S02.E10: And The Final Curtain

[formerlyfreedom]

The Librarians discover that Prospero's renewed magic is wreaking havoc with the technology of the world. He is recreating an idyllic forest utopia, whether we want one or not. In order to stop him, Flynn and Baird must travel back to 1611, while the rest of the team battles Prospero in the present. Little do they realize that they can only defeat Prospero in each time by finding a way to work together – separated by five centuries.

 

Season Finale!

 

[ganesh]

Eh. Two weeks in a row of the separated team. They need to figure out how to use Flynn better. 

[Chaos Theory]

I liked this better then last weeks but then again I thought last weeks episode was the weakest of the season. This episode continues my belief that the show may be called "The Librarians" but it is actually about Eve Baird The Gardain. She is the best part of every episode. All her deliveries are spot on. I loved her and Cassandra and Time Travel Room when they saw who the first time traveler was. The look on their face. "Where we once dinasaurs?" was hilarious

I don't really ship her with Flynn but at least when they are together he is less insufferable. I thought they were sweet together at the end.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[CoderLady]

No more Moriarty? Say it ain't so!

[CoyoteBlue]

oh, god, I hope Flynn isn't around all the time from now on. He's a hyperactive fool, always played so big and cartoony. I seriously had to fast-forward past all the times he was clownish out of second-hand embarrassment. If the whole show was that broadly done, I'd expect it, but Flynn just doesn't fit in the show with the other librarians. Honestly, his hyper tics and twitches make me edgy.

[waving feather]

This was better than last week's but I still prefer the three librarians and Eve. Flynn takes away screen time from the other three librarians. Their interactions and relationships (and Eve) make this how in my opinion. Not too thrilled that they weren't in the action of things this week. Oh well, let's hope Flynn goes off on his own again next season.

[fastiller]

Liked that the Time Machine Room had in it both the DeLorean and the TARDIS.

[sjohnson]

Each reading for the "exorcism" of Propsero recapped the character revelations for each of the assistant librarians. Deeply satisfying in very many ways. 

 

Moriarty is not gone, Flynn said not to worry.

 

All the librarians are cartoony. Jake is the closest in mannerisms to normal, but the jock who is secretly artistiic isn't  a layered character. 

 

Jenkins is overpowered, and threatens to overpower the series. They're inadvertently raised the question of why he isn't the Boss? I can't just imagine him like my fantasy parent who is always capable of saving the day while admiring and obeying you. 

[Arnella]

Why shouldn't this be the end of Moriarty's story Flynn?  He's a fictional and part of Prospero's story- he broke out to be the sort of hero and good for him but now it's over.  I'm not a fan of keeping a character beyond their time just because they are a hit with fans. I would still love Belle as Rumple's lost love if they hadn't decided to stretch out the Jane Espenson love over on OUAT.  BTW, Moriarty was a big hit with me too but since he's never going to be Eve's boyfriend as he should be (chemistry-wise), please don't just bring him in periodically as fake tension for the Eve/Flynn relationship.  It's a disservice to the character and the fans.

 

I too love all the little library tidbits (we were talking dinosaurs??) and shoutouts (Delorean) and especially hints about Jenkins' past but I agree with SJOHNSON that they will have to address why an immoral knight of the round table/scientist with 1000 years of knowledge is presented as essentially a servant (although, granted, the Librarians don't treat him that way). 

 

Also explain who Judson really was since he was Jenkins' boss, older and more knowledgeable??

Edited December 28, 2015 by Arnella

[cassandle]

Liked that the Time Machine Room had in it both the DeLorean and the TARDIS.

 

I must have been laughing too hard at the DeLorean because I somehow missed the TARDIS.

 

I agree with the others who thought there wasn't enough of the three librarians/Jenkins.  Having them separated was really a waste--especially for a season finale.  I think I would have enjoyed it more if we saw more of them following Flynn's clue trails instead of Flynn's dopey audition for Shakespeare (although the bit about how smelly people were back then was pretty funny).  That being said, I'm still okay with Flynn but only if he's interacting with everyone.  I don't need him and Eve on their own little adventures sucking up screen time from the other three and Jenkins.  The writers did such a good job dealing with 5 main characters on Leverage they could do it here too if they really tried.

[Primetimer]

But is it destined for the diminishing returns slot?

Read the story

[Hanahope]

So, if Excalibur 'reappeared' in the 1600 for Eve w/Shakespeare, and then was turned to stone until now, what was that sword that got used to suck all the node-magic out of last season that Flynn also used to call "Cal"?

 

I will say that the writers do a lot better with their 'side' antagonists (Moriarty, Lamia) than they do with their 'main' antagonists (DuLaque and Prospero).

[fastiller]

I must have been laughing too hard at the DeLorean because I somehow missed the TARDIS.

 

I was at 98.99% sure it was the TARDIS that was somewhat shown just prior to the DeLorean (the shape of the item, a flash of just-the-right shade of blue).  So, I tweeted this:

 

 

Was that a TARDIS I saw in the Time Machine Room, @jonrog1 @Dean_Devlin? #BecauseMagic

 

Which Dean Devlin 'favorited'.  I took this as a confirmation.

[ChelseaNH]

I loathe "look at so-and-so be a horrible actor" scenes and finally had to put that on mute.  But that's not the only reason this didn't measure up to last season's finale.  I, too, much prefer the team working together than everyone doing their own thing all the time.  The season 1 finale split them all up, but each LIT was featured more and we got to see them as full-fledged Librarians.  Plus there was that lovely scene where they all handed the position back over to Flynn, the veterans to his novice.  I liked that role-reversal.  This season was more of Flynn being the Librarian and the others being sidekicks.

 

I'm disappointed that we didn't see more fictionals, since that's such a great concept.  It was a good twist that Prospero wasn't actually a fictional after all, but it might have meant more if we'd seen more of the fictionals played out.  I'm going to miss Moriarty (his jab about having the better accent was perfection).  I don't know that I want him back on this show, but it would be fun to see him again.

 

Overall, still fun, just not as much fun as I hoped for.

[CoderLady]

I'm going to miss Moriarty (his jab about having the better accent was perfection).  I don't know that I want him back on this show, but it would be fun to see him again.

 

I just went on a mini-rant in the media topic about it being wrong that the showrunners brought Excaliber back by popular demand. I'll miss Moriarty but if he's out of the story that's ok. Surprise returns and shoehorning characters into stories ruined Grimm for me and I'm not ready to lose The Librarians, too. There aren't enough fun shows to see another one burn down.

Edited December 28, 2015 by CoderLady

[KirkB]

I like Noah Wyle and I enjoyed Flynn in the Librarian movies, but I agree he is taking away from the show. Now it is the Librarian(s) which implies an ensemble, but they need to decide what that means. Is it Stone, Cassandra and Ezekial, w Baird, occasionally guest starring Flynn, or is it Flynn and Baird with co stars Stone, Cassandra and Ezekial? NW started the whole thing and is one of the main creators so I get him wanting to be involved. But either the show is about him or it's about the others, it really can't be both. For good or ill he dominates when he is on screen. Personally I would prefer it to focus on Stone, Cassandra and Ezekial, though while I really like Rebecca Romijn I can take or leave Baird.

Edited December 28, 2015 by KirkB

[tennisgurl]

Look, I quite like Flynn, but he works best as a guest character who pops up from time to time, or as a foil to the main cast. There was just too much of him in this for me. Not that it was a bad episode or anything, but I have really come to like the main cast, and seeing them get pushed aside for more of Flynn at his hammiest really sucks. 

 

I am amazed that they made it through this season without anyone saying something about the "stuffs that dreams are made of". 

 

All that being said, I really did enjoy this season a whole lot. The characters become more developed, the stories more creative, and you could tell everyone involved was having fun. I am really glad I randomly decided to catch up on this show. 

 

More of the possible Dinosaur Alternate Universe! 

[tellycat]

It was very cool seeing the TARDIS in the Library. And the dinosaur people comment made me laugh. The scene in the garden where they said goodbye to Eve and Flynn was touching, I loved Ezekiel's 'steal me something shiny' and Cassandra was very sweet. I wonder how long they'd been back in the Library before Jake noticed the message on the locked room door though.

Flynn didn't irritate as much in this episode as he has in others. But I do wish they'd make their minds up on him. If he's going to be a permanent character in the TV series then I hope he's not going to carry on over-shadowing the LITS (who are no longer in training really) and Jenkins, and I hope Eve isn't going to spend all her time following him around.

Are we supposed to think that Flynn is Arthur reincarnated, or was it just that he wielded Excalibur while wearing Arthur's crown in season 1? I thought it was the latter and then got confused after reading Twitter and Tumblr posts.

In season 3 I'd like to see...

- More Ezekiel back story, the man's a mystery and I like that, but a little about his family, just a tiny bit, would be nice.

- Why is Galahad, a 1500 year old knight from Arthurian legend, in the Annex?

- What happened to Charlene? We know Judson died, he told Flynn in the first or second episode, but he said Charlene was in the Library. Is she in one of the room they haven't found yet or is she dead too?

- Mostly though I want a nice even mix of Ezekiel, Jake, Cassandra, Jenkins and Eve.

[ChelseaNH]

Are we supposed to think that Flynn is Arthur reincarnated, or was it just that he wielded Excalibur while wearing Arthur's crown in season 1?

 

I think they were playing word games.  The prediction was assumed to be about Arthur, but it was actually about Flynn.  It's just that most people don't know that anyone other than Arthur has wielded Excalibur (which was apparently somehow reconstituted by the Ladies of the Lake after the end of episode 1.2).

[Rhodri]

 

- What happened to Charlene? We know Judson died, he told Flynn in the first or second episode, but he said Charlene was in the Library. Is she in one of the room they haven't found yet or is she dead too?

 

Also explain who Judson really was since he was Jenkins' boss, older and more knowledgeable??

I am all for mystery but ignoring Charlene is just disrespectful; especially for fans of the movies.  I hope it is because they are planning to bring her in when Jane Curtin's schedule opens up.  She couldn't be a regular because she would dominate but how great to see her again!

 

With so many characters revealed to be a famous person from the past, Judson must be way up there in the pantheon somewhere.  I am hoping they are also planning to bring Bob Newhart back for a sweeps special for a big reveal.

 

 

More of the possible Dinosaur Alternate Universe!

Yes, please!!

Edited December 29, 2015 by Rhodri

[waving feather]

It definitely was the TARDIS because they even played the classic Doctor Who theme when they revealed a bit of it. Heh. I love that the writers are such geeks. It enhances the show.

[thuganomics85]

So, Prospero was actually a possessed William Shakespeare this entire time.  That's.... really not that far out for this show.  Almost makes sense on some levels.  But I just love that this show can be so far out there at times.

 

Totally spotted the DeLoren and the TARDIS.  Even had knock-off versions of the film/show's theme music.  Nice Easter Egg.

 

I got a kick out of Flynn fanboying over Shakespeare, but I was still kind of disappointed that he and Baird were in the main stuff, while the actual Librarians got regulated to support from the future, alongside Jenkins.  I kept picturing how fun it would have been if they were in the past with them.  I can see Jake totally going nuts over all the 1600 stuff.  And you just know Ezekiel would have tried to steal something important.

 

Baird had a lot of great reaction shots in this one.  I know Rebecca Romjin isn't the greatest actress out there, but I actually think she's got pretty good comedic timing.

 

Cool seeing the Lady of the Lake again, even though we still never got the Leverage reunion between her and Jake.

 

Curious to see what wackiness will happen next season!

[ABay]

One thing this show does really well is weave seemingly small things into the full season and then reveal that they were significant all along. In this case, I'm thinking of the locked door that's mentioned several times throughout the season, and I think mostly by Flynn (?). They did something similar last year although details are fuzzy because I haven't finished my coffee yet.

Edited December 29, 2015 by ABay

[ganesh]

It definitely was the TARDIS because they even played the classic Doctor Who theme when they revealed a bit of it.

 

There was a lot of little Who bits on Leverage too.

 

I know Rebecca Romjin isn't the greatest actress out there, but I actually think she's got pretty good comedic timing.

 

She absolutely does. I think it was a good casting choice for her as the Guardian. She's got to react to a lot with the Librarians all having their own things going on. I was dying when they were calling her a tall boy with great skin. Her blank WTF is wrong with you people look was too much. Like last year's finale, she got in a "Noooope. Nope nope nope" too.

 

Please have CK read more Shakespeare. Thank you.

 

This was a little too much for only 42 minutes, and think it would have worked a little better with 7-10 more minutes. Or, I think it might have worked better if only Flynn was in the past, mostly off screen, and the main cast had to figure out his clues in the present time. I was also hoping Eve would be the one to wield the sword, maybe hinting she has Arthurian blood somehow. 

 

NW's bad acting for his audition was funny too. 

They have to figure out how to better include Flynn into the show. NW clearly loves playing Flynn and that's great, but by now, in show-time, the other Librarians have earned their stripes per se, and I'd be a little miffed that Flynn keeps coming in and just taking over the whole place. 

I think this is something Eve and Jenkins should come up with. 

[alynch]

So, if Excalibur 'reappeared' in the 1600 for Eve w/Shakespeare, and then was turned to stone until now, what was that sword that got used to suck all the node-magic out of last season that Flynn also used to call "Cal"?

 

Yeah, that seems a rather glaring contradiction, especially with all that talk in this episode about how they must avoid creating time travel paradoxes. The only way it makes sense is if the sword in this episode isn't "Past Excalibur" but rather a second, previously unused one of some sort.

[Julia]

I don't know if there's supposed to be continuity with the movies, but Excalibur appeared in all three.

[Izeinwinter]

Theres only two ways for this to make sense - Either the ladies of the lake just flat out made another excalibur - Which would be fair enough, they obviously made the first one. Heck going off the design of the sword, the first one we saw in the movies was probably version 7 or so.. (that type of blade is a later design than the round table)- or the excalibur in the show's present will at some point end up back in the past again, and then be destroyed,

Edited December 29, 2015 by Izeinwinter

[Mulva]

If the library has the TARDIS, where's the doctor?

[snarktini]

If the library has the TARDIS, where's the doctor?

My question, too!

[Loandbehold]

 

If the library has the TARDIS, where's the doctor?

 

My question, too!

Probably just enjoying a meal w/ Doc Brown.

[Rhodri]

Probably just enjoying a meal w/ Doc Brown

Here they are... skip to 1:42. 

[andromeda331]

I loved how they didn't just have one time machine but several. I'd love to hear more

about the dinosaur people too. I don't care how its back but I'm glad Excalibur's back

and loved when Flynn called "Cal" just like in the movies. I'm also feeling a little optimistic

at the end Flynn suggested changing the table into a round one, maybe that means more

group decisions instead of just Flynn being in charge. I do hope we'll find out who Judson

was one day, and Charlene too. How she came to work for the Library and apparently

Jenkins liked her more the Judson.

[ABay]

I thought the final movie established that Judson wass Judah or some other Biblical figure that started with a J other than Jesus.

[Rhodri]

Flynn thought that Judson was Juhudah (sp?) the original scholar who built the Library but Judson never agreed.  It would make sense for Judson to take the English form of that man's name as tribute even if he is not him.  I don't think he was either.

Either way just come up with a great episode that incidentally explains it please!

[Ottis]

Jenkins is overpowered, and threatens to overpower the series. They're inadvertently raised the question of why he isn't the Boss? I can't just imagine him like my fantasy parent who is always capable of saving the day while admiring and obeying you.

 

 

I don't see him as overpowered. In fact, I see the fact that he is so powerful as a plus, because it ties directly to the central point of his character: He doesn't *want* power. He believes in ideas, and visions, and in some ways still longs for what Arthur brought into being but would not try to recreate it himself.

 

Which makes Flynn as Arthur laughable. Because no way Flynn ever created anything that noble.

 

I came to this show by accident, with no background or understanding of this universe. So to me, Flynn popped up out of nowhere. And his increasing presence has definitely made this a lesser show. The ensemble is much better.

[Eliza422]

 

I came to this show by accident, with no background or understanding of this universe. So to me, Flynn popped up out of nowhere. And his increasing presence has definitely made this a lesser show. The ensemble is much better.

I also came to this show without ever having seen the movies. I flat out don't care for Flynn at all. Anytime he is on he grates on my nerves. It's like he's on a different show altogether. The trio plus Baird is plenty....plus I don't think the Flynn/Baird "romance" works at all. It's patently ridiculous.

[mahree]

TARDIS in the Library:

 

https://gfycat.com/CooperativeHonestBighornedsheep

 

Doctor Who references in Leverage (from http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ShoutOut/Leverage):  

The team's aliases have a tendency to reference Doctor Who; given that Hardison presumably arranges all their fake IDs and is canonically a fan, this is almost certainly no coincidence even in-universe.
In one episode, Nate and Sophie's cover IDs are Tom and Sarah Jane Baker; instead of Tom Baker, Nate could also have chosen to be Peter Davison or Sylvester McCoy.
In another, Nate uses the Tom Baker ID again, while Parker (the young blonde one) is Rose.
Eliot and Hardison get into a police precinct as detectives Moffat and Davies in "The Three Card Monte Job".
The Doctor Who references continue! In "The Frame-Up Job," Sophie introduces herself and Sterling as Agents Tennant and Smith.
In "The White Rabbit Job", one of Sophie's aliases is Sally Sparrow.
One more Doctor Who reference is the name of the law firm the client worked at in "The 10 Li'l Grifters Job": Paul McGann, McCoy and Baker.
Another Doctor Who reference is when Parker asks Hardison about his bow tie in "The Radio Job" and he replies "It's a bow tie. Bowties Are Cool".
And for one last time in "The Long Goodbye Job", Parker's alias is Tennant and Nate's is Baker.

[snarktini]

OMG, I can't believe how many of those I missed on Leverage! It was a show I tended to watch with one eye/ear, in my defense. Thanks for posting mahree!

[formerlyfreedom]

Let's go ahead and continue the conversation on The Librarians vs. Leverage over in the Compare and Contrast The Librarians to Other Shows topic! Thanks!

[lizzyp]

I watched this episode with my mom, who hasn't seen any other episodes or any of the movies.  I pointed out that Christian Kane is an Okie, as she is.  She thought it was "a shame that he and the others didn't really have much to do."  

 

That pretty well sums up my feelings about most of the Flynn episodes.  When he's on, it feels like the team dynamic is completely lost, and that's what I enjoy the most.  The LIT's are growing and maturing, but Flynn doesn't really seem to be, so the episodes that feature him tend to feel hammy and silly.  The Happy Endings was the only Flynn ep. I remember from this season that didn't leave me wondering why the others are even there. Final Curtain left me wondering how long Kane and Booth will stick with the show. I don't like that feeling, because I really want this show to work.  It's one of the few shows I can watch with my 8 year old.