Daniel reaches out to an old frenemy as the feud with Terry Silver heats up.

Things are starting to heat up in the feud between Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) in Cobra Kai Season 5's latest explosive installment, "Playing with Fire." As the episode begins, Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) and Daniel are enjoying some leisure time at a golf club. Louie LaRusso (Bret Ernst) and Anoush (Dan Ahdoot) jokingly mock Chozen for hustling them at golf and Chozen feigns offense, pretending to be angry they’ve mocked his honor. They quickly apologize, given that he is a "karate assassin" who could remove your internal organs with little effort, although they relax once they realize Chozen is pulling their leg.

Drinks are on Daniel, and he heads to the bar, only to be confronted by Terry Silver. Daniel asks if he slithered in through the garbage chute and questions him on his recent problems with finding a sensei. Silver is out for blood; nobody tries to sabotage his dojo, but he has decided to be magnanimous and come to make a deal with Daniel. If Daniel stands down, there will be no retaliation, no repercussions. The Valley is Daniel’s backyard, though, and he refuses to give in to Silver’s demands. Silver threatens him, nothing in his life will ever be the same if he continues down this path. Chozen appears and warns Silver he is "gasoline," followed by a comical "boom." Their friends also return, wondering what "the giant Bond villain wanted" and Daniel is shaken.

Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) is serving badly burnt breakfast to Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) and his grandmother Rosa (Rose Bianco). They are amused, and his gran is making a fuss over the runaway, hugging and kissing him. Carmen jokes that he’ll keep running away if he always gets such a warm welcome whenever he comes back. Miguel assures both of them he will never do anything so reckless again, and Carmen apologizes for not telling him the truth about his father, but Miguel understands she had his best interests at heart. Johnny (William Zabka) enters, and they all sit down for breakfast. He says he is sorry for being late but had difficulty removing graffiti from his car. He thinks it should be illegal to vandalize someone’s car; Carmen, bemused, tells him it is. Asking if everything is good with Robby (Tanner Buchanan), Johnny nods, but the ride back from Mexico was full of awkward silences. It will take time for Miguel and Robby to be on good terms. Sam (Mary Mouser) is stuffing her face on the couch and feeling sorry for herself when Mitch (Aeden Mincks) storms in, complaining she’s eaten the last cake and left none for him. He is having trouble with Cobra Kai member Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young), and Sam reminds him about a horrible prank he played on the boy, after which he brings up the subject of karate. If Sam, getting up to leave, never hears the word "karate" for the rest of the summer, it’ll be too soon.

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Chozen and Daniel are at Miyagi-Do HQ and Chozen is sore from his recent brush with Silver’s senseis. Daniel knows they’ve succeeded in getting under Silver’s skin, hence his appearance at the golf club. Daniel apologizes for the living arrangements that have contributed to Chozen’s muscle aches. He tells him Cobra Kai demolished the spare room when they broke into his house. Chozen won’t allow a repeat performance of the break-in, he reassures Daniel. Silver is plotting his next move, though, and it worries Daniel. He plans to recruit old friends in his war against Miyagi-Do but Chozen wants to "beat him to punch" – he asks if Daniel knows of anybody. Could he be thinking of Kreese (Martin Kove)? No, it is "Karate’s Bad Boy" Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) from The Karate Kid Part 3. Meanwhile, Johnny and an ill Carmen are in the kitchen. Johnny expresses concern, mistakenly believing Miguel’s cooking is to blame. Carmen informs him she is late, and he asks "for what?" before she shares her fears of being pregnant. Johnny starts pacing, unsure if this is a good or bad thing.

Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) and Demetri (Giann DeCenzo) are at a tattoo parlor where Hawk has gotten a tattoo of a lotus flower on his chest to represent a fresh start, which is what he has. Demetri, displaying unusual tact and restraint, tells him it works. They notice Miguel’s angst from across the room, inquiring if he is good, Miguel says he’s tired from the Mexico trip. They are curious how he managed to stay in the same place as Robby without it turning into a John Wick fight scene, but Miguel has decided to take the high road with Robby, even if he doesn’t deserve it. Sam texts, saying she wants to talk later. Demetri tells Miguel that wanting to talk is code for breaking up – Miguel is horrified. At a café with Moon (Hannah Kepple) and Yaz (Annalisa Cochrane), Sam shows them the text and asks for advice. They think it is cute but desperate and Miguel knows he is in deep trouble. Miguel has been off with Sam lately, and she wants to lay all her feelings out via text. Yaz strongly advises her against doing that and Moon agrees. Best to have these types of conversations face-to-face.

Daniel and Chozen are parked opposite Mike Barnes's house. He leaves his house, dressed to kill and swaggering to his car. Chozen is unimpressed, which is becoming his default setting. Daniel recalls how the vicious Mike tried to kill him, and this is not something you forgive or forget. Hey, didn’t Chozen try to kill Daniel too? Chozen looks dismayed, but Daniel forgives him. They follow Mike and their chase leads them to a warehouse where Mike removes a power tool from the boot of his car. Against Chozen’s better judgment, Daniel wants to talk to Mike – alone.

At a pharmacy, a hard-faced woman asks Carmen and Johnny if it is "the morning-after pill or a pregnancy test" they are looking for. Carmen wonders if it is that obvious. Once Carmen is out of earshot, Johnny removes condoms from his pocket and asks for a refund, although the pharmacist remains stone-faced. Johnny catches up with Carmen to make sure she gets a premium test. He’s nervous, and she tells him to take a breath. He fears he’ll make the same mistakes that he did with Robby, and Carmen admits she was scared of raising Miguel alone. Now, they have each other. Coincidentally, a baby starts squalling nearby, which leaves Johnny on the cusp of a panic attack, but Carmen is irritated by his immature attitude. He isn’t ready and this should be simple.

Sam, Yaz, and Moon are at a spa and Moon brings Sam to a self-actualization pod, which is really just a New Age way of describing a sensory deprivation tank. Moon thinks it will help Sam find herself and figure out who she really is. Unfortunately, Sam has a phobia of water and tells her friend she has recurring dreams of drowning, so the prospect of getting into the pod fills her with dread. Meanwhile, Demetri, Hawk, and Miguel are at a jewelry store. If Demetri is to be believed, buying expensive jewelry is how Miguel will get back into Sam’s good books. Miguel isn’t so sure, but he spots an octopus pendant and thinks it would be perfect for Sam. It might be a bit out of his price range and Hawk asks if they have a similar item with fewer tentacles.

Daniel is eavesdropping on Mike Barnes making a phone call. The call sounds ominous, with Mike discussing how "they’ll be unrecognizable" by the time he’s finished and making a reference to "cutting off legs" – Daniel, jumping to conclusions, races in and grabs his phone. Believing it is Silver on the other end, he makes threats and a woman responds. Aware now that he has made a mistake, he asks Barnes what is going on. Barnes owns the furniture store they are in, and it turns out he was discussing a table with the woman on the phone. Daniel is mortified. Elsewhere, Johnny surfs the web, trying to get information on how to raise a baby. He starts practicing in a humorous montage while watching a YouTube tutorial on the subject — how to hold a baby, the appropriate diet, and fumigating your roach-infested apartment.

Back at Agoura Furnishings, Daniel is apologizing profusely for his paranoid behavior; he is a little out of sorts with Silver prowling around, but Mike totally understands the lengths Daniel is going to get dirt on Silver. The man is a psychopath. Mike feels he owes Daniel an apology for trying to kill him back in the day. He always wanted to look Daniel up and make amends for his past sins but thought maybe it was better to leave the past where it is. Daniel couldn’t agree more. He's trying to wrap his head around Mike Barnes, furniture king – actually, Mike tells him, he is co-king with his wife. After the tournament, Mike’s life was ruined, he was banned from karate and found himself working odd jobs. He met his future father-in-law, who showed him he could do something besides fight. Daniel is won over by the transformation.

In the self-actualization pod, Sam has a vivid fantasy of a nowhere place and Daniel is there to greet her. He asks what she is doing there, and she replies that she isn’t sure, that she’s supposed to be figuring out who she is. He tells her she is LaRusso 2.0, her girlfriends tell her she is one of the girls, but she's also the girl who broke Robby’s heart and she’s Miguel’s girlfriend. She is a collection of conflicting accounts. Sam is also confronted by a version of herself, sporting a black karate outfit and sai weapons. A staff materializes at her feet and a battle with her doppelgänger ensues. She is losing the fight against herself when Moon opens the pod, releasing her from the fantasy. Yaz complains about the water temperature and Moon shares a trite vision. Sam doesn’t respond when they inquire about her experiences.

Chozen is waiting in the car and checks his watch sporadically, wearing a worried expression on his face. Daniel fills Mike in on Silver and his dastardly deeds. Mike can’t imagine what having the psycho invading is like. Daniel asks for help and Mike isn’t sure how he can assist, but they're pretending to spar when Chozen shows up and karate kicks Mike across the room. A fight begins, with Mike more than capable of holding his own against Chozen. Daniel attempts to intervene and receives a punch in the face. He manages to stop the fight and again apologizes for the misunderstanding. Chozen says they should "call an ambulance" and we see he has taken out Mike’s workers.

Miguel visits Johnny at his newly refurbished apartment, wanting advice on girls and relationships, and has come seeking answers from his surrogate father. Miguel is puzzled by the odd smell; it's a combination of pesticide and paint thinner, and Miguel should breathe through his mouth. Miguel tells Johnny about the advice he received from Demetri and Hawk, but Johnny thinks Miguel shouldn’t be listening to a "dork" like Demetri. Miguel is at a loss for words and doesn’t know what to say to Sam, but Johnny tells him to go with the truth.

Chozen, Mike, and Daniel have ice packs on their injuries and are reclining on soft furnishings. Daniel apologizes again, blaming Silver for it all. According to Mike, Silver had a shady attorney, completely without scruples, who had drawn up dodgy contracts which Mike signed in the past. Daniel is overjoyed they finally have evidence to destroy Silver. Mike has reservations but can give Daniel the number for the attorney. Chozen is luxuriating on a couch, and Mike jokes about selling it to him at an inflated price. Daniel leaves a message for the attorney about Silver. Chozen purchased the couch.

Sam is at Miyagi-Do HQ waiting for Miguel. He earnestly declares his feelings, wishing he could undo all the hurt his recent actions have caused. Sam respects the decision he made to look into his past and try to find out about his roots. He wasn’t thinking about Sam when he tried to start a new chapter, but she says there is no need to explain and that she is sorry for always thinking of herself. She was so wrapped up in the tournament that she wasn’t sensitive to his needs. She respects him for taking the time to find himself before dropping the bombshell that she needs time now to figure things out. Karate has dominated her life, and her relationships, and she needs time away from it. She’s ending the relationship. Miguel is supportive of her decision but silently devastated. Meanwhile, Carmen visits Johnny and admires the renovations. He has baby-proofed the apartment and is ready for fatherhood. Full of fun facts about babies, he hands Carmen a Walkman because babies can hear music in the womb. He will do whatever it takes for his family, and he won’t run away or back down. Carmen toys with him, and we almost believe she isn’t pregnant – but she took the test, and they’re having a baby.

The episode ends with Daniel rejuvenating in a steam room at the country club. His eyes are closed, and he hears someone come in. The voice recording he left for the attorney starts playing and Daniel is shocked. Silver emerges from the steam. He told Daniel not to play with fire, and he didn’t listen. Mike Barnes arrives at his store, which is engulfed in flames. The heat is on!

Alan K is The Next Famous Movie Monster & This is Their Origin Story. They have contributed to Blumhouse, Rue Morgue, FEARnet, SyfyWire, Chiller TV, Gay Times, Polyester Zine, and more. They have The Big Queer Horror Movie Guide forthcoming from McFarland and more.

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