It falls to Eve to
tell the rest of the Librarians that Flynn has gone - and not on a temporary
jaunt as is his habit: he’s actually resigned. There’s lots of theories as to
why - what the Library did to Nicole. Nicole herself but Eve thinks it’s
because of Dare’s notes about more than one librarian being a disaster. They
interpret this the most impossibly noble way - rather than ask one of them to
resign, Flynn has resigned to lead the others by example
I think they’ve
rather put Flynn on a pedestal here.
Of course they begin
arguing over who should resign - Jake and Cassandra musing that they have
considered normal lives while Ezekiel isn’t playing this game and he definitely
wants to be a Librarian.
Eve steps in she’s
clear: Flynn is wrong. Dare is wrong. The Library invited them all and didn’t
revoke any of those invitations: They are a team and will definitely continue
as one
Go Eve - just because
there was a war before doesn’t mean these Librarians - who have always been an
excellent team together.
More tragically, the
immortal Jenkins is ill. Jenkins!
And to prove it she
decides to find a mission - and they find one at a camp - a corporate team
building camp. Eve leaps on this with a ridiculous amount of enthusiasm,
pushing the Librarians to join in, to work together to work as a team and
listen to all the nonsense claptrap these places like to spout.
At the same time
Cassandra dives in with an adorable hyper-enthusiastic love for camp and pranks
and fun and generally just loves every second of it while driving everyone up
the wall
As Ezekiel comments -
he seems to be the only adult left. I assume Ezekiel doesn’t camp because he’s
Australian and camping in the Australian wilderness sounds like an especially
unpleasant way to commit suicide. He keeps trying to get the guys back on
topic; finding something supernatural that the Library has sent them to.
We have some good
character confrontations: Ezekiel, sick of Cassandra’s pranks demands to know
why she’s doing it. Her ideas of camp have all been from television - which
sums up Cassandra entirely. As Ezekiel, perhaps cruelly, tells her - she has no
idea how real people live, how real people have fun. It’s harsh - but not
inaccurate: Cassandra hasn’t seen to real world except through the media (and
lots of terrible teen camp movies)
And Jake confronts
Eve: her super enthusiasm to force everyone to take part in team building et al
is to distract herself from Flynn leaving. Leaving again - and after all the
times she took him back after he wandered off and now he didn’t even speak to
her before leaving again. She’s hurt, upset and rightly so; only Jake assures
her that they are an awesome team and she doesn’t have to prove anything.
For extra complexity,
Jake starts flirting with one of the staff and finds out she’s actually a
reporter. Or was. She lost her job and her reputation when she started to
report that magic was real, that people were trying to amass magic for their
own gain, that there was a terrible secret organisation call the Library
working with DOSA which had infiltrated the government.
Well that’s awkward.
She’s also clearly very very very good at her job.
To the mystery! It
turns out that several people have gone missing from the camp - and that those
running the camp are just trying to cover it up; saying the disappeared people
just weren’t into the whole team building thing. The Librarians find evidence
that they’re being grabbed by trees. I’m pretty sure this isn’t normal in
camping.
Investigation clears
the leaders of the camp as being behind it (despite lots of theorising about
immortal soul stealings) and they also find a DOSA investigation. Who really
don’t like Eve on account of her showing them up (and they haven’t even identified
people have gone missing) and really won’t co-operate despite Eve repeatedly
making it clear
All of this changes
when the trees crap Jake - infront of Serena the reporter. She gets the other
Librarians and they continually discuss supernatural woo-woo in front of her.
With Jake missing, Eve confronts DOSA and demands their information and she is
not taking any responses other than yes. They cave and reveal this forest is
the original forest, the primal forest from which all forests spring and if
this forest is destroyed then so too will all forests. So it’s a big deal
They have maps of the
heart of the forest - but they’re out of date and need Cassandra to translate.
They find the big tree which is impressive - and has Jake’s face.
The DOSA leader promptly
tries to cut down said tree with a really really awesome light-sabre chainsaw
I want one
He gets grabbed by
plant life so with him out the way it’s Eve who takes over and decides to talk
to the tree after Jake, embedded in the tree, managed to convince her he’s
still in there with comments about Flynn. The forest has been trying to
communicate and they chose Jake because he speaks a gazillion languages.
Through Jake the forest communicates its worry about being cut down and the
whole end of all plant life if that happens. The tree gives Eve a special seed
which will regrow the forest if the tree is every destroyed - she promises to
keep it safe in the Library
And DOSA declares the forest will be federally protected like Area 51 - no-one is cutting down these trees.
As for the reporter -
well when everyone is released Jake takes her to the Library to show her the
shinies: and also why they can’t be a thing and why she needs to keep quiet.
Honestly I agree with the latter but I think a grand “we can’t be a couple”
speech is awfully precipitous. Dude she flirted for less than an hour, she’s
not looking for a ring, reign it in
I did like to see
DOSA back since they were an element that seemed to be very glossed over given
how important or powerful or relevent they should be. I also like Eve’s
reaction to Flynn: she’s hurting but she’s a professional. She is angry but has
a job to do. And no matter what anyone else says she knows she has a team here
and yes she is going to make it work: because she’s awesome
I also like the
growing hints of subplot with Cassandra - both with her realising she’s no
longer terminally ill and can now have a life while also coming to terms with
the fact she hasn’t led a real life so far and doesn’t entirely know what a
real life actually looks like.
