Cobra Kai Season 4 Finally Told Us What Happened To Miguel's Dad
Throughout "Cobra Kai," I've come to love Miguel (Xolo Maridueña). I'm not the only one. Miguel's dad may be out of the picture, but his sensei, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), and his girlfriend's father/other sensei, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), both care deeply about him. So much, in fact, that it causes fights between them.
Until episode 4, we only knew that Miguel's biological father was no longer in the picture, and that every day, Johnny is getting closer and closer to looking at Miguel as his son — despite the fact that his actual estranged son, Robby (Tanner Buchanan), is right there. Johnny is trying, in his own inept way, to make it better, but he's connecting with Miguel more and it fulfills something in him. Meanwhile, Daniel is teaching Miguel to drive and turning him on to soft rock bands like Chicago. Peter Cetera's voice brings people together, I guess.
I've said it before in articles about "Cobra Kai," but I absolutely love how they keep taking characters we think we know and doing things with them that give them depth. Daniel was the "good" one in the films, someone who always did the right thing. Now he's a mostly good guy, but he's full of flaws: he hangs on to old rivalries, he's a bit obnoxious because he's so wealthy, and he's not always a great dad to his bully of a son. Johnny, who was always a really crappy person, really cares about his son and about Miguel, and is genuinely trying to do the right thing, despite always screwing it up.
I Will Be Your Father Figure
While Johnny is busy trying to figure out how to tell Miguel that he's (and this is straight from Johnny's Google search) "banging his mom," Daniel is teaching Miguel to drive and counseling him about his life.
While driving through the Valley with Daniel, Miguel finally reveals what happened to his father — what little he knows, anyway. Daniel explains that Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) was a father figure to him when his own father wasn't there. Miguel says, "The sad part is, I have a dad." When Daniel asks him if he ever sees him, Miguel replies:
"I don't know much about him. He got caught up with something illegal. My mom was pregnant and tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn't. That's why my mom and Yaya moved up here. I looked him up. It says he lives in Mexico now. I haven't told my mom though, because she gets mad when I bring him up."
Though they bond over all of this, Miguel is really looking at Johnny as a father figure, which makes what happens next so heartbreaking. After trying his best to treat Miguel like his kid, Johnny gets drunk and gushes about being a dad. Miguel thinks this is about him and says he loves Johnny through tears. Then Johnny says Robby's name. No!
But the big reveal comes in the final episode of season 4, so if you haven't watched it, save the rest of this article until after you do. Final warning: Spoilers ahead.
Facing Your Fears and Mending Fences
The final episode is a huge deal for the papa/son/sensei mess that Miguel, Johnny, Robby, and Daniel have gotten themselves into. Miguel gets hurt in his final battle at the All Valley Tournament and doesn't come back to fight. Though he takes time to tell Sam that he's always rooting for her and kisses her goodbye, he's got other plans besides sticking around to find out who wins. While Daniel and Johnny deal with their losses, Miguel has left the building. In fact, he's left the country.
While Johnny and Robby finally have a heart to heart and forgive each other, it's revealed that Miguel has left for Mexico to find his father. He leaves a note for his mom saying he realizes he has to overcome his fears and face them. He's doing that by finding his absent pop, but there is something he doesn't know. Carmen, it seems, never told this man who has done bad and illegal things about his son. Considering the little we know about him, it's unlikely to go well. Johnny, however, promises to find Miguel.
What does this mean for season 5? With Chozen back in the picture agreeing to help Daniel bring back Miyagi Do with the deadlier techniques, and Johnny off to Mexico, our heroes are splitting up. I was looking forward to seeing Johnny and Daniel as buddies for a bit, but it looks like we won't get that, at least at the beginning. Thankfully, season 5 was already almost done filming a month ago, so hopefully it won't be too long until we find out how the story progresses.