Cobra Kai – Season 5 Episode 3 “Playing With Fire” Recap & Review

Playing With Fire

Episode 3 of Cobra Kai Season 5 starts with Silver warning Daniel about sabotaging his dojo. A stand-off inevitably ensues, with Silver telling them to stand down otherwise he’ll intensify the rivalry and bring some of his old friends into the fray.

“You’re playing with fire, Danny boy.” Silver says, setting things up on an ominous note going forward.

Meanwhile, Johnny heads over to Miguel’s for dinner, with the latter cooking for everyone. Only, Carmen ends up being sick and that could well mean that she’s pregnant! Johnny is understandably rattled but as they haven’t done a test yet, nothing has been confirmed.

At the pharmacy, they buy a test but Johnny hilariously tries to get a refund on condoms. He’s also understandably shaken about the whole ordeal.

So naturally, it all comes down to checking YouTube videos for help. A hilarious montage ensues, as Johnny practices swaddling on a case of beers and baby-proofing his house which is infested with roaches.

While Hawk ends up getting a tattoo to symbolize his dedication to Miyagi-Do, Miguel receives the dreaded “We need to talk” message from Sam. With Dmitri and Hawk by his side, they try to win her over by buying a gift, which comes in the form of an octopus necklace.

Daniel keeps an eye on Michael Barnes, believing he’s a crook and out to get him and the others. Overhearing Barnes discussing breaking legs on the phone, Daniel pounces but it turns out he actually owns his own furniture store and it’s all one big misunderstanding.

Unfortunately, Chozen doesn’t get the memo and heads straight in, taking Barnes down and deciding to show no mercy. Unfortunately, he’s also taken out all the delivery guys outside.

As they all ice off, Barnes admits that he used to have a contract promising him 50% of Cobra Kai. This could well be just what they need to oust Silver as the crook. Unfortunately, Silver is one step ahead and he’s got Daniel’s number.

After promising to take care of his “old friend”, he’s coming for Daniel. And by take care, he completely burns Barnes’ furniture store down to send a message.

Miguel eventually seeks out Johnny for help with his Sam issue. He gives some solid advice, telling him to own up to his mistakes and just be honest with her.

Although Johnny is honest, so too is Sam who decides they should take a break as she needs time away from karate to figure out who she is. Miguel walks away but he drops the octopus necklace on the ground.

As the episode closes out, Carmen gets back to Johnny and confirms that she’s pregnant and they’re definitely having a baby. “Badass!” Johnny says excitedly.

The Episode Review

Cobra Kai has been a decent watch this year, although there are a lot of moving parts and in many ways, the karate has taken a backseat for all this character drama.

The whole Miguel/Sam drama is inevitably going to swing into some sort of love triangle with Robby while Daniel and Silver’s rivalry looks set to step it up a gear.

Johnny is still far and away the best part of this show though. He’s easily the funniest and that continues in this chapter too. The writers have done a fantastic job with him and the fact he continues to throw out quirky one-liners this deep into the show is telling.

Unfortunately, this season hasn’t quite fired in quite the same way and although the focus has shifted back to the adults, there hasn’t been too much action to write home about. Hopefully things pick up though going forward.