Cobra Kai is failing Devon in season 6

The former feisty debate team member (played by Oona O'Brien) demonstrated karate champion potential before she even set foot on a mat, having been recruited by Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) to join the now-defunct Eagle Fang dojo.

Unafraid of taking a punch, quick to learn and willing to do her karate homework, Devon had half the training and proved to be a solid competitor against her better-drilled counterparts.

In just six weeks, she travelled far in the All Valley championships and, what's more, she took defeat with grace, vowing to rise up and be better next time. She knew her worth and inherent talent, and what that would mean if she remained focused.

Since then, her abilities have been actively sought after, joining Topanga Karate briefly before it was taken over by Cobra Kai and becoming Kim Da-Eun's protegée, even above their champion, Tory Nichols (Peyton List).

Devon proved to be a key element in Tory's story and the show's ongoing themes of finding balance in a world where there is none. Much like Johnny and Daniel are the yin to each other's yang, Devon and Tory rode a similar wave.

While their backgrounds are undeniably different – Devon from a well-off, stable background, Tory from the wrong side of the tracks, fighting to pay rent and look after her mum and brother – their deep, emotional similarities allowed them to find their common ground.

It becomes clear that Tory sees a lot of herself in Devon, especially when Devon discloses her mum's death from cancer, while Tory hides the fact she's looking after her own sick mother. Their shared aggression and anger at the world is a direct parallel to each other, and through karate, they’ve found a way to channel this.

Now, in season 6, after the collapse of Cobra Kai in season 5, Devon has defected to the calmer world of Miyagi-Do – which has also coincided with her character development being thrown out of the window within the space of the first five episodes.

Devon was always a tough fighter, but never a dirty one, or even an insecure one. And yet, suddenly she's become both, out of nowhere.

With Tory and Sam pals again, her friendship with Tory has been stripped down to almost nothing – and now she's besties with her sensei Johnny, who is 58 years old and suddenly throwing girls-only slumber parties in Devon's basement.

In the context of the show, and combined with Johnny's propriety blindness at the best of times, it's somewhat given a pass… just. Though, it must be said that it's still a bit weird that the adults Devon lives with are OK with it, no matter how much you want to suspend your disbelief.

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But more than this, Devon becomes desperate for a pat on the head at any given opportunity, especially when it comes to securing one of the six places at the Sekai Taikai tournament.

She lands a place in the top 12? She's not happy, and thinks throwaway comments from Mike Barnes given to the others means she's somehow not on his radar.

In her fight for the final eight, during a round of flag tag, she seeks validation in every red ribbon she grasps from her opponent, stopping what she's doing to beam proudly like a kid desperate to earn a gold star for a picture they've painted.

It almost costs her the competition – with her focusing so hard on Mike Barnes seeing her that she forgets what she’s doing, leaving her vulnerable for others to swipe her flags.

But does she acknowledge this? Nope. Instead, it's Johnny's fault for distracting Barnes and talking to him. She makes it to the top eight, yet is still not happy.

But her biggest, most irredeemable moment is her laxative stunt on poor Kenny.

Knowing she could lose, rather than earn it, she sabotages her competitor to gain the edge. It works, and Kenny – who has been grappling with his own anger and rage issues – is left to face the embarrassment of soiling himself in front of the entire dojo.

But what's even worse is she allows Anthony LaRusso to take the fall for it, disposing of the evidence and stoking a long-simmering rivalry in the process, for no honourable end herself.

Now, while she's made it to Barcelona, her spot feels unearned, and she's exposed herself as a fraud unworthy of a spot in a tournament proudly reserved as "the best of the best". It made her a villain, not someone worthy of any sympathy.

This kind of assassination on a character that, even as much as a season ago, could have made it to the tournament on her own proven merit is a tough pill to swallow, especially when female characters in the dojos are so limited.

It almost risks appearing as a potshot that women are "too emotional" and "take things too personally" to be fighters. This continuous strand in the show is further upheld by Tory’s exit from Miyagi-Do when her mother dies, defecting to a newly-restored Cobra Kai out of anger and seemingly little else.

Cobra Kai still has 10 episodes in which to bring her back from the brink and make all those new twists worth it – but at this point, it appears that a sudden flip back to Devon's previous self, and without a serious explanation, would just be a kick in the stomach.

Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 is available to stream on Netflix from Thursday 18th July 2024. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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