Original subtitles

Miss, are you okay?

Can you hear me, miss?

What are you smiling about?

It's amazing.

Atlas lifting up the world.

Or it's weighing on his shoulders.

Well, I haven't seen you before.

Well, that's disappointing.

Lefty-loosy, righty-tighty.

Word to the wise, don't speak

while the Chinese Gourd Vessel is opened.

Unless you want to end up in a stew of your own blood.

Why--

Does a thing like this exist?

I can only imagine there was once someone

who talked too much. Hm.

A Voynich manuscript decoder.

A Thorough History of Dragon Culture.

Slavic Spells and Sorcery.

Say that five times.

Huh.

Just a reminder, dear,

modern devices cannot record or photograph

whilst on Library grounds.

And that includes all Annexes and outer doors.

- Ta. - Who are you?

Be sure to keep your wrists locked.

You won't be able to fight so much as a kelpie

with a sprain. Hm.

Practice a bit more,

and then have your charges meet me in the main room.

Ta very much.

Did she?

Yeah, but who...

I've seen her before.

Manners.

Deeply rude to speak about someone

instead of to them.

You work at the gift shop.

You showed me down here before the Annex reappeared.

What are you doing here now?

Besides planning to implement the dewey decimal system?

No one knows about the Annex.

But you do, so who are you?

Mrs. Astolat!

Stop touching my things!

They're in my way.

Or in the wrong place altogether.

Certainly this should be in the main library.

Or did you not turn in

the Golden Banshee of Kearney for a reason?

I was getting to it.

You collected that three years before your disappearance.

When precisely were you getting to it?

Wait, you knew Vikram in the past?

Before he got frozen in a time bubble?

Now that is an interesting way of saying it.

It avoids all responsibility.

Connor, Lysa, Charlie.

Please meet this unholy creation,

Mrs. Astolat.

Caretaker of this Annex, and general thorn in my side.

A thorn that was told by The Library to wait here

in case you or the Annex returned.

So I did.

Wait, you've been waiting here for nearly 200 years?

Yes.

I've held almost every job this castle has to offer.

But, but that's impossible.

That would make you immortal.

Awesome.

And now that we are back,

you can return to selling trinkets to the tourists.

Now that you're back,

and improbably allowed to function as a Librarian again

with civilians under your charge,

I would be remiss if I did not assist.

Starting...

with this.

That is so cool.

I thought we weren't supposed to use magic.

Is it magic?

Or is it science

that humanity does not yet comprehend?

Thank you.

Understanding historical phenomena

through the lens of science is why I'm here.

Really?

I'm here because there's a magical library.

And I get to hang out with a guy who's 200 years old.

Ahem, when you reopened the well, magic seeped out,

activating dormant artifacts

as well as, no doubt, igniting new ones.

The magic permeated greater Belgrade,

but it's also got into the rivers,

and has now gone who knows where.

I'm sorry.

I didn't know it was going to do that.

What a wonderful justification for every wrong thing.

Connor, be a dear, and get

the pendulum out of that clock, would you?

Ta.

Is it somehow magnetized? Reverse polarity--

Cool. We can put it on the fridge.

You're so deeply unserious.

Such theatrics.

It's a tracker!

It traces residual effects from the well on this map.

Or indeed any other map that appears beneath it.

Wait, does this mean a magical event

occurred at Republic Square?

There are dozens of buildings on that square.

How on Earth are we gonna find out what happened?

We don't.

We let the world do it for us.

Dancer, classically trained,

but can't stop herself.

What happened to her?

The comments say she was taken to Francuska Hospital.

Right. To the hospital I shall go.

I shall return in quarter of an hour.

- Artifact in hand. - Uh, hold on.

You're not going anywhere without protection.

A lone wolf does not need the pack to protect him.

Very funny, sir.

But since it's my job to keep you alive, I'm coming.

Ah, me too.

You're not going to get far without someone who has GPS.

Yeah, and me, because...

Just because.

Fine. Mrs. Astolat,

would you like to join this jolly brigade?

Oh, goodness, no.

I have trinkets to sell.

Then don't let us keep you, adieu!

We still have no idea what happened.

She was so excited to dance.

In the flash mob?

That was a promotional stunt for the National Ballet Company.

She had just gotten her first solo.

It's been her dream since she was six.

Now look at her.

Has she always had that in her hair?

I just don't remember seeing it on the video.

I pointed it out to the doctors.

But they just shrugged.

Who are you again?

- Interns. - Friends.

Interns.

- Who are friends. - Friends.

Your big cover was we're interns?

Technically, I am a doctor. Come on.

How could we be her friends

if we were asking where she works?

Will you two please stop squabbling?

And where does she work?

Ah, the National Ballet Company.

She's a principal dancer, just got her first lead role.

She probably went out to celebrate,

got slipped a hallucinogen or something?

Nah, she wouldn't have gone out.

Just gotten her first lead role?

She would have been living at that theater.

Oh, the stage!

Treading the boards.

Has there ever been a greater invention than the theater?

Provoking thought, eliciting feeling.

I can't believe we're here.

I know. Our first proper case.

Oh, I've done countless investigations like this.

I could do it in my sleep.

Principal dancer sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

Hey, maybe she was targeted.

Maybe someone did this to her.

Well, if it was a random object,

it'd be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But there are only so many people

that work in the ballet.

If I didn't know any better, I would call that a haystack.

ple than expected, but we shall overcome.

I read that quote.

I find it appropriate to the moment.

Yeah, we'll parse the nuance of that later.

You can't be here.

- Ah, yes, Miss... - Yelena.

Yelena Tarkoff? The choreographer?

As you can see, we are trying to mount a technical rehearsal

without a prima ballerina mere few hours before premiere,

and have no time for tourists.

That's precisely why we're here.

We're here to investigate the tragedy.

But police has already been here.

Not police investigators.

We're insurance investigators.

Yeah, there's a possibility

that your prima ballerina was exposed to a toxin

that caused the incident.

And it raises concern about, uh, workplace safety.

- The tempo. The tempo. - No. No.

It has to be Allegro!

Allegro is too fast!

And here they go again.

Just don't get in the way.

Especially not hers.

Well, in Allegro moderato , it's unrecognizable.

Dame Ana, you can't be really mounting a production today

with all the recent tragedy.

We have an understudy.

That's Dame Ana Mirinoff,

Artistic Director, legendary dancer.

No one had extension like her.

You know a lot about ballet?

I've trained in multiple athletic disciplines.

Ballet's great for strength and stamina.

Mr. Arts Critic,

I have a statement for your blog.

The performance will go as scheduled.

The finale will be allegro.

It will go as I say.

Or I will do without you.

And that goes for everyone.

The intrigue of the theatre.

Should we divide and conquer?

I'll take Dame Ana.

- Charlie, why don't you-- - I'm sticking with you.

Connor and Lysa, you take music and choreography.

- Choreography. - Music.

Do you not trust me?

Or do you just want to meet the estimable Dame Ana?

Maybe I do.

Sofia, keep your shoulders back.

This show is going to be a fiasco.

And we should all be at the hospital praying

for our friend.

Why hasn't it been cancelled?

Dame Ana.

She's been forced into retirement,

and refuses to let go.

What can I do for you?

Well, actually, we are here to help you.

To help me?

You mean to help me salvage this cursed production?

And when you say cursed, do you mean--

Oh, I mean cursed.

What I went through

just in order to get an approval from the board.

To have a retirement dance at all.

And now our prima ballerina is in hospital.

Under very strange circumstances.

We haven't understudy--

The board of directors won't honor your decades of work?

Of course not.

They want new, new, new.

I want to show them

I'm still capable to do something

they've never seen before.

She acts like she's reinventing the wheel.

Micro-managing.

You saw her.

"Allegro , not allegro moderat"

She even noted her own score.

I was conducting in Berlin before this.

Um, what ballet is it?

That's why these notes are so ludicrous.

Everyone knows this show.

We've done it a million times.

You are staging Giselle?

You saw it, I presume?

No, no, no. I wasn't able to see it

when it debuted in Paris in 41--

In 41 cities.

A touring production that kicked off in Paris...

Texas.

Yes.

My friend Anya saw it.

Said it was splendid.

Yes, it is.

I danced it several times when I was young.

Am I silly to think that this feels personal?

As if someone wants to stop my dance from happening.

And has there been any threats?

No, no, no. But--

But it's always been an uphill battle.

To get to where you are.

You have such a strong bearing, my girl.

Yes, I had to focus

to remain a prima ballerina.

It was so difficult to make them accept my style.

My entire career is in this book,

and it's filled with people doubting me.

I want my last page to be one of triumph.

Will you help me?

Dame Ana thinks she has the power.

Do you want to know what is the real power

in this theater?

It is this baton.

It is the heartbeat of the show.

And therefore the heartbeat of all those watching.

This is the real control.

So, be honest.

You want the artistic director job?

I'm not likely to get it.

When I haven't shown my work in months.

But you're the choreographer.

Hardly.

I did a little more than take Dame Ana's dictation.

That's a lot of pharmaceuticals.

Dancers get hurt.

And if there is nothing else,

I have to go rehearse the new understudy.

It's the baton. It has to be the baton.

Or it's pharmaceutical.

There is medicinal fungi, ergot, Ophiocordyceps.

They can be used to compel people to do things.

He literally said it's the most powerful thing in the theater.

Where is the new understudy?

- Natalia! - I'm here.

Thank you so much for this opportunity--

Just show us you know the steps.

Music!

How could it be the baton?

You just can't explain the baton

the way you can poisoning someone with fungi.

Generally speaking,

being able to explain things is a good thing.

Lysa has a point.

Things have a reason.

Who has a reason to hurt the prima?

- Yelena. - Gustav.

What about her?

The understudy.

Where I'm from, the understudy advances,

not by malice,

but by becoming very good friends

with well-heeled gentlemen.

We'll parse the nuance of that later.

She's good.

No, she's more than good.

Look at that extension.

And she did just get a chance to shine.

That's not shine.

That's smoke.

Help me! Help me! Help me!

Get them off! Get them off!

Help me! Help me! Help me!

Are you all right?

What happened? I couldn't stop.

It's not you that couldn't stop.

You would think that with all the fairy tales,

Cinderella, the red shoes, the chick in the boot

with child labor violations,

that there would be more about curses on footwear.

Maybe there's something in these.

There's no wiring for remote control.

Nothing out of the ordinary. They're just shoes.

Maybe you're not looking properly.

I know how to use a microscope.

And I know how to use this one.

Special lenses. Hmm?

Touched by the Waters of Malfi,

which allow us to see things in a new light.

Ooh. Oh, yes.

Wait, whoa.

There's a powdery substance on the shoe.

Yeah. It's rosin,

a sticky powder dancers dip their toes in.

Helps with stability.

Yeah, but this has got the same signature

as the stuff coming out of the well. Look.

You mean magic?

Agree to disagree.

The rosin box.

Natalia dipped her shoes in it before she went on stage.

I'll go to the theater and grab it.

You know a lot about ballet.

We don't know a lot about you,

so everything we do learn is new.

And interesting.

My job is to keep you alive, not to share.

So, uh, what should we do?

We turn ourselves to the task of research, hmm?

Someone put that rosin there.

So if we find where the rosin comes from,

we find the culprit.

Well...

I recommend narrowing your search.

Why must you sneak up on me?

It's one of my few pleasures.

That and BMX biking.

Let's transfer some rosin.

Dormant now, so no need to worry.

And our dog,

for want of a better metaphor, is on the scent.

- The old forest. - I mean, it makes sense.

There's lore that says trees

can have special medicinal properties.

I can go get a sample.

Or I could just go and take a photo of it and tell you it's freaking magical--

We shall all go. Hmm?

I'd like a word first.

Connor, Lysa, you go on ahead.

Now.

Where is she?

I cannot find Natalia.

Mm, no, you must! Before the show.

There is no way I'm letting

this farce of a performance to happen.

No, no, please.

I should be out there with them.

You need to let them succeed on their own.

How do you expect them to succeed

when they aggravate each other?

Same way you and I did, I expect.

Right.

Why did you bring the Annex back?

Because I'm The Librarian.

I have work to do and I need--

You can't go back.

What do you mean?

You have a reputation.

One that's earned. The Rogue Librarian.

So if anyone was going to try and travel back through time...

And you can't.

Well, not to argue your point, but, actually, I could.

It's possible.

I came through time to be here.

I can find a way to reverse it.

You did not travel through time.

Time happened while you were standing still.

Your being here is a fixed point.

It's not a mistake to be reversed.

And if you tried...

Well, you already know the consequences.

There are things...

people, I left alone.

You did not leave her alone.

She had a good life. A full one.

And she had it without you.

That's not fair, Elaine.

For you, it was nearly 200 years ago.

But, for me, it was last week.

So do not tell me that Anya is beyond my reach.

It's not fair.

It was never going to be fair.

Natalia?

Are you all right?

Have you ever wanted something so much,

and now it feels impossible?

When Dame Ana brought me to understudy.

I thought, "This is my chance."

I can relate.

My job...

And I know it's what I'm supposed to be doing,

but what if I mess it up?

But what if I mess up?

What if my shoes are possessed again,

and I can't stop?

They won't be. I promise.

You know ballet, right?

I used to love dancing when I was younger.

But then I started training for my job and let it go.

- I'm sorry. - Don't be.

I love my job.

I want to do it well.

And I want you to have your chance.

What can you tell me about Yelena?

Our choreographer?

I overheard her talking.

She said there's no way

she'd let this "farce" of a performance happen.

I don't even know what we're looking for.

It's called flying by the seat of your pants.

Works well for me.

So what? You just go along with anything.

You mean like magic?

Why does it make you so upset

that I can take magic at face value?

Because it proves that you're not serious

about learning.

No.

It's because, if magic is real,

your life's work, trying to control

and predict everything, is impossible.

And you can't accept that magic might have a scientific cause.

Because, if it does, you would have thrown away

your career for a podcast

about something that is explainable.

Haven't found what we're looking for yet?

God!

Perhaps this will help.

What, this has got the Waters of Malfi in it too?

Mm, in a way.

I took the lens from the microscope.

You okay?

Nothing solving a magical case can't cure.

Mm, however, you are not going to need that telescope.

That's it? You sure?

Lysa can confirm it,

but I can smell it.

This tree is ancient.

This is not just an ancient tree.

This is a Dance Tree.

A what now?

Of course. Dance trees.

Long ago, people would dance under their branches

to pay homage with their energy, vitality.

Mass movement hysteria.

Like a rave?

Hold on. Look at these scars.

Someone has tapped this tree dry, but...

Oh, Lysa, you idiot.

Rosin is a solid form of tree resin.

This tree's resin smells like magic.

Yeah.

So, someone's been spiking the rosin.

Someone who has done this for years.

But what is the reason for the resin in the rosin?

I'm not ready for the reason the resin is in the rosin.

The resin in the rosin must have a reason.

Stop.

Why would you use a Dance Tree to stop a dance?

The Dance Tree gives vitality.

Of course.

It was the first thing we saw. The dancer.

In the hospital. The grey in her hair.

She wasn't just injured. She had aged.

It sapped her vitality, her life.

So the purpose isn't to stop the ballet.

To suck away its vitality.

And they're using the resin on the shoes

to control the dancers.

The raving that you mentioned.

Draining them of their life.

There is only one who would do that.

Could do.

Is a witch.

A witch?

What kind of witch?

Oh, I can't believe I just said witch.

Me neither.

But which witch is which?

- Oh, would you stop it? - Come on.

No, Lysa is correct. This is no laughing matter.

You have never faced a witch. But I have.

And you won, right?

Oh, witches use old magic.

Magic that lives on

because it is powerful and dangerous.

And they have been perfecting their craft

for decades, centuries even.

Oh, we have stumbled in on a witch's plot

and dancing to their tune.

So they know exactly what they're doing,

and we don't even know who they are.

Great.

We will find out.

Vikram, these dancers are at risk

of having their life drained away.

- You have to let us help them. - No.

It's safer if I do this on my own.

Together we can--

On your own, you know incredible things,

things that I can't even contemplate.

But, together, you are fractious.

And a witch will use that weakness against you.

Well, what are we supposed to do?

This is a Library! Hm?

Research.

Discover the witch that I'm up against.

Well, there is no time to lose.

That dance cannot happen.

We are gonna find and stop a witch.

And all before today's performance at noon.

Hmm.

Well, you heard him.

We need to find which witch will switch the resin with the rosin.

I will straight-up murder you.

Has anyone seen Yelena?

A witch?

You mean a real witch?

Dame Ana, if you want to stop this horror

and save your dancers,

I need your help.

I must cancel the entire performance.

Yes.

But first you must tell me who among the staff

of the theatre has been there for over a decade.

This witch has been gathering magical resin

and she has been planning this for a very, very long time.

Yelena was here quite a long time.

Gustav, some others.

I have records. Give me a moment.

Well, at least this is happening in the middle of the day.

Why?

In general, witches are not as powerful.

Yelena?

Yelena, I have some questions for you.

- Only dancers allowed here. - What? You...

Put me down!

Put me down!

Ugh, what I wouldn't give for a search function.

The discovery is in the search.

Who knows what you might glean while perusing the pages.

What I would like to glean is

who this witch is and how to stop them.

- Yeah, all before noon. - Mm.

Mm.

Noon.

Noon!

Uh, Slavic Spells and Sorcery.

Slavic Spells and Sorcery. Come on.

I knew I had it. Ah!

When I tried to take a photo earlier

and the Annex got mad at me,

I read...

this.

Lady Midday, aka the Noon Witch.

She used to prey on people who worked through midday.

Farmers who wouldn't break for lunch, etcetera.

She appreciates work ethic.

She would force them to dance,

and drain some of their life force

as she did so.

Every 70 years during the summer solstice,

she would go to a village

and dance for the solstice celebration.

The adulation combined with the actual day and time

when she was most powerful

would restore her youth.

Con, today is the solstice.

Which means the witch isn't just gonna steal the vitality

from the dancers at today's show.

She's gonna be the one dancing.

Have you spoken to your understudy?

Natalia?

Yes. Poor thing.

She will be heartbroken

when she hears that we cancelled everything.

And where did you find her?

I'm not so sure. Why do you ask?

Because she looks exactly like you.

It took you long enough.

I thought Librarians were smarter.

You knew that I was a Librarian?

Yes, we heard about The Rogue Librarian

popping up in Belgrade.

But it's very interesting to meet you

so far out from your time.

Well, if you've heard of me,

you've been playing this game a while.

I don't usually let myself get this old,

but I've been saving for the solstice.

The solstice? Of course.

You are Lady Midday.

The Prima gave you enough power so you could take on

a younger form, intermittently.

No way, don't tell me.

And to sustain it,

you need more adulation.

That's what feeds you, the audience.

Exactly.

The dance culminates at midday.

When you are most powerful.

Now, that is very clever.

Too bad that we've confiscated your resin.

Can't ensorcel anybody without it.

Not your dancers, or the audience.

I've been dowsing this place for ages.

There is dust in every surface.

Just to get some little vitality.

You know, most people won't mind losing a year or two.

- That is not for you to decide. - No?

- Who's gonna stop me? - Not who

but what.

I have the Rings of Absolution.

The Talisman of Petrovich and the Banshee of Kearny.

No witch's spell could ever get through these.

And what about a taser? Hm?

Welcome to the 21st century, Librarian.

You're not gonna get to the theater on time for the show

unless you take the magic door.

- Charlie's not answering. - Neither is Vik.

Not a surprise he still thinks the phone I got him

is a mini obelisk of evil.

You need to get to the theater now!

- Hurry! - Ready?

Oh, no.

It's worse than I feared.

Magic bumping up against other magic

can create a sort of blowback.

The dance must be just about to start.

With it, the Noon Witch's spell.

And since we're all linked back into the area...

It's gone into overload,

and we can't go through the door?

It's worse than that.

When she dances,

she won't just take some of the audience's vitality.

She'll be able to gather all of it.

So that means everyone in the theater will die

if we don't stop her.

Connor! That's a bike!

Connor, that's a bike. A bike for one!

Where am I gonna sit?

Hmm. That's my cue.

This is so dangerous.

- Fun but so, so dangerous. - Just hang on.

Okay.

Let me go!

Hey!

Hey. Hey, the witch is the Noon Witch.

She's gonna drain everyone at the theater when she dances

on the solstice at noon.

Aka today. Now.

But you're skipping the bit

where, since Vic spilled the well,

the whole theater is supercharged.

So she's not just gonna take a little life force,

she's gonna kill them all.

Yeah, just like Yelena.

She was drained down to a corpse.

What?

Wait, did you say the dancer is the witch?

It must mean she's Natalia!

Uh, she'd be on stage right now!

We have to get inside!

No sign of Vic.

So what do we do now?

Okay, well, she needs the show to go off without a hitch

because she needs adulation

from the audience for her spell to work.

So if we stop her dancing, we stop the spell?

Yeah.

Reckon we can put our differences aside,

and manage that?

- Say we give it a shot. - Okay.

Uh...

Now!

Not that one!

Now! Now!

Natalia!

If you don't stop dancing,

you're not just gonna hurt these people

- You're gonna kill them! - I am?

Oh, well.

Okay. Not that one!

That one!

- Ah. - Hey!

Oh.

Bravo!

Nice try, but you're too late.

Bravo!

So much power.

I'm not only going to be young forever,

I'm going to live forever.

Vikram?

You see,

in your quest for power, I'm afraid,

you forgot the most powerful thing

in the entire theater.

This.

It starts the dance and stops it.

You're too late. My spell is complete.

Mm, well, it can also speed things up,

and slow them down.

Changing the tempo

from allegro to allegro moderato was just enough.

That means your finale,

and applause are 53 seconds behind schedule.

You missed the window.

The applause was too late.

The ritual's ruined.

No!

No!

No! No! No! No! No!

Bravo! Bravo.

No, no, Connor. Connor, Connor!

Right, so, what's a taser?

Got word from the hospital.

The prima ballerina woke up just after noon.

She's expected to make a full recovery.

But, uh, unfortunately, Yelena couldn't be revived.

Dame Ana needed to drain her completely

to perform the ritual.

And everyone in that theater would have shared

the same fate had we not intervened.

The other dancers were questioned by police.

But they couldn't remember anything.

Is that an effect of magic?

That's an effect of humanity.

Our brains cannot reconcile the unbelievable.

It's easier to forget sometimes.

See, if we did it that way, it would have fallen first.

And hit Charlie.

- Ergo, we went backdrop first. - No.

What are you two arguing about now?

We should have been better.

At the theater, we were trying to stop the dance,

but everything we did was ineffective.

What are you talking about? You were remarkably effective.

The witch would have spotted

that I had slowed the tempo immediately

had you not distracted her with all your tricks.

You both did brilliantly.

Together.

Maybe we don't need to agree on everything to make it work.

You're still not gonna call it magic, are you?

No.

Yeah.

Look at you. Leading a team.

You're less and less a Rogue Librarian every day.

Bite your tongue.

What on Earth are you wearing?

I had a lot of time to develop a wide range of interests.

Anyway, I'm off.

Where are you going, Mrs. Astolat?

Well, remember I said

I'd held almost every job this castle had to offer?

Turns out I've accrued a lot of vacation time.

Don't worry, I should be popping back every now and then.

To keep my eye on you.

TTFN.

So, uh, I couldn't help but notice

you're a really good dancer.

I used to dance when I was younger,

but I gave it up.

Too frivolous for a Guardian.

But I admit, it came in handy today.

Maybe this mission requires more than just combat training.

Maybe we need you.

Not just any old Guardian.

Because of all of who you are.

So, uh,

did you ever wear those ridiculous tutus,

and is there video?

Your life is in my hands.

All I have to do is not save you.

Don't worry.

We'll parse the nuance of that later on, hm?

Mmm.