Recap: THE LIBRARIANS and the Season 2 Finale
Season 2, Episode 10 “And The Final Curtain”
Leading up to this last episode of the season, our arch-villain, Prospero, has infused the earth’s atmosphere with an electromagic current (yes, you heard right: electro-MAGIC current), thus, creating a magic Carrington event, leaving the world with no communications, no internet, no electricity. It’s like Gilligan’s Island all over again, only this time without the Professor’s radio. Okay, maybe it’s a little worse than that…or better.
The Librarians brainstorm about which artifacts have enough power to help reverse the effects of this magic, and as Flynn jots them down, Eve recognizes his hand writing as the same as that which they found on a note with the broken staff at the beginning of the season. Oh, how I love a good time travel story! Like in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, this is packed with lots of fun, historical figures and a lot of things that our heroes must remember to do during their adventure to help their future selves. Upon finding the note, Flynn understands that he must go back in time to write the note so that he’ll find it now in the present and know that he must go back in time. (Time travel can be so confusing.) To put it simply, it means that they must now take a little trip down a very long memory lane.
Flynn, Eve and Cassandra search the time machine room (of course there’s a time machine room), which contains all of the time travel items confiscated over the years.
Time machines fill the room, all covered with sheets, including a police box and one very suspicious-looking car-shaped mound (complete with brief theme music cues). Alas, with the absence of electricity and other modern conveniences, there will be no DeLorean travel. Nor will they be able to use Uncle Rico’s time machine from Napoleon Dynamite, which didn’t actually work, but it would make me laugh to watch Flynn try it.
Woo! TARDIS! #TheLibrarians. Keeping an eye out for an anacronopete. 🙂
— Carol (@pinkgodzilla2) December 28, 2015
#TheLibrarians time travel room is my spirit animal. Those sexy cameos!
— Tilly Bridges (she/her) (@TillyBridges) December 28, 2015
Without electricity, they opt for a very non-technological but highly magical crystal sphere. Flynn’s plan is to go back to the time of Shakespeare’s first showing of The Tempest in 1611 and retrieve the intact Staff of Knowledge. They will then bring it back to the future to stop Prospero, and then break it in the present, completing its destiny. Any other action will affect causality, which is a very bad consequence.
Eve: “I’m really gonna hate time travel.”
If all goes well, they’ll be back before you can say “William Shakespeare,” but disaster occurs when Flynn and Eve touch the crystal ball. They are transported to the past as expected; however, as a result, the crystal ball shatters, making this a one-way trip for the pair, and leaving it up to the young Librarians to thwart Prospero’s plan.
Jenkins: “The sphere is destroyed! They’re never, ever coming back.”
Come on there has to be a way. #TheLibrarians
— Amanda 🏴☠️🍍🐈🦇🛡️🧩🕵🏾♀️ (@lady_metallicar) December 28, 2015
Flynn and Eve land in 1611 and are immediately spotted as spies due to Flynn’s bad impression of 17th century English. As they subdue their attackers, Eve gets a first-hand experience of personal hygiene (or lack thereof) in the 17th century.
Eve: “Uhhhg—It’s on me! His smell is on me! It’s like I ate bad ham, drank burnt coffee, and then jogged five miles in old underwear that I never took off… EVER! (smells her hands in disgust)
Flynn: “The past stinks…. Now, put on that man’s clothes.”
Eve's hate of time travel, her disgust w/ putrid past people & her trademark "Nonononono! Nope! Nope! Nope!" are my fave bits #TheLibrarians
— Mica O'Shea (@MicaOShea) December 28, 2015
Back in present England, Prospero walks through the Wilton House’s Victorian garden with Moriarty, explaining his goal of an Earthly arboreal paradise and world peace, but Moriarty smells something rotten in Denmark –er—England. He notes that this plan isn’t consistent with Prospero’s story and things may not be as they seem. Indeed, as the master villain and his unlikely minion discuss the mastermind’s plot, strange apparitions begin to appear in the garden. People of another era are bleeding through to the present, indicating that someone has broken the time barrier, and Moriarty is sent to investigate, appearing in 1611 just in time to protect Flynn and Eve from a guard’s arrow.
Moriarty: “Come with me if you want to live.”
Eve: “Please do not tell me that is a robot from the future; I could not process that right now.”
@RSAinLA The best villains don't believe they're villains. Great work as Moriarty! Hope we get to see him again. #TheLibrarians
— TV Overtime (@TVOvertime) December 28, 2015
Moriarty wants to betray Prospero with Flynn and Eve’s help. He’s got a simple plan and a much more convincing British accent than Flynn’s, so they follow his lead. As luck would have it, they’ve arrived on the very day that Shakespeare’s Tempest makes its debut for King James, and who should they run into but the author himself: William Shakespeare.
As Flynn goes fan-boy in the presence of the famous playwright, Moriarty takes aim with a cross-bow to eliminate Shakespeare, thus figuratively killing Prospero before he ever hits the stage. Lucky for Shakespeare that Flynn is a fan: Flynn diverts the arrow from its intended target and earns himself an audition.
Shakespeare: “That gawky fellow has spared my blood from foulest murder!”
https://twitter.com/m_mchotstuff/status/681300231401553920
Moriarty in stocks, Flynn and Eve talk with Shakespeare, who reveals three things: 1) that his lucky pen was a gift from the wizard John Dee, 2) the pen is made from the Tree of Knowledge, and 3) that the play is not titled The Tempest, but rather, The Triumph of Prospero.
Flynn: “I have a very bad feeling about this.”
The extremely complicated flowchart of tonight's #TheLibrarians finale from the writers room. pic.twitter.com/CzW9qYCkpZ
— John Rogers (@jonrog1) December 28, 2015
Shakespeare continues to prepare his play and as he recites the powerful lines of the main character from the stage, he changes into Prospero and begins casting spells with his lucky pen, now a magic staff, turning people into tragic characters from Shakespeare’s plays. Shakespeare has been possessed by one of his own creations, and they soon learn that he intends to displace King James as ruler of England, and then, of course, rule the world (again, why is it always “rule the world?”). As Flynn points out, Shakespeare was obsessed with the purity and happiness of forests, which explains the overall plan of Prospero, a.k.a. Shakespeare. They help Moriarty out of the stocks to help them conclude Prospero’s story: they must break his staff and drown his book.
Back to present day: Team Library start thinking about the options to get Flynn and Eve back home, and determine that they have only one piece of firm evidence to follow: the note that Flynn wrote over 400 years ago. The clues lead them to begin their investigation in England…the game’s afoot! They, too, end up at Wilton House in present day, where they see Prospero in the garden and deduce that Moriarty has gone back in time to thwart Flynn and Eve. As they follow the clues, they notice unmistakable signs that Flynn and Eve have been there, and discover more complicated clues for them to unravel.
Their return to the future looks impossible, and Jenkins begins to recall legends about Arthur’s return at England’s greatest hour of need. As the saying goes: ”He who wielded Excalibur before, shall wield it again and save all of England.” As Jenkins wistfully daydreams that his old friend, Arthur, might return to save the day, Jacob and Ezekiel find a hidden compartment in the ancient hall. Within it, they find the ritual elements of an exorcism and the clues to tell them of Prospero’s true identity, giving Jenkins an idea.
Jenkins magically summons Prospero to the stage, and the Librarians begin to exorcise him from Shakespeare. At the same location in the past, Eve attempts to drown the magic book and is thrown into the water. While she is under the surface, the Lady of the Lake appears, handing her Excalibur to toss to Flynn.
https://twitter.com/VDEngman/status/681290371805020160
Cal's back!!!!!! #TheLibrarians #BecauseMagic
— Sarah Timmins (@setimmins) December 28, 2015
Since he has wielded it before, he can wield it again and, as the prophesy goes, save all of England in its darkest hour. While Flynn breaks the staff in the past using Excalibur, the Librarians read from Shakespeare’s words in the present to defeat Prospero’s magic. Prospero tries to reject the words, but ultimately yields to Shakespeare’s true story, returning to his original visage in present day England. But what of Moriarty? He’s stabbed by Prospero’s staff in the past and dissolves, but not before Flynn assures him that he should not worry: this is not how his story ends.
@RSAinLA Will we see MOREiarty in S3? #TheLibrarians
— James🤖👩🏻🗽🌯 (@felofHe) December 28, 2015
We'll have to wait and see #TheLibrarians #BecauseMagic https://t.co/PKaRPKdCfO
— David Lee (@RSAinLA) December 28, 2015
The magic opens a hole in the time stream, and although it seems easy for everyone to step through to their own timelines, it is not to be that easy for our heroes. Shakespeare can step back in time, but Flynn and Eve cannot return. They have their teary goodbyes with the team, but all is not lost. Flynn and Eve have one last trick up their sleeve with the help from Shakespeare’s magic pen. Taking a page from ”A Winter’s Tale,” Shakespeare writes one last story: the one in which a Librarian and his beautiful Guardian are preserved in a statue for hundreds of years, to emerge at just the right time. Back in present day, Jacob notices that the locked room at the Library has suddenly sprouted an oxidized message, telling Jenkins that he has the key.
Ezekiel: ”Nice trick: time-delay metallurgy cryptography!”
They enter the room to find the statue of the two, embraced in an excellent swashbuckler’s kiss, with Excalibur in hand. Talk about taking the long way home.
Cassandra: “You guys did time-travel…the long way around!”
The season ends on hopeful thoughts of each Librarian researching and exploring what they individually do best, and Flynn’s admission to Eve that if they had never been found, he could think of no better way to spend eternity than kissing her. As the curtain closes on this short, sweet season, we look forward to what treats lie in store for the next. Shakespeare, eat your heart out.
https://twitter.com/GeoffThorne/status/681336788275707906
That's it! S2 #TheLibrarians was so fun. Thank you thank you thank you #alrightalrightalright
— Rebecca Romijn (@RebeccaRomijn) December 28, 2015
Oh, and one last thing:
https://twitter.com/DesirreAndrews/status/681298877366943744
Little disappointed in the last two episodes of the season . Not nearly enough Jake Stone for this Kaniac. Since Literature is Stone’s thing i don’t get why they wouldn’t have given him more storyline. Don’t get me wrong it was a wonderfully written but had me confused why Christian Kane wouldn’t figure more in this storyline. So thrilled they have gotten a season 3.. Can’t wait!
I’d like to see more integration of all the characters. It seemed that we got focused stories each week, and switched back and forth between the young team and Flynn’s story. While this didn’t give us everyone in each episode, it did offer us more of each character’s personal story, setting up more fun for Season 3. In the meantime, perhaps Christian Kane could post poetry and literature readings on YouTube 😉
I have to agree that the last 2 eps could have been better. I was disappointed that Moriarty and Prospero flattened and faded. And I’m not a Noah Wyle fan and tire of him quickly. Honestly Christian Kane is the main reason I watch. But I do appreciate the mostly smart writing.
I definitely need more of Christian Kane, but the show is so much fun, I’ll never stop watching! Just glad we knew before the end of S2 that we’re getting a S3!
That’s a great point, Beth. This time last year, there was no clear plan for season 2! I do hope that they develop a variety of favorite Fictionals as their guest star spots. There are so many potential characters in the wide world of literary villains, it seems a pity to waste the opportunity to exploit as many as possible.
What happens with the in-past-defeated Prospero?
He disappeared, whether it was an escape or a banishment wasn’t clear. But he had to continue forward in time without his original staff. If Flynn and Eve had stopped him in 1611, it would have created a paradox. Prospero was defeated in the present with the exorcism performed by the Librarians.