5x05 Extreme Measures

5x05 - Extreme Measures 8.5/10 (Great) [SPOLIERS]

Excellent follow-up to the last episode. “Extreme Measures” is Cobra Kai at its best.

Amanda wants to spend some time apart from Daniel, so she packs up and takes the kids to head to her mother's. After receiving some anonymous mail instructing LaRusso to look into Stingray, LaRusso and Chozen decide to do so. At first, LaRusso is sceptical that it's another one of Silver's schemes, but Chozen manages to convince him otherwise, so the two set out on their investigation. When they go to see Stingray, LaRusso shows a side of himself we don't usually witness; he becomes nearly unhinged, but Chozen quickly tells him to calm down and tells him that this is not who he really is. Conflicted, LaRusso decides to visit Johnny at his apartment, where Johnny himself remarks that LaRusso isn't acting normally, prompting LaRusso to question the validity of his actions. The bromance between Johnny and Daniel is the show's fundamental dynamic, and I felt like the show was missing something in the first few episodes of this season.

I'm glad we got to see Johnny and Daniel together, and how they'll work together to take down Silver. But before he leaves, LaRusso tells Johnny that “Classic Johnny” is what's needed sometimes. This leads Johnny to come up with an idea that maybe locking Miguel and Robby in a room together and forcing them to work together isn't the best way to repair the relationship; but that maybe letting them fight it out is. Lucky for Johnny, the strategy succeeds, and Miguel and Robby make up, but not before they nearly frighten him into thinking that the fight has gone too far and could have devastating consequences. The creators did an excellent job of drawing parallels to their previous fight near a staircase, and the subsequent conversation that took place was refreshingly open and genuine; something they both clearly needed.

Meanwhile, Amanda gets into a bar fight with some old “friends” and with the advice of her cousin, she realizes that Daniel may not be wholly wrong and chooses to give him another chance. LaRusso, realizing he's gone too far, tells Chozen that the feud is over and that he should return home. Daniel then decides to make peace with Stingray in order to make up for his behaviour earlier, however, instead of seeing Stingray when he goes to visit, he encounters Silver. Silver, in an attempt to entice LaRusso, threatens his children, and a great fight ensues between the two of them; the fight is a bit one-sided, but that is to be expected given Silver's physical size.

Despite the episode's bleak conclusion, “Extreme Measures” sets up a promising future. Robby and Miguel's reconciliation, Johnny and LaRusso's working together to bring down Silver, and revealing that Tory is in league with Kreese to bring down Silver.

“There is an endgame, kid. Silver's going down. Only he doesn't know it yet.” ~ Kreese