Episode 203 of The Librarians, titled What Lies Beneath the Stones, is all about the “family Stone,” with Jake learning that the truth really does set you free, it also traps an ancient shape shifter. Christian Kane owns this episode as the Oklahoma genius who has to uncover the lies “beneath the Stones.” Jeff Fahey guest stars as the Stone patriarch who Jake has hidden the truth from for years and who has lied to his son in return.
Stone, the elder, owns a drilling business and his latest project uncovers a tunnel in the ground, which at first look, appears to be a Choctaw burial chamber. As the local tribe protest the invasion of their heritage, a released shapeshifter begins creating havoc around the drilling site.
Back at the Library, which does seem to be borrowing just a bit from the Warehouse 13 playbook, (as in something mysterious has rearranged the library and some parts are missing) two members of the team are busy. Jenkins (John Larroquette) is struggling to put everything back in its place and Colonel Baird (Rebecca Romijn) opts to help him rather than assist the three new librarians in their first “voluntary” team effort in Season two.
This episode manages to run a parallel storyline, or at the very least a two-tiered theme. Truth is important, whether dealing with a released “Hoklonote” or dealing with one’s family, as in Jake’s father or with one’s close colleagues, another sort of family. As the released shapeshifter increases the chaos factor at the Oklahoma site, it is not only Stone who must tell the truth, but Ezekiel (John Harlan Kim) and Cassandra (Lindy Booth) must also bare their souls.
The team work out what the “cause and effect” solution must be in order to trap the creature and to get things back to normal. In the process, much is learned about the team. Rather oddly, it is revealed that Cillian (Booth) has a multitude of lies, or at least “untruths” that she uses to keep the trap open till Jake can bring the Hoklonote back.
Just as strange, and funny, is the revelation that the more “criminally minded” Jones, only really has one “lie” to hide.
Stand out moments:
Jake stripping all the lies away and removing all artifice in front of his father Issac (Jeff Fahey). The elder Stone pauses and then tells his son that he loves hims and gives him a hug. Jake, returns the hug and then tells his “dad” that his real father would never say or do that. Stone then pulls the shapeshifter into the tunnel entrance in a free fall to the bottom.
Cassandra Cillian keeping the trap open with a long list of truths, one of which (that is never finished) sounds very disturbing, her joyous revelation starts with “And then the light went out of his eyes…” There is obviously a deepness to the tumor ridden genius as yet untapped by the writers.
Ezekiel’s description of films as books that are easier to read and have better pictures along with his insistence that the entire Oklahoma problem was caused by poltergeist.
Jakes assertion that a “truth” has emotional weight.
Eve Baird was trapped in the library through out the episode and this left the new replacements for Noah Wyle’s Flynn Carson up to their own devices and allowed the actors to show what splendid chemistry they have together.
What Lies Beneath the Stones, gave viewers a quick reminder of what each of the newbies had in terms of backstory. Cillian’s tumor, Jones’ thieving past, even if it was for the Queen, and Jake’s issues with identity, confidence and blaming his father for having to lie.
Peripherally it allows Jenkins to have a little backstory, the old photo of Jenkins with a bloody nose and a most unhappy look on his face showed that the old dog had not always been in the library.
It was nice to see Jeff Fahey could take time from his busy schedule this year to appear on the show. The actor is a regular on From Dusk to Dawn the series (Uncle Eddie) and the miniseries Texas Rising as Thomas Rusk, not to mention his short appearance in Falling Skies (another TNT series) this year as well. The New York born actor has specialized in playing country characters, like his role as the cook in Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, and manages to effortlessly portray characters from Texas and Oklahoma.
The Librarians episode finish has Jake Stone putting his real name on a paper he is writing. Whatever lies that were beneath the “Stones” have been laid to rest, at least from Jake’s end. This series airs Sundays on TNT and is good family entertainment. Not a lot of gore or gratuitous bad language grace the set pieces of this show. Tune in and invite grandma and the kids.
Agreed! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Loved the episode with Christian Kane and Jeff Fahey as father and son! Great choice of #Pop for #Stone.. Good to see Stone come to terms with some of his issues from his past.. Hope to see more as the season continues.. and many more seasons! Thanks!