It’s been over a month since Netflix premiered “The Sandman” on Aug. 5. And the 11-episode series is still in the streaming platform’s top 10 TV shows.
“The Sandman” is an adaptation of the groundbreaking comic series of the same name by Neil Gaiman. The first Sandman comic was released by DC comics in 1989 and went on to be a thriving series for the company. Many fans were doubtful the transition to live action could be pulled off, but the series was met with amazing ratings.
For those who haven’t read the comic book or watched the new Netflix series, “The Sandman” follows Dream, also known as Morpheus, played by Tom Sturridge. He is the King of Dreams and owns his own realm where all the waking world goes when they sleep. He is part of a group of beings called the Endless that have existed since the beginning of time.
The casting of the show is perfect, and all the actors manage to capture the essence of their comic book counterparts almost perfectly. Furthermore, with an over $15 million budget per episode, the CGI is beautifully crafted to create lush and sprawling scenes that draw you into the story. It is one of the best new comic book adaptations and retains its darkness, comedy, and perfect strangeness that drew so many fans to the original comics.
Spoilers Ahead!
The story begins with a group of occultists attempting to summon Death, who happens to be Dream’s older sister. As Dream is traveling, he is caught in the spell and the Occultists imprison him. This part of the story serves as an exposition to set up everything in the future, but it can feel a bit slow as they try to compress a century of time into something the audience can enjoy. This intro does show an important detail of the Endless that Dream belongs to though, and that is that, well, they are endless. As all the humans around him age, Dream simply waits for the opportune moment to finally escape.
From the point of his escape, the series takes off from adventure to adventure, as Dream grapples with the consequences of his capture and his own emotional state. There are cameos from fan-favorite characters like Johanna Constantine, who was originally John Constantine in the comics, and whom some readers may know as the Hellblazer. Lucifer herself made an appearance in the finale and will undoubtedly be an important player in the next season.
In season one’s finale, Dream finally regains control of his realm and his tool. He stops the escaped dreams only to realize his sibling has been pulling the strings and toying with him for most of the season. This sibling is Desire, a seductress who never has enough and always attempts to stir up trouble. However, this isn’t the only enemy Dream has made, as Lucifer is also planning revenge on Dream for publicly humiliating her in front of Hell with one of the most chilling lines of the series, “What power would Hell have if those imprisoned here were not able to dream of Heaven?”
With such a stunning setup, season two is looking to be even more impressive as it delves deeper into the rich story of the comic book. Hopefully, due to the high positive feedback, Netflix will pick the series up again and give the fans what they want!