Hopefully enough time has passed that you’ve seen “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” The 5th installment of the adventurous saga starring Harrison Ford had more than one important cameo, and we’re a little mad we could’ve had MORE. We’re speaking of course of the incandescent Karen Allen and the character of Marion Ravenwood.
The daughter of one of Indy’s fellow archaeologists, Marion not only held the key to finding the Ark of the Covenant, but a special spark that made her an instant favorite. We first met the character in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” where a relationship between a young Marion and older Indiana Jones is hinted at. “I was a child,” she shouts at him. “You knew what you were doing,” he grumbles back.
“I never imagined Marion as a damsel in distress in any sort of way,” Allen told the AP in a recent interview. “I was always pushing back against that, and in the end, Steven [Speilberg] was supportive.”
While Indy had other women in his life, we didn’t see Marion again til “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” The pair reunite in a rather unorthodox way, but it’s clear from the get-go where their feelings for each other stand.
“When I first started working on it, I just decided that Indy was the love of her life. I just decided to make a deep commitment to that and to play through “Raiders of the Lost Ark” with the feeling they’re soulmates. When we end up married in “Crystal Skull,” I wept when I read that script.
Those who have seen “Dial of Destiny” know the fate of their son Mutt (Shia LeBeouf), and how his death plays a large part of Indy and Marion separating.
The heartbreaking thing, we’re now learning, is how much MORE of a part she could’ve had in this final film. “It was my understanding…that it was being developed very much as a still-ongoing Marion-and-Indy story,” Allen said. Speilberg was originally going to direct, but eventually stepped away to focus on his very personal film, “The Fablemens.” James Mangold (“Logan“) stepped in to take over.
“When Steven decided to step down and James took over and brought in new writers, I knew it was going into a different direction,” Allen said. “I have to confess, I was a bit disappointed that she wasn’t more woven throughout the story and didn’t have more of an ongoing trajectory. However, the way in which she does come back into the story was very satisfying. I just thought, ‘OK, I’m just going to embrace this.’ I certainly would have been wildly disappointed had Marion just sort of vanished into the ether.”
While we’re a little disappointed her role was so small in the film, we were so happy the pair ended up together. After all, Indy got more than he bargained for back in Nepal. He got the best goddamn partner.
And our favorite quote from Crystal Skull that really resonated after a rewatch pre: Dial of Destiny-
Indy: There were a few, but they all had the same problem.
Marion: Yeah? What’s that?
Indy: They weren’t you, honey.
“Dial of Destiny” is now playing in theaters everywhere.
