by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Welcome to Cross-Platform Partners! In honor of a new movie release, I have selected a TV show to watch to pair with the movie. Think of it as a way to get hyped for the new movie, a preview of things to come, a means to tide you over if the movie won’t be released where you live for a little while, or a change of pace if you’ve run out of related movies or sequels.
For June, I picked The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles to pair with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
I’m a huge fan of Indiana Jones, so watching this series is a long overdue task, and I’m thankful that Disney+ put it on their service. The series is a prequel, which helps fill the gaps about how Indiana Jones is so knowledgeable from his adventures as a young person.
I have to get this out of the way now: I’m bummed that River Phoenix didn’t reprise his role as young Indy from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I really enjoy that flashback, and it stinks that he didn’t want to do the role for television. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles doesn’t suffer a lot from Phoenix’s absence from a continuity standpoint, but his strong performance would only have enhanced the series more.
This series is split into two different groups: when Indy is a child (Corey Carrier), and when he is a teenager (Sean Patrick Flannery). When he is a child, he accompanies his parents, Henry Sr. (Lloyd Owen) and Anna (Ruth de Sosa), on a trip around the world where Henry Sr. studies and investigates historical sites. Indy is accompanied by Miss Seymour (Margaret Tyzack), his tutor and guide to all the places they go together. This is a literal globe-trotting adventure for child Indy, being in Africa, Asia, and Europe, just to name a few of the places. The production values are off the charts, though, because the series is filmed on location instead of in a studio.
The second set of episodes portrays Indy as a young man as he reflects on his life and manages the stress of school. Indy and his father struggle to keep up their relationship after Anna’s death. These episodes have Indy organically starting an adventure through travels with his dad, interaction with friends, and investigations. They feel more like what the character eventually becomes, instead of the childish situations he gets into during the first set of episodes.
There are two persistent storylines in the series. The first is Indy meeting a historically significant person, whose problem he helps solve. This is a great way for history buffs to point out a who’s who of people of impact throughout time. At times, it also feels cheap and shoehorned in, to make a plot work. These episodes also make Indy feel like Forrest Gump, there for history’s greatest moments, but always in the background, and I wasn’t a huge fan of them.
The episodes I enjoyed more revolve around Indy and his father going on adventures together. Their dynamic is filled with tension but mutual respect. Owens isn’t Sean Connery as Dr. Jones Sr., but he tries his best to fill the role. The reason I like episodes is that Indy learns something new in them, which deepens his relationship with his family. It helps develop him as a character, too. Although there isn’t a lot of overlap with the original trilogy of movies, it helps give insight into how Indy became the way he is.
Each episode is jam packed with two storylines, clocking in at 90 minutes. It’s an undertaking to get into each story. The vast majority of the time, the stories try to connect, particularly with teenage Indy episodes. When child Indy has two stories, it’s easy to chalk it up to the group traveling to a different part of the world. Because of the length, there’s a lot of exposition and filler. The decision to make the episodes so long is strange, but there’s something to take away from each one.
Flannery is a great Indiana Jones. He has the charisma that we expect from the character, but he’s also unsure of himself, and still figuring out his place in the world. During his episodes, he makes it known that he wants to be an archeologist, and something always comes up that calls for him to sharpen his archeology skills. The action scenes are what makes Flannery stand out, and he does a fantastic job in the process.
Does The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles add anything of note to the character? Not really, but it’s still an enjoyable show that has some outstanding interaction between Indy and his father. It will be a dream come true for history lovers, but it will also appeal to philosophy, art, and religion lovers, too. I learned something in each episode, and I enjoy following Indiana Jones as he grows into the person we know from the movies.
If it is the swan song for Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, I’m hoping The Dial of Destiny gets back to its roots of a story about a religious relic, and where Indy uses his brains and strength to solve the mystery. I’m curious to see how they navigate an aging character in an organic way. James Mangold being in the director’s chair has me excited about The Dial of Destiny feeling like the old Indiana Jones movies. As long as it can clear the hurdle of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I think I’ll be just fine.
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