Cobra Kai: Why Tory Is Right To Hate Sam LaRusso
Tory and Sam’s rivalry has become one of Cobra Kai’s biggest storylines, and while Tory has been cast as the villain, she’s actually quite justified.
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The rivalry between Samantha LaRusso and Tory Nichols has become one Cobra Kai’s main storylines, and while Tory has been positioned as the villain, she’s actually pretty justified in her hatred of Sam. Tory certainly takes the feud too far by the end of season 3, but only because of how Kreese has managed to twist her to his “no mercy” mindset. Her methods may have become too violent, but Tory’s circumstances make her a sympathetic character, and her core reasons for hating Sam are definitely understandable.
Throughout its first three seasons, Cobra Kai has generally done a good job of giving nuanced looks at its central characters. The bullying is never condoned, but most of the bullies at least get understandable motivations for their behavior. The series is largely a story about redemption, about how people have the ability to change their ways, and how the things that happen to you shouldn’t define who you are. This is seen in Johnny’s story, in Hawk turning on Kreese, and it will likely continue to be a big part of Tory’s arc as well.
Out of all the kids who get turned to the dark side by Kreese in Cobra Kai, Tory may have the most justification for her anger with the world. She basically becomes the head of her family before she even turns 18, taking care of both her sick mother and her little brother while still attending school and working numerous jobs. Just about every hardship has been thrown Tory’s way, leaving her understandably bitter against the world — especially towards other girls her age like Sam, who seemingly get handed everything on a silver platter.
When Sam meets Tory, she doesn’t know any of that. What she sees is a cool, confident girl getting close to her old friend Aisha. The feud between Sam and Tory in Cobra Kai starts because Sam accuses Tory of stealing her mother’s wallet – an accusation that is completely false. Yes, Tory bragged about heisting vodka from the country club bar just moments before, but that’s a far cry from thieving someone’s personal belongings. Sam makes the accusation mostly just because she doesn’t like Tory, or possibly because she’s being classist (assuming Sam is a thief because she’s an “outsider” at the club), and when Tory tries to walk away and defuse the situation, Sam physically accosts her.
That’s a bad enough start on Sam’s part, but it gets worse. Her and Miguel kissing at the end-of-summer party is as much (possibly more) on Miguel than it is on her, but it’s still a bad look, and Tory’s subsequent anger is extreme but understandable. Does she take the violence too far? Absolutely. But the root of her rage makes sense. Sam represents everything Tory despises – entitlement, fakeness, and a sense of superiority. When Sam visits Miguel in the hospital in Cobra Kai season 3, she disregards his claim that Tory is a good person by claiming that “everybody has a sob story.” That’s a wildly unthoughtful thing to say, given that Tory works two jobs to support her family, while Sam drives her parents’ Audi to school.
Tory’s actions against Sam are clearly beyond the pale, but her motivations are completely justified. There’s definitely hope for the two to reconcile down the line, but Sam would need to acknowledge her own shortcomings for that to happen. As long she continues to ignore her own privilege and the accusatory way she treated Tory from the start, nothing is likely to mend between the two of them. Hopefully, she can learn something from Daniel’s relationship with Johnny and take responsibility for her own part in the feud in Cobra Kai season 4.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/cobra-kai-tory-hate-sam-right-reasons/