Entry 19: Demons of Deception

Indy Timeline: 1916

“Demons of Deception” is the ninth installment of the Young Indiana Jones movies and another example of the wild inconsistency of the show.  As per usual, the movie patches together two separate episodes which have very different tones and storylines.

The first half of the episode is actually pretty good.  It features young Indy as a fast courier, delivering messages to the Western front from different command posts established by the French and Belgian armies.  Sean Patrick Flannery looks pretty awesome in this episode with his black leather trench coat, and we see him wearing the same WWI revolver holster that later becomes part of the “Indy costume” from the films. 

The episode also features an interesting portrayal of Marshal Philippe Petain, a French hero from WWI whose reputation was ruined by his later collaboration with the Nazis as the ruler of Vichy France during the Second World War.  In this episode, Petain is a moral compass, arguing against other members of the military leadership when he feels they are senselessly sending troops to the slaughter.  As was the case in real life, Petain is depicted as having a deep sympathy for regular soldiers – a sentiment that was lacking elsewhere in the upper echelons of French military leadership. 

This section of the episode makes a statement by highlighting the contrast between the conditions soldiers were facing in the trenches and the decadent dinner parties enjoyed by the elite military leadership. 

As was the case in “Trenches of Hell”, there are unsettling depictions of war here – including more bloodless battles with lots of explosions and even images of rats eating corpses in the trenches.  The slaughter of the French at Verdun is featured in the episode.  Again, this seems to push the boundaries for showing war on network TV.

Unfortunately, while his wardrobe might look good, Indy does not come across as particularly bright in this episode.  One sequence involves him eating dinner with some other enlisted men in a basement, and a discussion of the causes of the war ensues.  While it is nice to get some sort of primer on the geopolitics behind WWI, it is strange that Indy appears to have no idea what the war is about or why he is fighting in it.  Given all the trouble he went through to pose as a Belgian and his long journey from Mexico to get there, it makes no sense that he is only now starting to ask why he is there.  He also comes across as slow when he goes on a spy mission behind enemy lines, reaches the enemy encampment, and falls sound asleep. 

In spite of these complaints, the first half of this “movie” is pretty good overall – it tells a story and has some interesting combat sequences.  It also paints a picture of the war and some of the “behind the scenes” intrigue taking place within the French military leadership.  There is a lesson about moral courage in the episode too, and in this instance, Indy does the right thing. 

Unfortunately, in the second half of the episode, things fall flat and the intense inconsistency of the series is driven home once again. 

This portion involves Indy and Remy getting a furlough from the front and spending some time in Paris for some R+R.  Remy is once again depicted as a big fat friendly pervert – he spends the entire trip at the “best brothels” in Paris and promises Indy to “keep the girls warmed up” for him.  Gross! 

While Remy is getting busy in the brothels, Indy is obliged to visit one of his father’s professorial friends, Emperor Palpatine.  Ever the aristocrat, Palpatine lures Indy to a fancy party where he meets an older exotic dancer - the famous seductress and alleged spy, Mata Hari.  This is where the rails start to come off and things get really weird. 

Mata Hari comes on strong to Indy sexually and in no time, the two of them are sleeping together.  The acting here is quite flat – especially from Flannery – and once again reminds me of the dreadful love sequences from Episode II of Star Wars.  At one point, the dialogue is identical (“you’re making fun of me!”).  I was stunned with disbelief when Indy and Mata Hari say “I love you” to one another shortly after they first meet.

What distinguishes this “romance” sequence from all the prior ones in this series (and Star Wars) is how explicit the sex scenes get.  There are repeated sex sequences throughout the episode that are FAR more graphic than anything in the films – there is actual nudity at different points in the episode.  I’m really not sure how this was on TV.

I’m not against this sort of thing generally, but in the context of this series, it left me shocked and baffled.  What is this show and who is its intended audience? 

Later in the episode, Hari does one of her exotic dances for Indy.  His eyes are predatory and his face gleams with pervert sweat.  Fuelling this “Indy as predator” motif, he later stalks Hari as she goes on a sexual rendezvous with another man.  He literally becomes a peeping tom when he scales a wall and watches them through the slats of the bedroom window.  GROSS!

When he confronts her about this afterwards, a terrible fight ensues.  She calls him a jealous little boy (I would add petulant) and he squeals that she is a prostitute.  Shortly thereafter, they have sex one last time before Indy returns to the front. 

Once again, I found myself asking, what the hell is this show and what does it have to do with Raiders of the Lost Ark?  The Indy depicted in the “Mata Hari” episode couldn’t be anything further from the hero in Raiders.  Once again, I keep coming back to feeling that this show is wildly inconsistent and “Demons of Deception” provides a perfect example – a pretty good first half is done in by a strange and unsettling second half. 

Indy Rating: 5.5/10