Recap / Young Indiana Jones Spring Break Adventure

Indy! What'll I tell your dad?

An episode from the second season of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ("Princeton, February 1916", first broadcast on 20th March 1993), combined with the second part of Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal (the first-ever episode, first broadcast on 4th March 1992) to form a feature-length episode entitled Spring Break Adventure which, chronologically, is the sixth instalment of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones.

It's 1916, and high school student Indiana Jones is living with his dad in Princeton, New Jersey. Spring break is fast approaching, and all Indy can think of is taking his girlfriend Nancy to the prom in her dad's fancy car. Unfortunately, the engine has broken and cannot be fixed, but a friendly professor working at Thomas Edison's laboratory raises his hopes. However, Indy's plans are sidetracked when a mysterious break-in, the theft of an electric motor, and rumors of German spies result in a mystery that only Indy and Nancy can unravel.

Indy and his father then head to visit family in New Mexico. With his mischievous cousin Frank, Indy heads the border town of Columbus in the hope of sowing some wild oats — but while they're there, the town is suddenly attacked by Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa and his riders. Playing hero, Indy chases them into the desert and is soon taken captive. As a 16-year old itching for a good fight, Indy is stirred by Villa's words, and joins his cause, riding with the Villistas as General Pershing chases them throughout the desert. Indy meets and befriends the Belgian expatriate Remy, witnesses the intensity of a young George S. Patton, and also finds a murderer who escaped the law eight years earlier in Cairo in this adventure that sets the teenage Indy on a path that will lead him to war-torn Europe.

This episode contains examples of:

• Artistic Licence Cars: Numerous anachronistic vehicles appear in this story, which is set in 1916. The cars include a 1921 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia, a 1926 Dodge Brothers Four, 1920, 1922, 1923, and 1925 Ford Model T's, and a 1925 Gotfredson. Additionally, Indy's reference to Butch's Model T as a "Tin Lizzie" is also anachronistic, since that nickname for the Model T was not devised until 1922.
• Artistic Licence – History: In Real Life, Edward Stratemeyer never had a daughter named Nancy. Nancy's character is an amalgam of Stratemeyer's actual daughter Harriet and one of his most famous fictional creations, teen detective Nancy Drew. In addition to Harriet, Stratemeyer had another daughter named Edna.
• And Starring: James Handy as Frank Brady, the police detective investigating the kidnap of Dr. Thompson and the theft of the battery plans from Edison's laboratory.
• Badass Bandolier: Pancho Villa sports two in an "X" across the body (his trademark), as do most of his gang.
• Bandito: Pancho Villa and his gang.
• Bar Brawl: Patton initiates one with guns, and kills three of Villa's men.
  Indy: That guy's nuts!
• Blatant Lies: Anything Indy and Frank say about their plans to go camping, although they do end up spending a night under the stars.
• Burger Fool: In the Princeton part, Indy works as a "soda-jerk", which is basically the early-twentieth-century equivalent.
• The Bus Came Back: Demetrios, the guy who stole the jackal headpiece in My First Adventure, returns in the Mexico part as an arms dealer. Originally, of course, both the Egypt part of that episode and the Mexico part of this one had been the two parts of Curse of the Jackal, the first-ever episode.
• Call-Back: In his letter to Ned, Indy refers to when they were in Egypt together. This formed the first part of Curse of the Jackal, later re-edited into My First Adventure. We even see a photo of Young(er) Indy with Ned and Miss Seymour, and Indy tells Frank about Demetrios and the jackal headpiece that he stole. This bit was in Curse of the Jackal to serve as a link between the two parts, but it works well here too, as it serves as an exposition for viewers who might come to this episode without having previously seen My First Adventure and will need to know who Demetrios is (and what he stole) in order for much of the second part of this episode to make sense.
• Call-Forward: Indy tells Frank he's going to be an archaeologist. A few other examples as well:
  • The rather testy relationship between Indy and his father will not improve until the events of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which will take place some 22 years later. In that film, Henry Snr. recalls that he never told Indy to finish his dinner; in the Princeton part, we see evidence of this.
  • Indy and Remy riding off towards the rising sun at the end is reminiscent of Indy, Henry Snr., Sallah and Marcus riding off into the sunset at the end of Last Crusade.
• Contrived Coincidence: Conveniently for Indy, Demetrios has a bullwhip in his house.
• Cunning Linguist: Indy gets to demonstrate his knowledge of German, Latin, Spanish, French and Arabic in this episode. Remy, by contrast, does not understand Spanish that well (despite his having joined Pancho Villa's gang), which almost gets Indy killed when he misunderstands an order.
• The Determinator: In the Princeton part, Nancy is particularly determined to solve the mystery — more so than Indy, who seems more interested in other things (like out-doing Butch, the prospect of losing his job and, well, Nancy herself). In the Mexico part, it's Indy himself — and it gets him into more trouble than he bargained for. By attempting to recover all of the robbed woman's clothes that the bandit steals in Columbus, he ends up in Mexico — and a prisoner of Pancho Villa. Later on, he will not leave Mexico until he's dealt with Demetrios and recovered the jackal headpiece.
• The Dog Was the Mastermind: In the Princeton part, Dr. Thompson — the kidnap victim — turns out to have been behind the plot to steal the battery plans.
• Foreshadowing: A few examples.
  • Indy telling Frank about what happened in Egypt and showing a photo of Demetrios is a clear indication that this guy will re-appear.
  • As is the case in several later episodes, teenage Indy is shown to be writing a letter to Ned, and referring to letters Ned wrote to him.
  • Indy reads about the fighting on the Western Front in a newspaper. It won't be long before he gets to experience that for himself.
  • One of the girlie pictures Indy and Frank look at is of Mata Hari.
• Genre Shift: As is often the case with the previously standalone Chronicles episodes that got joined together and re-edited for the Adventures TV movies. Here, we have a mystery on the East Coast with hints of espionage, followed by a Western in Mexico.
• Gratuitous German: The kidnappers shout out some German phrases that seemingly make no sense, although they do include the German for "chicken". Turns out to be part of an intentional Red Herring to make the American authorities think it's part of a spy plot.
• Headscratchers: A couple.
  • If Thompson is behind the theft of the plans and the kidnapping of him is therefore faked, why is he found Bound and Gagged in the abandoned barn?
    • Presumably the "kidnappers" intended for their nonsensical German (including the word for "chicken") to be a clue pointing to the barn which is on an old chicken farm with a German name. The police would have probably figured this out in the end, it just so happens that this is Nancy's adventure so she works it out first (with Indy's help). Thompson being tied up and seemingly imprisoned would help to ensure that he remains above suspicion once his rescuers eventually show up, which is what happens — although one has to wonder how long he was tied up for.
  • How does Indy get his journal back? When he and Frank go to Columbus, they leave their bags outside the town and it is clearly shown that the journal is in Indy's bag. He therefore should not have it in Mexico, but he does.
• Historical Domain Character: In the first part, Indy meets Edward Stratemeyer and Thomas Edison. In the second, he encounters Pancho Villa and a young George S. Patton. John Pershing, although is also a character in this episode, although Indy does not meet him.
• Homage: The Princeton part is more or less this to the Nancy Drew stories; Indy at times becomes a sidekick to the Plucky Girl Kid Detective, who is not only called Nancy, she's Edward Stratemeyer's (fictional) daughter.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: The ultimate fate of Demetrios, who's killed when his house gets blown up by his own explosives. Which were ignited as a result of him trying to set Indy on fire after the latter got doused in petrol in the climactic fight.
• Hormone-Addled Teenager: At times in the first part, Indy seems more interested in making out with Nancy than solving the mystery. In the second part, the only reason why Indy and his cousin Frank go to Columbus is because they want to try and visit a bordello just across the border.
• Hypocrite: When Butch asks Betty to go to the prom with him and he turns her down, he tells her he's not going to ask her again. But at the end of the Princeton part, she's his date.
• I Choose to Stay: When Villa angrily orders him to go home, Indy — inspired by the revolutionaries — volunteers to join Villa's band. This will not last.
• I Never Said It Was Poison: Nancy picks up on the fact that, when she and Indy return the battery plans to Dr. Thompson, he knows about the oil refinery even though they never mentioned it to him.
• It's All About Me: Dr. Thompson has this, big time. Even though he was earning good money working for Edison (more than he ever did in academia), he became resentful of the fact that Edison always received the credit for any work he did.
• It Will Never Catch On: Inverted, as everyone seems to think that Edison's idea for a car powered by electricity will catch on. In 1916. The fact that it did not was openly addressed in the Old Indy bookends that adorned the Princeton episode in its original form.
• Jerkass: Butch, something of a high-school rival to Indy.
• Kid Detective: Well, teen detective in the case of Nancy and Indy, who take it upon themselves to find out who kidnapped Dr. Thompson and stole the naval plans from Edison's laboratory.
• Magnificent Moustaches of Mexico: Naturally, Pancho Villa and his bandits all have these. Even Remy.
• Mammy: Mrs. Brennan, the Jones's maid, is one of these, albeit somewhat downplayed as she doesn't get much screen time. Like every other adult apart from Henry Snr., she addresses Indy as "Indy". When they have people round for dinner, Indy (who comes across as being accustomed to helping out with the washing-up) says he'll serve the coffee at the end of the meal, which means she can go home early (or at least, earlier than she'd originally expected).
• Mood Whiplash: A couple of examples in the Mexico part.
  • Indy and the other prisoners are subject to a firing squad — but just before the order to fire is given, Pancho Villa himself puts a stop to it. José, the man who arranged the firing squad, subsequently embraces Indy and befriends him.
  • Almost immediately afterwards, Remy (who has just befriended Indy) mis-interprets an order from Villa due to his poor Spanish, and appears to be serious about shooting Indy there and then. Fortunately, he gets talked out of it and goes back to being fairly affable.
  • In the movie scene, the revolutionaries are genuinely moved by the silent film even though it is about an American soldier going off to war. Then they see the newsreel about Pershing, and are angry — so angry they shoot the place up.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Indy only gets captured in the aftermath of Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus because he tries to help a woman whose clothes get robbed by one of Villa's men; he gives chase, and ends up south of the border — which is where he gets taken prisoner.
• Only the Author Can Save Them Now: In-Universe, Edward Stratemeyer seems to work on this trope, to the point where he even asks Indy how he can get Tom Swift out of the latest predicament he's written him into.
• Parents as People: Edward Stratemeyer (Nancy's dad) is having to deal with writer's block, in addition to which, his car won't start.
• Plucky Girl: Nancy, so very much.
• The Prom Plot: In the first part, Indy strives to out-do Butch by taking Nancy to the prom in her father's Bugatti. This does not work, as they can't get the carburettor fixed, but all turns out well as Thomas Edison offers to lend them his prototype electric car for the occasion. Naturally, everyone is much more impressed by this than they are by Butch's Model T.
• Rake Take: Indy gets on the receiving end of this while he and Nancy are investigating in the barn.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Quite a few.
  • Edward Stratemeyer comes across as being happy for his daughter to approach him with any problems she may have (and is happy to discuss the case with her over dinner). He also addresses her boyfriend as "Indy", his preferred nickname.
  • Brady, the police detective, compliments Nancy and Indy on their help in solving the case.
  • On hearing that Indy and Nancy couldn't get the Bugatti fixed, Edison lends them his prototype electric car to drive to the prom.
  • Even Henry Snr. has shades of one of these, which is how he remembers himself as a father in Last Crusade. Although he is strict towards him when they have guests, he allows Indy plenty of leeway, much more than what one would expect of most parents of the time. For example, he doesn't insist on him finishing his dinner (which he does actually mention in Last Crusade), is seemingly OK with him going out after dark and has no objections to his and Frank's proposed camping trip. That said, their relationship is clearly strained due to the death of Indy's mother, which is stated to have happened three years previously.
• Red Herring: German spies had nothing to do with the theft of Edison's battery plans — it was the oil company (fearful of a battery-powered car putting them out of business), working in league with Dr. Thompson.
• Riddle for the Ages: What does Frank tell Indy's dad?
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Indy becomes disillusioned with Pancho Villa after seeing his men loot a village and steal chickens from an elderly peasant, who later tells Indy that every politician and revolutionary tells him they want to help him, but all they do is steal his chickens. Indy, who has already realised that Pancho Villa's revolution is not his revolution, is therefore already thinking of leaving when Remy tells him that he too wants out — after seeing the cinema newsreel, he wants to go back to Europe and fight for his own country. Indy goes with him.
• Shout-Out: A few.
  • Indy is a fan of the Tom Swift novels, and even helps Edward Stratemeyer out with a plot or two. The one he's seen reading, Tom Swift and his Electric Runabout, is genuine (it was published in 1910).
  • Indy's job, serving milkshakes and ice cream in a diner-cum-pharmacy, has echoes of that of the young George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life. Like George, Indy subscribes to National Geographic and yearns for a life of adventure — but unlike George, he'll get it.
  • With his aggressive way of asking girls out, the fact that he drives a Ford and his one-syllable nickname that begins with the letter "B" (to say nothing of his all-round jerkassery), Butch may remind some viewers of Biff from Back to the Future.
• Sombrero Equals Mexican: There are no prizes for guessing the revolutionaries' choice of headgear, in contrast to Indy's trademark brown fedora.
• Stuff Blowing Up: That flatbed full of explosives does plenty of damage to the walls of Ciudad Guerro. The American biplane follows this up by dropping a few bombs on the place. Later on, Demetrios learns the hard way that storing explosives in your house and trying to deal with intruders by dousing them with petrol and attempting to set fire to them is probably not the smartest move.
• Tactful Translation: While with Pancho Villa and the revolutionaries, Indy is tasked with translating the Title Cards of captured American silent films and newsreels. When the reel turns to the revolution from an American perspective, Indy attempts to play off the footage as respectful to Pancho Villa, but fails; the revolutionaries shoot up the theatre.
  Title Card: To the Halls of Montezuma! US troops sweep into Mexico.
  Indy: US troops ... pay a courtesy visit to Canada.
  Card: General Pershing: "We shall soon have that cowardly bandit Pancho Villa on the run."
  Indy: It says General Pancho Villa ... is a great man.
• Tempting Fate: General Pershing says of Pancho Villa that he will "whip his ass" for raiding into US territory. In fact, the 1916-17 US incursion into Mexico would end in failure.
• Translation Convention: Flat-out defied in the second part, in which English subtitles are used when characters speak Latin, Spanish and French; an example of Early Instalment Weirdness, given that this was originally part of Curse of the Jackal, the first-ever episode. Most later episodes would have characters speak English for the benefit of the viewer, regardless of the language they're meant to be speaking In-Universe.
• Villain Ball: Demetrios grabs hold of this when he tries to stop Indy stealing the jackal headpiece. Dousing an intruder with petrol and then setting light to your own house in an attempt to kill him his a dumb move even if said house is not being used to store several boxes of dynamite.
• War for Fun and Profit: Demetrios is making a fair amount of money selling guns and explosives to Pancho Villa, in addition to which he's happy to sell information to the Americans.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: José befriends Indy shortly after his capture (having previously tried to shoot Indy and the other prisoners, only to be ordered not to by Villa!) but dies of the wounds he sustains in the attack on Ciudad Guerro; Indy and Remy comfort him in his final moments.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: We don't know what happened to Indy's cousin Frank after Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus ^note  in the computer game The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Revolution, Frank is killed if the player decides not to help retrieve the robbed woman's clothes .
• Wrench Wench: The mechanic who tries to fix Nancy's dad's Bugatti is a girl. She is named in the credits as Jewel Williams, which makes sense as the garage is called Williams Brothers.
• Young Future Famous People: George S. Patton (depicted as a junior officer serving on Pershing's campaign against Pancho Villa) counts as this.
• You Meddling Kids: Almost said word-for-word by Thompson to Nancy and Indy at the end of the Princeton part.