OK, so I know I say a lot of shows are the best (Ted Lasso, Spoils of Babylon), but this show? This show is also the best.
No, I mean it. Like the way that the CGI of this show is better than the CGI of that one Marvel TV show I saw? The way that the storyline is so intriguing that even though each episode is around an hour long I actually watched it through at normal speed and not 1.5? The way that Morpheus is so cool that I would like to become him? The banter between Lucienne and Morpheus? Death being this cool groovy type of lady? And also, the abundance of gay and lesbian characters who are never made a big deal out of, and the inclusion of non-binary characters at that? Dude.
I don’t want actors to be defined by their gender or their sexuality, but this show does this perfectly. Desire is NB, and there’s never a single moment where they spell it out for you. It’s just there, when Death call them a “them,” and when Dream, who refers to Death as “sister,” refers to Desire as “sibling.” This is how we want to be gender inclusive, everyone.
And honestly, the scene between Lucifer and Dream, when Dream defeats her by stating that he is hope? That right there is the dialogue of the year, folks. Because what is more defeating than even death? Hope. That’s why Pandora’s box didn’t kill all of us. Because hope remains. Hope is such a recurring theme throughout this show that I just had to mention it.
I read some reviews where people thought that the pacing was off for the show, and to them I say: FIE! The first episode is essential to establishing so much of the universe, especially to people like me who are not fans of or have not read the original comics. And I love the way the show calls back to characters and events that we thought had no more significance but then later turns out to be so much more important. I loved episodes 1 to 5, and the storylines about Morpheus’s change is so very important for his journey afterwards that I really don’t understand why people were complaining about it.
I also just want to say that I love how the story ends for many of the characters. There are so many storylines that with any other show under any other writer, it might become messy and some storylines might be overlooked or hyper-focused on (see Euphoria season 2), but The Sandman is nothing if not as collected as its titular character. The way that the storylines with Dream’s capture is dealt with really makes the audience question whether honesty is the best policy, and even the villains are made out to be sympathetic, because why would a truly rotten to the core person give another person the Amulet of Protection? Characters like Johanna Constantine (who is probably bi, which makes me very happy because we bisexuals need our representation just as much as any other group) who are only in the story for a very limited amount of time add meat to the world the show is creating, and by god if I wasn’t amazed by Neil Gaiman’s creativity after Good Omens, I sure as heck would be now.
However, I think there were some weak links when it came to the acting. Tom Sturridge, who plays Morpheus, was brilliant, and gave me Miranda Priestly vibes with the way he didn't smile, didn't raise his voice, glared a lot, and has a lot of pride. His relationship with Lucienne (played by Vivienne Acheampong) is also so similar to Miranda's with Nigel, and I love her. She was awesome in the show. Matthew was hilarious, Corinthian was terrifying, and John Dee was so sympathetic that you couldn't help but feel bad for him. On the other hand, I found the acting in the whole vortex storyline to be much weaker than it had been previously. Whether that is the main characters Unity Kincaid, Rose Walker, Jed Walker (he's a kid so I'll cut him some slack), or Lyta Hall, I found the acting to be less convincing than some of the side characters (side note: I loved the two Morticia Addams we have at Cape Kennedy and the way that Zelda speaks for the first time at the end? Dead.). Overall, though, Tom Sturridge's performance as Morpheus is magnetic and subtle enough that you don't want to take your eyes off him, so the more lacking talents were well covered.
Also, the last episode? The new one? The bonus one with Calliope? And the way she is the only person in the entire show to call Morpheus "Oneiros" even though they're technically divorced, and the way that he just goes to her aid because she called and that he wants to punish her captor because he hurt her? God, I ship them so hard. I'm sorry.
Anyway. Just go watch it, OK? Trust me on this. You’ll love it. Also, I watched Minions: Rise of Gru yesterday, and that was good as well. It was more fun and games than Sandman, but I liked it and found it relaxing (but there are way too many butts in that film, I mean, honestly).
Happy Monday!!
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