What if it was Shorty instead

[saucerman]

Phoebe Waller Bridge was great. But what if it was Short Round instead? All the same character beats. Shorty's on the run, snatches the dial from Indy. It's been years estranged from his old father figure, but, forced together, he warms up to Indy throughout the adventure.

Then in Syracuse. "There's nothing left for me back there, Shorty."

Short Round punches him in the face. It's Shorty who helps Indy reunite with Marion, and they're all there at the end, Indy's surrogate family- Marion, Short Round and Salah.

 

[IndianaBones]

Without Helena I think you have to change a good portion of the movie, no? Considering Basils influence on the dial and Helena

 

[saucerman]

Yes you'd lose Basil but you don't need anyone to connect Indy to Short Round, their connection runs deep already.

 

[Dr.Jonesy]

No, thanks.

That would've been just...stale. Helena (or a character like her) brings a much needed freshness and youth to the film that without that - it'd lose a lot of energy and zest.

Using Shorty would've felt like a regression, and an overstep of fan-service for the sake of it being so.

It just would've felt too reflective, referential and I doubt it'd live up to its expectations.

 

[michael]

Nah no offense to Short Round but it would have been too much fan service.

Tbh I didn't even like the ToD reference in DoD.

The point of ToD is that it's a weekend adventure, a day in the life adventure of Indy.

It's what makes ToD unique and special. The point of Short Round never appearing again is that sidekicks come and go for Indy all the time. Helena is no different.

 

[Avilos]

As Mangold pointed out in an interview Key Huy Quan was filming Everything Evrywhere All at Once when DoD was being made, I always loved Key and Short Round. But think of the What If you are suggesting?

No comeback outside of being in an Indy sequel. Not that the character would have fit the story anyway.

 

[Lance Quazar]

No, thanks.

That would've been just...stale. Helena (or a character like her) brings a much needed freshness and youth to the film that without that - it'd lose a lot of energy and zest.

Using Shorty would've felt like a regression, and an overstep of fan-service for the sake of it being so.

It just would've felt too reflective, referential and I doubt it'd live up to its expectations.

Well put.

 

[chapter11]

The point of Short Round never appearing again is that sidekicks come and go for Indy all the time. Helena is no different.

Disagree with this quite strongly. The point of Helena is that she will be part of Indy’s life going forward. She’s the “daughter” he gets to have after he lost his son. Isn’t that essentially what the entire movie is setting up?

As for Short Round, he was never portrayed as just a sidekick of the week sort of character, not like Willie (who clearly is). Indy has a history with him that predates ToD and one can assume that relationship continues after ToD. In fact, almost all of Indy’s other sidekicks are important to him too: Marion, Sallah, Henry Sr., Marcus, Mutt, and so on. Even Wu Han says they went on many adventures together.

You can see why, as they were coming up with ideas for each film, that Shorty never came back. He didn’t fit thematically with any of them. But that being said, it would have been nice to get some kind of reference to him and his life at some point in the final three movies. Marcus and Henry get a shout out in KOTCS. The events of ToD are referenced in DoD. It wouldn’t have been too much fan service to reference Shorty at the very least, especially given that the Helena-Teddy dynamic is very clearly an homage to Indy and Short Round.

 

[Jones Disciple]

Nah no offense to Short Round but it would have been too much fan service.

Tbh I didn't even like the ToD reference in DoD.

The point of ToD is that it's a weekend adventure, a day in the life adventure of Indy.

It's what makes ToD unique and special. The point of Short Round never appearing again is that sidekicks come and go for Indy all the time. Helena is no different.

I get your perspective but I have a different take on the series. I look at it as these five adventures are the ones significant enough to warrant a film. Yes there were other adventures and things happen between movies but these are the most outlandish and interesting.

I loved the TOD reference as it is the first time that adventure has been unquestionably acknowledged in another film in the series. It also makes it sound like those events had some long term consequences health wise.

 

[BlueCoronado]

PWB is a good actress but I hated helenas character. I wouldn't want to see shorty like that.

 

[Dr.Jonesy]

I also feel like any use Short Round would've had in Indy 5, he'd be seen as woefully underused given what people saw he's capable of in Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.

It just wouldn't live up to the hype.

 

[Darkmon]

I love the idea of Shorty in Helena's rol. It would need some changes, but not many actually. And with the connection already created, the movie would have been shorter, which would have sit well with it.

 

[emtiem]

I think you're right that it could work, and Indy would feel nicely betrayed at the beginning if it were Shorty. But I must admit I like having Helena a bit more.
It's certainly an interesting thought though!

 

[AndyLGR]

So glad they didn’t go down the Shorty route. Having a new sidekick adds another dimension with no baggage of the previous films. I think it’s too problematic if they used Shorty, what’s he been doing since TOD? Why is he stealing the dial from Indy? Also having new sidekicks keeps with the spirit of the film series. I liked DOD as it was, Helena was a good foil for Indy.

 

[Lance Quazar]

I also feel like any use Short Round would've had in Indy 5, he'd be seen as woefully underused given what people saw he's capable of in Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.

It just wouldn't live up to the hype.

I would have been happy if there was an organic way to have Short in the movie in the same way Sallah was in there.

But, having seen the film, there really was no room for it that would have made sense and not bent the story out of shape to accommodate it.

As for the thread title, "Why not shorty?" I think Shorty could have been Sallah instead. That character would slot perfectly into that spot. But I'm not bothered at all that they used Sallah.

But taking over for Helena? Nah. Bad idea.

I would have been delighted for just a quick verbal acknowledgement of Short during the scene where Helena is telling Indy how she met Teddy. Just a, "That sounds familiar" or" that remind me of someone" grumble or something.

 

[Raiders90]

Disagree with this quite strongly. The point of Helena is that she will be part of Indy’s life going forward. She’s the “daughter” he gets to have after he lost his son. Isn’t that essentially what the entire movie is setting up?

As for Short Round, he was never portrayed as just a sidekick of the week sort of character, not like Willie (who clearly is). Indy has a history with him that predates ToD and one can assume that relationship continues after ToD. In fact, almost all of Indy’s other sidekicks are important to him too: Marion, Sallah, Henry Sr., Marcus, Mutt, and so on. Even Wu Han says they went on many adventures together.

You can see why, as they were coming up with ideas for each film, that Shorty never came back. He didn’t fit thematically with any of them. But that being said, it would have been nice to get some kind of reference to him and his life at some point in the final three movies. Marcus and Henry get a shout out in KOTCS. The events of ToD are referenced in DoD. It wouldn’t have been too much fan service to reference Shorty at the very least, especially given that the Helena-Teddy dynamic is very clearly an homage to Indy and Short Round.

Poor Indy, if your first paragraph is right.

 

[Ender]

Yes you'd lose Basil but you don't need anyone to connect Indy to Short Round, their connection runs deep already.

We've basically had the Basil archetype 3 times before. Losing him wouldn't be much of a loss.

As Mangold pointed out in an interview Key Huy Quan was filming Everything Evrywhere All at Once when DoD was being made, I always loved Key and Short Round. But think of the What If you are suggesting?

I wouldn't sacrifice his role in that movie even for a return to Indy.

 

[emtiem]

I wouldn't have minded Basil being in the film more as Toby Jones is absolutely spot on (I'd take him over Shorty to be honest), but it would have been a different film.

 

[Ender]

Oh yeah, for sure, Toby Jones absolutely nailed the role. I honestly enjoyed him way more than Teddy or Helena.

 

[emtiem]

If they'd have gone to Tangier and it was Basil being chased by one of his former exotic lovers instead of Helena, it would have been pretty funny stuff. I can imagine Harrison's confused face: "You were engaged.. to her?!" etc.
But again: totally different film.