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Netflix's highly anticipated fantasy drama, The Sandman, was released on August 5, 2022. Based on Neil Gaiman's legendary comic book series, launched in 1988, it might just be one of Netflix's best productions, joining the leagues of Stranger Things and HBO's Game of Thrones. David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg joined Neil Gaiman in developing the series that revolves around Morpheus, the King of Dreams.
Produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros Television, the fantasy drama stars Tom Sturridge as the eponymous mythical entity, along with Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, and Sanjeev Bhaskar in supporting roles.
Adapting Neil Gaiman's The Sandman was a massive feat, and for over 30 years, Gaiman himself actively prevented any subpar adaptations from hitting the screens. It bordered on impossible until viewers tuned in to the first episode of the newly released Netflix adaptation; the rest was history.
The Sandman Season 1 Episode 1: Sleep of the Just
Before diving into the Netflix fantasy drama, viewers need to know that the titular character here, also known as Dream of the Endless, or King of Dreams, or Dream, is an immortal entity who is an anthropomorphization of the phenomenon of dreams and dabbles with the sleeping state.
He has the power to create and modify dreams and nightmares, and his realm is known as Dreaming. He has three totems, or tools as he calls them, that contain his powers – a pouch of sand, a helmet, and a ruby necklace. He is just one among the seven Endless siblings, the others being Death, Desire, Destiny, Delirium, Despair, and the Prodigal.
Episode 1 of The Sandman begins in 1916, when Roderick Burgess, an occultist, tried calling upon and capturing Death so that he could ask the mythical entity to return his son Randall, who had tragically passed away. Instead, he summoned Dream, who was in the process of catching an escaped nightmare known as Corinthian.
Burgess's intentions changed to greed for power, money, and status when Corinthian gave him the formula to achieve all of it by using Dream's tools while keeping him captive inside a special cage where no one was allowed to sleep.
The rest of the episode followed a captive Dream and the damage his absence caused in the human world. For over a hundred years, he remained inside that cage while Burgess got wealthier and more powerful.
His other son Alex thought of setting Dream free several times but couldn't because of the fear of his father. To prove his loyalty to his father, he even shot Jessamy, Dream's beloved raven, and put himself on Dream's bad side.
At last, Alex's partner Paul broke the magic circle that had kept Dream confined in that cage, and one of the two guards on watch fell asleep, granting the King of Dreams his freedom after a century of captivity. He cursed Alex to eternal sleep plagued by torment and satisfaction. He then returned to the Dreaming, only to find it in ruins.
The Sandman's first episode set up the pace for the rest of the season
The first episode, titled Sleep of the Just, set the pace for the rest of the season. With Dream finally free, we know he will be rebuilding the Dreaming.
The Sandman immediately established that it would not be a fast-paced, action-packed drama. It's meant for viewers who enjoy the process of narrative discovery. The pace of the Netflix series gives enough time for viewers to get acquainted with the characters and get in touch with the story.
Viewers familiar with the comics might have realized that the series does not deviate much from the source material. The most notable shifts from the comics were the roles of Corinthian, who does not appear till The Sandman #10 (The Doll's House), and Jessamy, the raven, who barely makes an appearance in the comics.
Plot and pace aside, the series' visuals were stunning and true to the picture Gaiman had painted in his comics. The fact that he was involved in developing the series shows in the graphics and presentation of the scenes.
All ten episodes of The Sandman are available to stream only on Netflix.
