SYSBW: Hot Villain Alert on The Librarians, Season 2

We like to recap and talk about shows that we think romance readers might like, and that we want to help attain a wider audience. Last year we recapped The Librarians episode by episode, and it’s back this year for season 2 on TNT in the US. (Yay!) We’re not recapping it since we’ve got other shows on the schedule – but I would feel terrible if y’all missed out on seeing the Seriously Smoking Hot Bad Guy.

Now, I’m not really good at watching tv. There’s a reason the television coverage is not usually written by me, and that’s because, honestly, I really suck at keeping up with television shows. Plus, as I’ve mentioned, I struggle with a deep mistrust of some tv writers, who are so often all about scaring the shit out of me or presenting violent crimes against young women over and over to establish pathos and emotional connection, and then leaving the ending unsatisfactory or nonexistent at all. The tv medium and I are not a good match. Nonfiction? Sure. I will watch people cook things in ridiculously over-decorated kitchens for hours. TV dramas? Eeeeeh. I have trust issues.

But I am 200% here for season 2 of The Librarians. We talked about this when we were recapping and discussing each episode of season 1, but I love this show because it knows exactly what it is, and there isn’t much else like it  on television right now. It’s adventure and magic and goofy humor and a good blend of high stakes and slapstick. Plus, Kate Rorick, aka Kate Noble, is still working on the show as story editor, which means I have a lot more faith in the writing of the show to create believable and satisfying endings. The finale of the first season was very well done, and wrapped up all the stories from each episode in a way that made sense against the larger arc of the season. So I’m recording and watching season 2 almost as soon as it airs. (This is really rare for me.)

Here’s season 2 in a nutshell, and by extension the reason I’m telling you about this season. Shakespeare’s Prospero (from The Tempest) has been brought to life, and he’s assembled a rather epic posse of bad guys from literature, including the Queen of Hearts and Frankenstein (who isn’t a bad guy, I know, but is still a troublesome force for the protagonists to deal with). TNT has a promotional video that explains the larger context, starting at about :45.

The first character he pulls from fiction is Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes series.

I know there’s a few Sherlock series and there are a few Moriartys on television right now, but if you like really compelling villains and fine cravats, you should have a look at this one:

I know – no cravat in that picture. But still, trust me.

Sometimes I can do other things while watching tv, like cross stitching or answering email, but then this guy walks on scene and starts talking to Col. Baird (Rebecca Romijn) and I swear to you, I think the tv is going to melt. Serious chemistry. Like, combustible. If it were in a plastic container, it would need to have triangle stickers on it with exclamation points.

Moriarty is played by South African actor David S. Lee, who was also in Castle, and has appeared in other US television shows, too. But on The Librarians, well, there’s a cravat, plus unflappable confidence and serious intelligence. (Hellooooo catnip!) 

 

The scenes between Moriarty and Col. Baird are the best, not only because of all the chemistry that’s going to reset my router, but because he seems to trust her, so even though he’s trying to needle her and tick her off, he also reveals things about himself, and his motivations. Moriarty as written, and as portrayed here, is scary for me as a reader/viewer because he’s the type of antagonist who tells you what he’s doing, as he does it, and he can’t be stopped because he’s already outsmarted you and you both know it.Some of the stories in each episode are a little goofy, and the stakes are telegraphed as high though they’re not always, but Lee as Moriarty pretty much devours the scenery. Plus he calls Baird “Duchess,” partly to tease her and partly because he seems to think she’s very classy.

 

 

Moriarty has to outsmart Prospero (pictured above) because, as Prospero is the one who conjured him, Prospero is the one who controls him, and Moriarty is not happy about that at all.

Here’s a clip from one episode that shows both the goofy humor from the cast and the unflappable cravat of Lee’s Moriarty:

This one character portrayal has opened up a terrifying rabbit hole for me. Gif sets? Yup. Clips on YouTube? OF COURSE. Image searches? Obviously. There’s extreme dorking going on over here.

 

But back to Moriarty.

Mr. Unflappable Cravat shows up to smolder and wreak some havoc in most episodes after he’s brought to life, so there’s much to enjoy.

If I’m correct, and I hope I am, you, no matter what time zone you’re currently hanging out in, can watch the episodes that have aired already on TNT’s website and on the TNT Librarians channel on YouTube. (NB: the “Think like a Librarian” PSAs from three of the cast members are also adorable.) My local cable has the episodes On Demand for any time streaming, so you can check your subscription access as well.

Like I said, The Librarians is fun because it knows what it is, and it embraces every silly moment along with the more important ones, too. The season so far is an excellent blend: everyone involved seemslike they’re having a good time, but there’s also a not insignificant amount of thought behind building the conflict and the characters for this season.

Plus, you know… Unflappable Cravats.