Volume One

Not so much a stretch as a bit of creative genius VF wing. It may be a bit ham fisted the way Ned is introduced, but Lawrence was in the middle East at the time, and was an archaeologist, so having him cycle over is not too much of a stretch of the imagination. He was a crazy guy, wishing to do his masters Thesis on Crusader Castles, he bought a gun an set off to the middle East alone, he was robbed once, and had to shoot at someone to scare them off at another point, but the sands of Arabia left an indelible mark on his psyche.

Whats so great about this in the context of Young Indy is how Ned basically forms the framework for Indy's growth and adventures. As you'll see, its because of Ned Indy becomes an archaeologist, its because of Ned Indy fights in the war, the way the use Ned in both the episodes hes in and the ones where hes merely refered to is, in my opinion, one of the best things about Young Indy, you'll see for yourself how their relationship evolves.

My problem with the episode is not Ned then, but its the way the murder mystery resolves itself, why in the name of Nebechudnezzer would demitrios leave his Detonating plunger with the mummy? It simply makes no sense whatsoever... that and how it just suddenly ends and transitions into the Morrocco sequence, its just not well done at all.
 

vf wing

New member
Okay, after watching Spring Break Adventure (more on it later), I of course had to go right back to My First Adventure, since they are directly connected by Dmitri (sp?) and the Jackal.

The murder mystery is the part that I glazed over before :eek: , and still have yet to view properly. But the first part of the episode is pure magic. Yes, I really do have to concur that Lawrence had a dramatic impact on young Indy. From equating the world's assorted belief systems to quelling the all-too-natural tendency to seek treasures of the past for profit, it's clear that his fireside chat had a profound impact on the boy. It was a wonderfully written and played scene. This is the Origin of Indiana Jones.

Where I was having issues before with Lawrence's presence in Egypt was due to my misunderstanding that he didn't travel to the Middle East until the war was underway. Again I'm looking this stuff up online after the fact and further discovering that he was a truly fascinating and admirable individual. That's the highest kudo I can give to this show, is that it encourages learning. My whole life I've believed Lawrence of Arabia was a fictional character from a movie. :eek: :eek:

And... I don't wanna know too much about it beforehand, but I'm now really looking forward to Ned's eventual return in the series!
 

Stoo

Well-known member
vf wing said:
Where I was having issues before with Lawrence's presence in Egypt was due to my misunderstanding that he didn't travel to the Middle East until the war was underway. Again I'm looking this stuff up online after the fact and further discovering that he was a truly fascinating and admirable individual. That's the highest kudo I can give to this show, is that it encourages learning. My whole life I've believed Lawrence of Arabia was a fictional character from a movie. :eek: :eek:
If you stick with it (and would be wise to do) you're in for a ride, vf wing! Not sure how old you are but you blew my socks off with your "Lawrence of Arabia" revelation
even though it's nothing to be ashamed of. Your "highest kudo" is right on the mark since, along with some great adventure, you gain historical/philosophical knowledge.
Sometimes, the lessons are a too forced but the pay-off in the end cannot be denied.

Being already familiar with some of the characters when the series aired (Selous, von Lettow, Meinertzhagen, Australian Light Horse, etc.), I was learning new things
about them and was amazed at how dead-on the details were after doing some more research. Some detractors to Young Indy say how impossible it would have been
for him to meet all these important figures but the path of Indy's life weaves right into the "hot spots" of early 20th century history. Lawrence in Egypt in 1908
is one of the larger stretches (Jeremiah explained it so well that I have nothing to add) and if you get over that leap, the rest almost naturally falls into place.

vf wing said:
And... I don't wanna know too much about it beforehand, but I'm now really looking forward to Ned's eventual return in the series!
The only thing I will say is that it's a different actor and that Ned/T.E. & Demetrios are not the only characters from Egypt to re-appear.
Down the road, there is another...and it's not Rashid 'cause he's dead.:dead:

As you go along, there are threads in this section on each, individual chapter that could use a bump!
Much more specific discussion to be had should you ever feel so inclined.

Jeremiah Jones said:
why in the name of Nebechudnezzer would demitrios leave his Detonating plunger with the mummy? It simply makes no sense whatsoever...
Ha. Ha! You're funny. Yes, it makes no sense whatsoever. Anyway, the original ending is better, where we are told that Demetrios escapes
and T.E. misses the boat by 5 minutes.

Eddy W said:
Alright guys, thanks, I'm going to give it another chance then, see if it will grow on me a bit.
You will probably enjoy Volume 2 & 3 a great deal more. If you get hooked, you will then probably want to re-visit #1 and see it in a new light.
 
Demitrious: I've hidden it, you'll never find it!!

Lawrence: Really? For some reason I'll believe you and not bother searching you. Right, I'd better let you go then

Demitrious: Are you sure? I mean you could have me arrested, threaten to beat me up, I dunno, have me black listed or something.

Lawrence: Too much effort really

Demitrious: Spose you're right, I guess its off to mexico then

(queue mexican guitar thing - aka - demitrious's theme)

The best thing about Young Indy is how various different elements, Characters, plot points etc, come together towards the end in very natural ways. When he references things hes dones, or when he meets people again... it really makes it more real for me, especially that 'other' character from Chapter 1 Stoo mentioned. In fact the episode where he reaccurs is one I'm fond of for precisely that reason, continuity is great when you're a fan. A reward for paying attention
 

fommes

Member
I have finally been able to buy the first DVD Volume (the others will follow suit), and watched the first episode - I realized it's the first time I've seen this edit and the Tangiers part.

Stoo said:
Yes, it makes no sense whatsoever. Anyway, the original ending is better, where we are told that Demetrios escapes
and T.E. misses the boat by 5 minutes.

Yeah, I was very surprised - why did they change it like that? The original ending at least leaves things open for Indy to find him again years later; now they apprehend him, and let him go?
I also loved the original - the idea to hop on one's bike to go after a murderer - and then miss him by a mere five minutes! So... British and pre-cellular phones ;)
It would also have worked better I think - now the transition is just abrupt.
 

UIMJ

New member
I'm making my way through volume 1 now too. Watched the first "teenage" Indy episode last night (the Thomas Edison Ep). I'm a bit disapointed that the Intro's and Outro's aren't on the boxed sets. Did they omit Harrison Fords Intro and Outro in the last season during the Jazz episode?

That's a damn Greek tragedy if they did... it was like 95% of the reason I was buying these in the first place.
 

vf wing

New member
Well, not sure where to leave the following comment, but the new homepage layout is a bit confusing. I thought that the forum had been down for a few days before I started clicking around a bit.
Jeremiah Jones said:
So what did you think of Sean's first episode?
My first impression is hit & miss. By its reference in the new movie, this is the one that first made me see how essential the series probably would become to my viewing. It all seemed to kind of fly by. It was cool to see him in an "at home" environment, but I'm glad they didn't keep him there very long. I loved that Indy was an inspiration for the Tom Swift novels, when in real life it was quite the opposite!

What was most interesting to me was seeing him his destiny completely opened by the end. I wish in a way they had spent more time dealing with his mother's passing, but can understand why they might not dwell too much on it.
Stoo said:
If you stick with it (and would be wise to do) you're in for a ride, vf wing! Not sure how old you are but you blew my socks off with your "Lawrence of Arabia" revelation
even though it's nothing to be ashamed of. Your "highest kudo" is right on the mark since, along with some great adventure, you gain historical/philosophical knowledge.
Sometimes, the lessons are a too forced but the pay-off in the end cannot be denied.
Oh, I'll be sticking with it alright! I'm sorta committed since I already purchased all three box sets. I'm 38, but not too old for a little schooling!
Stoo said:
Being already familiar with some of the characters when the series aired (Selous, von Lettow, Meinertzhagen, Australian Light Horse, etc.), I was learning new things
about them and was amazed at how dead-on the details were after doing some more research. Some detractors to Young Indy say how impossible it would have been
for him to meet all these important figures but the path of Indy's life weaves right into the "hot spots" of early 20th century history. Lawrence in Egypt in 1908
is one of the larger stretches (Jeremiah explained it so well that I have nothing to add) and if you get over that leap, the rest almost naturally falls into place.
The character himself is so much larger than life it seems that his own experiences would almost have to be dominated by historical figures and events of equal stature. I can definitely deal!
Stoo said:
The only thing I will say is that it's a different actor and that Ned/T.E. & Demetrios are not the only characters from Egypt to re-appear.
Down the road, there is another...and it's not Rashid 'cause he's dead.:dead:

As you go along, there are threads in this section on each, individual chapter that could use a bump!
Much more specific discussion to be had should you ever feel so inclined.
Appreciate the tantalizing preview without spoilage! My fear of being spoiled is what's keeping me from digging into those more specific threads. There's also so much going on in each episode and I am almost always multitasking while viewing that I need repeated viewings before I feel comfy discussing things more in-depth in the appropriate threads. Chances are excellent those forays await in the days to come!
 

phantom train

New member
Volume 1 of the YIJC is probably the most underrated of all of the sets. Though it is not as good as Volumes 2 and 3, it is still excellent and has some great episodes/tele-films.

One of my favorites is the Chinese episode where Little Indy gets very sick and has to be nursed back to health by a local doctor.

Also very good was the episode with Picasso and Norman Rockwell, as well as the Teddy Roosevelt/Africa episode.

And, of course this Volume has the Mexican episode where the teenage Indy meets Remy for the first time.

Probably the best episode in Volume 1, however, is where Indy goes to London in preparation for going off to WW I - superb.
I actually think this episode is probably the turning point in the series since it is the preamble to Indy's fighting in WW I, which is the focal point of Volume 2 and carries over into Volume 3.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
dvd_youngindy_vol1.jpg


Doing some updating on the site, and wondering if anyone knows where I can find press release graphics like the one above for Volumes 2 and 3. I know they're out there...

Also, if you use the internet Archive, you can still drop in the Star Wars links and tour all the discs.
 
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