Recap / Young Indiana Jones And The Daredevils Of The Desert

A skilful liar will tell his enemy the truth, and convince him it's a lie.

Daredevils of the Desert is an extended version of "Palestine, October 1917", an unaired episode from the second season ^note  unaired in the USA at least, although in its original form it was broadcast elsewhere; the first known broadcast was in Sweden on 21st November 1993, and it is also known to have aired in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany and Italy of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Going in chronological order, it's the fifteenth instalment of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones.

Indy is seconded to assist the British and Australian forces in the Middle East who are advancing on the city of Beersheba, a major step towards the goal of capturing Jerusalem. After reuniting with his old friend Ned (T. E. Lawrence), Indy inadvertently helps to pull off a deception ruse before being sent with a beautiful female agent to protect the wells of Beersheba from German and Turkish sabotage, lest the attacking forces be stranded in the desert without water.

This episode contains examples of:

• Ambiguously Brown: Indy's disguise while posing as an Intrepid Merchant seems to involve slightly darkening his face.
• Ambiguous Situation: Is Indy in on Kazim's deception plan? The way he attacks him indicates that he is, especially given that it turns out his knife (which was given to him by Meinertzhagen, who planned the whole thing) has a retractable blade.
• And Starring: Haluk Bilginer as Colonel Ismet Bey.
• As the Good Book Says...: Discussed when Indy and Ned talk about the wells at Beersheba, which according to the Book of Genesis were used by Abraham.
  Ned: There's a well at Beersheba called the Well of Abraham.
  Indy: Do you think Abraham used it?
  Ned: Bible says that he brought his flocks out of the desert and watered them there, which in a way is what you have to do.
  Indy: Only I'm no Abraham, and those soldiers aren't sheep.
  Ned: Well, some of the generals think they are.
• Artistic Licence – History: A few.
  • The attack on Gaza shown at the beginning is evidently the second battle of Gaza, an unsuccessful attack on that city by forces from various parts of the British Empire (and, as the name implies, the second attempt to capture that city) which is implied to take place shortly before the attack on Beersheba. In actual fact, the second battle of Gaza took place in April 1917, some six months before Beersheba; the period in between those two events was a stand-off known as the Stalemate in Southern Palestine, during which Edmund Allenby replaced Archibald Murray as the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (the name of the British Empire forces operating in Palestine) — although Allenby is shown here as being in command in the immediate aftermath of the second failed attempt to capture Gaza.
  • This episode supports the notion that Richard Meinertzhagen devised and carried out the "Haversack Ruse", an intelligence deception which involved allowing a satchel containing false plans to fall into enemy hands prior to the attack on Beersheba and which had a strong influence on operations of a similar nature in World War II. Biographers of Meinertzhagen are divided between those who regard him as a master of military strategy and espionage, and those who see him as a fraud who fabricated stories of his own achievements and took credit for the actions of others. As far as the "Haversack Ruse" is concerned, it has been claimed that it was actually devised by Lieutenant-Colonel J.D. Belgrave, a member of Allenby's general staff, and that the rider who dropped the satchel was Arthur Neate, a military intelligence officer — and Meinertzhagen falsely claimed the credit for it. Belgrave was killed in action the following year, while Neate was unable to contradict a 1927 article in The Times which credited Meinertzhagen with having devised and carried out the ruse because he was still a serving intelligence officer at the time; he eventually refuted it in 1956, but was largely ignored.
  • On the subject of Meinertzhagen, he is mentioned as being a colonel in some media relating to this episode (for example, the entry for him on the Indiana Jones Wiki) but his uniform is visibly that of a major, as there is one crown on his epaulette; the latter is accurate, as he was not promoted to brevet Lieutenant-Colonel until March 1918.
  • Meinertzhagen and Lawrence are shown as getting on with each other tolerably well. Although the two actually did work together, Lawrence was somewhat less than complimentary about him, particularly with regards to his propensity for violence.
  • Indy comments that Ned is already becoming famous as "Lawrence of Arabia". In actual fact, T.E. Lawrence did not become well-known (outside of military circles, at least) for his exploits in the Arab Revolt until after the fall of Jerusalem, when he met the American journalist Lowell Thomas (who will feature in the next episode), who shot footage of Lawrence which, when shown to the public on both sides of the Atlantic in 1919, made the previously obscure officer a household name.
• Batman Gambit: The operation seems to hinge on Maya, already known to be a Double Agent, using her feminine wiles to get Indy to tell her that Beersheba is the main focus of the attack, seemingly just so Kazim can contradict her in front of Schiller and Ismet Bey.
• Bayonet Ya: The Australians, not having been issued swords, draw their bayonets and wave them as they charge the Turkish trench line.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Dex complains about his unit, the Australian Light Horse, not seeing any action. They get plenty of it at Beersheba, and he is killed in the attack.
• Been There, Shaped History: Indiana Jones played a crucial role in the battle of Beersheba, which triggered a series of British victories in Palestine that resulted the capture of Jerusalem six weeks later.
• Break Out the Museum Piece: The Cavalry Charge, which was considered outdated as of World War I, was actually used successfully at Beersheeba, precisely because it was the opposite of what the Turks expected.
• The Bus Came Back: Two examples.
  • Indy is delighted to be reunited with T. E. Lawrence, who has been mentioned in several episodes (usually in the context of Indy's letters to him), but not seen since the first episode, although he is played by a different actor (Douglas Henshall) here. In terms of the way the series was originally aired, though, he had already been seen (played by Henshall) in "Paris, May 1919" which went on to form part of Winds of Change, which (chronologically) happened later.
  • Indy's less keen to be reacquainted with Richard Meinertzhagen who makes his second appearance, having previously been in Phantom Train of Doom.
• Call-Back: Referring to the first-ever episode, Indy tells Ned that he's still scared of mummies thanks to the ghost stories he told him when they were in Egypt. Ned also asks after Helen Seymour, Indy's former tutor (who viewers may recall is also Ned's former tutor).
• Call-Forward: The rickety rope bridge is decidedly reminiscent of the one in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Indy's strained relationship with his father, as mentioned to Ned, inevitably brings Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to mind.
• The Cavalry: Literally so, although technically they're mounted infantry who would usually dismount and attack on foot — but at Beersheba they remain on their horses and successfully perform a full-on cavalry charge.
• Chekhov's Gun: The knife, although it is not revealed until after Indy has apparently used it to stab Kazim that the blade is retractable, and it contains a small vial of blood to make it look like the stabbing was for real.
• The Chessmaster: Richard Meinertzhagen, who devised the operation to stop the Turks destroying the wells of Beersheba and the disinformation campaign that accompanied it. From what Kazim says, he knew that Maya was a Double Agent and made use of that, devising a ploy that made Ismet Bey think that Maya, his best spy, was being fed false information when she'd actually found out the truth.
• Crazy Enough to Work: The plan to attack Beersheba involves sending troops across the desert with minimal water rations so that they can travel quickly and attack the city from the desert-facing eastern side; the whole thing therefore depends on there being plenty of water at Beersheba, which is why Indy gets sent there to stop the wells from being sabotaged. When the Aussies do attack, they don't dismount and attack on foot, they charge in on horseback — which is contrary to what the Beersheba's defenders expect them to do, to the extent that the Turkish gunners, who know that they're facing mounted infantry and not cavalry, have specific order to not start firing until they dismount.
• Darkest Hour: Invoked prior to the attack on Beersheba. When the first attempt fails and the generals considers what to do next, they note that as they don't have any water, they have no choice but to carry on attacking and hope that the city's Turkish defenders don't destroy the wells.
  Brigadier-General Grant: Gentlemen, our situation is past desperate. If we do not take that town by dark, our men are doomed.
• Did They or Didn't They?: How far did Indy and Maya go? We see them kiss rather passionately, but the following morning, Indy's sleeping alone and fully clothed.
• Double Agent: Maya is secretly working for Ismet Bey, and passes a secret message to him via the veil she gives him during the belly-dancing scene. Kazim is later shown to be one as well, although in his case it's an act.
• Expy: The agent in Beersheba who helps Indy can come across as a young Sallah — although in the credits, he's named as Kazim, making him an expy of Sallah.
• Face–Heel Revolving Door: Subverted in the case of Kazim, who starts out good, goes bad and then goes back to being good — but the being bad bit was an act. He fed Schiller false information about the Beersheba attack being a feint, and Indy's fake stabbing of him made it look as though the false information was actually genuine.
• Faking the Dead: Indy's seemingly fatal stabbing of Kazim after he confesses that the real attack is at Gaza is enough to convince Schiller and Ismet Bey that the attack on Beersheba is a feint. But it's a trick — the stabbing was faked and Kazim is still alive, but no-one's going to bother guarding a dead body. Which means that Kazim is in a position to rescue Indy from the prison cell he gets thrown into, following which they continue to cut the explosive wires at the wells.
• Femme Fatale Spy: Maya, a beautiful Double Agent.
• Foreshadowing: After the rugby match, Indy — who played on the Australian side and was subject to at least one brutal tackle by the British gunners — notes that he now knows how the Turks feel when they're being pounded by British artillery. At the climax of the battle, those same artillerymen give the Turks a pasting, taking out the machine-guns that were threatening the Aussies' charge.
• Heroes Gone Fishing: As soon as Indy reports to Meinertzhagen, the guy takes him and Aussie sergeant Jack Anders on a birdwatching trip into the desert. This results in them getting attacked by a Turkish patrol, resulting in Meinertzhagen losing his satchel. What Indy and Jack don't realise is that this is actually a subversion of this trope — it's a clever ruse to feed false information to the Turks, as the satchel contains false plans to attack Gaza again, whereas the plan is in fact to attack Beersheba. In fact, it is the Real Life "Haversack Ruse", a classic intelligence deception operation used in the run-up to the attack on Beersheba.
• Hero of Another Story: Ned, of course.
  Ned: I must get back to my own little part of the war.
• Historical Domain Character: T.E. Lawrence and Richard Meinertzhagen are the most prominent. There's also Edmund Allenby (who is shown, but Indy doesn't meet him) Harry Chauvel, William Grant and, on the Turkish side, Ismet Bey (who, as İsmet İnönü, would go on to serve as President of Turkey).
• Home by Christmas: Allenby predicts that if his army can take Beersheba, they'll be in Jerusalem by Christmas. In a rare Real Life aversion of what usually happens when this trope is invoked, he's right — he would enter Jerusalem on 11th December 1917, some six weeks after capturing Beersheba.
• Humble Hero: Indy notes that Ned is already becoming famous; Ned does not like the idea.
  Indy: You know, you're starting to become famous.
  Ned: Famous? Me?
  Indy: "Lawrence of Arabia". That's what they're calling you. They say you...
  Ned: [interrupting] Henry, don't. It makes me sick. I came into the desert because I was ordered to, and because I wanted to help the Bedouin regain their independence. All the rest, I never looked for it and I never wanted it. It just happened.
• Intrepid Merchant: Indy poses as one of these to get into Beersheba, travelling by camel and selling everything from pots and pans to girlie photos (useful for bribing guards) and pigeons (some of which are used for sending messages, while others are cooked and served to the Turkish officers to maintain the cover), and even supplying a belly-dancer to provide evening entertainment. His contact in Beersheba claims he's his cousin.
• Man Hug: Indy and Ned share one when they are reunited.
• Ms. Fanservice: Maya, who is a belly-dancer played by Catherine Zeta-Jones.
• Oh, Crap!: The Turkish gunners have this reaction when they realise that the Australian Light Horse are not going to dismount. It's not long before their charge has taken them under the arc of the big guns.
• Noodle Incident: When talking with the Australian soldiers, Indy mentions that he has not only visited Australia, he flew across it with Harry Houdini. This was to have featured in an episode of the abortive third season.
• The Plan: Indy's mission is to infiltrate Beersheba and prevent the wells from being destroyed; failure to do so means the Anglo-Australian attackers will die of thirst even if they do capture the city. He is accompanied by Maya, who is later revealed to be a Double Agent, and assisted by Kazim, a spy already in Beersheba. There's also a plan to deceive the city's defenders of the attackers' intentions, and make them think that the attack on Beersheba is actually a feint to draw Turkish troops away from Gaza. Kazim at least is aware of Maya's true allegiance, and uses that information to convince Schiller and Ismet Bey that she was fed false information with regards to Beersheba being the subject of the main attack.
• Riddle for the Ages: We never find out what sort of operation Indy and the French officer were running in Cairo; it involved Indy being disguised as an Arab, and it finished when he got reassigned at Lawrence's recommendation.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: As Beersheba falls, Ismet Bey grabs a horse and rides off.
• Shout-Out: To Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, as the Turkish artillerymen desperately try to depress their guns to target the charging Australian lighthorsemen:
  Turkish Gunner: They're coming in too fast!
• Stock Footage: Some footage from The Lighthorsemen (directed by Simon Wincer, who also directed this episode) was used.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: At play on both sides.
  • There's some tension between the British artillerymen and Australian mounted infantry which almost leads to a Bar Brawl before Ned suggests they play each other at rugby instead of fighting. Later, they are seen working together, as the artillery knocks out the Turkish machine-guns that are threatening the Aussies' charge.
  • On the other side, there's plenty of tension between the Turks and their German allies, if the rather tense relationship between Ismet Bey and Schiller is anything to go by.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: We do not know if Maya survives or not — she's last seen ducking for cover behind a wall after being shot in the arm by Indy.
• You Do Not Want To Know. Invoked when Maya catches up with Indy after being left behind with a group of Arabs at the oasis on the way to Beersheba.
  Indy: What happened? How did you get away from those Arabs?
  Maya: Don't ask.