Object

Lao Che's Caviar Plate

A plate of luxury caviar sits on Lao Che's banquet table in the smoky Shanghai ballroom during negotiations over Nurhachi's ashes. Lao Che orders it to signal opulence. Indiana Jones grinds out his cigarette in the caviar, embedding the ember and ruining the dish. The act draws outrage from Lao Che and Chen, witnesses Wu Han and Willie Scott react, and the disrespect accelerates the talks into chaos.

2 appearances

Purpose

Luxury food served at Lao Che's banquet table

Significance

Indiana Jones uses it as an insult target, stubbing his cigarette in the caviar to humiliate Lao Che and provoke the collapse of negotiations into violence.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E2 · INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM

The Ballroom Gambit: Poison, Betrayal, and Willie’s Unwitting Sabotage

Lao Che’s Caviar Plate becomes the target of Indy’s disrespect when he grinds his cigarette into it. The sizzling ember in the caviar is a symbolic act of defiance, rejecting Lao’s hospitality and proving his disdain for the crime lord’s world. The ruined dish foreshadows the ruin of the negotiation—a small act of rebellion that ignites the larger conflict.

Before: Full of caviar, placed on the table as part of the banquet.

After: Ruined, cigarette embedded in the caviar, abandoned as the brawl erupts.

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S1E2 · INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM

The Poisoned Gambit: A Dance of Betrayal and Desperation

The caviar plate, initially a symbol of the ballroom’s opulence, becomes the target of Indy’s insult as he grinds his cigarette out in it. The act provokes Lao Che and his sons, escalating the conflict and marking the point of no return in the negotiation. The caviar’s role shifts from a prop to a catalyst for the event’s escalation, as Indy’s actions provoke Lao Che and set the stage for the poisoning and the chaos that follows. The plate’s desecration symbolizes the breakdown of the negotiation and the shift from diplomacy to violence.

Before: Placed on the table as part of the ballroom’s opulence, symbolizing the negotiation’s formalities and the power dynamic between Indy and Lao Che.

After: Desecrated by Indy’s cigarette, marking the collapse of the negotiation and the shift to violence as the event escalates.

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