U.I.C.S. ~ Tory Nichols

*U.I.C.S. stands for: Unnecessarily Intensive Character Study*

Well, this was an inevitability, wasn’t it?

As I’ve mentioned several times over the past few weeks, Cobra Kai is a show absolutely littered with realistically flawed characters who make believably flawed decisions. It’s a show where you often find yourself rooting for everybody and nobody simultaneously, you shout for joy when characters finally sit down and talk out their problems with each other, and you tense up in equal parts excitement and anxiety every time a new karate incident breaks out.

In my opinion, nowhere is Cobra Kai‘s design philosophy more evident than in the case of Tory Nichols.

Tory With a Y (Season Two)

Tory enters the story in the fourth episode of Season Two, which takes place immediately after the Cobra Kai dojo puts on a flashy and bombastic performance at the annual valley fest. Enticed by the showmanship and acrobatic moves on display, Tory stops by the dojo the next day, eager to join. She makes a pretty strong first impression by offering to take on a sparring match with Miguel, the current year’s all-valley tournament champion, when everyone else was too anxious to make the same offer.

Though she inevitably loses the sparring match (seeing as she’s a mostly untrained fighter), Tory puts her aggressive nature and past kickboxing lessons into practice to land at least one solid hit. She also demonstrates the “no mercy” philosophy of Cobra Kai by striking Miguel when he thought the lesson was over. Miguel and Tory walk away from the fight visibly impressed with each other, and Sensei Kreese is particularly intrigued by this new fighter.

After the sparring match, Tory bonds with Aisha at the local convenience store. Aisha notes that Tory carries herself with confidence and seems like she already knows how to handle herself. Tory doesn’t refute this (and in fact always wears a spiked bracelet to defend herself with after needing it once in the past), but Tory also mentions that Cobra Kai seemed like the place to get even stronger. She’s been fighting her whole life, and she wants to get even better.

And then, the moment that would change the course of the show forever occurs.

Aisha invites Tory to the Country Club to hang out by the pool, and it is there that Tory runs into Samanatha LaRusso for the first time. They each introduce themselves to each other cordially enough, but then Tory reveals she swiped a bottle of champagne when the waiters weren’t looking and offers to split it with Aisha. Aisha is game, but Sam reprimands Tory for stealing. Shrugging, Tory makes a flippant but relatively tame comment, and then heads off with Aisha.

However, a few no-good thugs have been sneaking around the Country Club, and they end up stealing the wallets of several unsuspecting patrons, including Sam’s mother, Amanda. Without even second guessing herself, Sam instantly assumes that Tory is the culprit (she isn’t) and confronts her. Tory is visibly offended by the remark and protests her innocence but unwilling to accept that claim in light of her earlier champagne stealing, Sam tries to grab Tory.

Tory reacts in self-defense by shoving Sam back, and Sam topples into a table of food, knocking it over and covering herself in the mess. Tory storms off, and even Aisha takes Tory’s side, telling Sam off for accusing Tory without any evidence. Sam is left embarrassed.

Their bitter rivalry has officially begun. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes here, so let me try to break it down a bit.

The Country Club is exclusively a place for the rich families to hang out, of which Sam and Aisha are. However, club members can invite anyone they want to come with as a “plus one”, which is why Aisha brought Tory. Aisha then introduced Tory as “a friend”, and so Sam had no reason not to assume that Tory wasn’t just another rich kid like herself.

Problem is, Tory isn’t. At all.

Tory lives in a small, run-down apartment owned by a sleazy landlord, and she lives with her mother and younger brother. Her younger brother is only eight, and her mother is sickly and was just recently fired from her job waitressing. The reason she was fired is because she was caught helping herself to the leftover food at the end of her shift, as she had been planning to take the food home to feed Tory and her son. Even though the food was to be thrown out at the end of the day, tossed aside and wasted, Tory’s mother was accused of stealing and fired.

So, when Sam accuses Tory of stealing, it really sets Tory off. You can just see the way in which her gaze hardens and her posture tenses up. Tory thinks that Sam is looking down on her because she’s impoverished, that she’s treating her like trash because it’s expected for someone like her to be a criminal. This accusation from Sam only furthers Tory’s intense hatred for the upper class, people she views as entitled, spoiled, and undeserving of their lot in life.

Except, of course, that Tory doesn’t know that SAM doesn’t know Tory’s social status. Confusing, isn’t it? But, like most of Cobra Kai as a whole, the interpersonal relationships are a mess of misunderstandings and out of control emotions.

Regardless, Tory is perhaps more inclined than ever to join Cobra Kai, if only so it can serve as an outlet for her aggression. She practices more and more, and also spends more time with the other Cobra Kai students outside of training. It is through this extra time spent with her peers that she begins to bond more and more with Miguel, and her initial high impression of him morphs into genuine attraction.

Trouble is, Miguel is still trying to cope with his previous relationship that broke up poorly. A relationship he had with Sam.

Whether out of a spiteful desire to get back at Sam, or just simple attraction to Miguel, Tory manages to convince him to drop his pining for Sam and give her a chance. Surprising the both of them, they hit it off exceptionally well. Miguel gels with Tory’s carefree and fun-seeking attitude, and Tory is over-the-moon to meet someone, perhaps for the first time in her life, who truly does not judge or dislike her because of her upbringing and social status. The two are just able to have fun together like normal teens.

Everything seems like it’s going extremely well, which in Cobra Kai, means that things are quickly going to fall apart.

Tory works at a local roller-skating rink as a food stall waitress, and she invites Miguel to hang out because the rink is holding an exciting 80s Night. Then, completely coincidentally, Sam and her new boyfriend Robby also attend the rink’s special event. And, of course, they all run into each other.

Here the critical, deep-seeded misunderstanding between Tory and Sam deepens. Just seeing Sam at the event is enough to trigger Tory’s rage, because all she sees is the entitled rich girl having fun at a party while Tory is forced to work as a waitress to pay for her family’s expenses. Meanwhile, Sam can only see Tory for her aggression and sour attitude and hasn’t a clue to the events going on in the background.

Tory ends up overseeing Sam talking to Miguel, correctly assuming that Sam is trying to smooth things over with her old beau. Ticked off, Tory shoves Sam while she is carrying a soda, causing her to spill the drink over her dress. Possessing a short fuse all to herself, Sam retaliates by pushing Tory onto the floor while she’s got a full tray of food with her. A mess ensues, and a fellow employee throws Sam and Robby out of the event, much to Tory’s satisfaction.

Then, only days later, Tory and Sam encounter each other again. A mutual friend has noticed the rising tensions between the Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do dojos and organized a house party with everyone invited to try and talk things out and have some fun. Lots of alcohol is involved. What could possibly go wrong?

Tory reigns supreme over a shot-drinking contest in which the participants have to balance on one foot atop a stool, and if they fall, they lose. When Sam happens to wander by, Tory shouts out a challenge to the “little princess”. Sick of Tory constantly one-upping her, Sam accepts the challenge, and manages to win by utilizing a Miyagi-Do balancing technique. Tory storms off, humiliated, but otherwise subdued by the whole altercation.

However, it’s Tory who manages to keep a strong hold on her liquor, whereas Sam very quickly devolves into a helpless drunk. When Miguel tries to comfort Sam and help her to stop drinking, Sam seizes upon the opportunity to kiss Miguel, as she’d never truly lost her feelings for him after their earlier break-up. Worse, Miguel does not entirely push her away, though he is clearly shocked. Worse still, the kiss is witnessed by Tory through the window.

Tory’s expression clouds over in rage.

It’s here where Tory’s critical flaw comes to light. She’s got a hair-trigger temper, to be sure, but her fatal error is never stopping to consider the consequences of her actions BEFORE acting. Even when those consequences have far-reaching and profound effects. They never cross Tory’s mind when it matters the most.

The very day after the party is the first day of the new school year (the rest of this season had taken place over the summer). Everything seems fine at first, although Miguel feels that he has deeply betrayed Tory’s trust by not being forceful enough is pushing Sam back, and Sam tries and fails to work up the courage to tell Robby what she did while drunk. A fair bit of emotional angst all around.

And then Tory kicks open the door to the announcement system room, steals the microphone, and then calls out Sam for all the school to hear. As soon as homeroom ends, Tory hunts down Sam and manages to corner her in the hallway, curious and anxious students forming an impenetrable barrier on either side. Robby makes it to the scene just in time to overhear Tory loudly declare that Sam kissed Miguel at the party.

“Samantha LaRusso. I know what you did, and now you’re gonna pay for it. I’m coming for you!”

Tory, Season Two Episode Ten

Robby is crushed. Sam is horrified. And Tory is angry beyond belief.

She strikes first. She strikes hard. And she shows no mercy.

Her showdown with Sam is brutal, with Sam on the receiving end of most of the beatdown. Though Miyagi-Do practices defense, it also requires balance, and Sam’s balance has been utterly destroyed by Tory dumping out her colossal drunken mistake for all to hear. Tory, meanwhile, leans hard into the aggressive teachings of Cobra Kai to beat the heck out of Sam, until finally Robby is prompted to intervene.

Robby slams Tory against a locker to get her to stop. Miguel, having just made it to the fight, sees Robby manhandling Tory and lunges to her defense, tackling Robby. Nearby students on both sides of the dojo rivalry spring into action, spurred on by the chaotic energy. The unforgettable school brawl has begun. Teachers are useless. Students are merciless. It’s chaos.

In particular, Tory and Sam brawl from the hallway where they started, out into the central foyer, and up the steps to the second story of the lobby. Both girls are bloody and bruised, and as Sam leans more into her anger and less onto her father’s teachings, she begins to even the playing field. Though she does painfully get dragged down the stairs by her hair, she manages two strong kicks to Tory’s jaw.

In retaliation, Tory dons the spiked bracelet she’d so proudly displayed earlier, much to Sam’s horror. She jabs Sam in the face and drives a deep gash in her left arm, before Sam manages a timely counter that flips Tory over the railing and knocks her down a flight of stairs.

Before they can resume, Robby and Miguel’s brutal beatdown reaches its apex, as Robby kicks Miguel off the balcony, causing Miguel to fall over twelve feet and shatter his spine on the railing below.

Tory helplessly screams out Miguel’s name. No one can save him.

The moment he hits the railing, a distraught realization crosses Tory’s face. The consequence of her fatal flaw finally bears fruit, and she recognizes the repercussions of what she’s done.

Cut to black.

Cycle of Revenge (Season Three)

Two weeks have passed since the school brawl, and those two weeks have not been kind to anyone involved. On Tory’s end, she’s been expelled from school for kickstarting the fight, and the only reason she avoided a juvie sentencing is because of her home situation. Immediately after the school fight, her mother’s illness worsened so considerably that she is bedridden and on dialysis.

Tory is the sole caretaker of her family now, and thus has only been placed on probation. She’s also picked up two jobs to keep her family fed and sustained, although her monetary situation is still extremely tight.

Most notably, Tory demonstrates an almost surprising level of guilt and regret over her past actions and has sworn off Cobra Kai to instead focus on her family. This is the first truly mature decision she’s shown to make since her debut, although her lingering feelings of responsibility keep her too afraid to actually visit Miguel in the hospital (who has just woken up from a coma). She’s also afraid of confronting Miguel’s own potential part in that kiss with Sam.

Tory is someone who deeply attaches herself to the select few people who are close to her, and she is both fiercely protective and strongly loyal to those attachments.

This has an immediate effect when Tory’s sleazy landlord refuses to listen to Tory’s reasoning and excuses for being late on her payment and offers her the prospect of performing certain favors for him in exchange for debt forgiveness. Tory is disgusted, but when she tries to physically retaliate, her landlord reminds her that a single step out of line will see her dumped into juvie, leaving her family all alone.

Frustrated, Tory is just about to force herself to come to terms with what she might have to do to protect her family, when old Sensei Kreese drops by for a visit. Out of all the Cobra Kai students, Tory was the one who consistently piqued Kreese’s interest, and he placed great value in her contributions to the team. He’s concerned about her sudden disappearance from the dojo, so he stops by her apartment complex to inquire as to the reason behind her absence.

To her credit, Tory sticks to her principles and explains that she can’t go back to the dojo with the stress of two jobs and the threat of probation hanging over her head. Kreese commiserates with her over her strength and will to keep fighting against a world that has wronged her, which only further ingrains Tory’s defiantly victimized attitude. On a lighter note, though, he does sympathize with Tory’s bedridden mother, as it reminds him of his own experience with his mom growing up.

Once Kreese subtly finds out about the landlord and his disgusting proposition to Tory, then that’s all she wrote. Kreese corners the landlord and threatens to cut the man’s finger off…or worse…if he doesn’t back off of Tory and be more lenient with the girl’s paychecks. The cowardly landlord hastily agrees, and never bothers Tory again.

The very next day, Tory shows up at the dojo, ready for practice. Though Kreese never outwardly confirmed his part in the intimidation of the landlord, Tory’s able to put the pieces together. Feeling both overwhelming relief and an unquestionable devotion to Kreese, Tory eagerly hops back into the Cobra Kai dojo and the Cobra Kai mindset. All of her earlier restraint and maturity has been locked away, and she’s back to the “no mercy” mentality of putting action first and consequences second.

It’s clear that two different things have happened here. Obviously, Kreese is skillfully manipulating an emotional and vulnerable girl, shaping her into the perfect solider in his never-ending vendetta. But, on a certain level, Kreese DOES care for her (and she, of course, obviously reciprocates the care and loyalty, as per her “relationship attachment” I mentioned earlier). Kreese has a roundabout, often twisted, way of showing he cares for his students, but going above and beyond to ensure Tory’s well-being played at least some part in his actions.

Regardless, Tory is back on her self-destructive path, and she demonstrates that quite thoroughly through the next several episodes of the season. She spends every waking minute possible training at the dojo. She helps her fellow students steal wild animals from the local zoo. She even leads a raid on the local arcade once she hears Miyagi-Do students are there, and she cruelly pressures Cobra Kai student Hawk into breaking his former friend Demetri’s arm.

Tory’s presence is profoundly felt by Sam as well, even when she isn’t directly involved. Though she technically emerged the victor of the school brawl, Sam is still wracked by anxiety-driven panic attacks when she even thinks of Tory. After all, from Sam’s perspective, nothing is stopping Tory from attacking her again, and doing something much worse than scarring her arm. Sam even as recurring nightmares of Tory killing her. It’s clear that Tory’s influence is growing.

Tory also begins to lure Robby to the dark side. After a stint in juvie, Robby feels disillusioned with both his father and Daniel LaRusso, so he turns to Kreese and Cobra Kai. He plans on utilizing Cobra Kai exclusively as a place to crash, but Tory starts worming her way into his mind, demonstrating the benefits to strength and skill by channeling her anger through Cobra Kai karate. She pushes more and more pressure onto Robby, egging him into finally agreeing to temporarily join the dojo.

By coincidence, Tory even runs into Miguel, who has recovered from his coma but is still wheelchair-bound. Tory expresses relief that Miguel has recovered, but Miguel is hesitant to accept her happiness since she never bothered to visit him in the hospital. Instead of explaining her inner turmoil that prevented her from visiting, Tory (as she so often does when confronted with difficult personal questions) deflects the blame to Miyagi-Do for causing Miguel’s injury in the first place.

Offended and also concerned by Tory’s lack of self-reflection, Miguel loses faith in his girlfriend feelings for him, and begins to wonder if she ever truly cared for him. He genuinely (though not quite tactfully) tells her that she should seek help, and though he probably did not intend to imply mental help, Tory interprets his sentiment that way. Crushed that her boyfriend too is now judging her and ruling her “crazy”, Tory’s barriers go back up, and she fully enters her fury mode. She yells at Miguel, telling him everyone who ever wronged Cobra Kai is going down, and then storms off.

The two never officially break up, but this encounter effectively seals the deal.

Several episodes pass.

In the season finale, Tory is letting all her rage out in the dojo, when Kreese wanders by. He lets slip that Miguel and Sam have gotten back together, and that they are attempting to unite the students from all dojos but Cobra Kai in a stand against Cobra Kai. Enraged, Tory runs off, but not before bringing several other students with her.

Kreese smiles approvingly. Another classic case of manipulation.

Just like the previous season, Tory puts a plan for revenge into action…but this time, the plan is bigger, the action bolder, and the potential ramifications so, so much worse than even the school brawl.

With a literal resounding kick, Tory knocks aside the LaRusso family residence’s front door, and charges in with the other Cobra Kai students at her back. She’s initiated a literal home invasion.

Cobra Kai starts strong, but Tory’s hardly interested in the fight as a whole. After dealing with a stray Miyagi-Do student or two, Tory forces her way through the house, straight to Sam. Sam, overcome with fear, panics and runs as Tory methodically stalks her through the house.

Eventually, Tory corners Sam in the family dojo practice room, and lands a strong kick to Sam’s face. Sam is trembling with terror and can only meekly scramble away as Tory relishes in the power she feels over her rival. She truly feels strong and is happy to see Sam weak before her. In her mind, this is the way things always had to end between her and Sam. The impoverished girl with the odds stacked against her fought hard and won, triumphing over the entitled rich brat.

“This isn’t over, LaRusso. You hear me? This will never be over!”

Tory, Season Three Episode Ten

However, when Sam finds her balance and remembers her father’s lesson about not letting her fear conquer her emotions and control her, she turns the tables on Tory. Tory counters with a pair of Nunchaku, but Sam deflects her attacks with an expertly wielded Bo staff, resulting in her disarming Tory. Tory, seething, still tries to fight, only for more Miyagi-Do reinforcements to run into the dojo.

The home invasion is over. Cobra Kai lost.

Sam glares defiantly at Tory and proclaims that she will NEVER be afraid of Tory anymore.

Furious, bitter, and humiliated, Tory runs off into the night.

Cut to black.

Fighting All Her Life (Season Four)

Tory begins this season aggressively working out her frustrations from the failure of the home invasion. She feels that she’s back at square one with her rival, and her boiling rage over having lost and been humiliated is almost at a tipping point. She aggressively hammers away at a punching bag and demeans her fellow students for failing to carry their own weight in the home invasion.

Every small loss that Tory suffers builds up her hatred of those she views as “above her”. Those she feels have “wronged her”. Those she feels are “undeserving” of their lot in life.

Robby, still using Cobra Kai as a place to crash without fully committing to the team, tries to give Tory a reality check. He reprimands her for leading the home invasion charge, demanding her answer how she possibly thought she could break into a house, brutally injure Sam, and then just expect everything to be okay afterwards. Tory stutters for a response, before clamming up and doubling down on her mentality of the downtrodden fighting back against the well-off.

It’s old habit for her at this point, but it is unfortunately the philosophy that Cobra Kai thrives on. The dojo practices the mentality of striking back against those you feel have wronged you, throwing consequences to the wind. Nothing matters except for showing your opponent no mercy. As long as Tory continues to believe that Sam is holding herself above Tory, viewing herself as better, Tory will never be able to think straight about their rivalry. All she’ll ever want is revenge.

On a related note, the only reason Tory and the other Cobra Kai kids escaped any repercussion from the home invasion is because of a blackmail bet made between their sensei (Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, and Kreese). Daniel holds back on reporting the home invasion to the police in exchange for Kreese not reporting that Daniel and Johnny attacked him in his own dojo as retaliation. Instead, the dojo rivalry will be settled conclusively at the upcoming All-Valley Tournament.

Regardless, Tory does manage to turn Robby’s scathing critique back around on him, worming her way back into his mind. She wonders why he’s constantly defending Sam despite the fact that she unceremoniously broke things off with him to get back with Miguel and makes fun of him for not being able to commit to the Cobra Kai mentality. She accuses him of “sitting on the fence” and tells him flatly that Cobra Kai isn’t the dojo for him if all he plans to do is stick to defense.

“And if you’re just gonna stick to defense…then this isn’t the right dojo for you.”

Tory, Season Four Episode One

A while later that week, Tory and the other students enter the dojo to find Robby waiting for them in full karate Gi. He’s just come from a difficult confrontation with Sam, and sinking into his anger, he’s finally ready to officially join Cobra Kai. Tory and the students are dismissive, but Robby states that if any of them can land a hit, he’ll leave. A protracted battle occurs, and Robby’s Miyagi-Do defense proves almost insurmountable. Eventually, Tory scores a hit by taking advantage of Robby’s penchant for holding back, but she’s still impressed enough to let him stay.

The two of them share a knowing smile.

Later, Tory is working a shift at the restaurant she waitresses, when she encounters an unexpected customer: Amanda LaRusso, Sam’s mom.

Amanda lays down the law hard and fast. Unwilling to let Tory get away with the home invasion despite the lack of official consequences, she plainly explains that Tory is lucky to not be in jail, and that if she takes a single step out of line, she’ll be scrubbing toilets for the rest of her life. Unwilling to ever back down from a fight, Tory holds her ground and plays coy, and the conversation of the two women escalates into a tense staredown.

Unfortunately, when an impatient customer asks Tory to hurry up and give him his food, Tory loses her focus and snaps at the man…right as the manager is walking by. Fed up with Tory’s attitude, the manager fires Tory on the spot. The troubled teen glares at Amanda, condescendingly thanks her for ruining her job, and storms out of the building. She is now down one job, and down one extremely precious source of income.

Her rage at being fired manifests in the dojo the next day, as she ignores the guided lesson in favor of violently throwing Robby to the ground. Kreese, sensing the anger and unrest in one of his favorite students, calls Tory into the back office.

With surprisingly gentle care, Kreese asks Tory to explain what’s wrong. She hastily mentions that she was fired, but her further rant dries up when Kreese asks a piercing question: Do you feel sorry for yourself? Tory hesitates and cannot come up with an answer. On the one hand, she does feel sorry for herself, and this is perhaps the first time she’s ever taken note of her own victim mentality. On the other hand, she wants to be strong enough to fight back against the person who caused her misfortune instead of wallowing in guilt.

Kreese makes her path clear with an insightful sentiment that genuinely sounds like something a father would say, and not a manipulative mastermind. He tells Tory that failure can either break someone down or help build them up stronger than ever before. The outcome depends entirely on how you choose to deal with that failure.

After that meeting, Kreese manages to corner Amanda when she’s out shopping. He wants to know why she’s antagonizing her student, to which Amanda (perhaps rightfully) explains that Tory being fired is nothing compared to Sam’s scars and trauma. Kreese respects her attitude, but informs Amanda of Tory’s sickly, bed-ridden mother and her status as the sole caretaker of her family. These are two facts Amanda knew nothing about.

Feeling a measure of guilt, Amanda buys groceries for Tory and leaves them at Tory’s doorstep.

Sadly, Tory’s hair-trigger temper and fight-or-fight attitude flare up upon seeing the groceries at her door. Thinking that Amanda is taking pity on her (which she somewhat is, but Tory in particular views that as another personal attack on her upbringing), Tory takes the groceries to Amanda’s work and throws them at her feet. She refuses Amanda’s help or sympathy and expresses her genuine desire to humiliate Sam once and for all at the All-Valley Tournament. She then leaves.

Kreese’s prior words had an uplifting (if ultimately unhealthy) effect on Tory’s mindset, and she decides to stop playing the victim. Amanda has, at this point, only worsened Tory and Sam’s rivalry.

A while later, and Tory finally manages to secure another job to replace the waitressing position, though it is a job that she severely despises. She’s been hired as a Princess Performer, which is someone who dresses up and participates in children’s birthday parties. She’s so embarrassed that she won’t even share details of the job with Robby or the other students. The very idea of a chaste, naïve princess is the exact opposite of how Tory feels, but as always, she’s willing to do anything to help her family.

When she’s away from the Cobra Kai dojo, Tory is a surprisingly thoughtful, self-sacrificing girl. It’s Cobra Kai that brings out the worst in her (and the worst in everyone, really).

Anyway, during her very first performance, take a wild guess who happens to be there chaperoning a family friend’s birthday party? You get one guess.

Sam. And Amanda.

To her credit, Tory swallows her pride and puts on the show required of her, dancing along to the music and entertaining the little kids with shiny face-paint and stories about fearsome dragons. However, Sam is definitely not making it easy for her. As she’s no longer afraid of Tory, Sam is in full, retaliatory, no-mercy mode, and she spends the entire party talking down to Tory, bringing up past grievances, and poking holes in her storytelling. Even when a young girl puts Tory on the spot and asks for a song, and Tory hesitantly, anxiously obliges, Sam rudely insults Tory’s ability before wandering off, satisfied that she’s won this little round of their rivalry.

All of Sam’s instigating antics poke holes into Tory’s defensive walls, but Tory’s learned from her previous mistake at her waitressing position. She knows that making a scene will only result in her getting fired, even if the thought of her pampered rival getting away with it all drives her mad. Instead, Tory slyly tells the kids that a shapeshifting witch is on the loose and points them in Sam’s direction. The kids then bombard Sam with glitterbombs.

Point, Tory.

But, when Miguel walks in a minute later, and Sam makes a show out of kissing him, it’s one straw too much for Tory. She throws off her wig and storms out of the building, surely ruining her hold on this job. There’s only so much she can take (or rather, so much she can watch her rival take FROM her) before Tory can’t stomach it any longer.

However, Amanda witnessed all of Sam’s aggressive, borderline, bullying, and she rushes out after Tory. She apologizes on Sam’s behalf, to which Tory coldly refuses to hear from anyone but Sam. Amanda reasons that Sam does have an excuse to be antagonistic towards Tory, and Tory once again refrains from confronting her past decisions by arguing that it was all deserved, and that she’s just fighting back against the world.

Amanda goes for her own reality check just like Robby did and tries to explain that the world isn’t out to get Tory. All of the struggle and strife Tory is dealing with doesn’t have to be handled alone, and that there must be someone she knows who can help. Tory explodes in anger, nearly hitting Amanda, and yells that there’s “no one I can trust”. Amanda backs off, but calmly mentions that she’ll never be able to find help and support unless she asks, and that she won’t know if she won’t try.

Tory leaves, with a clearly conflicted expression on her face.

We see exactly what Tory meant by “no one I can trust” just two episodes later.

On her way to the dojo for another morning of practice, Tory is intercepted by her Aunt Kandace, her mother’s sister. Kandace lives separate from the rest of Tory’s family, but still demands a cut from her sister’s monthly disability checks. Tory surmises that Kandace is just trying to scalp their family out of money to fund more illegal schemes. After all, Tory points out that Kandace is an unemployed high school dropout with a criminal record.

Kandace is quick to fire back. Tory is ALSO a high school dropout with a criminal record. She is also soon going to turn eighteen. When she does, Kandace sickeningly promises her that she’ll be ready to adopt Tory’s younger brother, effectively stealing him away from Tory, in order to receive childcare support. Kandace promises that her sister will die soon, leaving Tory with nothing, and that no judge is ever going to take her more seriously than Kandace herself, who “knows how to play the game” as she puts it.

Tory is distraught at this news, and the prospect of losing everything she’s fought so hard to cling on to. But she isn’t going to play the victim and run from her problems anymore. She’s going to tackle them head on.

Amanda LaRusso, home alone, hears the front doorbell ring. Pulling open the door, she is taken aback to see Tory. She is perhaps even more surprised to see a conflicted, extremely vulnerable Tory. Tory then says what might be one of the hardest things she’s ever had to say, as well as being one of my favorite lines from her (and one of my favorite line deliveries from the incredible Peyton List).

“Mrs. LaRusso, I…I need your help.”

(Let me take this quick moment to heap praise onto Peyton List, by the way. She plays Tory to perfection, in all regards. However, as much as I love her aggressive portrayal of Tory’s fighting style, or her constant, snide sarcastic remarks, I truly love List’s attention to detail with the subtly of Tory’s acting. Every conflicted expression, every clench of anger, every anxious twitch conveys so much in so little. It’s awesome, and List deserves all the praise for her performance in this show.)

Anyway, Amanda, though still a bit shocked, obliges Tory’s request and lets her inside. The two sit down to talk, and it is there that Tory spills everything she’s been holding back. Tory mentions her trouble finding and maintaining two jobs, along with her struggles with Kandace. She also mentions that she reached out to and pleaded with the high school board, and they are willing to let her back into school…if any only if the LaRusso family all sign off on it.

Amanda nods in approval and expresses how proud she is of Tory trying to better herself and turn her life around. Tory also swears that she’ll never bother Sam again, because she’s willing to do anything to fix things for herself and her family. Amanda is touched by this declaration, but she has one final requirement of Tory before she signs off on the school proposition, one final test of Tory’s determination, so to speak.

She wants Tory to seek professional, supportive help.

The flicker in Tory’s facial expression makes it clear that this is the last thing she wants to do, and for one brief moment, her resolve flickers. Amanda is quick to sympathize with Tory’s dilemma, but she stresses that one girl shouldn’t be shouldering the burden of some many troubles all by herself, certainly not for as long as Tory has. All she wants if for Tory to open herself up to outside help as the first step towards healing her fractured, twisted sense of loneliness. A therapist, a pastor, anyone. As long as they aren’t, in Amanda’s words, “karate related”.

After another moment’s hesitation, Tory accepts. A monumental decision for her, but objectively the correct one.

Of course, then Sam comes home a minute later to find her mom chatting with Tory, and she flips out in angry protest. Obviously, Sam has reason enough to hate tory for what she’s done, but Sam’s hate blinds her to the steps Tory is trying to take to improve. Sam can only see the conniving, merciless, violent psychopath Tory has been, and not the hurt girl trying to improve that she is now. In Sam’s mind, there is NO forgiving Tory for the school fight and the home invasion. Sam wants revenge.

Even Daniel is thrown off by his wife’s actions, questioning why she’s doing so much for a girl who has so severely wronged their family in the past. Put on the spot, Amanda begrudgingly tells a tale from her own high school experience, wherein she deeply relates to Tory’s struggles. Amanda once, overcome by anger, took a baseball bat to her math tutor’s car because the tutor was having an affair with Amanda’s father, and she blamed the fracturing of her home life on the tutor. She was blinded by rage and aggression.

Amanda says that people like Tory constantly spiral into a never-ending struggle because of simple mistakes made in their youth. Society tells them the same messages over and over, about their failure, incompetence, and their life situation being their own fault, and there’s hardly any way to improve when past mistakes overshadow your future. Amanda begs Daniel to sign the school form, arguing that Tory’s is just a kid who needed a wake-up call, before her spiral of aggression irreparable ruins her life.

Daniel signs the paper, and so does Sam, which temporarily seems out of character for her, until the time comes for Tory’s first day back to school.

Tory approaches Sam, a look of resignation on her face. Seconds before she is able to apologize, or put their rivalry to bed for good, Sam cuts her off. In a lengthy, uninterrupted rant, Sam spells out that she doesn’t trust Tory, will never forgive her, and will never lose to her again. This time, Sam insists, she’s the one in control, and if Tory steps a toe out of line, she’ll end her.

Tory’s expression morphs from confusion, to shock, to rising anger in a matter of seconds, but Sam leaves after getting in the last word, a smug smile on her face. Though she may have been seconds from throwing a punch, it’s a testament to Tory’s growth that she withholds herself for so long. Still, the very fact that she visibly is enraged by Sam’s comments make it obvious that her path to healing is going to be a long one. No one is a big enough person to change overnight.

Yet again, the rivalry that could have ended has continued…but this time, the instigator has flipped.

A few months later, and the junior prom is only a day away. Tory has absolutely no desire to attend, viewing the whole thing as a frivolous rich-kid event. However, Robby (having perfected a nigh-unstoppable mix of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do mentality) convinces Tory that if she did show up, it would totally throw Sam and Miguel (who will obviously attend as a couple) off balance. The Cobra Kai students have just learned the value of getting inside your opponent’s head, and Tory sees the justification in Robby’s proposal.

At the same time, she has her own counterproposal. The only thing more distracting than Tory would be if Robby attended…as Tory’s partner. Robby, though expelled from the school, would be allowed entrance as Tory’s date. Robby is impressed by Tory’s logic, and he agrees. Their sensei agrees to, and he also agrees to fully fund their outfits and transportation.

The next night, Sam and Miguel are thankful for a night of fun, dancing, and no karate.

And then Robby and Tory stroll onto the dance floor, dressed to perfection, and full of confidence and style. Sam and Miguel are immediately shocked, and though they try to ignore the Cobra Kai couple as the night goes on, Robby and Tory make it extremely difficult for them.

With Robby (who has a history of dance) and Tory (a self-taught dancer, remember the Princess Performer gig) together as one, the two tear up the dance floor in an elaborately choreographed and expertly executed dance routine. They demand the attention of every single other student in attendance, and even Sam and Miguel have a hard time keeping themselves from staring (partially from continued shock, partially from jealousy, and partially from the tiniest kernels of lingering attraction). It quickly sours the mood of both of them when they catch each other doing it.

On the flip-side, it isn’t long before Tory and Robby completely forget that they were even intending to throw Sam and Miguel off of their game, and the two just start having fun together. They’ve had good chemistry together since their first appearances in the same scene back in the previous season, but this season has really teased their connection. Here at prom, the obvious attraction the two feel for each other is on full display.

In another moment of tender vulnerability, Tory opens up to Robby about her innermost desires and dreams. She expresses more discontent with the privileged kids she so often finds herself surrounded by but pushes past her old victim mentality by explaining the deeper issue she has with those kids. She’s angry at them because she’s jealous of how easy and pre-planned their lives are, and that they seem to take everything for granted. They have it all (seemingly) without having to work for it, and Tory, consequently, questions her own self-worth because she still has nothing DESPITE how hard she’s tried.

However, in her mind, if she can just win the upcoming All-Valley Tournament, and hold that trophy in her hands, it will put all of her issues to rest. All of her jealousy, feelings of inadequacy, and self-doubt. It’ll all be gone, because she’ll finally know that she was good enough to work hard and win something with her own two hands.

That’s her dream.

“But if I could just win this one time…then I could hold that trophy and know that I’m the best at something.”

Tory, Season Four Episode Eight

After pouring her heart out over this matter, she starts to pull her walls back up, and quickly apologies to Robby for saying something so dumb. Without hesitation, he reaffirms the genuine strength of her dream, and shares that he relates with that passion. She shares an unburdened smile with him, and the two slow dance together for the rest of prom.

Things get a bit bumpy at the prom afterparty though. In line for drinks, Tory bumps into Sam. Per her character’s growth, Tory refrains from instigating, but for the umpteenth time this season, Sam takes it upon herself to start something. She sarcastically derides Tory for always chasing her leftovers. Tory blithely responds with a remark about how she’d pick a fight, but Sam’s mom asked her not to. Sam jumps onto defense, demanding Tory stay away from her family. Tory smirks and says she doesn’t take orders from tiny little girls.

Old habits die hard, I suppose, but in a reversal, it isn’t Tory who strikes first.

Sam does, landing a solid kick to Tory’s stomach.

From there, the fight is on. Tory might have grown tremendously over the past few months, but she can’t completely alter her personality. On a core level, she is a fighter, and prone to a lightning-fast temper. That single kick from Sam is all it takes for the two girls to start throwing each other onto the cement in the backyard of the house the afterparty is taking place at. Miguel soon comes to Sam’s defense, and Robby appears to aid Tory, and the dynamic duo of Tory and Robby are superior to Sam and Miguel’s shaky teamwork.

The brawl ends when Miguel is tossed into the pool, knocking Sam and Tory in with him. This triggers and mood-lightening wave of partygoers leaping into the pool, and the tension is instantly diffused. Tory coyly pulls Robby into the pool too, and the two laugh and splash at each other, anger dissipated. Sam and Miguel sulk off, however, their night together ruined.

Tory and Robby end the night together with a make-out session in their car, and the cathartic bliss on Tory’s face is indicative of a season’s worth of personal growth. For the first true time since her introduction back in Season Two, Tory is happy. She’s satisfied. She’s come into her own. And, most of all, she’s ready for the All-Valley Tournament.

The tournament kicks off in the next episode, and Tory puts on a strong showing in the opening rounds. She displays a perfect katana performance for the skills competition, effortlessly breezes through the qualifying fights, and takes down her first opponent in the quarterfinals without losing a single point. She’s on fire, and she’s riding that high of excitement. She even spares a moment to cheer up Robby when he’s feeling guilty for having to fight a fellow Cobra Kai student in the bracket.

Of course, as the tournament nears its end, the inevitability of fate strikes. Tory wins her semifinal match, advancing to the finals…and so does Sam. It’ll be Tory against Sam for the title of champion. This also happens to mark the fifth time these two have sparred, and the first to be tournament sanctioned.

Before her match begins, Robby loses his own championship bout to Eli Moskowitz from Miyagi-Do. Tory lifts his spirits in the hallway outside the arena, but when she goes to reenter for her final climactic showdown, she’s intercepted by Amanda.

Amanda praises Tory for her skills so far, and also mentions that she’s proud of Tory for keeping up with her therapist appointments (which Amanda has set up for Tory, and also pays for). Tory, as well, expresses thanks for everything that Amanda has done, and mentions that her new therapist has helped her find a volunteer to assist with home care and support for her mother. Tory states that she really owes Amanda for that.

Amanda responds by telling Tory she can cash in that favor immediately…by making sure that Sam doesn’t get hurt during the fight. Tory is understandably confused by the request, so Amanda reiterates that what she means is for Tory to play by the rules. Amanda is all-too-familiar with Cobra Kai’s “win at all costs” philosophy, and so is Tory. Amanda wants Tory to play fair, so that her rivalry with Sam can finally come to an end, no matter the outcome.

Tory doesn’t verbalize an agreement with this request, but it visibly settles on her.

After epic introductions and hype build-up courtesy of tournament MC Daryl, Tory and Sam take their places, bow, and begin their fight. As is typical of Cobra Kai, Tory rushes forward, expecting to overwhelm Sam’s Miyagi-Do defense with a flurry of kicks and punches. What she doesn’t know is that Sam has spent a good deal training with Johnny Lawrence and his Eagle Fang dojo, which practices measured offense.

Sam lands a fierce kick to Tory’s jaw, scoring the first point.

Tory, confounded by Sam’s unorthodox strategy, returns to her sensei for advice. She is told to match and overpower Sam’s aggression with even stronger aggression. As Kreese puts it, “You’ve been fighting all your life for this moment”. Reassured, Tory steps back into the ring and does exactly what she was just told, relying on her speed, height, and muscle advantage to score two points against Sam.

Tory is now only one point away from winning.

Sam shifts the focus of her fighting style from jumping between styles to melding them together and comes back at Tory with a vengeance. Seemingly managing to score a point after a protracted struggle. However, the ref rules the hit as “out of bounds”, keeping Tory in the lead. Regardless, after another intense skirmish, Sam scores a true point, evening the score and making it so that the next point wins.

Both girls are on edge, and each strongly determined to win, and the moves they pull out to score the winning point is nothing short of incredible. Tory uses a rushing storm of kicks, Sam flips Tory over her head, Tory lunges out while on the ground, and Sam tackles Tory into a headlock, seconds away from sealing the deal. Unfortunately, in the struggle, Tory lashes out and catches Sam’s eye with her elbow, creating a nasty swelling mark.

The ref rules the elbow-to-the-face as a warning and pauses the match. Students and sensei alike from Sam’s side jeer the ref, demanding Tory lose a point, while Tory tries desperately and in vain to explain that it was an accident, and that she hadn’t meant to injury Sam. Sam stumbles back over to her sensei, complaining about Tory’s cheap shot, but declaring that she’ll still win. Sam isn’t willing to even entertain the idea that it was an honest accident.

On the flip side, Tory’s newer sensei, Terry Silver, actively applauds Tory’s elbow move, and encourages her to blind Sam’s other eye with the same move, while disguising it as an accidentally counter. Tory pleads her innocence and argues that she’s skilled enough to win without having to rely on cheating. In her mind, cheating would completely invalidate the point of this trophy. The point of her dream.

As soon as Tory says this, something resonates deep within Kreese. Tory’s passion and drive are so similar to Johnny Lawrence, back when Johnny was still his student at Cobra Kai. However, as focused as he was on revenge and winning above all, he ended up alienating and driving Johnny away by forcing him to cheat in his own finals bout. This moment irreparable ruined his sensei-student relationship with Johnny, and has connected as Kreese has grown with Tory, he knows not to let that happen again.

Cutting off sensei Silver, Kreese tells Tory to ignore him, and focus on herself. He knows that she IS strong enough, and that she DOESN’T need to cheat to win. As he puts it “You’ve come this far on your own. The rest is up to you”. Silver is disgusted by this, but Tory smiles at Kreese, a smile filled with renewed purpose and confidence. A smile that says that she’ll win.

Tory and Sam square up again. The ref signals the match to resume, and the two begin circling each other. Slowly, methodically, sizing each other up, and looking for the slightest opening.

(There’s something really interesting that happens here that is so subtle it’s extremely easy to miss. During this final stage of the duel, Tory, to the best of her ability, focuses her attacks on Sam’s left side. She also strafes in a circle around Sam’s left side. This is because it was Sam’s right eye that was hit by Tory’s accidentally elbow and is now swollen and bruised. It what little ways she can, Tory is trying to fight as honorably as possible.)

Inevitably, Tory makes the first move, rushing in with the exact same kick she attacked Sam with back during the home invasion. Sam blocks, and the two expert combatants enter a stalemate of exchanging and blocking each other’s blows. A goosebumps-inducing montage of all of their previous altercations intercuts with slow-motion kicks and punches. The music crescendos, and finally, the curtain falls on the bout.

Tory kicks high to bait Sam into blocking, then ducks low and kicks again, catching Sam in the stomach where she’s open.

Tory scores the point and wins. She’s the All-Valley Champion.

And yet, still fueled by the adrenaline of the fight, Tory doesn’t even take note of the shouts of joy from her fellow Cobra Kai students, or the excited cheer of the audience. She walks forward, in mid-step of holding out her hand to Sam (who fell over from Tory’s kick), and she asks her rival if she’s already. For a single split second, Tory’s first concern is Sam’s safety. All of her growth and practice of being a better person has come full circle.

Sam, though, looks stricken with fear, tears already welling in her eyes. She scrambles away from Tory and runs back to her sensei and father.

For Sam, this loss is soul-crushingly horrendous; a worst-case scenario on all accounts. Because she failed to secure the win, Miyagi-Do will now be forced to shut down, as per the bet her father made with Kreese at the end of Season Three. As Cobra Kai rises in fame, her and her friends’ karate will wither away. And Sam has spent all season believing that her fusion of Daniel and Johnny’s style would be enough to secure the win. Now, it’s clear that it wasn’t. Sam’s passion and belief in her victory was for nothing.

To Sam, this does not represent the end of her rivalry with Tory. This represents an unforgiveable case of her, and her dojo’s, victory being stolen away. As she is at the end of this tournament, Sam is liable to NEVER forgive Tory, or forget what Tory has now (wholly unintentionally) done. Sam is headed down a dark path.

No matter how Sam feels, though, the simple fact is that Tory has won. The MC congratulates her hard-fought victory, her squad carries her on their shoulders, and she hefts her trophy into the air. Indescribable joy and satisfaction is plain to see on Tory’s face. Her long-carried dream is now a reality, and all of her struggle was worth it.

She’s won.

…until Cobra Kai hits Tory with one final gut punch before the season draws to a close.

The other students organize a celebration party to honor Tory, and she promises to attend as soon as she grabs her bag from the locker room. However, on her way to the locker room, she overhears a meeting between sensei Silver and another person. Silver is congratulating the other person on a job well done and handing that person a fat stack of cash as thanks. Peering through a window, Tory peeks at who the other person is, and her joyous expression falls.

It’s the tournament referee. He had been bought out by Silver. The entire final match was rigged in Tory’s favor from the start.

Her win wasn’t HER win at all.

With a heartbreaking expression equal part stunned and depressed, Tory’s triumphant grip on her trophy slackens, and she wanders off aimlessly. Not even believing in her own skill, a sensei she thought she could trust went behind her back and paid off the ref to cheat to win. The effort she put forth to triumph was all for naught. Sensei Kreese’s motivation was useless. Her win, her one desire, her dream…is now meaningless.

Cut to black.

Well, that was quite a lot, wasn’t it? I even surprised myself to be honest!

I love Tory a lot, and unlike some of my previous U.I.C.S articles, her story isn’t done. Cobra Kai is an ongoing show, and Season Five has just finished filming. There’s a lot left to tell with Tory’s story, and there are so many interesting directions they could explore. Does she quit Cobra Kai because of what Silver did behind her back? Does Silver manipulate her into staying? Where would she go if she quit? Does she try to make up with Sam? How does Sam react?

I’ve got to say that I’m extremely excited to see what comes next!

But hey, that’s just my opinion!