t attack Hawk - he lashes out at Miguel in the fight by the pool.  - and that would be the source behind his extreme anger when he points out to Miguel that he is the replacement goldfish and Johnny only wants him because he can’t have Robby. 

Oh my god, it’s a like a reverse of the school fight, she doesn’t love you she loves me thing that Miguel said to Robby, only twice as devastaing because Johnny was the one they were fighting over all the time. 

I would also let Hawk have a moment with Demetri and discuss the nature of Miyagi pasifism, because he’s still trying to understand. He’ll ask something like, is it fighting dirty if you say literally the meanest thing you can think of saying to someone, because you know it will crush them emotionally - but you don’t raise you hand to them. 

Demetri will shrug and be like ‘Mr Larusso says as long as we don’t strike first, anything goes’.  Because that is Daniel’s vibe this season. 

Hawk will look a little regretful at being so unrelentingly mean to Robby.   Sure he didn’t hit him,  but what he did was equally as dickish, and I’d like him to reflect on it. 

This scene would add so much weight and nuance to Robby and Hawk’s fight in the AVT. And gives Hawk more dignity and agency in how own story, and show that he actually is taking something from the Miygai teachings, while questioning Daniel’s methods and interpretations of those teachings.

While also showing that Robby, at his core, is still a kind-hearted person who does feel bad when he harms someone. 

 (honestly, what was with all the Miyagi-dos acting like he was suddenly satan? Robby spent most of the season chilling with Tory and being a big brother to Kenny. The worst thing he did was shave hawk. and that didn’t even effect any MD kids.)

Robby’s failed attempt to make amends with Hawk would mirror Anthony genuinely trying to apologise to Kenny at the AVT and being unsuccessful.  It would also fuel his determination to still act respectful and fight fair during their AVT match, because he doesn’t want to prove all the MDs and Hawk right about him. 

-0-

Johnny’s side of ep 8 can stay unchanged.  I actually loved the implication that Johnny and Shannon are on better terms. Shannon can sense when something is really off with a guy and Terry Silver’s over the top gifts of the suit and the car to her son have sent off all her alarm bells. 

She goes to Johnny, and because he’s not home and he doesn’t have a phone - she just waits. How long did she wait to talk to him.  and She seems sure that Johnny will be able to do something to help/ keep the creep away from Robby. 

And Johnny does - or tries to, at least. 

This scene showed that Johnny and Shannon, while completely hopeless, do genuinely love their kid and can try work together to help him. 

Johnny, aware of a problem with Robby, having an immediate ill-thought out emotional response, rushing off with a half-cocked plan and no forethought, and putting himself in a pyshically dangerous situation before an emotionally dangerous one (trying to talk to Robby again? Nah, easier to wander blithely into this incredibly obvious trap set by a psychopath).  This Johnny is a welcome relief.  this is what I’m talking about. Complete disaster ma with no plan, but he actually does care. 

note: Silver is obviously fishing for weaknesses, just like we saw hawk do earlier. and Johnny and Robby’s biggest weakness is often each other.  and both those predators zeroed in on that. 

extra note: The silver kreese Johnny fucked up thing in the old dojo was interesting on so many levels, but especially the level where Silver wonders why Kreese sent him after Daniel back in ‘85, when Johnny was the one who ‘betrayed him’ and left Cobra Kai, and Johnny’s departure made all the other students leave too (on account of that little strangulation issues).  

Silver’s assumption that Kreese wants to beat Johnny to a pulp/to death (lets face it, neither of these men are great at restraint) for the crime of betraying his father figure - and Kreese is resulting discomfort. I haven’t quite figured out what was going on, but damn it was compelling. 

worried note: Silver sure does love kicking a lawrence, and the fact that he used the exact same moves on Johnny and robby sends me insane. 

The I love you/ I love you Robby scene fucking took me out. that can stay too. 

-0-

The AVT

Honestly, I wouldn’t change that much. The way Johnny and Robby could not stop staring at each other. Like Robby was so over-the-top in the first AVT with the constant staring, but now it’s happening on both sides.   

I would have Silver give Kreese a questioning look/hard time when he returns from talking to Johnny in the hallway, and Kreese get defensive. Silver will make some off hand comment about how Kreese still can’t be mad about what he did to Johnny the other night.  

Robby is right there, and will wonder what they did to his Dad. he’s getting more disillusioned and vocal in his questions.  Silver will same something about how the lessons he taught Robby can be used everyday. He was merely conducting an excerise looking for a weakness in their opponent.  I would then have him put an hand on Robby’s shoulder posessively and eye-ball Johnny like the creepy mofo he is.  Johnny’s reaction is predicatbly devastated. 

Johnny and Robby have been having staring competitions all day, and he’s a cluey kid. so I’d want him to put it together, that despite all his assertions that he was in control and he was choosing his own way and he wasn’t anyone’s pawn - in the end he still was. He’s been used as a chess peice against his father but Kreese and Silver without even being aware of it. 

But that is just one extra ingredient in the horrible-no-good-day of disillusionment for Robby.  oh, Robby. I felt for him so much in the AVT. They way his sweatbands looked like manacles - like he’d chained himself through a series of crappy decisions, thinking he was making himself free and powerful and finding what ‘worked’, but in the end he was just being trapped in a no-win situation and used and discarded - again. 

I would have Robby’s reaction shot when Miguel collapses and cries out for Johnny. Look, I think Robby was perfectly content hating Miguel and not feeling guilty when it looked like Miguel had fully recovered and was living the perfect life.  But I think it would be another thing all together, for Robby to be reminded that he has actually caused a devastaing and still on-going, (potentially life-long) injury. Seeing Miguel writhing in pain and knowing that he was ultimately the cause should have affected Robby.  and it’s another extra ingredient in his horrible day. 

Lastly, I would have Robby also see how gentle Daniel and Johnny are with Sam after she loses. Sam gets comforted by both of them.  I’d have Robby here his  Dad say something like “it doesnt matter who wins or loses, the point is you did your best and you were a total badass. You kept going even after an elbow to the eye, and if you can get through that, you cam get through anything.”

Poor Robby,  - how bad did he want that comfort that Sam was getting?

Enough to follow his Dad, and for the first time after a seaon of actively pushing Johnny away, Robby reaches out. then we’d have our hug scene. 

  I feel like if we’d gotten an extra handful of scenes, their whole hug would have been off the charts.   It doesn’t need much changing, just four scenes and a few extra moments and reactions shots.  And that is what I would do to ‘fix’  Johnny’s arc so it drove the other characters forward, while still working with the same story beats. 

Edit to add: I have now started a fic based on this concept.