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Cobra Kai season 3 sees several familiar faces from the Karate Kid franchise making a comeback – although only one did not come together until the very last minute.
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Cobra Kai season 3.
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Cobra Kai Season 3 saw the official return of Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue) to the Valley – but her inclusion didn’t fully materialize until the very last minute. The saga began in the years 1984 The Karate Kid. Written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen, the film tells the story of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). New to California, he found himself at the mercy of a local gang, led by Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Eventually taken under the wing of a local karate master, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), Daniel learned to defend himself and overcome his tormentors. After making its way into a cinematic legacy, the film was followed by two straight-up film sequels and a spin-off.
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As Johnny’s former sweetheart and Daniel’s new girlfriend, Ali Mills was unwittingly at the center of their conflict. Although established over thirty years later, Cobra Kai established that Ali remained a lingering factor in the minds of both men. This was especially true of Johnny, who referred to her on several occasions as “the girl who ran away”. This long-standing affection finally turned into a virtual reconnection at the end of Cobra Kai season 2. This immediately sparked theories that she would make an appearance in Cobra Kai season 3 – potentially with her as the medic who would save Miguel (Xolo Maridueña). This turned out not to be the case, when Johnny himself helped restore Miguel. However, Ali did come back for the last two episodes.
The idea of Ali’s return had long been an idea that the Cobra Kai the showrunners wanted to continue. So much so, a story for her was included in the scripts – that’s when the cast found out. Either way, in an interview with Collider, Macchio revealed that it all only really came to fruition at the last minute. Here is what he said:
“It was pretty close to when we were filming. We knew it was all going, but the t’s were crossed and the i’s were dotted shortly before he arrived, so it was during the season. There was always a back-up plan and a back-up end. There was a difficult date when they needed this decision and that was until the clock struck 12. But it was a great relief and we came back to tango together.“
In a separate interview with Polygon, the aforementioned backup plan was developed in more detail. If Shue hadn’t made a comeback, it would have been revealed that her husband had fished for Cat Johnny through his account. Fortunately, the plans came together in a much more appropriate and crowd-pleasing manner. Macchio went on to point out how Shue was “very protective of the character“and that”had a good story” rather than “just being cast in the show for saying “there is Ali”.Macchio and Zabka also revealed their favorite moments with her while filming – choosing their farewell moment from the Christmas party and the Golf N ‘Stuff scenes, respectively.
It’s safe to say that there was indeed a big story for Ali that went beyond fan service. While she wasn’t the only one to heal Miguel, she has arguably done something even better. After sitting down to dinner with Johnny, Daniel and Amanda (Courtney Henggeler), Ali instead healed the rift between his two former loves. Building on the lessons Daniel had learned Karate Kid 2‘s Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), she pushed them to see that they could even be two sides of the same coin. His words and a final showdown with Kreese (Martin Kove) ultimately brought them together to oversee a newly combined dojo. As such, fans must thank her for the epic final scene and the interesting avenues put in place for Cobra Kai season 4.
Source: Collider; Polygon
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