Rewatch Adventures of Indiana Jones, Part VIII

Indiana Jones continues his adventures through World War I, and the viewers finally get a little break from trench warfare as Indy travels to Africa and then joins the French spies!

Image credit: themoviedb.org

North Africa, 1916
First, Indy continues to find horror in the African trenches and has to deal with a commanding officer who values the mission over human life. Most importantly, Indy encounters the famous German doctor Albert Schweitzer while on the verge of death and learns a few lessons about the value of human life, regardless of what side one is on. This is one of the few older Indy episodes I have strong memories of watching as a child, mainly because the message of hope in the midst of terrible tragedy was so profound.

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Image credit: IMDB.com

France, 1916-1917​
This episode starts on a bittersweet moment when Indy and Remy part to different jobs in French intelligence. Remy has the privilege of running a spy ring out of a bakery, while Indy joins the American airplane intelligence group. Of course, any trip Indy takes on this show leads him toward a famous or infamous figure from history, and this episode is no different thanks to an appearance by the famous Red Baron! Indy actually gets to witness the origin story of the Red Baron and even suggests the red paint. I enjoyed this episode for its fun spy plots and some classic Indy-style adventure and fist fights. The transition into the Intelligence force and out of the trenches was also a welcome change.

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Austria and Russia, 1917.
Indy embarks on two different spy missions in the last episode for this post. His first mission involves sneaking two relatives of the Austrian emperor into the country in order to negotiate terms for Austria leaving its alliance with Germany. The second mission is in St. Petersburg where the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, are beginning to stir up trouble. Indy is trying to help prevent revolution because of its potential ramifications for the French in the war. Both episodes are tense with several situations where Indy has to make difficult decisions that put other lives in jeopardy. I found the Russia mission particularly engaging because Indy has befriended several Bolsheviks and has to juggle his job with his friendships. The Austria mission also includes a fun cameo from Christopher Lee, who plays an Austrian diplomat. Lee brings his usual level of gravitas, of course!

Indy continues his adventures as a spy in the next set of episodes, as we slowly make our way to the films!
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