bonsai-babies

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It baffles me every time I see someone saying "But is Sam really that good of a person?".

It baffles me because I know they're not faking it. They genuinely can't see it.

The absurd standard this girl is held in a show about grown ass men bullying teens, being funny about it, and using violence to settle their problems... Honestly heartbreaking.

#cobra kai #cobra kai mini rant #sam larusso #samantha larusso #i should be used to it #but its sad #cobra kai critic #fandom critic

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the challenges of teaching a baby larusso never cease

#cobra kai #sam larusso #samantha larusso #mr miyagi #silly little things #a very canon talk these two had #samantha fire like her dad #wanted to do something with them

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We all know that Sam is going through "I'M NOT LIKE YOU DAD" and I'll actively do everything in my power to differentiate from you phase, but in her late 20s she just begins to realize how much she is like Daniel, how it's not so bad, how she understands him better, how she appreciates him much more, how she's proud of every part of him that stayed with her, how she's not that mad anymore that many of his faults are her faults too.

She's back to being his best friend, his number one fan and admirer. She won't think any friend or lover's opinion is wiser than her dads because now she has explored and grown enough. Now she shares a lot more with his way of thinking.

And he had also embraced the ways she's different from him and became proud of it.

#cobra kai #sam larusso #samantha larusso #daniel larusso #cobra kai headcanons

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Samantha, but every time she sees Tory now she has that soft, comprehensive and timid look on her face, she doesn't trust the girl yet but she feels this pull towards her to be tender

Tory, but every time Sam throws her that compassionate and awkwardly shy look she feels a surge of undescribable violence then immediately feels guilty and wants to kill herself about it

#sam larusso #samantha larusso #tory nichols #the way sams heart provokes the most chaotic reaction on tory #because her brain cannot comprehend this dumbass being kind to her after all she had done #so her brain pulls the emergency lever which is basically aggression as a way to protect themselves #samtory #lanichols #cobra kai #they're a mess sir

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Tory: *Laying face down on the floor*

Brandon: So Sam said she loved you?

Tory, muffled: Yeah

Brandon: ...and you asked her to marry you?

Tory: Yeah

Brandon: Awesome! How did she react?

Tory: Dunno, I ran before I could scare her even more

*Meanwhile*

Sam, kicking in the door to the Miyagi Dojo: Guys, Dad, Anthony! Holy shit, I'm gonna get married!

#cobra kai #sam larusso #samantha larusso #tory nichols #brandon nichols #cobra kai incorrect quotes #samtory #lanichols

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Tory, whispering to the phone: Where. Are. You. Princess?! This place is fancy and I don't know which fork to kill myself with!

#cobra kai #sam larusso #samantha larusso #tory nichols #cobra kai incorrect quotes #samtory #lanichols

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Tory, post-redemption: Do you want to play 20 Questions?

Sam: Sure!

Sam: Whats your favorite season?

Tory, laser fucking focused: Triangle. Do you love me?

#cobra kai #sam larusso #samantha larusso #cobra kai incorrect quotes #tory nichols #samtory #lanichols

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They're the most father and daughter ever

#cobra kai #sam larusso #samantha larusso #daniel larusso

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Daniel really said: Mr. Miyagi can't be here for us, but I'll be your Mr. Miyagi no matter what it takes.

And I find this beautiful.

#cobra kai #daniel larusso #he's such a good dad #samantha larusso #sam larusso #he's desperate to help his daughter

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Sam: Fuck yeah, bitches, I'm still my dad's girl!

#cobra kai #sam larusso #samantha larusso #daniel larusso #she's so proud that her dad is proud of her #shes like look dad what did i just do #precious baby

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I do wanna point out two things:

Sam is embarrassed of failing and even more so of telling her dad she failed. Her expectations for herself were much bigger, she's aware her dad feels the same and expects more of her too. These two were trained by a wonderful master and up to the moment CK was back, they hadn't been challenged. The LaRussos were certain they could win this easily, mostly because they already knew the way, but the context was much bigger and completely against them. So when they fail, they can't admit it, it's hard to admit to each other. It feels like betraying and disappointing the people who trusted you the most. What Sam can't comprehend, however, is that trauma is not something she can control. Her loss of confidence comes from an event in which nothing she could've done would change the outcome. Her brain is convinced she could've done something, it's just not true.

She's angry, likely at herself for her choices up to that point. Right now, stepping away from karate is what she thinks will stop this streak of unfortunate events, but that's her frustration and self-preservation talking. She remains a target, whether chooses to train or not, because it's not her fault. CK isn't a violent gang because she lets them, her friends aren't suffering because she allows it. Sam could literally try whatever she could think, she could even do absolutely nothing, CK would still remain violent bullies, and her friends would still be persecuted by them, they always strike first -- especially at this time on the show.

#cobra kai #sam larusso #samantha larusso

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Daniel and Amanda's vibe

#cobra kai #sam larusso #samantha larusso #daniel larusso #amanda larusso

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#cobra kai #daniel larusso #amanda larusso #underrated queen of reason

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I unironically believe Kreese has a soft spot for women - a narrative that was presented in season 3 by showing his protectiveness over his mother, Betsy, and Tory. It makes sense that if the goal of Cobra Kai is to teach teens to protect themselves that Kreese would want women to learn that, and that’s why he’s open-minded about female students.

Johnny’s approach to recruiting women is to try and be “woke” and spout off feminist terminology he doesn’t truly understand. Meanwhile, Kreese is like, “You are as strong as a cart of oxen, and if you want to learn how to crush a man’s head till his brain drips out his ears, I can teach you that, and more.” And it works! Because women want to feel strong and unafraid. They like having their war veteran grandpa tell them it’s okay to go apeshit - that they don’t have to quietly absorb pain.

None of this is saying Kreese is a good person, but I do think his relationship with women is interesting. It makes sense Kreese would want women in Cobra Kai, and it makes sense women would love Cobra Kai.

#cobra kai

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Why…do I get the impression that at this point Season 5 of Cobra Kai will deviate so catastrophically from the original core message of TKK that we have gone from the humble act of booping the nose of your defeated foe as an act of mercy and forgiveness even in the face of aggression although you could validly finish your enemy off and yet chose not to because violence breeds more violence, to kids and teenagers genuinely and with zero irony being taught killing / heart stopping forbidden scroll techniques and moves by their adult Sensei who should know better by now and none of the in-universe heroes will be self-reflecting that this is all in fact a little peculiar that they’re doing this in the first place.

#cobra kai

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Lovely mess

D'you know why Cobra Kai is such an interesting show? It's being written by three guys who saw The Karate Kid and were so offended by the message that bullying is bad that they stewed for decades before writing a tv show that says, hey, bullies are people too, and toxic masculinity is great, actually; but it stars people who, for the most part, have been living with this thing for over three decades and who don't agree with Cobra Kai's message. They're all of a certain age it is hard to get roles for, too; so they're going extra hard to put in nuances that are definitely not on the page. O boy.

The younger actors adore their costars so they follow their lead; Billy and Ralphie especially have been forced to think about these roles for far longer than they ever played them and have been asked every question under the sun, so they're chomping at the bit to do right by themselves, if no one else. So then you have the writers telling one story and all the actors telling another story and unlike Game of Thrones where the writers get to tell actors to do their jobs and say the words, however bad; you do not get to tell the Karate Kid himself how to play Daniel LaRusso, or William Zabka what Johnny Lawrence can and cannot do because they have been these people since before those guys wrote a single line of dialogue. Also the writers have to deal with Kamen, who owns a stake in the whole thing and does not agree with anyone else but him making money off of it, and if either Billy or Ralph walks - they have no show. These actors are not dispensible. Which results in some dudebro show just fighting to be good, plus the fact that any further storyline actually hinges on The Karate Kid III, which sure is a film alright, and the result is so lovingly insane I can't stop thinking about it.

I shouldn't work. It doesn't. But man, if it isn't fascinating.

#cobra kai #bible texts

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So there's a final Season 6 for Cobra Kai.

That is a respectable number of seasons, and I have seldom felt that a 7th season adds all that much, so I'm mostly fine.

I keep feeling that CK is a very male fanfic, trivia heavy, looping everything back to its source in fun and unexpected ways. But you could feel them straining as they ran out of source material, and that happens a lot with these stories if they don't trust themselves to write character.

I mean. They didn't know 'where to put' Aisha? Johnny's number 1 best girl, a lifelong best friend to Sam, and as such, a Cobra who has direct access to the LaRussos? They couldn't figure out a story for her?! And that's not even asking the question who is Aisha? Why is she friends with Sam? Why is she friends with Tory? How can we make her into the Eagle Fang Champion, which is what she ought to have been?

Anyway. This is quite a persistent problem for all characters in CK, and it's good that the writers all get a season to wrap things up without having to find something new to reference.

But it is also why, if they don't hire Thomas Ian Griffith to run the Young Miyagi Show writer's room, I don't want them anywhere near Miyagi.

They have spent five seasons lampooning his philosophy as weak, boring, self righteous and out of touch. And I don't need their take on that it is actually a lot more 'badass' than we've seen, if they're not delving into why Miyagi chose not to teach those things, when, as Chozen's style shows, he absolutely knew them. And they wouldn't. That's too boring.

#cobra kai #im obsessed with your takes #they're all I try to say over and over