Morpheus – 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 9 – Collectors

“You said that a Vortex can create universes, or destroy them. So I suggest you leave my universe the fuck alone. This dream is over.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

The penultimate (or so we thought) episode of The Sandman’s first season is also the penultimate episode of the original Doll’s House storyline, as the various plot threads finally converge. Rose, the missing dreams, Lyta’s dream-based pregnancy, and the serial killer convention all come together and come to a head here, awaiting the next ep’s resolution., just as in the comics.

The Sandman: Chapter 7 – The Doll’s House

“Things have changed, my love, my twin. There is a dream vortex, the first for a long time. And it is a woman.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

After last ep’s beautifully contemplative interlude, with ep7 of The Sandman it’s clear we’re onto a new story. That story is the second one in the original comics run, The Doll’s House; I’ll not set out here what it’s about, and besides it’s clear that a number of changes will have to be made to the story for it to work in the framework of this TV show, so my impression of it from the comics might be plain wrong anyway.

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 2 – Imperfect Hosts

“He’s out of his cage and he’s coming for us. You and me.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Like ep1, ep2 takes its title directly from the original issue 2 of the comic. Unlike ep1 however, it’s less of a straight adaptation – the original scenes are intercut with more of the machinations of the Corinthian, showing us how he’s influencing the events of the story.

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.

Doctor Who: Series 9, Episode 9 – Sleep No More

“It doesn’t make sense! None of this makes any sense!”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

It’s good that Doctor Who has, since its revival, not been afraid to experiment with narrative form and structure. I know it’s divisive, but I really enjoyed Love and Monsters, the first ‘Doctor-lite’ episode, and that format has generally worked well – Blink, Turn Left and so on. However, when the plot starts to serve your narrative gimmick rather than the other way round, you’ll get problems. Continue reading “Doctor Who: Series 9, Episode 9 – Sleep No More”