Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 6 Part 1 of Cobra Kai.
The Big Picture
- Tory in Cobra Kai straddles the line between villain and sympathetic character throughout the series, with a compelling redemption arc.
- Tory's complex relationships and personal struggles add depth to her character, making her more than just a villain.
- Peyton List's emotional performance elevates Tory's character, adding layers to her character's story in Cobra Kai.
Rivalries run amok in Cobra Kai, leaving us with countless villains and heroes that often switch sides or redeem themselves. While most characters are never really clear-cut one or the other, Tory Nichols (Peyton List) spends much of the series in an explicitly antagonistic position. Frequently rallying against the "good" main characters, on paper, she is as villainous as it gets, but Cobra Kai still manages to shade her character gray by giving her a heartbreaking home life. With a storyline more volatile than most, Tory's descent into villainy and redemption arc throughout the show has been a compelling watch, topped off by the tumultuous episodes of Season 6, Part 1. Managing to push our buttons and pull our heartstrings at the same time, Tory truly has us wrapped around her fingers, even as she returns back to the dark side.
Cobra Kai
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Thirty-four years after events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now successful Daniel LaRusso.
- Release Date
- May 2, 2018
- Creator
- Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
- Cast
- William Zabka , Ralph Macchio , Courtney Henggeler , Mary Matilyn Mouser , Marty Cove , Peyton List , Jacob Bertrand , Vanessa Rubio
- Seasons
- 6
Tory Started as a Villain in 'Cobra Kai' but Became Sympathetic
Strutting into the series with guns blazing, Tory immediately aligns with the merciless style of Johnny Lawrence's (William Zabka) Cobra Kai dojo. She steps into the series backed with kickboxing skills and a proven capacity to become a skilled martial arts fighter, taking down Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) on her first day by taking him by surprise and not showing mercy. Her edgy attitude and air of confidence quickly captivated us, especially as she continues to refine her skills and eventually strikes up an unstable mentorship with Johnny's old mentor, John Kreese (Martin Kove). Hence, her villainy was cemented, as she fought for the "wrong side" after Kreese's and Terry Silver's (Thomas Ian Griffith) hostile takeover of Cobra Kai and became a formidable opponent during the All-Valley Tournament.
Tory's antagonistic status also extends to the strange love square between the four main teenagers of the show. She quickly starts off on the wrong foot with Sam LaRusso (Mary Mouser), as Sam accuses Tory of stealing her mother's wallet and never really apologizes for it when she finds out she is wrong. Tension increases as the Tory-Sam-Miguel-Robby (Tanner Buchanan) love square begins, propelling much of the discord in Season 2 and reaching a climax when Tory injures Sam's arm. While Miguel and Robby gradually find a way to create a tentative friendship, Tory and Sam's relationship seems irreparable, all stemming from that first incident that cut Tory deep.
Tory never got over that first interaction; in her mind, Sam was just another privileged kid who had it all, deeply contrasting her own disheartening situation. We eventually get a glimpse into Tory's personal life, where she struggles being a caretaker for her ill mother and money problems. During their high school prom, Tory further divulges her motivations for joining Cobra Kai. As someone who was plagued with disadvantages and heartache, she wanted something for herself — to prove that she could be just as good or better than the people who grew up with advantages she didn't have. As cruel as she could sometimes be in the series, this revelation makes it difficult not to feel for her.
'Cobra Kai' Gives Tory a Compelling Redemption Arc
Already quite a sympathetic villain, Tory's redemption arc becomes one of the most rewarding in the series. Despite her capricious behavior, Tory was still grounded by an honor code and thus, the first inklings of doubt in her position were propagated by Silver paying off the referee during the All-Valley Tournament. Despite winning the fight against Sam on her own merits, Tory's win was tainted by the knowledge. As such, she becomes more wary of Silver and his intentions, becoming suspicious of why he would allow Stingray (Paul Walter Hauser) to rejoin Cobra Kai and the sudden arrest of Kreese. For all her badass bravado, this is one of Tory's more vulnerable moments as she slowly doubts the place that gave her the break she so desperately craved. Tory ends up being the catalyst that causes Cobra Kai's downfall, finally solidifying her redemption arc and joining Miyagi-do alongside her newfound friends.
She may have been overcompensating for her internal turmoil by being boisterously confident at the beginning of her story, and her transition into Miyagi-do facilitated her journey of actually finding confidence and perhaps peace with herself. Her redemption also marks the point she gradually overcomes her feeling of helplessness that arose from her mother's illness. As such, when she finally, though reluctantly, embraces the philosophies of Miyagi-do, her inner conflicts begin to quiet down, signified through her relationship with Sam. Since Sam symbolized everything Tory didn't have, the gulf between them seemed too insurmountable to overcome. However, despite Johnny's attempts to derail their tentative truce in Season 6, the two manage to work out their differences in a teary and vulnerable scene. Finally confronting the heinous things they did to each other in the past, the two girls forge a new friendship that allows them to blossom in karate the next day, and for Tory, this truly marks the resolution of her insecurities.
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Meet the Returning Karate Senseis and Students of 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 Part 1
Here's a dojo full of great actors.
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Is Tory Really a Villain in 'Cobra Kai?'
But what really makes Tory compelling as a character is her ever-changing relationship with the concept of control. Karate helps her regain control over herself and her life; her story is just as empowering as any of the other characters'. Her redemption arc is also based on paving her own way and triumphing over the innate lack of control she feels. Yet, whenever she turns to the dark side, she is less of a villain and more of Kreese's deadly pawn. As such, was she ever truly a villain in the series, or is she just uniquely vulnerable to Kreese's manipulations?
Season 2, Episode 2 saw Kreese exploiting Tory's vulnerabilities for the first time, as he managed to get her out of a prickly situation with a creep of a landlord, easing her financial concerns about paying rent and for karate. While this scene kind of makes Kreese seem redeemable and ethically conscious, he ultimately does this for selfish reasons, wanting his prime fighter back to win the All-Valley Tournament. Parallels emerge between his mentorship with Johnny and now Tory, as he was able to relate to their manipulate both based on their behavior and their relationships with their mothers.
As such, Kreese falls under his spell once again in Season 6, as her mother's death becomes the drastic trigger for Tory to lose all the progress she had made. Once again, control is snatched out of her hands as she helplessly waits in the hospital room for any news about her mother. And though the LaRussos had good intentions, by stopping the fight that would decide who is captain in the coveted Sekai Taikai tournament, she continues to spiral out of control as the outlet for her grief is taken away. An uneasy yet powerful feeling is evoked when she appears alongside the revived titular dojo in the Part 1 finale, as her arc continually shifts and sways in unexpected yet interesting ways, effortlessly maneuvering our emotions as well.
Peyton List's Emotional Performance Elevates Tory's Character
Much of Tory's effectiveness as a character has to be attributed to List's mesmerizing performance throughout the show, particularly during the heartfelt recent episodes when Tory loses her mother. It is by far one of the more difficult things to watch. When her mother's doctor congratulates her for doing a good job as a caretaker, Tory quite literally lights up, as List edges one of those rare genuine smiles onto her face and brings shining hope into her eyes. This sort of validation is not often given to Tory, and just through that ephemeral moment, we see many of her insecurities and burdens that weigh her down become relieved. So when her mother doesn't make it, there is a stark and jarring contrast in her performance, as Tory becomes wrought with red eyes, tangled hair, and rigid stance. When List hoarsely screams out her mother is dead, the words echo throughout the dojo, clawing at our hearts and threatening to unravel everyone on the screen, who all give haunting looks of horror back.
Show creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald tell Collider about how List elevates the reverberating performance during this "soul-crushing" scene. "She just gets it on the page. She gets it, she shows up, she delivers," Hurwitz says. With her character in the limelight for a lot of Season 6, Part 1, List's contributions to how well Tory is received make the character's constantly shifting loyalties and demeanors some of the more credible ones in Cobra Kai. Delivering us a hard-hitting story that makes us hope she comes out of the other side intact and safe, Tory easily complicates who we root for in the show as she once again finds her place against our beloved main characters.
Cobra Kai is available to stream now on Netflix in the U.S.
