Warning: SPOILERS forThe Librarians: The Next Chapterseason 1, episode 10, “And Going Medieval.”
An unexpected character return inThe Librarians: The Next Chaptercould lead to a major reveal in season 2 if one actor makes an appearance. There haven’t been a lot of familiar faces inThe Librarians: The Next Chaptercastthus far, but new information about three characters in particular could lead to an extremely consequential cameo in the future.
UntilThe Librarians: The Next Chapterepisode 10,the only notable appearances by original series characters have been Jacob Stone and Excalibur, only one of whom actually affected the plot of his episode in a meaningful way. However, thanks to numerous recent reveals about Elaine, it’s time for another character to return inThe Librarians: The Next Chapterseason 2.
His Secret Arthurian Identity Was Important To The Story
Just as Elaine Astolat helps oversee the categorization and inventory of relics coming into Vikram’s Annex,The Librariansfeatured John Larroquette in the same position with an equally Arthurian twist. It’s revealed in episode 10 that Elaine lived in Camelot, while Larroquette’s Jenkins was revealed to be the legendary Galahad, son of season 1 villain Dulaque.
Jenkins participates in some ofThe Librarians’ best episodes, even becoming the main focus in an oddball episode aboutDungeons & Dragons. But, as Custodian,Jenkins’ most important role is to ensure the safety of the Library and the artifacts contained therein. And, as recently revealed, that job description isn’t the only thing he and Elaine have in common.
The Librarians: The Next Chapter Reveals That Elaine Astolat Is Lancelot’s Former Lover
Although She’s Characterized Quite Differently From Her Legendary Namesake
Not only do Jenkins and Elaine share a job, but they also share a connection to Galahad’s father. As revealed inThe Librarians: The Next Chapterepisode 10 (and as made obvious from the beginning based on her name alone),Elaine is actually a heavily reimagined version of the Arthurian figure Elaine of Astolat. There are, however, some notable differences.
While the original Elaine of Astolat was a wealthy maiden who died of heartbreak shortly after she and Lancelot parted ways,The Librarians’ version of Elaine is a female Round Table knight who left her relationship with Lancelot when he became obsessed with magic. And this history could lead to a compelling twist about yet anotherThe Librarianscharacter.
Vikram sends Elaine to meet Jenkins at the end of episode 10, presumably because they share a connection through their Arthurian roots. Unfortunately,we don’t get to witness the scene in which Elaine and Jenkins are actually introduced to one another. Not only would this be a big moment in the spinoff’s backstory, but potentially for Jenkins as an individual.
In the original Arthurian lore, Galahad was the son of Lancelot by yet another woman named Elaine. But, sincethe spinoff already changed Arthurian legend significantly by making her a knight, changing Galahad’s mother to Elaine of Astolat wouldn’t be a big stretch. Moreover, there’s arguably no better time to introduce a Jenkins-related twist.
Why The Librarians: The Next Chapter Season 2 Is The Perfect Time To Introduce Jenkins
Scheduling Conflicts With Night Court Are No Longer A Concern
There are plenty of reasons Jenkins couldn’t (or shouldn’t) have appeared in the first season ofThe Librarians: The Next Chapterthat thankfully won’t apply going into season 2. One real-world concern that’s no longer an issue is thatNBC canceled theNight Courtreboot, meaningJohn Larroquette should be more available to reprise his role without scheduling issues.
Since season 2 is already filming, virtually any scheduling conflicts could have stood in the way of Larroquette’s return.Scheduling is an even bigger issue when considering the spinoff films in Serbia, making it harder to travel to and from set when working on more than one project. But there are also in-universe reasons for Jenkins to return now.
For one thing, while it always seemed obvious that former villain types like angry gods orThe Librarians’ Fictionalsmight make an appearance,the appearance of Lancelot in an episode involving time travel opens the door forThe Librarians’ Dulaque to return yet again in future episodes.
Additionally, there’s been no reason to include many characters from the main Library when half the spinoff’s characters aren’t actually Librarians yet. However,it would make the most story sense for Lysa and Connor to become Librarians inThe Next Chapterseason 1 finale, meaning they could have reason to cross paths with Jenkins much more often in the future.
How The Librarians: The Next Chapter Can Further Develop John Larroquette’s Character
The main spinoff cast becoming full-fledged Librarians would already justify moreThe Librarianscameos inThe Next Chapter, since there’d be more reason for the two Annexes to interact.What makes Jenkins unique is simply that he has a shared past with Elaine Astolat, something that could be revisited regardless of whether she’s revealed to be his mother.
If Lancelot were to return, that alone would justify seeing Elaine and Jenkins work together, something the original series couldn’t deliver since Elaine obviously wasn’t a character yet. ButJenkins doesn’t need to go medieval with Elaine to justify his appearance inThe Next Chapter. There’s another fun way to explore his character already built into the story.
Jenkins grew a lot inThe Librarians, even making friends with aD&Dgroup in the last season.The Librarians: The Next Chapterhas been having fun with Vikram’s discovery of the modern human world as well. Having Jenkins bond with Vikram over which human entertainment they’ve been exploring lately could be a fun way to catch up.
Larroquette’s return as could even be used simply to address changes in the spinoff, such as why time travel is considered so dangerous inThe Librarians: The Next Chapterwhen it was vital to the original series’ finale. But whatever his function, Larroquette’s return to the franchise would doubtlessly be an incredible gift to fans both old and new alike.
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.
