It's the penultimate episode and things are amiss in the librarians' narratives. What did you think of And the Happily Ever Afters? Read the roundtable responses and then add your own thoughts in the comments below. If you would like to be part of the finale's roundtable review, just let me know in the comments and I'll respond with a link when the questions go up.
What was your favorite thing about this episode?
Emma - The twist that Flynn was actually under the spell as well and that Prospero has been running amok for three weeks! Excellent set up for the finale.
Kris - When Eve went out to talk to the ferryman. James concluded that the totem pole would still have to be on the island, but she concluded that Flynn couldn't be the expert they were expecting. It was a good bit of intelligent storytelling that I wish they had also applied to other things about the episode instead of certain shortcuts (see next question).
Dahne - My favorite thing was the diverse fantasy life that each character created for themselves but how they were still intertwined.
If you could change anything about this episode, what would it be?
Kris - I would take away the Backdoor. It allowed the writers to avoid problems instead of having Flynn solve them. How do we capture the Librarians and separate them from everybody else? We just bring them through the back door.
Dahne - My biggest problem was actually more of a seasonal pacing thing than about the episode itself. I hate that we're in the second to last episode before they finally bring up Prospero and the overarching mythology again. They need to go to straight procedural instead of these hatchet jobs of the big seasonal mytharc. As far as the episode goes, the biggest hole for me is that there is zero follow-up to the previous episode because now everyone's got amnesia.
This episode allowed the audience to explore the characters' own happily ever afters. Did any of them surprise you? Did this twist add anything new to the characters? What did you think about them all being tempted to stick to this fairy tale but choosing each other instead?
Emma - At first Ezekiel and Cassandra's surprised me but after I thought about it for a bit, they both made sense - it's just not as obvious as Baird and Stone. After last week's episode, Ezekiel's memory of the game was left ambiguous however I am one of those who believes that he remembers but since the others only remember the last time through, he is hiding it. His happy ending was all about him being the good guy that helps protect the team - and them knowing and depending on him to be that guy. Cassandra's happy ending was about her being an inspiration and having an impact on the world for being herself, not because of the gifts her brain grape has given her.
Kris - I was actually surprised by Ezekiel's narrative. I think that it shows that while he still wants to be able to do things his own way, he's enjoying doing good in the world. I also felt that the Librarians (and Guardian) choosing each other over their happy endings was them realizing how much of an ad-hoc family that they are.
Dahne - Ezekiel was the biggest surprise for me too although I am NOT surprised that his idea of an FBI agent includes shootouts and diner slide chases. That was a lot of fun.
Prospero returns to the story and brings a free Ariel with him. What did you think of the Ariel character? Would you be interested in seeing her return? How did you feel about the return to the mytharc?
Emma - I liked her! She brought the humor and played opposite Flynn very well. They made a great team! I would love to see her return and help the Librarians take down Prospero. I'm glad we are finally getting back to the mytharc but I wish it was more evenly spaced over the season - there was so much lost potential here because they only seem to visit the main mytharc if Flynn is around.
Kris - I did not like this portrayal of Ariel. She seemed more like some sort of drugged out hippie instead of being Fey. If she returned more like the faerie that Jenkins summoned I would like her.
Dahne - I loved Ariel…in small doses. I wouldn't mind her returning to help out once in awhile, but not on a regular basis. I do hope she helps take down Prospero and gains her real freedom though. As for Prospero, I think the writers completely wasted an excellent concept this season. Why bother to create fictionals if they were never going to be showcased? The Librarians writers suck at balancing standalones and mythology but this was even worse than last year. I wish we had a fictional of the week this time. Then they could have kept their quota of standalone episodes without sacrificing the whole storyline. It's very frustrating and it has me dreading the finale because the whole thing was too rushed.
What grade would you give this episode? Why?
Emma - B+ Had a great twist, saw the return of Moriarty/Prospero and set up next week's finale nicely.
Kris - B, while the episode gave us a peak into the hopes and dreams of the Librarians, for an arc episode it didn't really seem to move the story forward.
Dahne - B-, because of the terrible seasonal pacing which caused this episode to make less sense and the lack of follow-up on the last episode
Anything you would like to add?
Emma - Another thank you to TNT for the S3 renewal!
Kris - I was on the fence when I watched the "True Love's Kiss" moment, but when Ariel mentioned it being old school curse breaking, I felt a lot better about the moment. I ended up liking the use of it.
Dahne - Since there is only 10 episodes again next season, I hope that they forgo the overall mythos next year or at least make it something uninteresting so I don't get my hopes up all season for nothing.
Screencaps by Kiss Them Goodbye, Tumblr, and Three If By Space
