I’m going to admit something to y’all: as hard as I try, I can’t always find an overriding theme with works that I read or watch. As much as I want to see some deep connective thread that ties the whole episode together, sometimes, it just escapes me. That’s pretty much what happened with this episode. I spent all week thinking about it and while I could easily come up with themes and threads for pretty much every other episode in the season, I kept coming up dry for this episode.
What I determined was that this episodes theme really was about solving the puzzle and getting the final team together. It was a continuation of last weeks episode in that while last week worked to get four lonely people together, this week was about what happened when they were together (or mostly together). It was about the adventure and the puzzle and the race against the clock. And that’s okay, because sometimes that’s what an episode of TV is. So this week will be more about what happened during the episode than anything else. Enjoy.
This episode picks up right where the first one left off. Which isn’t surprising considering that the first two episodes were technically meant to go together.
Just as Lamia’s goons are about to finish Flynn off, Eve shows up and bashes their heads together, saving Flynn from dying. At least for the time being. Unfortunately, as he explains to her, Jake, and Ezekiel, his wound is a magical wound that can’t be healed. Even though he drinks Bathsheba’s Oil of Healing, he’s only staved off death for a short time. He will eventually succumb to the wound Excalibur gave him.
While taking care of his wound, Flynn reveals that it was Cassandra that let the Brotherhood in. The group is suitable shocked. How could Cassandra -sweet, excited Cassandra- have betrayed them like this? They quickly realize that rather than worrying about this puzzle they instead need to find Charlene. Eve mentions that Charlene told her that she wanted them to meet her deep in the Library, at a place called the Corridor or Doors. So the group heads off to follow Charlene’s instructions.
At the front of the Library, Cassandra begins her journey of rethinking her involvement with the Brotherhood. She’s visibly changed from the bright, exuberant girl we first met in the previous episode. Here, she is quiet, subdued, clearly shocked by Lamia and the Brotherhoods harsh methods. She asks Lamia if it was really necessary to hurt Flynn. Lamia, the masterful snake that she is, appeals to Cassandra’s desire to help people (which part of what drove her to betray Flynn in the first place) and tells her that the Librarians are the wrong ones for keeping so much power locked away from the rest of the world. Cassandra still isn’t totally convinced and wonders how the Brotherhood’s actions can possibly make them “the good guys”. Lamia simply reminds Cassandra that they are going to use the magic in the Library to change the world.
Suddenly, both groups hear a large bell start tolling and they both know what it means. Flynn tells his group that it’s the countdown clock, and Eve wants to know what happens when the bells stop. Turning around, they see the Library begin to fold up on itself and she quickly understands. Back with Lamia, Cassandra gets a fuller explanation. Lamia tells her that the first Librarian has cut the anchor chain, and the Library is going to cut itself off from the rest of the world, isolating itself in its own pocket dimension.
Flynn and company arrive at the Corridor of Doors and as the number of tolls decreases, Eve forces him to pick a door which they jump through. On the other side, they take a few moments to figure out where they are (Oregon) then, realizing that Flynn is getting worse, decide they need to find a hospital. Eve uses her GPS to locate a road and they stumble across a man who happens to be waiting with a car. Eve asks if he can help them and he agrees. It isn’t until she asks how close to a hospital they are that things get weirder.
The man reveals that they aren’t going to a hospital, but somewhere else. And then he reveals that he knows about magic, Excalibur, Flynn, and the Library. No one understands, until the man reveals that his name is Jenkins, and they are actually at the Library. Well, sort of. It’s actually an annex where they can access all the Library’s knowledge, but not the actual Library itself. This information devastates Flynn. He suddenly comes to the realization that everything he’d gotten used to, everything he’d loved for so long, was gone, no longer available to him. He sinks into a stupor of despair, unable to do anything but wallow.
Back with the Brotherhood, Cassandra continues to question her decision. Her first question to Du Lac is if the others got out. Of course, she is still counting on the Brotherhood to heal her and save everyone else that science can’t save, so she’s not ready to leave them yet, but she is clearly concerned about the friends she betrayed. Du Lac assures her that this is his goal, even while preventing Lamia from killing Cassandra. Once Cassandra goes to rest, Du Lac reveals that he clearly has other plans for magic and Cassandra than he’s letting on.
At the annex, Eve is lamenting the fact that Flynn is falling apart. She has no idea what to do. Jenkins, in his wonderfully crotchety and wise way, reminds her that being a Guardian is about more than just keeping Flynn safe from physical harm. It’s about helping Flynn get through any danger, be it emotional, physical, or other. She needs to find a way to save him from drowning in his sorrow. This prompts the Guardian into action and she goes to find her Librarian.
What follows is a wonderful scene between Eve and Flynn, showing how much they connect, despite only knowing each other for a few days. She is exactly the person he needs right now, and she proves it by showing him that he’s hiding and reminding him what he needs to do. So, he decides to save the world one more time.
Of course, their little talk inspires Flynn and gets him going in the right direction. The Librarian and the Guardian rush down the stairs, Flynn rambling about what he’s figured out. Between Flynn, Jake, Ezekiel, and Eve, they figure out their next stop (London and the Stone from where Arthur pulled the Sword originally). Then Flynn begins to rush out. Ezekiel asks if he means for them (him and Jake) to come too. And Flynn takes a wonderful stride forward, saying that since he’s dying and they don’t have much time and they all started this adventure together anyway, yes the boys get to come too. The foursome runs out, leaving Jenkins alone once more in his annex.
In London, our foursome is perusing the Crown Jewels, looking for an artifact to use as a compass to locate the Stone. And once more, we see why all of these people are needed to get this job done. They need to steal one of the Crown Jewels to use as a compass. Flynn even tells Ezekiel he now knows why the Library chose the thief. (I love the mini heist they pull off. It brings back lovely memories of another Rogers/Devlin show that involved purloining things.)
Once they have the gem, Flynn quickly attaches it to some string (using gum, which is awesome) and recites a spell to show them where the Stone is. They follow the gem as it pulls Flynn along, until arrives at none other than Buckingham Palace. At this revelation, Eve storms off, asking how many other famous landmarks they are going to have to break into. Flynn assures the boys that she’ll be back.
Meanwhile, Du Lac explains to Cassandra what they are doing to jumpstart the return of magic to the world. He tells her how Excalibur factors into the plan. He also reveals a small clue about himself, saying how he remembers the road they are on (which is underground) ran aboveground through meadows. Clearly Du Lac is far older than we first thought.
Back at Buckingham Palace, Flynn, Stone, and Jones all stand in line, waiting to get into the party at Buckingham Palace with forged invitations. Just as it appears that the guards are going to detain them (since Ezekiel’s forgeries are crap) Eve appears again and gets them into the event (looking stunning while doing so).
They head into the party and decide that Jake and Ezekiel will look around outside while Flynn and Eve stay on the dance floor. The Librarian and the Guardian decide the best way to find the secret passage is to dance, since it will give Eve a way to keep Flynn on his feet (blood loss is starting to kick in) while also giving them an excuse to move around the room.
Outside, Jake and Ezekiel begin their search and are promptly distracted. Jake gets sidelined by a discussion of an art piece while our favorite Thief notices a lovely necklace that he decides should be in his company instead of around the throat of the British guest to whom it belongs.
Back on the dance floor, Eve and Flynn keep looking for the secret passage while also discussing his first mission. They also give us a cute little moment when Eve decides they should schedule a dance when Flynn isn’t slowly bleeding to death.
Meanwhile, under their feet, Lamia and her goons have successfully found the chamber with the Stone. Lamia orders a man to cut through the protective cage surrounding the Stone. Unfortunately for him, there is some kind of magic on the cage and he is vaporized. Lamia insists that Cassandra open the cage instead. While she may be starting to mistrust the Brotherhood, Cassandra is still there to help them, so she agrees. The cage can be opened by solving a complex puzzle involving high Enochian (a mathematical language based on ancient Greek and Hebrew apparently) which is right up Cassandra’s alley. She sets to work, while Lamia puts on the crown and grabs Excalibur, getting ready to enact the final part of their plan.
Upstairs in the ballroom, Eve and Flynn find the location of the secret door, then go grab the Thief and the Cowboy so they can get through the door. Using Ezekiel’s tech, they get the door open and the four head down into the bowels of Buckingham palace.
Meanwhile, Cassandra finishes solving the puzzle and opens the cage surrounding the Stone. Lamia is thrilled. So thrilled she promptly throws Cassandra into a jail cell. And this is what finally pushes Cassandra over the edge, causing her to realize that the Brotherhood isn’t out to help the world, only themselves. They want to control magic and Cassandra has just helped them get exactly what they want.
Our four heroes soon find themselves in a wine cellar, trying to open yet another secret door while Lamia rejoins the Sword to the Stone. Flynn’s wound is only going to get worse at a faster rate, so they don’t have much time to stop the Brotherhood. Thanks to Ezekiel, they find their second secret door and head down into the tunnels.
Down at the Stone, Flynn quickly realizes they need to come up with a plan to defeat Lamia. Thankfully, they happen to discuss this right outside Cassandra’s cell and the synesthete has some ideas for defeating Lamia.
I find the group’s reactions to Cassandra all very interesting and very indicative of who they are as people:
~Ezekiel, ever the selfish person that he is, holds nothing against Cassandra. We’ll learn later in the series that he probably would have done the same thing, and gone even further than she did.
~Eve seems unsure whether she should be mad at the young synesthete or not.
~Jake, however is not happy to see her and doesn’t want to hear her ideas. He was clearly very hurt by her betrayal and doesn’t trust her not to betray them again.
~Flynn is quick to forgive her, understanding that many people in her position would have done exactly the same thing. He thinks she deserves a second chance and wants to give it to her.
Flynn tells everyone that she had her reasons and to get her out of the cell. Jake tries to protest again, but Flynn puts a stop to it, saying that they all ganged up on him to do it together, so he wants to do it together. So they let Cassandra out of the cell and work out their plan.
They all get to work, each with their own jobs. And what I love about this is that, like so many things they will do and have done, every one of them is needed to pull off the plan. Without just one of them, they wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Brotherhood and foil their evil plan.
Of course Lamia challenges Flynn, asking how he possibly hopes to defeat them with (and I love this quote) his “little knockoff librarians, one who is doomed by her gift, one who fled his gift, and one who abuses it.” Or his little soldier girl. I love this description of the group, as it’s so perfect for where they are at the beginning of the series. But this is the beginning and so they will all have the chance to change and grow into the Librarians they will become. It’s lovely.
Flynn, ever the Librarian, tells her that no, he won’t use force to beat her. He will use knowledge and science to beat her. And then he does. Well that and Excalibur. Excalibur fends off Lamia, but it’s quickly clear that something is terribly wrong with Cal.
Flynn reveals that Cal’s magic has gone back into the ley lines and Cal is dying. In fact, so is Flynn. As his last act, the Librarian gives Cal to Cassandra. Cal has just enough raw magic left to heal her. She starts to use Flynn’s last gift, but as he slumps over succumbing to his magical wound, she can’t bring herself to do it, and instead uses Cal to heal Flynn instead of herself. Flynn recovers, but is sad. He insists that the magic was supposed to be for Cassandra, to save her. She tells him that he already did save her, and they share a small smile.
Unfortunately, that was Cal’s last act. Flynn takes up his friend one last time and lays him on the Stone, allowing Cal to fade back into the Stone from which he was pulled all those years ago. (It’s at this moment that the fandom cried for a sword, which I’m sure we’ve probably never done before.)
After saying goodbye to Cal, the group returns to the annex to say a last goodbye to each other. It looks like Cassandra, Jake, and Ezekiel have to go home. Flynn doesn’t think it’s fair or safe to involve them in the life of the Librarian any longer. They don’t like this idea, after all they’ve experienced and seen and protest, but Flynn, ever the lovely and kind person he is, has nothing to say in reply and just walks away. Eve, ever the pragmatist, reminds the three that they can’t tell anyone. Or rather, they can, but no one will ever believe them.
Back in the annex, Flynn has one last encounter with Judson, who gives him some advice for how to move forward. Flynn insists that he’s going to find the Library, but Judson reminds him that the Brotherhood has released magic back into the world. Flynn’s going to be busy. After a few moments of thought though, Flynn realizes he can start making some new rules. He runs outside and grabs the three before they can leave. Opening their envelopes, they discover that they won’t be going home after all. Instead, the Library has called them to be Librarians. They have a lot of work to do. He dubs them the Librarians in Training (LITs) and puts Jenkins and Eve in charge of training them and keeping them alive. Then, after a brief kiss with Eve, sets out to find the Library again.
And that’s it for the second half of the premier of the Librarians. Wasn’t it a fun romp?
Other random things I liked from the episode:
~Jenkins is the best. I love him.
~”I think you broke Africa.”
~“I am Henge and Key”
~”You didn’t turn off the glowy globe.” *Jenkins claps twice then sighs* “Hope it’s on a timer.”
~“Seriously, you’re going to put your gum on a stone worth €7M?”
~”Can you make me a duke?”
~”This is my first suit.”
~Eve & Ezekiel returning the stolen jewelry. Seriously. I love their expressions and everything about the little scene.
~”I was really expecting a better secret door.” “Oh write a letter!”
~”Why would you go there? That’s a horrible thing to say!”
~”They tunneled in from the side. It’s much smarter than what we did.”
~”Librarians win with electromagnets!”
~The entire exchange with the NATO soldiers. Everything about it was perfection.
~”Please, tell people about the magic library and Excalibur and how you broke into Buckingham Palace because King Arthur was really Roman and I’ll come visit you to make sure the straight jacket is not too tight.” The LITs reactions to this little speech is excellent as well. I just love all of these characters so much.
Next week, we’ll get to see how the LITs first mission goes in And the Horns of a Dilemma. It’s fun episode so I’m looking forward to it.
In the mean time, Wednesday will have a new writing exercise and Friday more of the 30 Things series.
Until then.
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