Warning: This article contains spoilers for Cobra Kai season 5, episode 5.
Going into Cobra Kai season five, Miyagiverse fans knew to expect one more character from The Karate Kid Part III to make their return, as promo images confirmed Sean Kanan would be back as (former) villain Mike Barnes. Halfway through the run, however, the show dropped a welcome surprise in our laps as another veteran from the third Karate Kid movie made a shocking comeback. Namely, Robyn Lively as Jessica Andrews.
Having temporarily walked out on Daniel due to his obsession with taking down Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), Amanda LaRusso (Courtney Henggeler) takes the kids to stay at her mother’s where they catch up with her cousin, Jessica. Over drinks, Amanda explains about her current marital troubles and Jessica assures her that Daniel has every right to be as worked up about Silver as he is, because she knows full well what Terry is capable of.
For those who either haven’t seen Karate Kid Part III or need a refresher course, Lively’s Jessica Andrews was the film’s female lead. Unlike Ally and Kumiko in the first two movies, Jessica was not a romantic interest for Daniel but just a good friend. As she recalls to Amanda, she was right in the thick of it with him as he faced Silver the first time around, revealing that she still suffers nightmares sometimes from what Silver and his ex-stooge Barnes put them through.
Jessica only appears in episode five this season but her cameo is nevertheless an integral part of the storyline and the overall Miyagiverse lore. With Lively’s inclusion, that means every major character from Part III has returned on Cobra Kai, going some way to redeeming that oft-criticized entry in the franchise. What’s more, it’s heartening to find out that she and Daniel stayed in touch and it was actually her that introduced him to Amanda in the first place.
Now that Cobra Kai has established Jessica as an extended member of the LaRusso clan, fingers crossed Lively gets a bigger role in future seasons.
Cobra Kai season five is streaming on Netflix now.