Following on from the events of Episode 5, Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, Morpheus is wondering what to do next…
Chapter 6: The Sound of Her Wings
Morpheus is bored after reclaiming his totems, so decides to visit his sister Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) where he spends a day with her at work. We then get a nice flashback scene where Morpheus and Death visit a tavern in the Middle Ages and meet Hob Gadling (Ferdinand Kingsley). Hob is a poor worker who proclaims, drunkenly, that he has decided he will never die! Death agrees to spare Gadling for as long as he wishes, so long as Morpheus keeps regular appointments with him every one-hundred years. We then get to see how Morpheus and Gadling’s relationship develops over the centuries.
Verdict: 9/10. The best episode of the series so far. Kirby brings Death to life and in my opinion puts to rest any worries the die-hards across the internet would have. If we could get working on the Death spin offs now that would be great! Also the Morpheus/Hob Gadling relationship was one of my favourite moments in the book and to see it brought to life so amazingly gives me hope for the rest of the series.
Chapter 7: The Doll’s House
In this episode we get to meet siblings Rose (Kyo Ra) and Jed Walker (Eddie Karanja) who are separated from each other when their parents’ divorce in 2015. Rose goes with their mother whilst Jed stayed with their father. The Father cut off all contact with the family so Rose could not speak to Jed. When both parents die in 2021, Rose sets out to find Jed, who has now been placed in the foster home system and lives with Barnaby (Sam Hazeldine) and Clarice (Lisa O’Hare). They have no interest in Jed and abuse him and only have him around for the $800 they get for fostering him. Rose is later revealed to be a vortex who can manipulate dreams…
Verdict: 7/10. A solid episode that sets out to build numerous secondary characters in the series. Rose and Jed, and their family history plays out well across the episode as does the looming threat of The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook). The guest House gang are also a welcome addition to the show. We also get a better understanding of the Dreaming and a closer look at Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong) and Morpheus’ (Tom Sturridge) relationship.
Chapter 8: Playing House
Morpheus agrees to help Rose locate her brother Jed. He explains that during the daytime she should continue her search around Cape Kennedy as normal with the guest house gang helping her then at night-time, he will help her search through people’s dreams to find Jed. Lucienne makes it clear that she does not like this plan. All this plays out with The Corinthian lurking…
Verdict: 8/10. Tension is starting to build, and answers lead to more questions. As we head into the final two episodes the stall is being set out very well. Now to see how they all play out!
Chapter 9: Collectors
It’s time for the Cereal Convention! Since the show began, I wondered how this would play out and I was not disappointed. Well, it starts well with The Corinthian (with Jed) calling Rose and revealing he has Jed, and she can come and get him. The Corinthian wants the vortex and Jed is bait! Rose travels to the hotel to meet them with Gilbert (Stephen Fry), an English gentleman and fellow guest of the Guest House. Upon arrival, the Corinthian and Gilbert recognise each other, causing Gilbert to flee to the Dreaming where he reveals the Corinthian and Rose’s location to Morpheus.
Verdict: 9/10. A solid episode that deals with a multitude of uncomfortable issues. Our understanding of the Dreaming increases as does our understanding of why Morpheus must do what he must do. The convention guests provide dark humour whilst at the same time help reflect a darker side of humanity.
Chapter 10: Lost Hearts
We are back at the Cereal Convention where Morpheus interrupts the Corinthian’s keynote speech. Morpheus is shocked when the Corinthian reveals that Rose’s power enables him to defend himself against his creator. As Rose is made aware of the danger, she poses to the waking world she decides to restore all the walls of the Dreaming which immediately stops the Corinthian’s plan and allows Morpheus to unmake him.
Morpheus then turns his attention to the convention crowd where he removes their dreams of grandeur that power their actions. This returns the guilt and shame of their crimes to them, and they all react in diverse ways. This allows Rose and Jed to leave safely.
Back in the Dreaming Morpheus resolves a number of issues and comes to understand Desire’s (Mason Alexander Park) role in what has unfolded, whilst in hell Lucifer plots revenge on Morpheus.
Verdict: 8/10. A great finale to a great series that sets up the next season brilliantly. The only downside is how long we now must wait for Season 2 of The Sandman! It just goes to show what can be achieved when the source material is respected and used as a guide to craft a television show.
The CW has released a new extended trailer for The Flash, offering up some new footage from several upcoming episodes and teasing the unmasking of Zoom:
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Brett Summers
Founded Cult Faction in 2014. Some would describe him as a teacher, writer, dream weaver, and visionary... some would not...
Way to easy on the series and kind with your verdicts. Personally I found the audible version far, far superior to the Netflix series. To much left out or changed from source material for me.