Welcome to the final The Librarians Roundtable Review of the season. It's been one quick journey, too quick, but packed full of fun and lots of good conversation. A huge thanks to everyone who has participated this year, whether in the official roundtable, in the comments, or reading it. It's been a real pleasure to experience the season with you. I hope you have enjoyed the journey with the librarians and will be back again next time for more adventure.
What was your favorite thing about this season?
Ivan - I loved seeing more of Flynn. I know most people don't love him but I do and I hope he becomes a regular. He belongs on this show so I really hope he becomes a regular.
Michaela - Ezekiel finally got some much-needed character development that made him much more sympathetic. I also liked that his relationships with all of the other Librarians were deepened and developed, as were the relationships between all of the Librarians in general. It was nice to see all of the different pairs of LITs and how they worked together and interacted with one another.
Dahne - My favorite thing is that they are still having fun with the premise. The show is entertaining and light with enough humor and action to balance everything nicely. I would add that the character development is the best change.
If you could change anything about this season, what would it be?
Ivan - Honestly, it would be to have seen Prospero more this season. It was really strange just seeing him in the beginning and the end of the season.
Michaela - I wish the season-long myth arc had either been dropped or significantly improved. It didn't really do much for me and I thought it was handled very poorly. The decision to include or not include Moriarty/Prospero in any given episode seemed very random and haphazard which made the season overall seem extremely poorly planned. The writers should have either put more thought into how they'd balance the procedural Case of the Week elements with the season-long arc, or just not have bothered with an arc at all.
Dahne - The overall pacing with the mytharc. I was really excited about the idea of fictionals and then nothing came from it. I would rather go straight up procedural than have 2 episodes in the beginning, nothing in the middle, and then rush all the mytharc at the end. Now they've wasted a brilliant idea for a season.
What was your favorite episode of the season? Why?
Ivan - My favorite episode definitely was "And the Point of Salvation". It was because of the amount of emotion Ezekiel went through. What started as a very funny episode became one of the more dramatic episodes to date. John Kim was amazing in the episode.
Michaela - "And the Point of Salvation" is my favorite episode, hands down. I wasn't expecting to get an Ezekiel-centric episode at all this year, let alone one that was so good and surprisingly heartbreaking. This episode gave us a lot of insight into Ezekiel as a character. I especially liked seeing why he chose to put emotional distance between himself and the other characters and how he regrets not being more noble or likable in their eyes. It was also wonderful to see what type of person he became once his desperation to escape the time loop broke down his facade of arrogance, self-centeredness and misanthropy. I didn't think such a light-hearted show could get to me like this episode did.
Silver - "And the Final Curtain". Because I'm a great fan of Time Travel and loved the way they did it. Also, the scenes alternating between Flynn's fight and the LiT's doing the exorcism.
Dahne - "And the Point of Salvation" was not only the best episode for me, but it was also the most memorable. They did a great job of allowing the audience to get to know Ezekiel better. Since he was one of the least developed in season one and one of the least sympathetic, it was needed. With the exception of the ending, it hit every high note.
Which character did you think was developed the best? Which character(s) do you feel need(s) more development?
Ivan - I think Flynn was the character that was developed the best. He started this series by not really being part of the team. I mean he was there but he never called himself another Librarian. It was always "I'm THE Librarian" never "I'm A Librarian". So this season he embraced being another Librarian; it was really great to see. I think Cassandra needs to be developed more. We've seen bits of Jacobs's back story and we saw a more heroic side to Ezekiel but nothing really from Cassandra so yeah, her.
Michaela - I thought Ezekiel was developed amazingly well in his episode, but I would like to see a bit more development for him next season as well. Out of all the characters, Cassandra seems the least developed and most caricatured to me, so I would like to see her get more development in season 3.
Dahne - Ezekiel, hands down. While most of the praise went to the Ezekiel-centric episode, he actually showed growth throughout the season. Even Jake remarked on it. Plus he was toned down quite a bit from the obnoxious brat he was in season 1. As for future development, I would like to see them capitalize on the forward movement with Ezekiel more and maybe delve into his past a bit. However the character that has been shafted the most has been Jake. I would really like to see him get a meatier storyline. Jenkins, I want more of period. Although I do want Cassandra to change the most, I don't necessarily think we need to focus more on her since she got the majority of focus in season 3.
How do you think season 2 compared with season 1?
Ivan - Season 2 was certainly more episodic in a way but also the team was a full family whereas Season 1 was more serialized but the team was still feeling each other out and not really being a family yet.
Michaela - I liked season one slightly better just because I thought the seasonal arc was less messy in season one than it was this season. However, I think the best individual episodes of the series aired this year, so the difference in quality isn't major to me.
Dahne - It's a tossup for me with season 2 moving slightly ahead. I think season 1 did a much better job with the pacing and the mytharc. It's a shame because the mytharc of season 2 had far more possibilities. However the standalone episode in season 2 made much more of an impression on me than those in season 1 did. I also think season 1 was more uneven as to the quality of the episodes. I didn't dislike any of these episodes whereas I was frustrated part of the time with the season 1 episodes.
What are the top 3 things you'd like to see in season 3?
1. The main plot weaved into the season better.
2. More exploration of the characters and their backgrounds, mainly Eve, Jenkins, and Jacob.
3. For Flynn to work well with the team and not be at the center of attention all the time for the episodes he is in.
Ivan -
1. Okay the first thing would be for the show to show Merlin. I've kind of wanted to see him for a while since learning of Jenkins being an Arthurian character.
2. For development between Jacob and Cassandra. I need them to get together so badly! They're too adorable for words, so please more romantic development between them.
3. I would really like to see flashbacks to the LIT's before the Library called them, especially Ezekiel's secret agent life for the Queen.
1. More character development for Ezekiel.
2. Cassandra needs to be both humanized and toned down.
3. The writers have to find a purpose for Flynn other than Super Librarian or Eve's Love Interest. I also hope he's less hammy in season three so he doesn't pull focus from the other characters or annoy me as much.
Silver -
1. Another Time Related Finale because I really want to see what kind of Time Travel they'd use next.
2. That they explain that spark of magic Cassie had at the end of "Fables of Doom".
3. A (female) love interest for Cassandra.
Dahne -
1. Tone down or get rid of both Cassandra and Flynn. Cassandra acts, dresses, and speaks like a child. She is annoying like a child too. They need to let her grow up, cancel the high squeal voice that goes through my head every single time, get her adult clothes, and stop making her so irritating. She's the worst character on this show for 2 years running. Flynn constantly becomes the center of attention in every episode he's in, which interrupts the team feel to the whole show. He's also wildly overacted in a way that distracts me from the plot. Noah Wyle needs to calm down with this character. He's a much better actor than this.
2. Fix the mytharc problems. Season 1 was no great shake at the pacing of the mytharc but it is genius compared to season 2. At this point, I'd like to see them forgo the season-long mytharc altogether and do straight up standalone.
3. More Jenkins time and back story. A lot more.
Anything you would like to add?
Ivan - Just want to say thank you so much Rogers for bringing back a show that the entire family can watch together. I can barely count in one hand the shows that families can watch together that are NOT on kids' channels.
Michaela - Thank you to everyone who watches this wonderful and fun show! I hope season three has both a coherent season long arc and some amazing individual episodes. See you all next year!
Silver - How many people think that they mentioned Jenkins' immortality enough times for it to classify as suspicious?
Dahne - For the most part, I want them to keep doing what they're doing while trimming some excess. Keep it lighthearted. Keep it fun. Keep it slightly in the cheesy. Dump the romance between Baird and Flynn because it makes both characters worse and focus on the team as partners and friends. Nothing more. Ever. I'd like to see them functioning even better as a team as they learn to trust each other more without adding any new characters to distract from the team.
Screencaps by Universal, IMDb, Rick's Cafe Texan, Examiner, Tumblr, Space, and me.
