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Nevertheless, Griffith was the first main cast member that had a solid background in the martial arts prior to entering the franchise. He has black belts in Karate and Taekwondo and is well versed in stage combat. He also trained as an opera singer. The Karate Kid Part III was his major film role, and he continued acting in film and television until he retired in 2007. It took a tantalizing offer about developing the character to cajole him out of retirement to return to the role of Terry Silver.
Unlike the midseason return of Part II alumni Chozen and Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), and end-of-season appearance of Ali (Elizabeth Shue), season 4 just went for it, bringing out Silver in the very first scene. His face isn’t shown, and his hair is loose (and silver), but we all know who it is. He receives that call from Kreese that ended the last season and then promptly hangs up on him, setting the tone for the tension between them.
When Kreese crashes a party at Silver’s beautiful seaside home, “Terrance” is still rich and privileged. He has a gorgeous partner, Cheyenne (Salome Azizi), the developer of a mindfulness app for kids. She’s painfully unaware of Silver’s past as a Vietnam veteran and sensei and her character that is quickly abandoned. Perhaps she’ll be more developed for season 5.
At first, Silver seems reformed. Reflecting upon his Karate Kid III villainy, he says “I was so hopped up on cocaine and revenge. I spent months terrorizing a teenager over a high school karate tournament. It sounds insane just talking about it.”
DynaTox is referenced when Demitri (Gianni Decenzo) does a web background check and finds a “toxic waste scandal in Borneo back in the 80s” but it’s unclear how Silver regained his fortune. Nonetheless, Kreese is still a master at manipulation and cajoles Silver to come back. “Karate is not a phase,” goads Kreese. “It’s a way of life. You can leave it for a while but it never really leaves you.” However, the season finale reveals that it’s Silver pulling the strings.
Cobra Kai has excelled at fleshing out the characters from the original films with plausible motivations and meaningful back stories. Season 3 delved into the trauma that formed both Kreese and Silver when they were P.O.W.s in Vietnam. Griffith imbues Silver new maturity, and we can see his slow burn as his malice intensifies.
Source: Den of Geek