Forget Ralph Macchio. The real star of the Karate Kid spin-off, Cobra Kai, is Bartender Brett—a character who appears for about two seconds in the third season’s finale to serve Daniel LaRusso and his wife Amanda martinis at a holiday party.
If just mentioning Brett doesn’t ring any bells, Andrew Austin, the actor and video editor who portrays him—and who created the excellent “Robert E.T.” and “Full House Without Michelle” videos—has created a website devoted entirely to his debut appearance.
Made up like a GeoCities fan page, the site provides a full rundown on the Bartender Brett essentials. There are GIFs and images of every frame of his appearance, an image celebrating his famous catchphrase, “Coming right up!,” and a full backstory for a character with only one line (overdubbed by someone other than Austin.)
The site speculates, based on Brett’s brief appearance, that he practices his profession with a “level of skill, respect, and intuitive expertise that suggests years of bartending experience as well as a martial arts background.” In its trivia section, we learn that the other drinks Daniel and Amanda are shown enjoying later in the scene “were served by Bartender Brett.” The website may be elaborate self-promotion, but it also kickstarts the imaginations of every viewer who looked at Brett and wondered, “What’s this guy’s deal?”
If Cobra Kai’s creators have their fans’ best interests at heart, they’ll understand that Austin knows this character inside and out and write a storyline that gives him the chance to show off just how deep Bartender Brett’s involvement in the plot goes. We’ll have to wait and see if they take this opportunity when the fourth season debuts on Netflix sometime in the future.
Send Great Job, Internet tips to [email protected]