[Editor’s note: The following containsspoilersthrough the Season 3 finale of Cobra Kai.]
How about thatCobra KaiSeason 3 finale fight? Yet again, the show delivered an epic showdown with wildly impressive camerawork and fight choreography, but even more remarkable is how many key story beats and character arcs shine through, even amidst all that action. We’ve got Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) getting back to fighting form and Sam (Mary Mouser) finally facing Tory (Peyton List), but a personal favorite is something I’ve been eager to see since Season 1, Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) and Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) joining forces again.
Is a moment like that as big a thrill on set for Bertrand and DeCenzo as it is for us as viewers and fans at home? Here’s how Bertrand described it:
“That was one of the last things that we ended up doing, where I run down the corridor and jump off of him and kick. We started doing our bit and so the whole day we were like, ‘Alright, we have the choreography memorized.’ We were good to go. And as the energy, the oner’s going where we’re all feeling it, and then we get to that moment [and] we’re like, ‘Dude, this is it. Let’s freakin’ do it!’ Gianni was so stoked because the first season he didn’t get to do any stunts and any fights and he came and he was like, ‘I’m so excited to do a fight with you! This is gonna be great!’ But yeah, we totally feel the same way. Binary brothers for life.”
But the thing is, now Hawk’s in an interesting situation. He still looks like the badass (and bully) from Cobra Kai, but now he’s one of the good guys, so to speak, fighting for the Miyagi-do/Eagle Fang combo. Can he still maintain the Hawk look and mentality but shed the “strike first, strike hard, no mercy” principles? Here’s what Bertrand said:
“I think a lot of soul searching has to be done for him to be able to find that answer. In all honesty, I think right now, even at the end of Season 3, I don’t know if he would be able to handle having the Hawk mentality while looking like Eli or being sort of the ‘good guy’ while having the mohawk because I think right now they’re so separated. I think that’s something that would be really fun to explore, kind of merging those two because for the whole entire time it kind of has been Eli and Hawk and they’re two very different people. Well, I mean, they’re still the same person, but I think you should start writing!”
As much as I wish, show creatorsJon Hurwitz,Josh Heald,Hayden Schlossbergand their team clearly have it down, yet again, leaving me eager to see where things go for Hawk and Demetri in the next season. If you’d like to hear all of this straight from Bertrand himself, check out the interview at the top of this article! Maridueña also details what it was like getting his first meaty scene oppositeRalph Macchioin Season 3. And if you’re looking for even moreCobra Kaitalk after that, we’ve got Macchio andWilliam Zabkadiscussing their experience reuniting withElisabeth Shueover hereand everything you need to know about the person Kreese (Martin Kove) calls in the finale episoderight here.
Xolo Maridueña and Jacob Bertrand:
