(Volume 1, episode 4 of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones)
View on Amazon Prime
Indy in the Classroom Link
Setting: Russia and Greece
Topics: Russian Cossacks, Russian writers, Ancient Greece, Aristotle, Philosophy
Historical characters this episode: Leo Tolstoy–Russian author
I seriously loved both parts of this episode. I think it may be my favorite so far.
The first half we have Indy running away from home in Russia and ending up in a bickering friendship with the hilariously crabby Tolstoy. I absolutely LOVED Tolstoy! I wonder how accurate it is to the real life author’s personality? Must do some reading up on that.
Things to watch for in the first half:
- In the first half there is a portrayal of the devastation of a gypsy camp by Cossacks. Nothing horrifically graphic, mostly lots of screaming people and torches setting fire to everything…but sensitive kids may find it hard to watch.
- The drama with Indy trying to get help for the wounded Tolstoy was a bit intense too.
Overall, I don’t think this episode was too much for my kids, though…and is a good gentle (in the scheme of things…I’m sure Cossacks were far more brutal than was portrayed.) introduction to this sort of injustice.
I found the part where Tolstoy refused help from the religious men interesting and his reason made me really want to read more on his views. This could start a religious discussion, if you want it to. I really like how so much in this show makes me think!
Next up, Indy is stuck with his dad in Greece…and since his relationship with his dad has been getting ever more volatile…cue the closeness through shared hardships and danger scenes….that was predictable. Lol! But thoroughly enjoyable!
Not only that, but I actually learned a fair bit about the history of philosophy in this episode!! And I actually found it interesting!! (Not a topic I generally am drawn to.)
Things to watch for in the second half:
- It gets a bit scary for a while there for Indy and his dad…left to dangle in the air, seemingly abandoned….no way to get back up or down…and things keep getting worse. Rest assured, everything will turn out fine (you knew that…it IS Indy’s show, after all…and we’ve all seen him as a grownup in all his movies!) but it’s pretty tense for awhile there!
