While beautifully capturing the original series’ tone,The Librarians: The Next Chapterneeds to be careful not to stray too close to one major Cassandra Cillian plot. TNT clearly has faith in the series, givenThe Librarians: The Next Chapterseason 2is already filming. ButThe Librarians: The Next Chapter’s castneeds to retain their differences from the originals.
That should already be a need, since the confirmation of futureThe Librarianscameos inThe Next Chaptermeans the two teams will already draw observable comparisons. But sinceLysa Pascal is obviously meant to be the spinoff’s counterpart to Cassandra Cillian, the best difference between the two needs to remain intact. And that means avoiding Cassandra’s most distinguishable trait.
Cassandra Cillian Eventually Gains Magical Powers In The Librarians
Her STEM Knowledge Gets A Budget-Friendly VFX Upgrade
There are already severaldifferences betweenThe Librariansand the spinoff, particularly regarding Vikram Chamberlain and Flynn Carsen. For Lysa to stand apart, she can’t follow too closely in Cillian’s footsteps, particularly regarding the plotline whereinCassandra gains the power of sorcery from a magical storybook inThe Librariansepisode 6. Especially since Cassandra already has powers of her own.
From the beginning, a grape-sized tumor grants Cass the power to magically visualize complex equations. After her tumor’s removal,Cassie’s visualizations grow to fill the span of entire rooms while telepathically implanting the ideas they represent in others’ brains. Putting aside alternate timelines in which Cass becomes a true sorceress, even this can’t work forThe Librarians: The Next Chapter.
The Librarians: The Next Chapter’s Rules Dictate Lysa Pascal Needs To Remain Powerless
Giving Her Magic Would Feel Too Much Like Cheating
Much like Cassandra Cillian,The Librarians: The Next Chapter’s Lysa Pascalis an adorable STEM major who finds the world of magic fascinating, although she’s much less apt than Cass to classify her adventures as factually magical. But even if she believed in magic,giving Lysa powers to use as frequently as Cass used hers would break the spinoff’s rules.
It’s a major point of contention throughout the spinoff, particularly in the first episode, that Vikram’s use of magic is considered reckless.Flynn already did his best to uphold rules against magic usage inThe Librarians, although the original series played somewhat fast and loose with that rule when a problem could only be solved with relics or time travel.
The Librarians: The Next Chapterhas been a bit more consistent. Vikram still interprets the rules as he pleases, and it’s foreshadowed that he’ll do so even more in his search for Anya. ButConnor using the Crown of Anansi inThe Librarians: The Next Chapterepisode 7 is treated as uncharacteristic. The same should hold equally true for Lysa.
Lysa Remaining Powerless Gives The Librarians: The Next Chapter A Unique Sci-Fi Hook
She’s Already Proving Magic Has A Scientific Basis
Some of thebest episodes ofThe Librariansinvolve characters breaking the ban on magic use, and Cass has a difficult time avoiding its use by nature. However, aside from her lack of magical brain tumors,Lysa’s best power inThe Librarians: The Next Chapteris actually her skepticism itself. It’s even saved the day on at least one occasion.
After Connor realizes he’s still wearing the Crown of Anansi in episode 7, even he’s initially unable to break his own mind control over the others. He’s only able to succeed becauseLysa created a smartphone application that can read and track nearby magical energies, allowing him to prove to everyone that they’re under the influence of a spell.
This app is quintessentially Lysa. She doesn’t just believe that there’s a scientific basis behind magical occurrences, she’s taken steps that occasionally seem to corroborate that thesis. Her scientific explanations for artifacts and sorcery setThe Librarians: The Next Chapterapart from the original in a wonderfully thought-provoking, world-building way. She doesn’t need parlor tricks with a mind that powerful.
The Librarians: The Next Chapter
Cast
The Librarians: The Next Chapter features a time-traveling librarian from the past who becomes stranded in the present. Upon returning to his now museum-castle, he accidentally unleashes magic across the continent. To address this, he assembles a new team of Librarians tasked with restoring balance.
