Why Cobra Kai Fans Are Rewatching This Episode Of Parks And Recreation
Fans new and old continue to rave about Netflix's Cobra Kai — a series that boasts a cast as diverse as its fanbase. For the uninitiated, the series is a brilliant continuation of the Karate Kid films, set 30-odd years after the fact in the very same corner of the San Fernando Valley. The latest batch of students for both Cobra Kai and Miyagi-do were introduced early on, and the children of franchise favorites Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) have taken center stage in this continuation you didn't even know you needed.
As the focus turns from the classic '80s cast to the young actors behind franchise newcomers like Sam LaRusso (Mary Mouser) and Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) many eagle-eyed fans have been quick to dig up these new stars' prior work. For example, it just so happens that as a kid, one of Cobra Kai's cast members made an appearance on the NBC mockumentary sitcom, Parks and Recreation, a role viewers on Reddit have recently uncovered.
The actor behind Cobra Kai's Hawk appeared on Parks and Rec as a kid
In the fourth episode of Parks and Recreation's fourth season — entitled "Pawnee Rangers" — outdoorsman Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) and the lovable goofball Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) take on the responsibility of leading the local scouting troop, the titular Pawnee Rangers. Their plans quickly turn sour as a heated rivalry emerges between the Rangers and Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones), and April Ludgate's (Aubrey Plaza) all-female Pawnee Goddesses. The two go head to head to determine which is the stronger group, with the only real losers being Ron's grade school-level pupils.
Leslie and her crew take a fun, laid-back approach, but Ron chooses to teach Andy and the boys survival skills by "roughing it" in the wilderness. Unsurprisingly, they grow miserable very quickly, as vocalized by a Pawnee Ranger named Darren, who delivers the now-famous line, "I like you, Mr. Swanson, it's just, all we do is sit in silence and eat beans."
What most audiences didn't realize at the time is that the actor behind Darren is Cobra Kai-mainstay Jacob Bertrand, who has brought Eli Moskowitz, or Hawk, as he's now known around the dojo, to life for the past two seasons. Parks and Rec isn't the only series Bertrand guest-starred on before becoming one of Cobra Kai's most aggressive combatants, either. He also popped up in the season 3 Community episode "Regional Holiday Music" as a young Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), adding yet another cult-favorite sitcom to his resume.
Thankfully, Jacob Bertrand seems to have grown out of the cameo phase of his career. He continues to impress on Cobra Kai, earning his spot as one of the program's up-and-coming stars.