Cobra Kai Season 5 is a period of major change and growth for Peyton List's Tory Nichols. Not only are Tory and Sam LaRusso (Mary Mouser) finally seeing eye to eye, but Tory also opts to follow in the footsteps of her peers and leave Cobra Kai behind. It's clearly the right move for Tory to make, but a mighty tough one for her to see through. But fortunately, Tory's got Sam, the other Miyagi-do students, the Eagle Fang students, and some former Cobra Kais to help her power through it. And, of course, that group includes Tanner Buchanan's Robby.
After the Season 5 finale dojo brawl, Tory and Robby reconnect and cement a promising path forward for their relationship. Yes, the pair will likely face more intense karate challenges in Season 6 and beyond, but it seems as though they'll likely be overcoming those hurdles together.
While on Collider Ladies Night promoting her new horror film, The Friendship Game, List took a moment to revisit the Cobra Kai Season 5 finale with Perri Nemiroff.
Yes, List, Buchanan, and the Cobra Kai writers earned that tender Season 5 finale kiss for Tory and Robby, but that doesn't mean delivering a line like, "Just kiss me," and making it feel sincere and realistic is easy. Here's what List had to say about nailing that particular line of dialogue:
"You know what, Perri? Yeah, thank you for saying that because that line really is one of those lines that -- it's tropey, and you don't want to say it. It's so hard not to make it cringey or feel completely just -- especially for Tory to say that. I don't know. I'm glad it worked because I do like a line like that. That's the thing, I do want to say that, but I would never say that to someone in life, and that's what I love about acting. But yeah, it's one of those things, and you can't think about it too hard, and you can't say it too many times before. So you just see what comes out on the day, and you just hope that it works.
List also took a moment to discuss the difference between Tory and Robby's kiss and Sam and Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) sharing "I love yous," and why those forms of reconnection felt appropriate for each couple.
"It did feel right, because I think that -- it's weird, in a way Miguel and Sam feel like a married couple, or maybe they feel like a younger couple that's just really sweet, and I feel like Robby and Tory have something different. It hasn't been as long as them, but they've gotten through some things. I don't know, I kind of like that Robby and Tory have a place to still go."
Speaking of places to go, Tory could still have a bright future ahead of her as far as her karate's concerned. Terry Silver's (Thomas Ian Griffith) Cobra Kai needed to become a thing of the past, but the show has well-emphasized that there are certain elements of Cobra Kai teachings that could be beneficial, and even necessary for a student depending on where they're at in life. So even though Tory is no longer a Cobra Kai student, are there any Cobra Kai qualities List hopes Tory maintains in future seasons? Here's what she said:
"I think just being so cutthroat and being fierce and not holding back. I hope she keeps that part of her.
While we wait for Cobra Kai Season 6 to get the go-ahead, you can revisit all five seasons of the hit series on Netflix now. And for more from List, be sure to check out her full episode of Collider Ladies Night below: