Alain English
This next adventure in the exploits of a young Indiana Jones (played by the always watchable Sean Patrick Flanery) is something of a mixed bag.In the first segment, Indy is posted to the mountains of North Italy where, between smuggling German deserters across the battlefield, he finds time to compete with none other than Ernest Hemingway (Jay Underwood), for the affections of a young woman. The supposed comedy in this segment is excruciating, and Jay Underwood's playing of Hemingway comes off as nothing but smug.Much better is the second segment, where Indy is sent to Morocco where his French superiors are faced with an uprising from their enemies among the natives, who are being supplying with arms from a mysterious source. Indy meets the writers Edith Wharton (Clare Higgins) and Lowell Thomas (Evan Richards), who are well-played and have a good scene where they debate the virtues of writing fiction (Wharton) as opposed to journalism (Thomas). It's nice to see Roshan Seth (who played one of the villains in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom") pop up here as the more benign Sheikh Kamal, and British actor David Haig is good fun as a treacherous Colonel.If you can skip the mishap of the first segment, the intrigue and adventure of the second part more than make up for it.
Vedek
The first episode, in northern Italy, is light, romantic fare (Young Indy, what else?)delightful comedy. Indy does something heroic, but the main plot takes place in town, competing for Giuletta's attention. The second part, in Morocco, is back to James Bondian adventure, and is very well done. Indy, as an intelligence officer, discovers dirty doings in the Foreign Legion. Coincidentally, he romances Edith Wharton a la "40 Carats" (See it. You'll love it!) Some women, perhaps twentysomethings, may not like (or understand) the "May/December" romance of a twentysomething Indy for a fortysomething Edith, but it's truly moving. This is Episode 16. What can 17 hold in store?