In Cobra Kai Season 2, it seemed like no one told Johnny Lawrence life would be this way. His jobs a joke, he's broke, and his love life's D.O.A. Perhaps Cobra Kai isn't a series people immediately equate to Friends but, as Ralph Macchio recently revealed, Johnny and Ralph are totally Ross and Rachel-esque characters.
In fact, there are a few characters in Cobra Kai that fit that dynamic, according to the actor. Ahead of Cobra Kai Season 3, Ralph Macchio spoke to EW on how the show goes about creating these dynamics between characters and how it specifically relates to Johnny and Daniel:
We always talk about, you know, the Ross and Rachels of our show. You want to get to them, but you don't want to put them together — so we're constantly keeping that ball up in the air. [Executive producers] Jon [Hurwitz], Josh [Heald], and Hayden [Schlossberg] do a brilliant job providing fan service and the Easter eggs, and the feels, and the comedy, and yet slowly peppering in those moments that we're waiting for...Johnny and Daniel, we love to see them have a few beers and be simpatico, and then we also love to see them at each other's throats. Another thing that works so well in the show is the audience can see the different-but-same elements of these guys. It's sometimes frustrating because you just want to put them in a room together and pour a drink and just say, 'Get over it.'
Daniel and Johnny wouldn't have been my first choice for the "will they or won't they" couple of Cobra Kai but, after hearing Ralph Macchio's commentary on it, that definitely makes sense. There's obviously a want from some fans to see the two come together and unite after a decades-long feud but, in doing so, you remove some of the tension in the series and investment from the audience. But even if it would drop the feud, fans are still completely on board with seeing Johnny and Daniel finally unite on a more permanent basis.
As to whether or not Cobra Kai fans will ever see that, Ralph Macchio kept tight-lipped about any potential spoilers. He did speak a bit about the challenge of the staff in keeping the audience entertained and not frustrated that the things they want to happen haven't come to be:
We certainly hear the fans loud and clear, and the show has been designed in the way to bring us to that [reconciliation]. It's important that you're staying ahead of everything, but you are satisfying your audience at the same time. It's challenging to do. We have so many characters in the show and so many compelling story lines, even outside of just Johnny and Daniel's legacy rivalry and Kreese as the wrench in the middle of it.
Now that I know Cobra Kai operates on the idea of creating a Ross and Rachel dynamic seen in Friends, I'm obsessed with figuring out who the rest of the cast would parallel. Is Miguel a total Joey? Does Demetri exude that classic Chandler sarcasm? I know that's not the point of what Cobra Kai is doing when it creates relationships between its characters but, now, the thought of Johnny chasing Daniel down before he gets on a plane to start a new life abroad is just too amazing to let go of.
Season 3 of Cobra Kai premieres on Netflix Friday, January 1, at 12:01 a.m. PT. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest happening with the series, and for more news in television and movies.
