Getty "Cobra Kai" stars William Zabka and Ralph Macchio strike a pose together during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.
In the third season of “Cobra Kai,” long-time rivals Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William “Billy” Zabka) realize that ruthless Sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) is an even bigger threat than they initially anticipated. They strike a deal with the Vietnam veteran, who promises to leave the San Fernando Valley if his Cobra Kai students lose the upcoming All Valley Tournament. In preparation for the competition, Daniel and Johnny make an alliance and decide to co-teach their karate students at the Miyagi-Do dojo.
Ralph Macchio Commented on His Character’s Relationship With Johnny in Season 4
GettyWilliam Zabka and Ralph Macchio speak at the 2019 Comic-Con in San Diego.
While speaking to GoldDerby in May, Ralph Macchio teased his character’s relationship with his former rival in the upcoming season, which is expected to be released later this year. The actor noted that the season 3 finale ended on a high note. He then revealed that Johnny and Daniel will have difficulties while trying to work together.
“As we move forward after just completing season 4, as Mr. Miyagi [played by Pat Morita] would say ‘not everything is as seem’ — not everything is as easy as you would expect and that’s sort of the joy of the gray areas of these characters, is that they love to be together and they love to be at each other’s throats even though they have the same end game in the crosshairs. How they get there is quite entertaining to play as well,” said Macchio.
During the interview, the 59-year-old also described Johnny and Daniel’s dynamic as being similar to the characters Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) on the sitcom “Friends.”
“[It is] as entertaining when they are at each other’s throats as they are getting along,” said the actor.
The Show’s Co-Creator Also Commented on Johnny & Daniel’s Alliance
GettyJosh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg attend the premiere screening of season 2
The show’s co-creator and executive producer Josh Heald made similar comments during a recent interview with Collider. He stated that in the show’s upcoming season, Johnny and Daniel “know that they’re headed toward this tournament and they know that scores will be settled there.” He told the publication:
That look they gave each other at the end of Season 3 says it all. We’re leaning in, and these are two guys who have been leaning way away from each other for 30-something years. The big story to tell is, how is that going to go? Will there be growing pains? What will they be like? Will they be able to get over themselves and get over the ax to grind that they both had? And will they be able to achieve that, before the tournament gets here? So, there are lots of new wrenches to throw at them and lots of old grudges to rehash, and it’s all happening in a little bit of a shared space.
In a separate Collider interview, William “Billy” Zabka also commented on Daniel and Johnny’s alliance in season 4. He stated that his character feels relieved to “have a partner” with “the same goal” of defeating Kreese. He clarified that they “have a lot of work to do” because “there’s still a lot of history between” the two martial artists.
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