'The Librarians' Recap: 'And the Trial of the One'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

​Be careful what you wish for. That’s a phrase that keeps running through my mind over and over again when I think of last night’s episode of The Librarians and there’s good reason for that. Because for some time now, I’ve been desperate to see the series resolve the whole matter of the One True Librarian. I’ve written it about it endlessly in these recaps, discussed it at length with some of my fellow fans of this wonderful show and last night’s tale, ‘And the Trial of the One’ finally brought the matter to the forefront and well…I should have been careful of what I wished for. Because while the show did finally bring this whole matter to a head, it did it in the most devastating of fashion.
 
In fact, from the get go, there was a different feel to this particular tale since it featured a powerful sense of urgency and there was good reason for that. Because last night we learned that the Tethering Ceremony never took place, putting the Library on a dangerous path that would remove it from our world within the next twenty four hours and that led to a desperation move from the group, one that activated the Trial of the One and pitted best friends against one another in a deadly game of life or death where their greatest fears were on display and well, while that alone would have been more than enough to fill an entire hour, this harrowing sequence was merely the warm up for things to come.
 
Because Colonel Baird found a way to outsmart the Library and save everyone within it from this awful, awful ritual and just when it seemed that teamwork and unity would save the day, the Library made good on its promise to make them pay for disobedience, by mortally wounding Jenkins. Yes, that’s right. The series finally did what we all thought was the impossible, and bid farewell to an important series lead and in utterly heartbreaking fashion, we were forced to say goodbye to the always incredible Jenkins and while it was tear jerking, in fact, I’m misting up just thinking about that ugly moment, at least he went out in beautiful fashion and while that should have been sufficient punishment for the audience to endure, there was still more waiting in the wings for us.

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​After all, every person out there has their breaking point, when they can simply take no more, and seeing Jenkins die before their very eyes was more than the Librarians could handle. After years of dedication and devotion to the Library, its decision to cause harm in this fashion pushed them all to turn in their resignations and just like that…our heroes were gone and that’s when the biggest twist of the night arrived, in that, this was all part of a master plan, one orchestrated by Nicole to destroy the Library and wouldn’t you know it, her plan was a rousing success. The Library faded into the great beyond and Eve was left standing in a parking lot in a world that doesn’t seem quite right, and that’s where the series will pick up next week, while in the meantime, the audience is left picking up the pieces to their broken hearts.
 
However, all emotional pain aside, credit is due when it comes to this series for delivering one of hell of a twist and one hell of an episode. Because, we’ve all been surprised that this season has gone this long without a big bad to guide the story along, but as it turns out, there’s been one waiting in the shadows this whole time and quite frankly…Nicole is hands down the deadliest foe the Librarians have ever faced. Because not only did she manage to defeat a Knight of the Round Table, she chased every single Librarian away and she brought the Library down and it’s damn impressive that the Writer’s Room was able to keep her true machinations a secret for this long and that she was able to accomplish all of this without a single spell.
 
But, what I am most impressed with when it comes to this episode, is the fact that it brought the thematic concepts of fear and doubt, and their respective power, full circle in this tale. Because that is in fact what defeated the Library in the end and really, at this point, we are entering undiscovered country when it comes to this series and that’s downright incredible. Because for the first time ever, we honestly don’t know if the Librarians will be able to save the day. Their support network has passed into the great beyond, the Library itself has disappeared and well, where we go from here is anyone’s guess, and all we can do at this point is hope. Hope that Eve figures out a way to unite this powerful group of friends, and that they can overcome their fears and their doubts to set the world right once again. Either way, the stakes have never been higher for this show, and despite the fact that I am still reeling from the twists and turns and heartbreak in this one, I’ll be front and center for the season four finale next week, simply because I have to know how this incredible story will come to its end. Until next time. 

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