For all of our moaning about Netflix’s content slate, the platform does hit the mark every so often.
Shows such as Stranger Things, Ozark, Squid Game and The Umbrella Academy all tend to capture a massive audience and we think Netflix can add one more to the equation.
That show is The Sandman, which is based on Neil Gaiman’s comic book series of the same name. The show is currently number one on Netflix in South Africa and we hope it remains there for as long as Manifest did earlier this year.
As somebody who hasn’t read the series of comics The Sandman is based on, the show is a wonderful ride. The first episode spends most of the run time setting up the premise for the rest of the series. Roderick Burgess, an occultist and aristocrat attempts to capture Death in a ritual, but instead captures their sibling Dream, also-known-as Morpheus .
Rather than letting the Endless go, Burgess imprisons Dream for a century before the Endless eventually escapes.
What follows is a mish-mash of stories that ultimately lead to a satisfying ending although at times the series can feel a bit too disjointed.
For example, there is a lot of emphasis placed on Dream finding his tools that were stolen while he was imprisoned. These tools are Dream’s helm, a bag of sand and a ruby that has the power to make dreams come true. The quest to recollect these tools spans three episodes and there is a lot of emphasis placed on how important these tools are. It’s strange then that these tools are never mentioned again, not even the bag of sand.
Mind you that’s not altogether a bad thing. The series feels more like an anthology of stories that Dream just so happens to be involved in. It all comes together rather well, especially in the final act where everything we’ve learned pays off.
One of our favourite episodes features Dream’s sibling, Death. The role of Death is played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste who is likely going down as our favourite anthropomorphic representation of the concept since Julian Richings played the character in Supernatural.
The episode contrasts Dream’s dour appearance and attitude against Death’s cheery, kind and hopeful outlook so well that we’d argue this episode carries the rest of the show on its shoulders given how well it transitions from one act to the next.
Every performance is fantastic, but our favourites are Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer and Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne.
As for the visual presentation, The Sandman is a feast for the eyes. Despite Dream’s gothic attire and appearance, the colour palette can be incredibly vivid at times, this is a show about dreams after all. The sound design is similarly fantastic and David Buckley’s work on the soundtrack is an aural journey we’ve added to our daily playlist.
The final episode, Lost Hearts, is simply brilliant and caps off the show in a manner we would never have expected. We can fully understand why this comic took so long to translate into a movie or series based on this episode and The Dollhouse arc as a whole. The absurdity is breaking the scales but it’s done so brilliantly you can’t help but admire it.
The worst part about The Sandman is that there isn’t more of it. At ten episodes the first season is sufficiently meaty but we want more. On that there is good, and bad news.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, showrunner Allan Heinberg said that writers, production and VFX teams are all at the ready. The bad news is that Netflix is yet to give The Sandman a thumbs up for a second season.
Netflix has been known to cancel shows before they’ve had a fair shake but given that The Sandman has been so well received we’re hoping for a second season.
This show is a labour of love and it shows in every line of dialogue, every outfit and every wry smile. We can’t wait for more tales of the Endless. Don’t let our dreams die, Netflix.
https://youtu.be/83ClbRPRDXU
