The Librarians season 2 starts tomorrow.

[JD]

Yeah, the Dorian Gray spoiler pissed me off to.
This episode was a lot of fun, although I was expecting Gray to be one of Prospero's Fictionals, so I was surprised when it turned out he was a real person in their universe. The end with Baird's portrait was a neat way to defeat him. My only familiarity with the story is the 2009 movie, so I can't judge it as a follow up to the original story, but I did think it was a fun modern twist on the ideas from the original story.
They did a really good job giving each of the characters a moment to shine in this one.

 

[kirk55555]

Wow, this was probably the first episode of The Librarians that I outright hated. I can't think of one redeeming quality. The selfie/club premise was excruciating. What's next, a episode where magical tweets turn people illiterate? Or maybe a bad guy will make all the jerks who post bad things on a certain site into literal trolls. Also, they somehow had a worse version of Dorian Grey then the one from the League of extraordinary Gentlemen movie. Its not a huge deal though, every series has some duds. Hopefully the next episode will be better (and maybe continue the prospero story arc).

 

[Christopher]

Aaaaahhh!!! Jenkins summons Puck, and Puck is voiced by Brent Spiner, reprising his role from Gargoyles! And in an episode directed by Jonathan Frakes, no less! Awesome!!!

Plus a Leverage in-joke -- a Glen-Reeder security system, which was the go-to brand name for security tech in that show.

I have such lousy memory -- I knew this would be a time-loop story from the description, and when the scientist mentioned that the supercomputer could create detailed combat simulations, I guessed that would have something to do with the "time loop," but then I forgot all about it a few moments later.

But I'm glad it went that way. I'm kind of tired of time loop stories, so it was refreshing when it stopped being a time loop halfway through and became a riff on video games. Some fun gags with the physical realization of tropes like the medical kits, bottomless bags of holding, etc.

Really disappointed that Jones forgot all the growth he went through. For once, he wasn't obnoxious anymore. I wish that had stayed with him, that they'd let his character undergo a real change.

Speaking of change, that cliffhanger at the end was kind of vague. But next week, no doubt, is the 2-hour season finale.

 

[JD]

That was a lot of fun. I'll admit, I got distracted briefly by my computer, but that was only for a minute or two. I'm a big gamer, so I loved the video game twist. I'd only seen it advertised as a time loop story, so that was a big surprise for me. I loved the way they played with all of the video game tropes. I do agree with Christopher that it is annoying that they wiped out everything that happened to Jones.
Thank you for pointing out that Puck was Brent Spiner, I thought he sounded familiar.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Jones Plus will be back.

Maybe not this season, but once he hits bottom, and if he can get out of the broken quantum computer, he's half way into becoming a god.

 

[Greg Cox]

I confess I missed the Brent Spiner thing. Then again, I've never seen Gargoyles.

And beyond the "combat simulations" bit, we also saw a technician covertly playing a computer game on his terminal right before his boss walked in and he hastily got back to work . . ..

I confess that I was relieved that they didn't change Jones' character too much (in part because I didn't want to have to make him more mature in my book). The point, I guess, was to remind the other Librarians why they put up with this guy after all. They know what he's capable of now . . ..

 

[Guy Gardener]

After a thousand years of cocking up.

 

[Greg Cox]

After a thousand years of cocking up.

Well, there is that . . . .

 

[Christopher]

I confess I missed the Brent Spiner thing. Then again, I've never seen Gargoyles.

Wow, you've missed out on so much, then. Not only a ton of Trek actors doing voices (mainly Frakes and Sirtis, but also Spiner, Dorn, Nichols, and Mulgrew in recurring roles and guest appearances by Burton, Brooks, Meaney, and maybe more I'm forgetting, as well as other great actors like Keith David, Salli Richardson, Ed Asner, John Rhys-Davies, Clancy Brown, Paul Winfield, Matt Frewer, Robert Culp, David Warner, and many more), but a superb, rich fantasy series with an incredibly intricate and self-consistent mythology based in global folklore, history, and literature. (Just skip the third season, except for the first episode. It's considered non-canonical, and the real continuation of the story is in the sadly short-lived comics by showrunner Greg Weisman.) Come to think of it, it has a lot in common with The Librarians, which is also a smart, literate show based in classic myth and literature, including Arthurian and Shakespearean elements.

And beyond the "combat simulations" bit, we also saw a technician covertly playing a computer game on his terminal right before his boss walked in and he hastily got back to work . . ..

But that's such a familiar scenario ("That guy's playing Galaga, by the way") that we never would've guessed it was setup for the plot. Which is the best kind of setup, hidden in plain sight.

 

[Greg Cox]

And beyond the "combat simulations" bit, we also saw a technician covertly playing a computer game on his terminal right before his boss walked in and he hastily got back to work . . ..

But that's such a familiar scenario ("That guy's playing Galaga, by the way") that we never would've guessed it was setup for the plot. Which is the best kind of setup, hidden in plain sight.

Yep. Very sneaky!

As for GARGOYLES, I would have been 35 or so when it debuted so I probably dismissed it (unfairly) as a kid's cartoon to the degree it registered on my radar at all. Which I know, I know, was surely short-sighted of me . . . .

 

[Christopher]

As for GARGOYLES, I would have been 35 or so when it debuted so I probably dismissed it (unfairly) as a kid's cartoon to the degree it registered on my radar at all. Which I know, I know, was surely short-sighted of me . . . .

I suppose that's understandable, given that it was originally released as part of "The Disney Afternoon" alongside shows like Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, and Goof Troop. And I believe it was originally conceived as another comedy in the same vein. But when Batman: The Animated Series was a hit, it proved that there was a market for darker, more dramatic animated fare in weekday animation. Gargoyles actually cribbed a fair amount of talent from B:TAS, including writer Michael Reaves, director Frank Paur, composer Carl Johnson, and others.

 

[Greg Cox]

As for GARGOYLES, I would have been 35 or so when it debuted so I probably dismissed it (unfairly) as a kid's cartoon to the degree it registered on my radar at all. Which I know, I know, was surely short-sighted of me . . . .

I suppose that's understandable, given that it was originally released as part of "The Disney Afternoon" alongside shows like Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, and Goof Troop. And I believe it was originally conceived as another comedy in the same vein. But when Batman: The Animated Series was a hit, it proved that there was a market for darker, more dramatic animated fare in weekday animation. Gargoyles actually cribbed a fair amount of talent from B:TAS, including writer Michael Reaves, director Frank Paur, composer Carl Johnson, and others.

Interesting.

In my further defense, I'm guessing it probably ran weekday afternoons? Not when I was usually home watching TV.

 

[Christopher]

^Yup, although the third season aired on ABC on Saturday mornings (which is why it was simplified and skewed younger than the syndicated weekday-afternoon version).

 

[Greg Cox]

And the show has just been renewed for a third season, with fifteen episodes next year instead of ten.

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

And the show has just been renewed for a third season, with fifteen episodes next year instead of ten.

Gargoyles or the Librarians?

 

[Greg Cox]

For the record . . .

http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/the-librarians-major-crimes-renewed-1201662515/

 

[Corran Horn]

Devlin said on twitter they're working with the network to possibly increase that 10-episode order.

 

[Greg Cox]

Devlin said on twitter they're working with the network to possibly increase that 10-episode order.

Looks like it worked. Variety says we're getting fifteen eps next year. (And, ahem, a novel.)

 

[Corran Horn]

Devlin said on twitter they're working with the network to possibly increase that 10-episode order.

Looks like it worked. Variety says we're getting fifteen eps next year. (And, ahem, a novel.)

He just said 10 last night, and the linked Variety story also says 10. Hope it gets to 15 though...

 

[JD]

Very glad to here it. I wonder if know for sure there will be another seasons means we'll end with a big cliffhanger this season.