'The Librarians' Retro Recap: 'And the Cost of Education'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

You know I have to admit that after watching the second season of The Librarians in my spare time to prepare for season four, I came to realize that I may have bitten off more than I can chew when it comes to this mini-retrospective. I say that, simply because, holy cow, the second season was so dynamic and so much fun that it’s incredibly hard to find a particular episode from this magnificent run that I can call ‘my favorite’ without second guessing myself.
 
But, as I stared at the list of episodes on my Hulu account, pondering upon which one stood about above all else for me, my mind kept coming back to one particular episode time and time again; The Librarians and the Cost of Education. So, since that one seemingly cannot escape my brain, I suppose it wins for my ‘favorite’ episode of season two and looking back upon this one, there really is a lot to like when it comes to this story.
 
For starters, it’s filled to the brim with homages left and right to H.P. Lovecraft when it comes to the many gothic elements scattered about Wexler University. But it’s real tribute to that talented writer is the sheer fact that Lucy’s experiments seem to summon beings straight out of his work. However, while that is a treat in and of itself, let’s be honest, this episode is just plain  fun. There’s just so many wonderful moments between Jones and Jake and honestly, who could forget the wonder of Stumpy?
 
However, all fun aside, this episode did also take the time to introduce something that the saga has yet to revisit by way of the Lady in the Lake when Cassandra goes in to save Lucy, and I’m hoping that’s something that perhaps season four will return us to seeing as to how Cassandra is now a vastly different character thanks to her found abilities and if anything, I think the real reason why I keep gravitating back to this episode time and time again, is simply due to the fact that it took so many risks when all is said and done.
 
It really went all out when it comes to humor, something that the show worked to balance up to this point, so it was different to see the cast let loose and have some serious fun, and it was quite awesome to see the series blend both horror and humor in such smooth fashion. Either way, this one was simply special through and through, and special is one of the many reasons why we love this show and I’ll be counting down the days and minutes as we venture closer to our final Retro Recap from season three next week, shortly before season four gets underway. Until next time.     

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