With the Library gone, Eve finds herself in a world with bleak tones, where creativity and curiosity are suppressed by the all-powerful Corporation. She has to construct a "mind palace" to keep the memories of the Library alive, lest she loses the last thread to it. She finds the Librarians working menial jobs (well, except for Ezekiel, who is a TV show host) and learns that all of them have been dreaming of the Library but have been afraid of saying anything for fear of the thought police. Eve is eventually taken by them to a mental hospital, where she learns that Nicole runs the Corporation and seeks to wipe the memories of everyone connected to the Library, including Flynn. Eventually, Eve uses her knowledge to reawaken the memories of the others, thus reforming the Library and erasing the bleak reality. Flynn travels back in time and convinces Nicole to be the Library's own Guardian. He awakens at the start of the season, with only him and Eve remembering the alternate timeline, learning that Nicole followed his advice. He proposes that he and Eve tether themselves to the Library immediately.
Tropes
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Ezekiel remembers that Jacob used to know archaeology, causing Jacob to figure out how to sneak into the mental hospital by recognizing when it was build. Ezekiel then suggests Cassandra try her "hand math" thing, which allows her to calculate the best time to sneak in. Ezekiel himself than casually bypasses an electronic lock despite not really knowing what's he doing.
- Bad Boss: Cassandra's boss shouts at her for stapling documents a millimeter off-center, then telling her that her work is piling up. The only reason her work is piling up is because he's standing there yelling at her instead of letting her work.
- Bavarian Fire Drill: When the Librarians break into the mental hospital, they are confronted by employees with guns. When asked who they are, all three respond with the usual "We're the Librarians." After a moment, the employees relax and let them pass. The Librarians are confused why this worked. The answer? This world discourages curiosity and free thinking. Why would any of those people assume they were anything other than what they said they were? As for why they even needed Librarians in a world, where knowledge is seen as something bad, well, that's a different question.
- Big Brother Is Watching: Everyone is being watched for signs of being different.
- Big "NO!": Nicole's reaction to helplessly watching the Librarians bringing the Library back.
- Coincidental Broadcast: Just when Eve needs to start looking for the Librarians, a car dealership commercial comes on with Jacob as the spokesperson. Also inverted a little earlier. The show that was on TV before Eve's ring activated Flynn's hidden message was about to name its host Ezekiel Jones.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Nicole runs the Company and is doing everything in her power to keep the world bland and the Library dead.
- Cosmic Retcon: Flynn time-traveling to Nicole's past and convincing her to change her ways undoes the entire season. The next thing Flynn knows, he's waking up to Excalibur prodding him, just like the season opener.
- Creative Sterility: This is enforced by this new world. Curiosity is frowned upon and punished. Doing anything differently is also bad. Cassandra gets shouted at by her boss for stapling documents a millimeter slightly off-center.
- Deliberately Monochrome: While not completely black and while, the world of The Company is extremely washed out, with everyone and everything in white, grays and black.
- Forgotten Aesop: The Librarians are sure eager to get the Library back, despite everything it did in the previous episode, including killing Jenkins. It helps that they don't remember that fact thanks to the changed timeline until after they restore the Library and the timeline.
- Goggles Do Nothing: Everyone wears glasses in the new world, even though most people probably don't need them.
- Humans Are Average: Without the Library, the entire world turns bland and uninteresting. People revert to 50s clothing, everyone wear glasses, the colors are intentionally muted, and the only entertainment on TV is a show about people tripping and falling. It appears Nicole is taking pointers from Lord Business.
- Immortality Inducer: Nicole is shown to drink a potion of some kind to become immortal 500 years ago. Also, at the end, Flynn and Eve undergo the Tethering ceremony, becoming immortal, like Judson and Charlene before them.
- Masochist's Meal: In the new unimaginative world, everyone eats the same exact thing: fat and flour. Naturally, Eve is disgusted.
- Mental World: Eve tries to hold on to the Library's memories by constructing a "mind palace", focusing on three specific items: the Spear of Destiny, the golden lions at the entrance (here, kitty-kitty-kitty), and the Ark of the Covenant. Eventually, though, she finds that the items are slowly disappearing from the "palace", until she can no longer remember anything. Flynn does the same, except he uses a String Theory hidden behind the padded walls of his room to aid him. When trapped, Eve reminds each of the Librarians how great they are (Jacob's art and history, Cassandra's math and science, Ezekiel's knowledge of the value of every item, and Flynn's intimate knowledge of the Library itself) allowing them to "repopulate" their memories of the Library, thus reconstructing it for real.
- One Nation Under Copyright: The Company runs everything in this world. When Eve asks Jacob what the Company does, he replies that he doesn't know and never thought to ask.
- Our Time Machine Is Different: Flynn figures out that the Toaster of Albuquerque is a special type of time machine that tracks people instead of years. He uses it to open a portal to the moment just prior to Nicole's Start of Darkness and convinces her to change.
- Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman: In this new world, the Librarians have regular jobs:
- Jacob really is a used car salesman. He insists that his cars are perfectly average, just right for any person.
- Cassandra's job involves receiving papers via a pneumatic tube, stapling them (exactly in the middle), and then sending them on via another pneumatic tube.
- Ezekiel is the host of a popular (well, the only) TV show about people tripping and falling.
- Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: After the Library's disappearance, everyone forgets it ever existed. Even Eve has to fight and resort to memory tricks to keep the Library alive in her mind. Flynn does the same thing, despite Nicole's repeated attempts at wiping his memory. The other Librarians forget, but they keep having dreams of the Library. Eventually, they manage to recover some of the memories and use them to rescue Flynn and Eve. Nicole herself remembers everything thanks to a magical locket on her neck. After Flynn Set Right What Once Went Wrong, only he and Eve remember the alternate timeline (i.e. the entire season), since they were interacting with the Toaster of Albuquerque.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Flynn uses the Toaster of Albuquerque to jump back in time to the moment when Nicole was about to drink the immortality potion (her Start of Darkness) and gives her the story of her own future, convincing her to be the Library's Guardian, not his, and to let go of her hatred. It works. Flynn is once again awakened by Excalibur for the Tethering practice, only to remember what happened. He and Eve then embrace Jenkins, who is alive and immortal again.
- The Slow Path: Just before Flynn jumps back to his own time, Nicole (now smiling) tells him that she'll see him in 500 years.
- Start of Darkness: When trying to calibrate the Toaster of Albuquerque to Nicole, Flynn finds the spot, where Nicole is about to drink the immortality potion and embark on her quest to destroy the Library. He jumps to that moment and convinces Nicole to still do everything she's going to do (in order not to change history too much), but always do it for the Library. She agrees.
- Stating the Simple Solution: When Eve is wondering how to find Cassandra and Ezekiel, Jacob suggests that they simply look them up in the Company directory. After all, everyone works for the Company, one way or another.
- The Tape Knew You Would Say That: Flynn attempts to do this with a ring Eve wore. This failed utterly and completely at pretty much every chance.
- Thoughtcrime: Apparently, in this new world, being curious about something or having dreams nets you a visit from the thought police, who drag you away to a mental institution. One reason the former Librarians are so reserved in front of Eve is her black outfit. Only the thought police (well, and Nicole) wear black.
