The Sandman - Season 1

The Sandman manages to adapt the complicated source material into the serial medium.

Dreams don't die. Not if you believe in them.

It took a while (read: 30 years) for an adaptation of The Sandman to get off the ground. I haven't read the original comic books, but after seeing the series I can well understand why it took so long. The different episodes tell fairly independent stories that are connected by the constant presence of Morpheus, also known as Dream: the God of dreams (Tom Sturridge, Sweetbitter). His presence, along with a number of ongoing storylines, forms the common thread of the series. The series, therefore, does not feel fragmented, despite the large turnover of characters and cast members.

The Sandman comes out at just the right time. In recent years I have missed a good high-fantasy series, as it is called, in series land. With the arrival of The Wheel of Time, House of the Dragon, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and also The Sandman, the high-fantasy genre is fully present again. Wonderful to see. The Sandman is therefore packed with elements that you expect from a fantasy series. Think of beautiful, magical vistas, gods and demons, mythical creatures, and a game of immortality.

The trouble with stories is, if you keep them going long enough, they all end in death, don't they? - John Dee

Most episodes tell a fairly self-contained story that relates in some way to past events, future events, or an overarching storyline. Logically, there are a few that excel in particular. Take, for example, the fourth episode in which Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) as Lucifer Morningstar engages in a phenomenal battle of the imagination with Morpheus. In addition, episode five with David Thewlis (Landscapers) as the exciting John Dee in a breathtaking game of cat and mouse is fantastic to watch. My absolute favorite, however, is number six: a diptych in which Morpheus first walks with his older sister Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Why Women Kill) for a day and then learns about an ancient game of immortality that was once started by Morpheus starring one Hob Gadling (Ferdinand Kingsley, Victoria). Fantastic.

Other actors who have roles in the first season of The Sandman include Jenna Coleman (Victoria) as Johanna Constantine, Kyo Ra as Rose Walker, Joely Richardson (Emerald City) as Ethel Cripps, Mason Alexander Park (Cowboy Bebop) as Desire and Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) as Sir Roderick Burgess. In addition to the large number of changing cast members, four characters serve as a constant factor in the season. In addition to Morpheus, these are the escaped nightmare The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook, Narcos), the caring librarian Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong, The One) and the raven Matthew (Patton Oswalt, Gaslit).



I don't want to just praise it, though, because it's certainly not the best fantasy series I've ever seen. Although the series is not fragmented, I find it abrasive that some characters disappear from the screen so quickly. Sometimes I would have liked it if we had had a little longer. Although that volatility may also be the strength of The Sandman. In addition, I must admit that the first season also feels slightly like a stepping stone to something bigger, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but also flattens the season a bit. The last scenes of the season certainly promise a lot of good for the future.

I'm really looking forward to more material from The Sandman. I'm not only hoping for a second season, but I'm definitely going to check out the source material. Overall, a very enthusiastic viewer on this end of the pen. If you haven't yet seen it, go see it! A decent 8.0 from me.