At a construction site, protesters line the gate. Issac (Jake's dad) is indifferent to the fact that people are protesting his work on native land. He is informed by Andy that they are waiting on their last permit but Issac tells Andy that he has it, though he doesn't because he wants to uphold the company record of being fast. Andy gets to work and ends up dropping into a really deep sink hole. Andy gets to his feet and finds himself in a sort of cave. As the work crew lowers a rope for him, some kind of dust creature escapes through the hole. Once outside, the dust creature makes himself a double of Andy and smiles hideously.
At the library, Jake is hard at work and Cassandra tries to find out what his secret project is. Jake reveals that he is writing an academic criticism on colonial architecture. Jake turns the computer around so that Cassandra can read it and she notes that he is still publishing under a fake identity and encourages him to be himself now. Jake explains that he worked really hard on these identities and each has their own reputations which allows the work to get out there. Jake justifies this ongoing deception because of the fact that the library is secret, so Cassandra counters that Flynn did all sorts of research when he was the only librarian. Ezekiel comes downstairs with a big ball of popcorn, questioning who is up for movies but the big book starts flipping pages, meaning that the librarians have a task ahead of them.
In a different area of the library, Eve and Jenkins talk about the ongoing issues with the library. It seems that some rooms are still missing. Jenkins brings up Flynn, but Eve cuts him off saying that Flynn made it clear that he wouldn't be joining them. When Jenkins and Eve make it to the main room, they are informed by the three librarians that there is a giant rift in Oklahoma. You guessed it, Issac's work site. Jones is quick to claim the case but Jenkins doesn't think he is the right one on his own. Cassandra suggests that they all go and Eve is quick to concur. Eve stays behind so that the librarians can can get used to working together again.
In Oklahoma, the people are still protesting when the librarians arrive. They are mistaken for a team from the archaeological society and are informed by Lyal, that they will be looking at a sacred Choctow burial ground and that there's ancient tribal art under the surface. The Librarians are let in by the police but are warned that they are looking at a big pit. Andy escorts them in and reveals his belief that the Choctow aren't even local. Jake looks around the crew and asks for their foreman and when he is told that the foreman hasn't been seen since this morning, Jake asks where the nearest bar is.
When the librarians enter the bar, they find Jake's father drinking. Issac believes that Jake is there looking for a job and quickly informs him that they don't need anyone else. Jake asks about the trouble he has been hearing about and Issac explains about the protesters and that the state says he has to wait around for "egg heads" to sign off on his work. Jake admits that he is part of the team that Issac is waiting on. Issac is not impressed and snarks that unless they are giving degrees for digging holes and chasing women that Jake isn't much of an expert. Jake introduces Cassandra and Jones but gives Jones one of his fake identities. Jones claims that Jake is their field assistant and calls him a "blunt hammer". Issac is quick to surmise that Cassandra finds the artifacts and Jones examines them and then questions if Jake's job is to drive the truck. Clearly, there's animosity between father and son. Issac explains about the sink hole, calling it magic, adding his belief that the protesters must have messed with it. The librarians step aside to confer and decide that they need to look into the sink hole themselves. When Jake tells Issac this, Issac questions if this is the job that Jake turned his back on his family for.
Back at the work site, Lyal stops the truck and says that the permit states that a tribal observer must be present for an appraisal. Issac tells Lyal to come back when he is not wearing diapers. Jake intervenes and convinces Issac to comply, so Lyal hops in the back of the truck next to Jones. When they arrive at the sink hole, they find that the men are closing it up. The men claim that Andy gave the order but Andy says that he just got there. Jake places the helmet on Jones's head and explains how it works and adds that Jones can contact him in case Jones wants him to take any notes. As Jones descends, Cassandra wonders if it is safe down there and Jake answers that nothing is safe near Issac.
In the hole, Lyal is quick to declare the markings Choctow and on the ground, Jake explains that a few markings don't mean anything because they need to have significance. Jake tells Cassandra that family isn't easy but she points out that lying so many times over the years must be more complicated to deal with. Jake however believes that 7 fake identities is easier than having a conversation with his father. Jake admits that Issac wanted him to take over the family business but refused to change the name to Stone & Son. Jake is also upset that Issac ran the business to the ground because of his drinking and stubbornness.
In the tunnel, Jones says that the symbols on the wall may not in fact be Choctow but South Athabaskan, repeating what Jake is saying in his ear piece. Issac tells Jones that he wishes Jake had a fraction of the brains he has. Wow, is there anything this man won't do to run down his son? Issac talks about how he tried to get Jake to stick around and Jake tells Jones in his earpiece that Issac is lying. They note a giant snake on the wall and in the earpiece, Jake says that the symbol is not Choctow. Issac is doubled and doesn't realise it. As Cassandra is saying that there's something wrong with the dimensions of the tunnel, the equipment starts acting funny and they start running. The fake Issac uses a rock to bash Lyal in the head. Jake quickly descends into the tunnel and finds Lyal on the ground.
On the ground, Lyal has to be taken to the hospital and the sheriff is extremely suspicious of Issac, causing Jake to lie for his father. Issac argues that Lyal had to do something once heard Jones say that the sinkhole wasn't a burial ground. Privately, Issac is not pleased that Jake lied for him and Jake explains that he was just trying to buy some time. Issac believes that Lyall did this himself and is not pleased when he realises that none of the librarians believe him. Issac believes that Jake wants to make him look life a fool and suggests that Jake go and make his boss a coffee.
Jake talks to the librarians and is adamant that Issac didn't commit assault. Cassandra points out that someone around here is using magic. Jake argues that Issac has the most to lose and though his father is a lot of things, he wouldn't do this. Jake ends up defending his father when Cassandra brings up Issac's drinking.
Back at the library, Jenkins says that the large animal room has moved. This means that the Loch Ness Monster is missing. Eve asks for a break but Jenkins points out that her last break lasted 45 minutes. Cassandra calls saying that they have hit a speed bump but Eve answers that they cannot come running to her for every little problem. Cassandra reveals that they need to talk to Jenkins. Cassandra asks about accidents where the guilty party is nowhere near the accident and Jenkins tells her to get back to the source. Behind Jones and Cassandra, a double of Cassandra appears.
Issac is working on his truck when Jake approaches. Jake takes the wrench from his father and Issac says that when you find something good you stick with it. Jake suggests that Issac needs to stop fixing things which are always broken. Issac offers Jake a drink and he declines. They then talk about Lyall and the building site. Issac admits that if they lose this job, the company will go broke and Jake yells that when he was there, all of the accounts were balanced and that the company could have gone 5 or 6 months without a contract. Issac blames Jake and Jake's asks if the money went into the flask or chasing a straight. Issac calls Jake a son of a bitch and drives off.
Fake Cassandra and Jones speak and when he heads off to do as asked, he runs into the real Cassandra. They both realise that they need Jenkins. Jake approaches the fake Cassandra and says that they need to find Jones and fake Cassandra asks if anything in his life is real. Fake Cassandra tells Jake that he is on his own like always. When Jake walks off, fake Cassandra starts messing with the equipment.
Jones and Cassandra head back to the library where they learn that they are dealing with a shapshifter who feeds on lies and the chaos brought by lies. The more lies, the more chaos the shifter can create. Jones ask why they don't head to Washington and Jenkins surmises that the shifter may not have had enough time to feed to leave the area. Apparently, the French Revolution wasn't as much about economic disparity but a shape shifter. A shifter is amused by chaos but is relatively easy to trap. Jones and Cassandra head back to the site and reject Eve's offer for help, saying that the more there are of them, the more confusion can be wrought.
The Librarians find Jake in the bar and Jake questions if Cassandra is there to call him a terrible person again. Jones questions if Jake ever considered that he wasn't speaking to Cassandra. Jones then brings up shapeshifters and Jake says that he should have seen it but was too absorbed in his own problems. Jake explains that a Native American shapeshifter and has been feeding on this father's lies about the permit. A car explodes outside and the sheriff immediately blames Lyall. Jake tries to explain and another explosion happens behind them. The librarians use it as a distraction to disappear. They form a plan - tell the truth.
The Librarians are back in the tunnel and Cassandra says that it seems as though the walls aren't where they really are. Cassandra does her math thing and realises that the wall with the snake on it should be five meters further back than it is. When Jones touches the wall it disintegrates leading to a passage way. They see further markings all the wall and Jones says that it's actually a cage. Fake Cassandra appears and says that she was trapped for 1,000 years and was set free by Issac's first lie. It then shifts into Jones and says that it now has the strength to leave thanks to so many lies from one man. The shifter leaves, trapping the Librarians inside. Jake realises that the only way out is to tell the truth. Jake admits that he lied to his father because he didn't want Isasc to know that he thought he was a failure. The door starts to crack. Jones admits that he stole for her Majesty secret service. Cassandra admits that she chose a die that she is going to die so that she can die on her own terms. The door opens and Jake tells them that someone has to stay there to keep the door open. Jake takes off and when the door starts to close again, Cassandra admits to stealing sheet music.
When Jake arrives at the surface he learns that Issac has ordered a demo on the sink hole. Jake is irate and accuses Issac of blasting the hole to cover up his lies. Father and son start to argue and Issac questions why he should listen to his father and Jake says that he is a genius, can speak nine different languages, has honourary degrees at universities on four different continents, and is the first person called when a new piece of art is discovered because he is the best in the world. Jake admits that he didn't tell his father because Issac would see anything other than chasing the family business as a betrayal. Jake apologises for lying. Issac questions how he is supposed to react to that. Issac tells Jake that he is his son and that he loves him. Issac then wraps his arms around Jake and emotional Jake says, "my father would die before he ever told me that." With the fake Issac in his arms, Jake leaps into the pit.
The fake Issac morphs into Cassandra and then Jones, saying that Jake cannot hurt his friend. Jake however tells the entity that that he knows they are all the shapeshifter. The shapeshifter then morphs into Jake. In the prison area, Cassandra is still busy rattling off a list of truths, keeping the cage door open. It's clearly cathartic for Cassandra. The shapeshifter says that he is still feeding off of Jake's lies as the two fight. Jake screams that he is afraid to use his real name because then he cannot pretend that it's his father's fault anymore. It seems that Jake has always been afraid of failing under his own name. Jake finally gets the upper hand and knocks out the shapeshifter before bringing it into the prison area. Jones and Cassandra wonder how they know that they are dealing with the real Jake and he admits that he didn't stay with them after Peru because he didn't know if he could get the job done and didn't want them to see him fail. With this admission, a snake crawls off the walls and binds the arms of the shapeshifter. Cassandra admits that she didn't stay with the men after Peru, because she wanted to prove that she can do it alone. The shapeshifter gets bound tighter. The librarians walk out with Jake saying that without a body to shit into, the shapeshifter will never be free.
Back on the ground floor, Issac sees his battered son and Jake tells Issac that he doesn't need his approval and does not care if he knows the truth anymore. Jake leaves with the librarians, leaving an astounded Issac behind.
The Librarians arrive back at the library and Jenkins is pleased with the results. Eve checks to make sure they are functioning as a team again.
Later, Jenkins approaches Jake to find out if everything worked out okay and Jake says that it's all good. Jenkins calls fathers and sons a complicated dynamic. Jenkins says that no one can help where they come from but that they can all choose how it manifests itself. Jenkins adds that family ain't easy but neither is anything else. Jake goes back to work on his paper and this time, he writes his own name.
This was absolutely a Jake episode of The Librarians. We learned in the very first secret that Jake wasn't honest about who he really is to his family and actually did a lot of manual labour to hide his intelligence. Interestingly enough, whenever I thought of deceit, I always felt that Jones would be the bigger liar. Jones is after all a thief.
And What Lies Beneath the Stones actually serves to not only reveal the truth of who Jake really is but to give the character closure. This is made clear by the fact that Jake actually writes his real name on his paper. Jenkins telling Jake that no one can help where they come from gives him the power to be who he is. I did however find it interesting that Jake didn't actually need to make his confession to his father to feel better. This does however mean that while Jake feel free, he hasn't really fixed anything with his father, making me wonder if The Librarians will later address this issue.
In terms of confessions, we learn that Jones was actually working on the side of the good, sort of. I have to admit to being slightly amused at this, particularly because Jones sort of sees this as the tarnishing of his bad boy image. Cassandra's revelation about choosing the day of her death reminds us all of her ongoing struggle with her tumor. Cassandra however does not have time for pity. In terms of Cassandra's revelations, I loved when she said that she hated babies. It really was a spin on the idea that all women want to be mothers because of course ovaries. The issue however is that this has to be a secret and that speaks largely to how we still view the role of women in society. I must admit to having a problem with one of Cassandra's revelations - her secret wish to be Vietnamese. Yeah, a white lady going on about wanting to a WOC is a problem. I found myself wondering if she always wants to deal with the racism and the host of other issues that go along with being a WOC in a world where White supremacy reigns supreme. It was even more problematic because it was tossed out so casually, as though all she were admitting to was sneaking chocolate bars. Given how little The Librarians has worked with inclusion this only serves to magnify the issue. Mining cultures of colour for woo woo does not amount to inclusion. Yes, I know that Christian Kane is native but he certainly isn't made to be read that way by The Librarians.
I suppose we will have to wait until next week to see if they decide to get back to Prospero and the trouble that he has been causing.
