THE LIBRARIANS: Flynn Finds His ‘Bestie’

Season 2, Episode 5: “And the Hollow Men”

73 magical artifacts are now missing and the Library’s rooms are changing faster than Jenkins can whip out sarcasm.  The Librarians are called to a museum to find the Eye of Zarathustra, which is the key to the door of lost knowledge.  Jacob, Ezekiel and Eve discover Flynn hiding in a suit of armor and the foursome decide to split up and cover more ground.

Flynn & Eve realize that they have entered a trap, just before they are lured to sleep by music played from Pan’s flute (correction: make that 74 missing magical artifacts).  When Eve, Ezekiel and Jacob awaken, they find that both Flynn and the Eye of Zarathustra have gone missing, and their real adventure begins.

Fun fact I accidentally got kicked in the head by the man in the armor, who then accidentally got kicked in the groin #becausemagic

— Rebecca Romijn (@RebeccaRomijn) November 23, 2015

Fun #TheLibrarians Fact: Twitterless #NoahWyle had to fly home with that suit of armor and security had many questions.

— Jerry O'Connell (@MrJerryOC) November 23, 2015

 

This episode deals with complex relationships in Flynn’s life and continues the story of Prospero’s plan to restore his magical powers (oh, and that whole world dominance thing).  Prospero has sent Moriarty to fetch the Eye of Zarathustra, which can apparently lead him to the staff of knowledge.  Remember the staff from Episode 2?  Oh, yeah!….now we’re back on track with the season story line.

Flynn awakes in his abductor’s lair, and realizes that he is surrounded by the missing Library artifacts that he’s been off hunting, and several pictures of himself and the other Librarians, taken as if from a stakeout.

#TheLibrarians have a creepy stalker! #becausemagic

— Kimberley (she/her) angelkized@kind.social (@angelkized) November 23, 2015

But this isn’t Prospero’s hideout — it belongs to Ray (Drew Powell), a normal-looking guy who seems to be suffering from amnesia.  All he knows is that he needs Flynn and he needs that staff of knowledge…he just can’t remember why.

aaahhhhh i love a good amnesiac story #TheLibrarians

— (EEK!)ristina 🐙🎃 (@mistborns) November 23, 2015

Flynn manages to get a message out using Chinese Telegraphy on a wearable device that Jenkins built, reminiscent of the communicators from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

https://twitter.com/gcourt18/status/668598105462427648

I truly love it when Morse code is the answer to the question. #TheLibrarians #BecauseMagic

— Sarah Uthoff (@Trundlebedtales) November 23, 2015

Unfortunately, Ray sees and destroys the device and then takes Flynn to look for the door of lost knowledge in his getaway vehicle:  a BOOKMOBILE.  (Do they actually still have those?)

The rest of the team are back at the Library, where all hell is breaking loose.  Rooms are switching around at an alarming rate, things are disappearing, and the card catalog just upchucked with its own version of “52-card pickup.”

Not the card catalog!! #TheLibrarians

— Kiersten Hallie Krum (@kierstenkrum) November 23, 2015

My thoughts, exactly, @kierstenkrum.

When it returned from the alternate universe, the Library’s spirit was stripped from its physical self, and the two need to be reunited soon or it will soon die.  They try to supplement the Library’s life force with “ghost bulbs” — light bulb from theaters that have absorbed hundreds of hours of emotions from theater audiences.  Basically, they’ll be like concentrated “life batteries;” however, the bulbs can only sustain the massive Library for a limited time.  When the last of the lights go out, the Library will fold in on itself like oversized origami and die.

So, the Library is basically a TARDIS? #TheLibrarians

— Joe (@Ravenclaw1991) November 23, 2015

The team receives the coded message from Flynn and rush off to his rescue, aided by a device that could have been the precursor to the Tricorder.  When they arrive, they find the Library’s missing artifacts, but Flynn and his captor are gone.  Cassandra notices an interesting clue:  all of the artifacts seem to be randomly arranged in the room, but are actually placed in order based on the Dewey decimal system.  Before they can collect the artifacts, Moriarty and a few thugs get the jump on them.

The team escapes, but Eve doesn’t make the door portal in time and is left behind to face Moriarty by herself.  Moriarty calls forth Ariel, the pocket-watch Sprite who can lead him to Flynn and proposes an allegiance with Eve: he’ll navigate if she’ll give him a ride.

Eve: “You’re not as charming as you think you are.”

Moriarty: “I’m precisely as charming as I believe I am….to the decimal place.”

Flynn and Ray have parked the bookmobile and are now sitting in a diner.  The table is covered with empty milkshake glasses and Ray is slurping up the bottom dregs of the last one.  I felt full and sick just watching this scene.

#TheLibrarians Give that man another milkshake

— Anas Aftab (@jones_k_erving) November 23, 2015

Ray is an enigma to Flynn: oddly familiar and yet with no clues that would tip Flynn off to his past.  Even with all of his deductive skills, Flynn just cannot figure Ray out, which makes him want to try even harder.

Suddenly, Ray suffers a huge and sudden headache.  After 10 milkshakes, my guess was brain freeze, but as it turned out, the pain was connected to his amnesia.  He tells Flynn that he has only 4 months of memory: period.  As he gets up, he pulls an artifact from his pocket: an artifact that was very recently in the library, and Flynn has his epiphany.

Flynn: “You’re the library!”

is it weird that I thought the Library's Human form would have been clean shaven? #TheLibrarians

— Jeremy Zajas (@JeremywithaZ) November 23, 2015

Now Flynn understands Ray’s need for the staff of knowledge — it’s to get his memory back.  I wish he could explain my sudden craving for a milkshake.

You can find books about milkshakes filed under 641.875 #TheLibrarians

— Cincy Library (@cincylibrary) November 23, 2015

Jenkins and the team are making every attempt to keep the Library from going dark, but they are running out of life-sustaining lamps.  Cassandra asks Jenkins if there is a “plan B” and Jenkins solemnly assures her that there is.

Cassandra: “What are you not telling us, Jr. Jenkins?”

Jenkins:  “Quite a lot, I expect”

As the last lights begin to fade, Jenkins tells Cassandra, Ezekiel and Jacob to exit the Library and leave him alone with it.  He reasons that the Library will pull from the strongest life force available, which in this case would be the immortal Jenkins himself.  He wants all of the others out of the building before that happens, and they all protest for his self-sacrifice…well, all except Ezekiel.  Gotta love his honesty.

NOoo Jenkins you can't do it. #TheLibrarians

— Stephanie Mazzarelli (@Stephanie_Mazz) November 23, 2015

https://twitter.com/LadySolitaire83/status/668607356666703872

Flynn is elated to finally be able to talk with the Library on human terms and ask him all of the burning questions he has, but the opportunity is not what he had hoped:  Ray doesn’t remember anything.  Time is of the essence, so they take the Eye of Zarathustra to find the door of an ancient Sumerian temple, which just happens to be nearby.  Of course.

Seriously? #NoahWylie licked A Frosted Glass Ball..and No one Jumped on that? @ChristianKane01 #TheLibrarians

— KathyPdackles #Gish (@katteachart) November 23, 2015

" I love ancient temples! " Who doesn't?! #TheLibrarians

— Daniel Fugate (@df2506) November 23, 2015

In keeping with many ancient temples, it’s booby-trapped with some pretty sophisticated devices that work perfectly after hundreds of years and are easily disabled or dodged if you can do the two-step (or whatever they called that little jig they did through the dart room).

So. Many. Arrows! I flinch whenever something pointy goes near my eye. I'd be dead right now. #TheLibrarians

— TV Overtime (@TVOvertime) November 23, 2015

It's always arrows. Why is it always deadly arrows??? #TheLibrarians 🎯🎯🎯

— Jacqueline Dreyer (@MonsterFactory3) November 23, 2015

Eve and Moriarty find the bookmobile with directions from Ariel, and I was thrilled that Eve got to whip out some more snarky attitude in their interactions.  As Moriarty reaches into his pocket to consult the sprite for directions, Eve has already determined which way to go.  As she put down his attempts to endear himself with her earlier, her double-entendre didn’t go unnoticed:

Eve: “Keep it in your pants, English”

Flynn is surprised to see Eve working with Moriarty.  He’s about as surprised as Eve is to find Flynn helping his abductor, whom she believes is harming the Library.  They have all found the temple room containing the staff of knowledge, and as Eve and Flynn argue about her new teammate and Ray’s true identity, Ray (unnoticed), gets the staff and immediately lights up like a Tesla cage.

So on top of being ridiculously talented, @thedrewpowell booked the role because he can make himself glow like that. #TheLibrarians

— John Harlan Kim (@johnharlankim) November 23, 2015

They need to get the staff from his grip, but grabbing the staff from Ray would mean death to a human, but Eve accepts that as her job: to protect the Library.  Before Eve can act, Moriarty steps in and convinces them that he’s the logical choice, being Fictional and not human.  He takes the staff from Ray (yes, that did hurt), and escapes with it.  Ray gets his memories back, and knows that he must return to the Library to reunite with his true physical form.  Flynn is bummed that Ray must go back so soon; he’s got so many questions.

Ray: “I can’t answer everything for you, and besides, the journey is more important that than the destination.”

Uh oh I don't think l like where this is going.#TheLibrarians #BecauseMagic

— spookylittlecrone she/her 🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦💙 (@sleepingkoala45) November 23, 2015

 

He assures Flynn that they are best friends, leaves him with a directive to stop Prospero and dissolves back into the Library, leaving Flynn feeling very alone.  As Flynn decides to go off and hunt Prospero on his own (again), he and Eve part on cooler terms than previously, and the rest of the team is left to put things in order within the Library.  I pity the fool who has to re-file all of those cards in the card catalog.

https://twitter.com/florindaclark/status/668605321678610433

The old Eve seems to be back.  She’s acting like a guardian again: planning, focused, and sarcastic.  She is reassessing her personal relationship with Flynn, and has decided that it will take a little more time to think through.  Influenced by Moriarty’s comparison of his own relationship with Sherlock Holmes, Eve sees a bit of herself in Moriarty and considers her own future with someone like Flynn.  The question is: is Moriarty using her or sincere, or both?  At the end of the episode, Eve and Flynn part without a kiss and get on with their respective duties to the Library, each in their own way.  I suspect that this separation of hearts is temporary, and that they may resolve their differences by the end of the season.  After all, opposites do attract.

So where are they going with Moriarty?  I like the complexity of his character, in that he may not be so evil after all; it’s just the way he’s written.  Reminds me of Jessica Rabbit in a way.  Moriarty is motivated by his own preservation and need to make his own destiny.  He won’t ever be happy serving anyone, especially the megalomaniac Prospero, and so I predict that he plans to double-cross the wizard to gain his own freedom, and perhaps showing us his more human side, which is ironic, since he is book-born.  Charming his way into Eve’s graces may not be successful, but somehow I see that the competition he brings for Eve’s attention is what Flynn and Eve both need to help them through their own relationship issues.  Ultimately, it would never work out with Eve.  The guy’s from the wrong side of the book cover, so to speak.

I’m delighted to see Flynn back to the character whom we adored in the Librarian movies. He’s intrigued by puzzles, delighted by adventure, and seems to be a little more emotionally mature than prior episodes.  It’s this last point that puts him on equal footing with Eve this week, making their relationship more believable and their breakup more meaningful.  He still avoids working with the team, preferring to go it alone, but this, too, shall pass.

Now that we’ve met Ray, the human embodiment of the Library’s spirit, we are sure that the Library is alive and kicking.  The writers have a knack for bringing inanimate objects to life with their own lovable attributes, like Excalibur the sword, Stumpy the gargoyle and now the Library itself.  Parting scenes are so touching and this one is no exception.  Just as Flynn was really getting to know Ray, he had to say goodbye to assure the Library’s survival.  Ray’s last words of wisdom to Flynn were to remind him that it’s not always about the destination, but rather, the journey.