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S01.E01: And The Crown Of King Arthur / S01.E02: And The Sword In The Stone 2014.12.07

Meredith Quill

By Meredith Quill
in The Librarians [V]

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craziness

craziness

I never watched W13, but it reminded me of BuffyTVS. Only one Slayer/Librarian can exist at a time, until the current one decides to train others which was never done before until the current one died. Someone who seems to know everything (watcher/Judson). Oh well, I liked Buffy, so I'll give it a few more eps.

I was confused about how long Flynn had been working alone. At one point they said something about 5 years and somewhere else about 10 years?

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ABay

ABay

The writing was pretty bad, definitely not as sharp as I expected from the guys behind Leverage. Yes on the Buffy one-librarian-in-all-the-world and slaying of potential slayers, and on the very Warehouse 13-like library. What I wouldn't have given for Pete, Myka, Claudia, and Artie to show these rookies how it's done.

 

Christian Kane was also on Angel, so those new to him might want to check out the episodes with Lindsay in addition to Leverage.

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Bill C.

Bill C.

I'm still not sold on the cast per se (Rebecca Romijn as the anchor point seems a little weak, but in fairness Noah Wyle was devouring everything in sight in the pilot and there wasn't really enough left over for her), but I won't even lie: Lindy Booth is pretty enough that I'll watch just for her.  The show itself being deliberately light and breezy--discounting Excalibur whimpering like a kicked puppy as it "died," because damn--is kind of a bonus.  And the pilot at least accomplished its major goal; the ongoing arc of magic being reintroduced to the world was set up reasonably well, if in a glossed-over fashion.  And the Serpent Brotherhood is still running around with, presumably, the stuff they managed to jack from the Library before it was sealed off.

 

Now, if we can just get a little more character development...

 

I never watched W13, but it reminded me of BuffyTVS. Only one Slayer/Librarian can exist at a time, until the current one decides to train others which was never done before until the current one died. Someone who seems to know everything (watcher/Judson). Oh well, I liked Buffy, so I'll give it a few more eps.

I was confused about how long Flynn had been working alone. At one point they said something about 5 years and somewhere else about 10 years?

 

Either Charlene or Judson said early on that Flynn had been a Librarian for ten years (someone upthread said that this pilot aired exactly ten years after the original TVM did, so there you go).  IIRC, Flynn said to Eve later that he hadn't found anyone he trusted in five years; that might have been a nod to the third TVM, Curse of the Judas Chalice, where Flynn fell in love with a vampire.

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Julia

Julia

(edited)

I have issues with parts of it. I didn't think Cassandra really worked. How did she contact the Serpent Brotherhood? When? If she thought the magic from the library could save her, why didn't she ask Flynn to use it? Did she betray them because she wanted to live, or because she believed that the library was unfairly ganking all the magic? She's going to have to try a lot harder to win her team's trust to make me happy. And, she could have backed off the affectless adorable flakiness briefly for the whole treachery and dawning recognition that she's doomed the world for people who betrayed her and she's still going to die thing. Lamia was also pretty bad.

 

On the other hand, I kind of trust John Rogers. He's done enough smart TV that I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that they're going to fix some things now that the tsunami of exposition is over. 

Edited by Julia
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ChelseaNH

ChelseaNH

I'm supposed to believe he has an IQ of 190 but is childishly giddy over a flying sword?

 

Sure.  Why not?  Intelligence doesn't strip you of joy or a sense of wonder.

 

How did she contact the Serpent Brotherhood?

 

It seems like they contacted her.  Perhaps they expand on that in the extended version; I haven't watched.

 

Did she betray them because she wanted to live, or because she believed that the library was unfairly ganking all the magic?

 

Por que no los dos?  (For those not versed in Old El Paso commercials:  Why not both?)

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cassandle

cassandle

The writing was pretty bad, definitely not as sharp as I expected from the guys behind Leverage. 

 

I'm wondering how much network interference there was--it felt like a lot of exposition had to inserted to help viewers who hadn't seen the movies (which I hadn't until they aired right before the show).  Maybe (hopefully) it'll pick up now that that's out of the way.

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LoneHaranguer

LoneHaranguer

 

I never watched W13, but it reminded me of BuffyTVS. Only one Slayer/Librarian can exist at a time, until the current one decides to train others which was never done before until the current one died.

I liked the explicit call-out at how dumb the "there can be only one" rule was. Buffy at least had the Scoobies to help.

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EC Amber

EC Amber

Finally had a chance to sit and watch both episodes (yeah, coming in late...) 

I kept feeling this was WH13 and was hoping we'd get that Myka/Pete vibe, but kinda glad we didn't. It would just make me miss it more. I kept thinking of Gary from Alphas with Cassandra, which also made me sad. I didn't get the Leverage feel. This isn't as smart as Leverage to me. Besides without Nate (the sexy and smart Timothy Hutton) this just can't be Leverage. There's no "mastermind" as it seems all of them are new to this game.

I suppose one could say John Larroquette's character is a "mastermind" of sorts. But I don't think so... this isn't a game of chess to him. He's not moving pieces in an elaborate plot. But like others, I fell for this guy way back during Night Court, so I'm good with whatever part he's playing. Curmudgeon professor of all things magical is as good as any. 

And I am not really one for "magic" - it's a lazy concept (one reason I kinda liked WH13 - at least they tried to make it have some relation to science). I can see that grating on me. 

So far I like the casting, though I could use without Romijn. I don't know why, but she is just wooden and her stunt fighting needs a lot of work. I kept waiting for Eliot, sorry Jake to blurt out "Dammit Ezekiel" because isn't that who he is? Parker and Hardison merged into an annoying Australian with an oddly biblical name? 

I actually didn't have a problem with absolving Cassandra for her betrayal. As someone with a chronic condition I'd probably pick someone who offered to heal me over people who don't - in context with no actual background on who these people are. What made it easier is she was pretty ready to flip back when she realized her poor judgment. And its pretty clear that she is portrayed as a fairly innocent and naive individual - the "heart of gold" girl. 

I'll keep watching, but my expectations aren't too high. Hell, I'll probably enjoy it more that way. 

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Princess Lucky

Princess Lucky

(edited)

Not gonna lie, I loved it.

 

I'm a genre fan (sci-fi more than fantasy, but fantasy shows that involve libraries and/or archeology are my weakness), I was a fan of the Librarian films and of Noah in general (I also watch Falling Skies because, as I said, sci-fi) and I also enjoyed Leverage and Warehouse 13 over the years. So this was pretty much made for me. And it didn't disappoint. 

 

I had missed a "good, clean fun" type of show. It even reminded me of Stargate Atlantis in terms of its vibe, or the quirkier episodes of SG-1 (with Flynn being like the super-quirky, late seasons' version of Daniel Jackson) . This is just perfect for a Sunday show, in my book.

 

There was a lot of Flynn, which I appreciated, and that gave the first two episodes a "Librarian part 4" vibe. Down to Eve kissing him for a cute ending. Like, this was needed to give temporary closure to Flynn's journey:

I feel like Flynn had been on his own, for so long he adopted a kinda Indiana Jones-esque persona to amuse himself as he worked. He even kept to it in the first hour. Those quieter moments he had at the end seemed much more like his real personality.

Agreed. We saw him a few years after the last movie, after a mostly solitary life (for about 5 years, as they said) and this had had an effect on him. And, yes, as he was nearing his death (as he thought) and as he was shown to enjoy working with others again, to start trusting people again, he became more quiet and toned down, more like himself. The quirks were there in full force by the third movie, but I think the supercharged version was on purpose in the beginning of this pilot, and that's why it was gone by the end of it.

 

I think having Flynn as a recurring but strong presence (as in, he's still ~the Librarian~ who's doing the ~important~ work but we're not focused on him) is a great idea. In the tv movies it's better to just have one lead, but I think a show like this works better as an ensemble. And I liked all the actors, frankly. I've always liked Rebecca Romijn and I like the vibe of Eve, strong but not harsh. And I am absolutely here for a Flynn/Eve thing. Lindy Booth is adorable and I found myself getting emotionally attached to her for some reason, the scene of her saving Flynn at her own expense brought a lil' tear to my eye. Christian Kane is awesome and I like his character as well, he'll be fun to watch in the longterm, I think (and I like the idea of those two as a potential couple, by the way). I'm not familiar with John Kim (who I agree appears to have a mild Australian accent) but I liked his vibe as well. He was less fleshed out than the others (so was Jake, to be fair, but Kane brought him to life a little more) but I liked him, he had a few great deadpan moments. And I guess he's more polarising than I thought but I've always adored John Larroquette. I'd like to watch more of all these people, and I'm sure they'll be more fleshed out as the show goes on.

I'm supposed to believe he has an IQ of 190 but is childishly giddy over a flying sword?

Heh, that was actually my favourite thing. I also noticed Lindy Booth was super-giddy in many shots, especially at the end when they were seeing the envelopes/letters. Frankly, these aren't just smart people. These are people who enjoy knowledge. Anyone who is even remotely nerdy would at least gawk at most of the things we saw in these episodes. I liked seeing that.

 

All in all, I am totally watching this show. Fun cast, smart premise that totally lends itself to a tv show, and a nice, family-oriented action-y vibe.

Edited by Princess Lucky
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fastiller

fastiller

 This isn't as smart as Leverage to me. Besides without Nate (the sexy and smart Timothy Hutton) this just can't be Leverage. There's no "mastermind" as it seems all of them are new to this game.

...

So far I like the casting, though I could use without Romijn. I don't know why, but she is just wooden and her stunt fighting needs a lot of work. I kept waiting for Eliot, sorry Jake to blurt out "Dammit Ezekiel" because isn't that who he is? Parker and Hardison merged into an annoying Australian with an oddly biblical name?

Just quoting these 'cause I agree with them wholeheartedly.  'Specially this: the sexy and smart Timothy Hutton.

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Jamoche

Jamoche

John Rogers' blog post is up and explains the unevenness: "Most shows have three or four months to get up and running.  To beat Noah's deadline for returning to Falling Skies, we had five weeks from greenlight to camera roll, with nothing but the first script written".

 

And yes, that was the Dagger of Aqua'ba from Leverage's Rashomon Job. 

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magicdog

magicdog

I feel the need to point out that Ezekiel Jones the thief is in fact not British, he is either Australian or a New Zealander.

 

 

 

I had been trying to place his accent - it seemed to go back and forth.  To makes matters worse, I think the actor should have his lines redubbed.  I'm not hard of hearing but at times I could barely understand what he was saying.

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Hanahope

Hanahope

I watched the pilot again with my kids this weekend and I can't for the life of me figure out when and how the Serpent Brotherhood got to Cassandra.  There's the scene where they find the crown at the henge, then cut, next scene is them all walking into the library with the crown. Now maybe there was a cut scene of somesort in between that's on the itunes version (which I downloaded, but haven't yet seen), but just seems like there was no time or hint that the Brotherhood contacted Cassandra and she could tell them exactly how to get into the Library (since it seems like she only entered it once before going to get the crown).

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fastiller

fastiller

I really like this from John Rogers's post-show:

 

Meeting Ezekiel Jones
is in the theater in Portland which served as the Parliament House in San Lorenzo in Leverage. That is indeed the Dagger of Aqua'ba. (whether I mean it is the same prop or the same object ... as I used to say in the Leverage post-games all the time, you choose whichever makes you happier)

 

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Julia

Julia

I really like this from John Rogers's post-show:

 

(whether I mean it is the same prop or the same object ... as I used to say in the Leverage post-games all the time, you choose whichever makes you happier)

 

I vote the same object, because it means that they're in the same universe as Leverage, and somewhere Ezekiel has almost certainly crossed paths with Parker.

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ganesh

ganesh

I was expecting a B movie vibe, and that's fine with me. I thought the exposition blended in well with the pace and wasn't clunky for this kind of show.

 

The standout of these episodes was Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle), who is so much more appealing and likeable than Tom Mason from Falling Skies.

 

With no Hoarse Voice Of Leadership.

I

always thought RR was pretty hot, but she looked fantastic. I thought the main female villain was a little cartoony, but it wasn't a big deal. I like shows with team action where everyone has skills to contribute and there's puzzles to solve.

 

I assume all the off hand remarks that the librarian was making were referring to the movies, so I think I'll check them out.

 

I'm supposed to believe he has an IQ of 190 but is childishly giddy over a flying sword?

 

Well, I have an engineering PhD, and I'd be pretty psyched to see a flying sword and to learn the actual identity of king Arthur. (I know the historical Arthur was based on a bunch of people but there's a few theories on who.)

 

I cannot *stand* when people say "This is how we've always done things." So I'm glad the librarian was like, "well, too bad because we need more hands on deck." It's better than Falling Skies ffs.

 

I enjoyed the show. It was fun and light hearted, a break from all the serious stuff. There are times I just want to sit back and be entertained. Not goop smacked over the head with way TOO much serious stuff.

 

I've been saying that one of the huge problems with tv is that every show has to be A Show. Just make a good, fun show. It's ok to do those too.

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ladyrott

ladyrott

I watched the Christmas episode before seeing this one (I HATE when I miss premiers of shows I want to see!) and I was happy to find out how the LITs came to be.  I floved the Librarian movies so I was excited for this series.  I can definitely see the comparisons to Warehouse 13 but honestly, Rebecca Romijin's character's invite reminded me forcibly of another Sci-Fi favorite....Eureka. 

 

I was seriously disappointed when Cassandra turned out to be a traitor and I really hate that it was all forgotten by the end of the episode.  I can kind of understand where she was coming from...she doesn't want to die, they offered to save her and Flynn didn't....but still, I wouldn't want her watching my back right after that betrayal.  Maybe I am just a bitch, but I thought she should need to prove herself a bit more first.

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Camera One

Camera One

I didn't realize this series was based on a bunch of movies.  It's on my streaming service, and I had wanted to try it, but the first season is leaving the service in 2 days, so I finally gave it a try.

I thought the pilot was alright.  It dragged in places so it couldn't keep me engaged throughout.  I was disappointed one of the lead characters turned out to be a traitor. 

The CGI was rather bad but I wouldn't mind that if the characters were better developed.  

I might try another episode or two before it expires.  

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