The Librarians: The Next Chapter (2025) s02e05 Episode Script

[music]
[music]
[door creaks]
[grunts]
[metal creaks]
[pants]
[tool clatters]
[rumbling]
[yells]
[screams]
[music]
I was always interested
in geophysics,
- but mainly as a hobby.
- ROBERT: Uh-hmm.
It's just boring lab stuff,
but I think there is a sort
of romance to what you do.
No, come on.
I mean, you're in the field.
A geological engineer
is like a--
an Indiana Jones,
but with rocks.
It's really not that romantic.
I'm just studying
the effect of climate change
on geological structures.
- Uh-hmm.
- I know it sounds pompous,
but I just have this real need
to make a difference
while I'm still on the planet.
Uh-hmm.
No, that's not pompous at all.
I'm trying to do the same thing.
Yes. With predictive algorithms.
Uh, yeah.
Well I was doing that,
but I'm working
on a different project now.
Yeah. You said that
you had joined another company,
but you never told me
what it was.
We study
alternate power sources.
- And so vague.
- LYSA: Uh-hmm.
Hmm.
How is it that someone like you
isn't already involved
with someone?
Oh. [chuckles]
This is job.
It's, kind of, all consuming,
always on call, lots of travel.
I'm really glad you're not
involved with someone, I mean.
And I'm glad
I sat next to you at the lecture
of the Geophysics Institute.
Yes. Timing is everything.
Well, here's to timing
into the best month
I've had in a long time.
[music]
- Is everything okay?
- Yeah.
Um, I'm just gonna go
to the bathroom,
- if that's all right.
- Yeah.
- There it is.
- Why would the pendulum send us
to an ordinary jewelry store?
VIKRAM: If the pendulum sent us,
we can assume
that something distinctly
out of the ordinary is afoot.
Do you think there's some sort
of artifact in that store?
Magic with gem,
a King Solomon's onyx
or a Baltic Amber,
- or a robbery?
- [alarm blaring]
Hold, you footpads.
Out of our way, fool.
I demand to know
what diabolical articles
you have in your possession.
This.
- Oh.
- Put it down.
What are you?
His guardian angel?
As a matter of fact, I am.
Well, you made a big mistake.
This is none of your business.
RED ROCK: It's my business.
Who the hell are you?
I'm Red Rock.
And you are the one
that made the mistake.
[screaming]
Oh, no.
[screams]
[grunts]
[car engine starting]
[siren wailing]
Shall we?
CONNOR: Guys?
What's going on out there?
What is going on in here?
ROBERT: Sorry. Excuse me.
Thank you. Sorry.
Had to take a call.
No worries.
Is this some
sort of assignation?
I am not angry.
I am disappointed.
No chaperone, no discussion
with the family
of his intentions.
I mean, how well
do you know this bloke?
You are being ridiculous.
Oh, it is ridiculous
to be concerned for your safety.
Hmm? For your honor.
Will you listen to yourself?
You sound like some kind
of uptight Victorian tyrant.
We're in the 21st century.
Chastity belts are
no longer in style.
Has it gone that far?
Oh, my God.
VIKRAM: As the closest thing
you have to a parent
and as someone with
more experience in the world,
it is my responsibility
to protect you.
There are so many things wrong
with that statement.
We're gonna need to number them.
One, you are not my parent.
You're my great, great,
great, great grandparent.
And two,
I have greater experience
in this world than you do.
And three,
it is Charlie's responsibility
- to protect me, not yours.
- It is not just my personal
and familial feelings
toward you,
but my experience
as a Librarian,
which is greater than yours,
along with all the excitement
and satisfaction of this job,
is the fact we are not granted
a personal life.
Outside romances are forbidden.
What about you and Anya?
Well, if not strictly forbidden,
then highly discouraged.
You realize what you're saying?
[sighs]
Of course.
I do not regret all
the consequences of my actions,
but I would be lying to you
if I told you
they had not caused me
some very deep pain.
Look, we all have to make
our own choices, don't we?
You chose to be a Librarian,
Lysa.
And all choices
have consequences.
CONNOR: Uh, hey guys.
- What?
- What?
Hate to interrupt, but
I think you two
better see something.
All right. So I was able to hack
into the Belgrade CCTV systems.
Looks like Belgrade has
its very own Batman.
Mm. Correction.
Its own Superman.
You guys weren't kidding.
This guy's amazing.
I guess the pendulum knew
what it was doing
when it sent us there.
Oh, it's a shame
he didn't reveal himself.
Yeah, that's what
I thought as well.
But then I used
your high-definition
enhancement program and
You did?
Uh-hmm.
CHARLIE: Wait for it.
CONNOR: Congratulations.
You're dating a superhero.
- Are you okay?
- CONNOR: I don't get it.
You're involved with a guy
who's faster
than a speeding bullet,
can leap over tall buildings
in a single bound,
and you're bummed about it?
CHARLIE: It's not all bad.
I mean, all superheroes
have secret identities.
Okay. But since there are
no actual superheroes,
he must be using magic,
which is why
the pendulum sent you there.
So this superhero notion,
is it a, um, modern invention?
Not really. It's been a thing
for almost a century now.
He started out
in comic books for kids
and now
it's taken over the culture.
Superheroes fill
the public's need to believe
in someone
with extraordinary powers
protecting them from evil doers.
So, someone like me.
Except you don't
- actually have superpowers.
- He's got the costume though.
And I kind of think
if anyone fits the bill,
- it's probably me.
- Hmm.
In any event,
if Lysa is correct,
and this fellow is in possession
of a magical artifact
then we must retrieve it.
Do we though?
If he's just, you know,
fighting crime
and protecting the city.
He may seem like
a perfectly admirable chap
when trying to impress
a young lady.
But we know how this goes.
Magic corrupts
all those who employ it.
So we must find this artifact
if we are to save
this young man.
So, what's our plan?
You and Charlie, find out
what you can about the thieves.
After all, the pendulum
did send us to the jewelry store
before our superhero arrived.
Lysa, you must reconnect
with your young man
and draw him out.
Oh, what?
Now, you're okay
with me seeing him?
On a strictly
professional basis.
Uh, no.
No, I don't feel comfortable
contacting him
under false pretenses.
Oh, I saw the way
he was looking at you.
I'm pretty sure you won't have
to do the contacting.
I think
you're overestimating my--
[phone ringing]
Hello?
The truth is
my life's kind of boring.
I think a woman like you is
used to a more exciting type.
Again, I think
you're being too modest--
- Uh-huh?
- to do what you do.
Explore caves,
climbing mountains,
all in the name
of saving the planet.
I think it's really heroic.
Heroic? Me?
No, that's not me.
I think I'm just obsessed
with rocks.
Yeah. Well I think
there's more to you
than you're willing to admit.
[chuckles]
Hey, you.
This area is
authorized personnel only.
- What are you two doing here?
- [clears throat]
I'm the Librarian.
Of course you are.
We're looking
for the suspects arrested
in a jewelry store robbery
last night.
They're in holding cell D,
down the hall and to the left.
Oh, right.
- There you go.
- Thank you.
Really getting the hang
of that one.
- Right?
- [Charlie chuckles]
So maybe we used to shoplift
now and then,
but we'd never done
anything like that in our life.
Where did you get the shotgun?
Boki's mother is a duck hunter.
That gun was her favorite.
She's going to kill me
if I don't get it back to her,
straightened out.
How did that guy do that?
You said you were hanging
around on the street corner
trying to figure out
how to get free beer.
- Yeah.
- Then what happened?
I just heard
a voice in my head saying,
"Think bigger.
Go for a big score."
Before I could even tell
the other guys,
they seemed to get
the same idea.
What?
Didn't that seem strange to you?
Hmm.
It does now,
but at the time it was like
something possessed us.
- Yeah.
- MAN: Yeah?
ROBERT: So Darwin called it
the "imperfection
of the geologic record"
because there's
a disproportionate amount
of younger rocks
available for study.
Due to the erosion of rocks
from the Precambrian period?
Yes. That's exactly--
that's exactly right.
- Uh-hmm.
- You have a beautiful mind.
Mm.
ROBERT: You know, I think
I would be more interesting
if I didn't spend
all of my time measuring
neutrino flux
and ice/albedo feedback.
All of your time?
Really?
All right. Well, what about you?
You told me that
you'd abandoned your work
in predictive modeling
for a new project
and then
you avoided the subject.
I wanna know
what your secret is.
It's difficult to describe.
We'll take your wallets
and your phones.
[groaning]
- Give me the knife.
- No.
Leave me alone
or I'll stick her.
Why? What do you hope
to gain from this?
I don't know.
- Hello.
- [groans]
Were you following me?
Good thing I was.
Ah, it's high time we met.
I am Vikram Chamberlain,
fellow superhero
and guardian
to this young woman's honor.
Uh
Robert. I can explain.
Was it something I said?
I don't undestand.
Why are you so upset?
Let's try sexism and
anachronistic Victorian mores,
- toxic masculinity.
- Masculinity? Toxic?
How on earth
can masculinity be toxic,
you silly girl?
[Lysa grunts]
CONNOR: How did it go?
We gained valuable information.
Uh, we?
No, I gained information.
Vikram's scared him off
just as I was earning his trust,
which by the way is something
we have nothing of apparently.
Guardian of my honor.
- Really?
- Hmm.
What about you?
What did you learn?
Oh, I found
some of Robert's articles
and research papers.
His early work is mostly
about using
the geological record
to find patterns
related to climate change.
Pretty straightforward stuff.
Then, about a year ago,
he became interested in folklore
about geodes
and covalent crystals.
According to Slavic mythology,
there are stones called Alatyrs,
believed to be
the mother of all stones
and nestled in the naval
of the earth.
Slavic mythology.
That would explain
what brought him to Belgrade.
The Alatyr are referred to
in both ancient Russian
and Balkan poetry
as a mighty force
that has no end.
He made a sketch of it.
It's not too large.
He could be carrying that
on his person.
When he sensed danger,
I saw something on his arm.
It was under the skin.
It glowed,
but it was smaller than this.
Hmm. Ah, what did you glean
at the police station?
There was something odd about
- our jewel thieves.
- CONNOR: Yeah.
They weren't hardened criminals.
They said something
just came over them.
Couldn't explain their behavior.
- They said they felt possessed.
- Hmm.
It sounds like our case
with the cut purses at the park.
But what is the connection?
There's only one way
to find out. Hmm.
You must lure him
into another liaison.
Lure him?
Like I'm some
kind of femme fatale?
Exactly.
But you'll be operating strictly
in your capacity as a Librarian.
Why would he even
wanna see me again
after what happened?
Well, what happened?
It was revealed.
You have a protective relative
whereas you found out
he has superpowers,
who has more explaining to do.
Hmm?
- It is our best shot.
- VIKRAM: Hmm.
- Okay.
- Hmm.
Connor,
you continue the research
on Robert and the Alatyr.
Myself and Charlie
should accompany Ms. Fatale.
No, no.
If I do this,
I'm doing it on my own.
[music]
I didn't know if you'd come.
No, I didn't either.
Don't worry.
I'm alone. I promise.
You sure about that?
I'm so sorry
about what happened.
And Vikram can be
all overprotective.
I felt terrible
when you ran off like that.
I ran off because you couldn't
possibly understand
what's happening with me.
Try me.
You might be surprised at
what I can understand.
What do you do when you spent
your entire life
studying science
and then you find out there are
more powerful forces at play
- in the universe?
- Hmm.
Like what?
Like magic.
Okay. Come with me.
This stone in your arm.
Is it what glows
when you become Red Rock?
It's a part of it. It's a shard.
It embedded itself in my arm
when I accidentally activated
the main stone.
And where is that?
It's still where found it.
I'm studying it.
I think you're messing
with things beyond your control.
Why don't you just let me try
and take out the shard?
Take out the shard?
Have you seen the strength
it gives me?
Can you imagine the power
if I could harness
the main stone?
But there's always
a price to pay for using magic.
The difference I could make
in the world.
You are making a difference
as scientist.
If science is
the be all and end all,
and why did you give up
on your work?
What's the mystery project?
And who is this guy?
Chamberlain?
He's a relative,
a distant relative.
There is nothing for you
to be jealous about.
Lysa, this isn't about
being jealous.
This is about me telling you
my deepest secrets,
and you're still hiding
something from me.
Look,
in case you hadn't realized,
I care about you deeply.
We can be honest
with each other.
I'm sorry.
You're right.
I am keeping things from you.
It's this project, this--
[alarm blaring]
- I have to go.
- No, you don't.
Robert, Robert!
[music]
We now know
two very important things.
Red Rock is deriving his power
from a larger Alatyr stone
and not just from the shard
in his arm.
- Great work, Lysa.
- Yeah,
I'm glad you think it's great.
I feel a bit shady.
But didn't he also say
that he was
still studying it
where he found it?
- Yeah.
- CHARLIE: And Connor said that
the stones were nestled
in the navel of the earth.
Hmm, but we also know
that Belgrade
has an extensive network
of underground caverns.
So we can assume this is where
the Alatyr can be found.
But which cavern?
I mean, they go on for miles.
VIKRAM: Ah, Robert had
white clay on his shoes.
This would indicate an area
by the Sava River.
Oh, I think I have an idea
where it might be.
Excellent.
We go tonight.
[music]
Hmm, almost ready?
Lysa, are you all right?
How can you tell when
the corruptive effects of magic
have taken hold of a person?
Well, it usually begins
innocently enough.
A fascination
with some previously
unimaginable phenomenon.
And the magic is used.
Feeling of exceptionalism
sets in,
followed by a sense
of omnipotence.
[sighs]
Then, presto,
you have a monster
on your hands.
Okay.
You really care for this fellow,
don't you?
I didn't think I had it in me
to feel this way.
It just happened.
I thought we were just
gonna be friends.
But he was so smart and so
So
- handsome.
- [chuckles]
We met in a lecture.
We had coffee,
we exchanged books.
These things have a way
of taking on a life
of their own.
No, but I realized how good
of a person he was.
So decent.
You know, before he was
gonna be a geologist,
he was a divinity student.
He thought about
becoming a priest.
Sounds almost
too good to be true.
Well, yeah,
then he found magic and power
and I think
he's becoming obsessed
with both of them.
It's only a matter of time,
Lysa.
Magic, power, corruption.
It's the devil's equation.
Vikram, I'm worried about
what's gonna happen to him.
[music]
CHARLIE: What makes you
so sure this is the way?
CONNOR: I'm following a hunch.
[music]
[door creaks open]
I had a feeling that he was
looking for this place.
[music]
CONNOR:
In occult history circles,
it's something people
whisper about.
[music]
CONNOR: Hang on.
[electricity crackling]
[music]
Just what I was afraid of.
What is this place?
CONNOR:
Remember everything I told you
about Germany under Hitler?
Of course I do.
The most horrific
and dark period of history.
When this area was occupied
during the Second World War,
the Germans maintained
bunkers underground
to avoid allied bombers.
This doesn't look like
a bomb shelter.
Robert discovered this.
Some of these places
weren't just for hiding.
They were something
else entirely.
Like what?
Like hidden laboratories
for unleashing the power
in magical artifacts.
So where is the stone?
[music]
[sighs]
- What is it?
- It looks like a primitive
magnetic susceptibility
detector.
It's used in geology to measure
the electromagnetic
field intensity in rocks.
These screws have
fresh scratches on them.
[clicks]
[creaks open]
- Nothing here.
- No, wait.
Ah, see that?
Tiny crystallized fragments.
- CONNOR: Oh, yeah.
- LYSA: The stone was here.
He must have moved it.
Then we must find it
before he's completely
corrupted by its power.
[music]
[clatters]
CONNOR: You sure he said
it was down here?
LYSA: He said it was still
where he found it.
We've looked everywhere.
We must decamp
before Red Rock returns.
We need to understand
what we're dealing with.
[music]
Okay. Here's what we know.
I had to dig
into some dark corners
of the Library's collection
but I found the archive
of the Ahnenerbe.
- The what?
- The Ahnenerbe were
a pseudoscientific organization
within the German army.
They were tasked with creating
false historical narratives
to support Hitler's
racist theories.
Heavy on occult beliefs.
And apparently,
when they tried to tap
into the power of the Alatyr,
they unleashed
unwanted contrary forces.
- Contrary forces?
- CONNOR: Yeah,
for every power
that it granted them,
the stone created
more antagonists
who rose up against them.
Partisans, guerrilla fighters.
Hmm, so they cancelled
each other out.
It created
so many problems for them
that they scuttled the program.
[gasp] It's Newton's third law.
Every action has an equal
and opposite reaction.
- But this is magic.
- Yeah,
but even magic has to be
subject to the laws of physics.
So Newton believed
that Forces come in
action-reaction force pairs.
So in this instance,
the force pair
is a superhero and
And the supercriminal.
Or supercrime
in the form
of the current crime wave.
- It's a feedback loop.
- CONNOR: So this rock,
this Alatyr,
is giving Robert his powers
and turning ordinary people
into felons.
When I tapped into the local
crime database,
it showed that
90% of recent incidences
are committed
by first-time offenders.
And the numbers are
increasing rapidly.
So, the Red Rock continues using
the power of the stone,
the entire city will descend
into knavery and chaos.
And Robert will become more
and more corrupted by magic.
We need to find that Alatyr,
APSA!
ASAP.
Right. And at the very least,
we need to remove that shard
from his arm.
Voluntarily or involuntarily, hmm?
- Charlie?
- I have some training
removing bullets in the field.
I can get that shard out
one way or another.
If you don't want
to get involved,
you can sit this one out.
No.
No, I'm a Librarian.
I'll find him and deliver him.
Robert.
How did you know
where I was staying?
I have my ways.
I know that sounds stalker-ish,
but I needed to find you.
This is not something
you can control.
- I can control it.
- You think you can,
but you're dealing with forces
greater than you are.
- How do you know?
- This project I'm working on,
it has to do with thaumaturgy.
- You mean, magic?
- LYSA: Yes,
and the artifacts
that possess it.
And these friends of yours?
Part of the same organization.
But they don't know
that I'm here.
They wouldn't like it
if they did.
So, what's been happening
between us
- is a part of your job?
- No. No.
I only realized
what was happening
after we became involved.
- Robert.
- Why are you here?
Because I care about you.
I--and I know what happens
when people abuse magic.
I'm not abusing anything.
- I was chosen for this.
- Listen to yourself.
It's already happening.
Oh, you're not the same guy
that I first met you.
You used to talk about
doing good for society.
I'm Red Rock.
Without me,
society would fall apart.
What you're doing is
causing society to fall apart.
There's a feedback loop.
The stone doesn't just give you
your power,
it creates a purpose
for your power
by turning other people
to crime.
- You're wrong.
- I'm not.
Listen to me.
I am part of an ancient
and secret institution.
And they have access to tools
more powerful than your Alatyr.
And one way or another,
my colleagues
will get it from you.
Don't walk away from me again.
I care about you.
I'm on your side.
No, you're not.
[music]
[electricity crackling]
[music]
So sorry, but I must demand
that you hand that sacred stone
over to us.
Demand?
[chuckles] All right.
Request.
But refusal is not an option.
[laughter]
Well, I give you this,
you certainly have
- a massive pair of
- Friends?
Give that back.
We need to put this
where it can do no harm.
It's the Alatyr.
Now she's got the power.
[grunts]
[music]
[yells]
Think fast.
[Robert yells]
Charlie.
[Robert grunts]
[music]
VIKRAM: It appears
that we have the advantage.
We are taking the Alatyr
with us.
But before we do,
we have to remove that fragment
from your arm.
Never.
She knows what she's doing.
- It won't hurt.
- Much.
Stop.
There's gotta be another way.
ROBERT: Stand back
or I'll snap her neck.
Now, give me that stone.
LYSA: What are you doing?
You don't wanna do this.
You led them here
so they could find the stone.
You betrayed me.
Don't come any closer.
I demand you unhand her!
Get back!
Give me the stone
or I will crush her.
[music]
Give me the stone,
and I'll let her go.
Do not harm her.
Charlie, give it to him.
No! We're Librarians.
- We don't give up artifacts.
- ROBERT: It's mine.
I found it.
Give me the stone
and I will leave this city
and you can go
about your business.
LYSA: Don't listen to him.
It's just the stone talking.
He won't hurt me.
- Yes, I will.
- Give it to him.
LYSA: No. Charlie, no.
No! No!
Robert, stop!
This isn't you.
What happened to the man
I first met?
I was no one.
I was anonymous scientist
working on a problem
that will never be solved
in my lifetime.
Maybe not,
but another scientist
will stand on your shoulders
and it will be solved.
It may not be as glamorous
as being Red Rock,
but it is real.
It matters.
What matters is this.
The power that I get from this.
With this, I can fight injustice
every day.
LYSA: What you're doing is
creating injustice.
You are turning innocent people
into criminals
every time you use the stone.
I'm telling you,
it is Newton's third law.
- It is
- ROBERT: You and I both know
this is outside the realm
of science.
This is about spirit.
LYSA: Okay, fine.
Then forget science.
What about the gospel
of Matthew?
Violence begets violence.
You just threatened to kill me.
Is that who you are?
Please.
You can stop this.
[music]
[shatters]
[breaks]
- [groans]
- Okay.
No, you're okay.
[music]
Write me when you get
to California.
You should come and visit.
Faculty housing at Cal Tech
is like a five star hotel.
You mean bunk together?
That is mighty presumptuous.
Thought it was worth a try.
Maybe our paths
will cross again one day.
But not now?
[sighs deeply]
A lot has happened
in the last couple of weeks.
I've had a chance to think
about things,
about my life and about
all the commitments I've made.
And I'm not one of them?
Hey, you need to do your work
and I need to do mine.
Yeah, your work.
The organization
that you work for.
You never really told me
what it was.
Believe it or not,
I'm just a Librarian.
[cab approaching]
Well, I guess this is goodbye.
Hmm.
Goodbye, Robert.
[sighs sharply]
[music]
Man, it felt pretty awesome
to have this sort of power.
Even for a moment.
You don't think this debris
has any more juice left in it,
do you?
Don't even think about it.
This is going into storage
in the Library.
I was just wondering.
You know, Connor,
it isn't necessary to employ
supernatural hoodwinking
to become a superhero.
It merely requires that one
have extraordinary intelligence
and a superior
physical dexterity.
It's true.
Batman doesn't have
any superpowers.
In my day, a batman
was a personal servant
to a military officer.
Well now,
he's a billion-dollar franchise.
[music]
[footsteps approaching]
Did the departure proceed
without incident?
This idea that a Librarian
can't have a personal life.
I don't think
I really understood
what I was getting into.
We all face that realization
at some point.
But you are a remarkably
wise person.
You will find
the proper balance.
That is a change of tune.
No more "I'm the guardian
of this young woman's honor"?
Yes, I may possess
a finely honed intellect
and encyclopedic knowledge.
But I can still learn
a few things.
The Library tells us
to avoid romantic entanglements.
But we are human.
We have human emotions.
It is up to each of us
to sort that out for ourselves.
Did you know that
when you were with Anya
or did you only
realize that now?
I only know that the heart wants
what the heart wants.
But does the heart
ever wanna be alone?
"For oft when on my couch I lie
in vacant or in pensive mood,
they flash upon that inward eye,
which is the bliss of solitude.
And then my heart
with pleasure fills"
"and dances
with the daffodils."
William Wordsworth. Hmm.
We were pals, Wordsworth and I.
We used to lark about
the Lake District together.
Hmm.
Larking about.
Sounds good.
Anyone up for a walk?
Count me in.
Me too.
Always up for a good lark.
[Lysa chuckles]
[music]
Daffodils.