Dream – Simon’s Incoherent Blog

The Sandman: Chapter 10 – Lost Hearts

“When you go to sleep tonight, you have to find him and end this. It’s up to you now, Rose. You’re the Vortex.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

In (what we thought was) the season finale of The Sandman, all the ongoing plots of The Doll’s House finally come together to an emotional climax. This ep freely adapts a mixture of the story’s last three comic issues largely unchanged, but as with previous eps there are some small and subtle differences that add depth to the story. It’s a heady and emotional mix involving a new set of characters that we’ve nonetheless come to care about deeply over the last four eps of the season.

The Sandman: Chapter 6 – The Sound of Her Wings

“At the end, each of us stands alone. The Sunless Lands are far away, and the journey is hard. Most of us will be glad for the company of a friend.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Wow. That was one of the most beautiful hours of TV I’ve ever seen. I may have had… something in my eye at various points. Yes, we (like Morpheus) needed a bit of time to relax and take stock after the sturm und drang of the show so far. But who knew it would be so emotional?

The Sandman: Chapter 4 – A Hope in Hell

“It has many names. Avernus. Tartarus. Hades. The infernal region we call… Hell.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Brief trip to Hell, anyone? Hell, in the DC Universe anyway, is pretty much the Abrahamic concept of eternal punishment and damnation. But it’s a surprisingly recent portrayal in DC, especially given how many demons have featured in their comics over the years. In fact, Hell as a place wasn’t shown until Alan Moore depicted it in 1985 in Swamp Thing, and it was left to Neil Gaiman in The Sandman to build on that portrayal and define it for years to come.

The Sandman: Chapter 3 – Dream a Little Dream of Me

“Morpheus. The oneiromancer. You know, the Sandman. He’s back.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

As with the comics, part 3 of The Sandman is where the story really gets going. Finally given a lead on the whereabouts of his lost magical totems, Morpheus hotfoots it to London, where he has a lead on his inexhaustible pouch of sand. But at this point, the comics were still making a show of being part of the wider DC Universe, and it was perhaps inevitable that the Lord of Dream would run into one of its most notable magical denizens – John Constantine.

The Sandman: Chapter 1 – Sleep of the Just

“You mortals go about your work, your loves, your wars, as if your waking lives are all that matter. But there is another life which awaits you when you close your eyes… and enter MY realm. For I am the King of dreams… and nightmares.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

To call Netflix’s / WB’s / DC’s live action adaptation of The Sandman “Hotly anticipated” is something of an understatement. Neil Gaiman’s instant classic comic first went on sale 33 years ago, in 1989, and fans have been eager for a movie or TV version ever since.