In Defense of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

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Posted by BMan from ppp2a-11.ruralnet.net on August 16, 1999 at 20:23:03:

This post is partly in anticipation of the upcoming release of some Young Indy videos, and partly in response to a short thread of Young Indy posts from below.

As far as I know, I have watched every episode of YIJC that was aired in the U.S. I might have missed one or two, but I don't think so. I have many on tape, albeit rather poor quality thanks to the ancient VCR I had during college.

These are of course just my opinions; you may not agree with them, but please give them just consideration. I don't wish to offend anyone, just present my case. I respond to some points made in the earlier thread. My apologies for not referencing the authors, as I am composing this offline.

With respect to those who disparage the series due to the lack of action, I reply that yes, many episodes didn't remind one of the movie trilogy. Indiana Jones as an adolescent, even to an extent as a teenager, was not the exact character portrayed by Harrison Ford.

Some have suggested the series should have been a pure action series, complete with cliffhanger endings and perhaps the same villians encountered in the movies, only younger.

What would have been the value of that? Why not just watch the movies again if that's all you seek from the Indiana Jones universe. Can we not allow that the fictional character Indiana Jones had a point in his life that didn't appear similar to the trilogy? Was Indy born wearing a leather jacket, cracking a whip, and chasing Nazis?

We have many authors in our midst who know the importance of a backstory. Perhaps we should consider the YIJC to be the backstory of our hero. We witnessed many of the events that "shaped" Indiana Jones. Don't like the episode where young Henry Jones accompanies Howard Carter? I think it explains quite well why he would later choose a career in archaelogy. Through the YIJC we also see the beginnings of the conflicts between Indy and Henry that are ultimately showcased in The Last Crusade. For most books and movies, the backstory exists only in the mind of the author- we got to see Indy's played out.

I have to admit that I am a history buff, partly because of Indy, and I suspect I like Indy partly because of my fascination with history, especially the first half of this century. As such, I didn't mind the historical episodes- some were naturally better than others, but I thought it presented a unique attempt to use television to broaden horizons. Obviously not everyone agrees, even in our Indyfan community, hence the low ratings and ultimate cancellation. Some of the interactions with historical figures may have been contrived, but no more so than getting Hitler's autograph in the grail diary.

I particularly enjoyed the World War I episodes, and have since learned a great deal about that conflict. I recommend Winston Churchill's history of World War I for any who may be interested.

To those who were disappointed in the Chronicles, who thought they weren't adequately "Indy-ish", then I invite you to re-watch them and view them as the history of Indiana Jones, not just a rehash of Raiders. You may find you enjoy them, and then again, it may not change your opinion one bit. If not, I'm sorry they don't live up to your expectations. They may not all be masterpieces, but I think they are fine television for the most part and I look forward to buying the new videos and enjoying them from time to time.

BMan



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