'The Librarians: The Next Chapter' Episodes 1-2 Recap: Will Vikram Return To His Timeline?

A new chapter of The Librarians universe unfolds as the latest spin-off series, The Next Chapter, hits the small screen—introducing a new coterie of characters to the series fans. The latest adventures of protectors of mystical artifacts of the Library will encourage new viewers to get in the groove as well, as, despite having connections with the established lore, the new series treats its narrative as its own thing. Let us go through the first two episodes of the series to get to know these new players a bit better and get an assessment of the situation at hand.

Spoilers Ahead

The first episode opens in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1847, as a despotic General Bogdan Gregor discovers the tomb of Attila the Hun—from where he obtains the sword of the Roman god of war, Mars. With this powerful artifact in his possession, the general can manifest his dream of global domination—but not if his longtime confidante/advisor, Vikram Chamberlain, has to do something about it. Vikram has kept his true identity as a librarian, guardian of humanity from the abuse of the powerful magical conduits, a secret from Gregor—and at the right opportunity he reveals his true intentions to stop the general from obtaining the sword. However, unlike other librarians, Vikram more often relies on the usage of magic, ignoring the risks of corruption. At present, he uses the Scarab of Horus to trap himself and Gregor inside a time trap—but as Vikram’s associate fails to get himself out in due time, he spends two centuries inside the time trap within seconds. 

Jacob Stone, the librarian of the modern age who previously appeared in “The Librarians” series, rescues Vikram by pulling him out of the time trap. A time-displaced Vikram wants to go back to his age, as it is revealed later that he was in a romantic relationship with Gregor’s spouse, Anya. However. Jacob forbids him from trying to make a trip back in time, as such actions risk major temporal crises. However, ignoring the warning, Vikram goes inside the castle, which is the annex, which is a direct link to the library, and activates its magical power source. Doing so, Vikram restores the annex to its past form but also awakens the restless spirit of Drekavac. Viewers meet Connor Green, a Harvard historian/cryptozoology/metaphysics nerd who was sacked from his job for expressing his belief in things that science can’t explain. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have Lysa Pascal, a physicist/mathematician who harbors strong disbelief regarding anything magical. Lysa’s overdependence on rationalism stems from her wish to control the fatalistic nature of reality, as she hasn’t gotten over the tragic memory of losing her parents. It should be mentioned that Lysa has bought the castle and shares a striking resemblance to Anya, the reason for which hasn’t been revealed yet. Both of them had entered the annex, and as Vikram transforms it, they end up touching the stone of Kraljevic, which makes them the target of Drekavac. 

Finding out about the entire fiasco, Jacob shares his disappointment with Vikram, mentioning he is known as a rogue librarian in the history of their kind for his tendency to take risks by using magic. Vikram takes it upon himself to solve the mess he has unwittingly created and takes Connor and Lysa along with him to ensure their protection from Drekavac. Stone sends Charlie Cornwall as guardian to Vikram. It is revealed that Stone has offered a second chance to Charlie to prove herself, as due to undisclosed past issues she had fallen from grace. The quartet begins looking for Drekavac and finds a clue through a Serbian heavy metal band, Cult of Gregor’s Hammer. While the team fears that the lead singer of the band is possessed by the monster and is going to infect the concert crowd with its malice, the singer’s sister turns out to be a host of the monster. Charlie and Vikram face a moral crisis, given Drekavac can possess people—which poses a tough question regarding the elimination of the monster. Connor and Lysa figure out the right way to incapacitate the monster using their wits, and in the end, Vikram is able to simultaneously rescue the host and put the monster to rest by showing the true strength of a librarian—their compassion and empathy. 

As the quartet returns to the castle annex with the help of the teleportation gateway created by Stone, it is revealed that there might be more such mystical creatures and magical artifacts that have been activated by Vikram’s actions. As Vikram decides to put things in order, Lysa and Connor decide to join him as well. In the final moments of the first episode, it is hinted that Gregor is going to escape the time trap Vikram had put him in and arrive in the present timeline. 

The second episode formally introduces viewers to Elaine Astolat, a surprisingly highly skilled caretaker of the castle annex, who is revealed to have been waiting for Vikram for the last two centuries. A conversation between her and Vikram sheds light on the life Vikram has lost by getting stuck in the time trap, with Elaine mentioning how impossible it is for him to regain the connection with Anya that he has lost forever. 

Regarding the latest crisis, the team learns about a ballet group that has been targeted by a killer spell that forces its targets to keep dancing and drains vitality in the process. The team of mystical investigators gets busy untangling a conspiracy involving the choreographer Yelena, prima ballerina, legendary veteran ballet dancer Dame Anna, understudy Natalia, and ballet’s conductor. Eventually Vikram’s findings indicate that a Noon Witch has been impersonating one of the members of the group and is planning to use their performance as a ritual coinciding with the summer solstice to drain vitality using the audience’s adulation to gain eternal life. It turns out Dame Anna is the Noon Witch in question who has killed Yelena, taken hold of the minds of ballet group members, and also manages to incapacitate Vikram when he confronts her. If you have seen the recent Suspiria, you can point out the similarities easily. 

Connor and Lysa try their best to interrupt the performance, while Charlie, who shared a passion for ballet but had to quit for her present vocation as Guardian, uses her skill to create a distraction for Dame Anna, aka the witch Lady Midday. At the end of the performance, the audience applauds, but much to Lady Midday’s surprise, nothing happens. Vikram, now back to his senses, reveals to Midday that using the conductor’s commands, and thanks to the distraction provided by his friends, he has already managed to ensure the precise timing required for the ritual is missed. Lady Midday is vanquished as she turns into dust and disappears, and once again, the audience applauds, but this time Vikram, Charlie, Connor, and Lysa are the recipients of their adulation. 

The second episode ends with the team returning to the annex and planning for their next adventure, and the question about Vikram’s past looms larger. There is a reason as to why Elaine has sold the castle where the annex is located to Lysa, who is a spitting image of Anya—and things are bound to get complicated when Gregor inevitably arrives in this timeline.