The Librarians and the Sword in the Stone – Director: Dean Devlin/Writer: John Rogers
This one continues right where last episode left off, with a couple of thugs about to finish off Flynn (who’s already bleeding from the wound Lamia gave him with Excalibur). Eve takes the two thugs out and Flynn drinks some Oil of Bathsheba, which only slows the bleeding from his wound since wounds caused by Excalibur are incurable. Eve, Jacob, and Ezekiel are stunned to hear that Cassandra betrayed them and helped Lamia steal King Arthur’s Crown (and Excalibur). Flynn gets worried when Eve tells him Charlene mentioned something about meeting her at the Corridor of Doors.
Meanwhile, Lamia and her men are looting whatever artifacts they can get, which bothers Cassandra in spite of Lamia’s claim that they want to use the
Library’s secrets to benefit humanity. Apparently, Charlene took extreme measures to protect the Library, which starts collapsing in on itself. Lamia and her men take off (with Cassandra), while Flynn and the others are forced to jump through a random door to avoid being crushed and wind up in a the middle of a forest. At first, they think they time-travelled (because it was night in New York but it’s daylight now), until they realize they’re actually on the other 
side of the country … Oregon, to be precise. They find the nearest road where a guy is waiting with a car, but instead of taking them to a hospital, he takes them to a building under a bridge piling. The guy (Jenkins) knows Flynn’s name and the nature of his wound and they soon realize the building is an annex of the Library.
Jenkins explains that the original Library is now inaccessible, but they can still bring books to the annex using a (magical) card catalogue. Jenkins
claims to prefer research to adventure, although he does seem a bit miffed to be stuck out in the boonies away from the Library’s vast treasure trove of magical artifacts. Flynn blames himself for not realizing how desperate Cassandra would be to cure her brain tumour or that someone was knocking off Librarians. Flynn feels so guilty that he’s ready to just give up and die. Elsewhere, Cassandra meets the guy Lamia works for (Dulaque), who tells her he can cure her once magic is returned to the world. Lamia is about to give Cassandra her reward for helping them (a knife in the back), but Dulaque calls her off, telling her 
later that they might need Cassandra’s talents. In Oregon, Jenkins reminds Eve that her duties as Guardian mean she has to help Flynn not just physically, but mentally. She gives Flynn a pep talk that makes him realize he doesn’t need the Library’s artifacts, just his own mind. He quickly deduces that Excalibur is the key to bringing magic back, if it’s placed back in the Stone it was originally pulled from by Arthur … and the Stone is in London.
At the Tower of London, Flynn tells them they need a magical artifact to use as a sort of compass to point them toward the Stone (which is basically a block of pure magic). Flynn decides to steal an emerald called the Star of Marrakesh, which isn’t all that hard with Ezekiel’s expertise as a thief.
Below the streets of London, Dulaque shows Cassandra and Lamia where the Stone is hidden, explaining that replacing Excalibur will reactivate the ley lines all over the world and bring magic back. He also says the Royal Family knows about the Stone and has been hiding it for centuries … something Flynn and the others figure out when the emerald leads them to Buckingham Palace. Ezekiel says he can forge invitations for the charity ball that’s taking place there tonight, but Eve is freaked out at the idea of breaking into Buckingham Palace and walks 
away. That night, Flynn, Ezekiel, and Jacob get flagged at the door but Eve (who’s already there as a counter-terrorism expert) tells the guards they’re part of her team. As Flynn and Eve dance, Ezekiel and Jacob look around for a secret passage leading under the Palace, but both get distracted (Ezekiel by all the expensive jewellery on display and Jacob by an argument with an art maven). Below the Palace, Lamia’s men break into the chamber holding the Stone, but it’s locked inside an iron cage that disintegrates anyone touching it.
There’s a code written on a slab beside the Stone, so Lamia tells Cassandra to crack it. Upstairs, Eve figures out where the secret tunnel entrance is and
they head down. Cassandra opens the cage and is rewarded by being thrown in a dungeon cell, as Lamia admits she and Dulaque are more about controlling the world than helping people. The secret door from the Palace leads to a wine cellar, where Ezekiel figures out the way to the tunnels below. Lamia places Excalibur in the Stone, which shorts out technology and opens up Flynn’s wound again. As they’re sneaking around, they find Cassandra’s cell and she offers to help them. 
Jacob doesn’t trust her, but Flynn is willing to forgive her earlier betrayal. Cassandra explains her plan and they all work together to implement it, creating a smoke screen so Flynn can get close to Lamia, while Eve pounds the thugs. They also rig an electromagnet that allows Flynn to snatch the Crown from Lamia and take back control of Excalibur, which pulls out of the Stone and knocks Lamia out.
But Excalibur being put in the Stone drained its magic, so now the sword is dying, just like Flynn. He tells Cassandra the residual magic in Excalibur can cure her tumour, but she uses it to cure his wound instead and Excalibur
melts into the Stone afterwards. As they’re heading back to the surface, a counter-terrorist team almost blows them away but luckily the leader recognizes Eve. Back at the Annex, Cassandra, Ezekiel, and Jacob are given plane tickets home, even though they all think they’ll have trouble going back to their old lives now that they know magic is real. Jenkins tells Flynn the Library really is gone, but Judson’s spirit appears to let Flynn know the Library is intact. Judson also tells Flynn he’s ready to let him go and suggests Flynn doesn’t have to do things the same old way if he doesn’t want to. The magic that was released back into 
the world means that he’ll need help, so Flynn asks the other three Librarian candidates to stay—telling them they can handle the day-to-day problems while he looks for a way to bring the Library back—and they agree. Flynn asks Eve to be their Guardian and she reluctantly agrees, although she does let Flynn know how she feels by giving him a big smooch. Jenkins shows them the Clippings Book, which updates every day with news reports of bizarre happenings.
This is a really good episode that brings the introductory story to a close, while setting up the ongoing series. It looks like Flynn will be a recurring
character, letting the other three (and Eve) take the spotlight. I’m not sure about the romance between Flynn and Eve … it feels a bit forced, but as long as it stays in the background, I can live with it. I like the idea of the Clippings Book as a way to get them involved in new adventures and I’m looking forward to learning more about each Librarian and their backgrounds. It seems like the others might not trust Cassandra completely, but Eve points out that she did sacrifice her own life to save Flynn (and even when she was with Dulaque, she asked him to use magic to cure everyone who needed it, not 
just her). Speaking of Dulaque, he gets away here, so I’m thinking we might see him again in future episodes, and I’m pretty sure Lamia comes back too. I already like Jenkins and his fastidious ways, so it’ll be cool seeing him train the new Librarians (something previous Librarians never got, which might explain why so many of them end up dead).
Noticeable Things:
- Flynn says John Dee used the Star of Marrakesh to save Elizabeth I from an assassination plot. John Dee was a real person and many people did (or maybe still do) consider him a magician.
- The code Cassandra solves is written in High Enochian, which she describes as a mathematical language based on Ancient Greek and Hebrew.
- I always thought that Excalibur was a different sword from the one Arthur pulled out of the Stone, Excalibur being given to him by the Lady in the Lake. But maybe the two were amalgamated in this particular mythology.
Favourite Quotes:
- “What … the hell?” Eve after they go through the Library door and end up in a forest.
- “New rug.” Dulaque’s explanation for stopping Lamia from stabbing Cassandra.
- “Really? All you do is push people around.” Jacob’s response to Eve’s incredulity at pushing him in a wheelchair is the Tower of London as part of the robbery plan.