The Librarians and the Trial of the One – Director: Marc Roskin/Writer: Tom MacRae
This one starts with loud alarm bells going off and the Library shaking to its foundations. Turns out that since nobody has done the tethering ceremony yet, the Library is trying to detach itself from reality.
Jenkins comes up with a temporary solution by using the First Book ever
stored in the Library as a temporary anchor. He warns them not to read it, but Cassandra is fascinated by it. Jenkins tells them they only have 24 hours before the Library reverts to its original state, an institution that cares only for the preservation of its artifacts, with no link to humanity. He urges the others to pick who’s going to tether as soon as possible, but they can’t make up their minds, so 
Cassandra reads a spell from the First Book that supposedly can select the proper candidate for tethering. They think the spell didn’t work, but something’s definitely going on since we see Jenkins get pulled into a magic mirror. The others all find glowing red buttons in various places and all choose to push them.
They wind up in a forest with Jenkins … except it’s not Jenkins. Apparently, the Library has take over his body (and is kind of an asshole) to introduce
them to the Trial of the One. They have to fight to the death to see who the final Librarian will be and if they refuse (which they do, naturally), the Library will kill Jenkins. “Jenkins” gives each of them a Ring of Nightmares, which he says will take them to confront their deepest fears (and will somehow make them want to kill each other, 
though they don’t believe that last part). Cassandra’s nightmare is of a school trip when she was a teenager and everyone was taunting her and even threatening to hurt her. Ezekiel is breaking rocks on a chain gang with a freaky-looking dude in a Hannibal Lecter mask, and Jacob’s magic tattoo grows and has to be removed by a witch.
Eve is forced to watch the others go through their nightmares without being able to help. She tries to get through to “Jenkins”, but the Library is immune to her pleas. Cassandra finds a simulacrum of the Annex and hides
there as her schoolmates search for her. She finds another of the red buttons, as does Jacob in the witch’s house. Ezekiel also finds a button before being confronted by the weird guy on the chain gang. “Jenkins” brings Eve to Cassandra to show her that the nightmare is too deep to get out of, and points out that Cassandra can’t even see her Nightmare Ring, so she wouldn’t think to take it off. He also tells Eve that 
the nightmares alter perceptions, which we see as two of Cassandra’s tormentors turn out to be Ezekiel and Jacob. Similar things happen to the others as well: the witch and her helper are Cassandra and Ezekiel, while the freaky guy and the chain gang boss turn out to be Jacob and Cassandra. They’re all given another button to push to escape their torments, which they all do.
Unfortunately, the buttons make them forget their friendship with each
other, so when Jenkins (or someone who sounds like him) urges them to kill each other to save him, they’re willing to do it. Eve uses the Eye of Ambix to reveal the truth; turns out Jenkins really is trapped, but she realizes that her own worst nightmare is not being able to help the others. She uses the eye to see that she’s also 
wearing a Nightmare Ring and takes it off. As the others use their skills and smarts to fight each other, Eve takes off her ring and (bringing the First Book with her) appears in the field to stop them before they can kill each other. They quickly remember everything and discard their Nightmare Rings.
Eve uses the First Book to free Jenkins and bring him (and the others) back to the Library. Unfortunately, the dagger that was poised over Jenkins’s
heart returns and kills him anyway. Cassandra, Jacob, and Ezekiel are so disillusioned with the Library after Jenkins is killed, that they all resign as Librarians. Eve isn’t too happy either, but she soon learns the truth … Nicole was actually behind everything. She set everything up (Jenkins losing his immortality, the contest, Jenkins’s death) just to get the Librarians to resign and leave the Library untethered. 
Apparently, she’s still pissed off about being left in the past for 500 years. She tells Eve that to destroy the Library, she had to destroy people’s faith in it by getting the Librarians (including Flynn) to quit. Once the idea of the Library is gone, the actual Library will follow. Eve soon finds out how right Nicole is when the Library fades around her, turning into a colourless parking lot in some weird dystopian city.
This is a pretty good episode, setting up a great finale. Things look pretty bleak, although I’m sure we’ll get a happy ending next episode. It’s interesting that Nicole has to destroy the Idea of the Library, the faith
people have in knowledge and curiosity, in order to get rid of the Library itself. She was definitely playing the long game here (500 years long) and her plan seems to have worked perfectly. But eve does retain her memories of the Library (at least for now) and Nicole told her Flynn was her reluctant guest somewhere, so I’m assuming Eve will find him and they’ll figure out a way to defeat Nicole. It’s too bad Jenkins had t die, but I guess that’s always been a possibility since he became mortal.
Favourite Quotes:
- “That is some dangerous math.” Ezekiel’s reaction after seeing Cassandra construct an elaborate trap for Jacob.