History Recap / CobraKaiS1E1AceDegenerate

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Johnny's downward spiral is tragically realistic for someone who peaked in high school, especially in relations to sports. After losing to Daniel, he loses not only the respect of his mentor John Kresse but practically his entire identity. When the basis of your entire identity is shattered in an instant, your life is more likely to go downhill, and downhill fast.
** Johnny knocks Kyler down with a jump kick, then immediately groans in pain and clutches his groin - performing a flashy acrobatic move when out of practice (and without warming up first) is highly likely to injure the practitioner. There's also the matter of kicking in snug-fitting jeans, which aren't cut for freedom of movement in that direction.
** Turns out an adult ([[Film/TheKarateKid2010 middle-aged]] or [[Film/TheKarateKid1984 not]]) beating down a bunch of teenagers wouldn't sit well with the police, no matter how tough the teens are or justified he was in doing so. Johnny spends the night in a cell until Sid bails him out.

Early the next morning, Johnny arrives home from his night in jail, only to be accosted by Miguel, who asks him about his moves. Johnny clarifies that it was "old school karate" but refuses to teach Miguel despite his pleading. He goes inside and his stepfather is waiting for him. Sick of bailing Johnny out, Sid gives Johnny a cheque, as an effort to "buy him out." Johnny tears it up and Sid leaves in disgust. Johnny then proceeds to get drunk in front of the TV; when yet another ad for [=LaRusso=]'s comes on and he can't change the channel because the remote control has malfunctioned, he throws his beer bottle through the screen and leaves.

The season opens with a FlashBack to [[Film/TheKarateKid 1984 and the All Valley Karate Championship]], maybe the beginning of everything that went wrong with Johnny Lawrence's life. A closeup of Johnny lying on the mat after that fateful Crane Kick fades to Johnny in present day. After breakfast in his lonely bachelor pad, he takes out the trash, brushes off his new teenage neighbor Miguel Diaz, and jumps in his formerly CoolCar to head to the job he hates. On the way to work, with Poison's "Nothin' But a Good Time" - whose lyrics pretty much describe Johnny's situation - playing on the soundtrack, he sees a billboard for Daniel [=LaRusso=]'s chain of car lots. An attractive jogger calls him a creep when he tries to turn on the charm.

The season opens with a FlashBack to [[Film/TheKarateKid 1984 and the All Valley Karate Championship]], maybe the beginning of everything that went wrong with Johnny Lawrence's life. A closeup of Johnny lying on the mat after that fateful Crane Kick fades to Johnny in present day. After breakfast in his lonely bachelor pad, he takes out the trash, brushes off his new teenage neighbor Miguel Diaz, and jumps in his formerly CoolCar to head to the job he hates. On the way to work, with Poison's "Nothing But a Good Time" ironically playing on the soundtrack, he sees a billboard for Daniel [=LaRusso=]'s chain of car lots. An attractive jogger calls him a creep when he tries to turn on the charm.

* InsistentTerminology: Johnny's gonna be Miguel's sensei, not teacher.

* ShootTheTelevision: After seeing Daniel's advertisements one time too many, he breaks his television.

* RealityEnsues:
** Johnny's downwards spiral is tragically realistic for someone who peaked in high school, especially in relations to sports. After losing to Daniel, he loses not only the respect of his mentor John Kresse but practically his entire identity. When the basis of your entire identity is shattered in an instant, your life is more likely to go downhill, and downhill fast.
** It is important to stretch before any kind of intense physical activity, [[CurbStompBattle including beating up some bullies]]. Johnny honestly suffered more from not stretching than from any of the (few) attacks that Kyler's goons managed to land on him.
** If the police see an adult beating up a bunch of teenagers, they will more likely than not respond very aggressively to said adult even if it was the teenagers who started the fight.

Early the next morning, Johnny arrives home from his night in jail, only to be accosted by Miguel, who asks him about his moves. Johnny clarifies that it was "old school karate" but refuses to teach Miguel despite his pleading. He goes inside and his stepfather is waiting for him. Sick of bailing Johnny out, Sid gives Johnny a cheque, as an effort to "buy him out." Johnny tears it up and Sid leaves in disgust. Johnny then proceeds to get drunk in front of the TV; when yet another ad for [=LaRusso=]'s comes on, he throws his beer bottle through the screen and leaves.

* ChekhovsSkill: Johnny's experience as a handyman allowed him to put together the dojo surely saving labor costs along the way.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Johnny calls Daniel out on the crane kick -- the first in-universe acknowledgement that the kick was illegal. Daniel points out that Johnny was the first to make an illegal move, to which Johnny retorts that doing so cost him a point, whereas the crane kick cost him the tournament.
* NoodleIncident: Due to something with a waitress, Johnny is banned from Applebee's.

->Written by Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg\\
Directed by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, & Hayden Schlossberg

The season opens with a FlashBack to 1984 and the All Valley Karate Championships, maybe the beginning of everything that went wrong with Johnny Lawrence's life. A closeup of Johnny lying on the mat after that fateful Crane Kick fades to Johnny in present day. After breakfast in his lonely bachelor pad, he takes out the trash, brushes off his new teenage neighbor Miguel Diaz, and jumps in his formerly CoolCar to head to the job he hates. On the way to work, with Poison's "Nothing But a Good Time" ironically playing on the soundtrack, he sees a billboard for Daniel [=LaRusso=]'s chain of car lots. An attractive jogger calls him a creep when he tries to turn on the charm.

!!This episode contains the following tropes:

--> You look, you look...It's good to see you, man!

----

* ParentSexualitySquick: Johnny grimaces when he hears Sid call his mom "tight" in a lustful tone.

* HumiliationConga: Johnny's life at the beginning of the episode. He gets fired from his tedious handyman job thanks to PoorCommunicationKills and his status as a PoliticallyIncorrectHero, has his car t-boned by Sam's friend Yasmine, gets arrested for defending Miguel (and his car) from Kyler and his goons, has his stepfather drop by to insult and effectively disown him, and worst of all, has to suffer the humiliation of [[TheRival Daniel LaRusso]], whose commercials keep reminding him of how successful the latter has become, pitying him by discounting the repairs on his car.

* HumiliationConga: Johnny's life at the beginning of the episode; he gets fired thanks to PoorCommunicationKills and his status as a PoliticallyIncorrectHero, has his car t-boned by Sam's friend Yasmine, gets arrested for defending Miguel and his car from Kyler and his goons, has his stepfather drop by to humiliate and effectively disown him, and worst of all, has to suffer the humiliation of [[TheRival Daniel LaRusso]], whose commercials he just can't avoid keep reminding him of how successful the latter has become, pitying him by discounting the repairs on his car.

** If the police see an adult beating up a bunch of teenagers, they will more likely than not respond very aggressively to said adult regardless of context.
* TerrifiedOfGerms: Played with. Johnny asks the convenience store clerk to put on gloves, but it's completely justified considering the man is holding his pizza in his unwashed -- and bandaged -- hands. Later, in Johnny's apartment, Sid remarks that the red sticker means food is spoiled, but Johnny blows him off.

* WhamLine: When Johnny tells Miguel "No. I'm going to be your Sensei." at the end of the episode.