From the beginning, The Sandman has been a TV series about gods and legends who essentially live forever – or at least for as long as we mere mortals tell their stories. Because of this, ending a show about “the Endless” is no easy task. So it’s an impressive achievement that The Sandman winds down with some of the strongest episodes of its entire run, bringing a sprawling, centuries-spanning saga to a fitting close. All of the colorful fantasy realms and weird creatures that make this show such a treat for the eyes are still in play. But there are also more moments of quiet reflection, as humans and demons and deities all wonder: Can a god ever truly die?
The god in question is Dream (Tom Sturridge), who ended season 2’s first volume by making a fateful choice, deciding to risk the wrath of the mythological Furies by mercy-killing his son, Orpheus. In The Sandman’s mash-up of mythology, religion, and folklore, there are unbreakable rules against spilling family blood. Season 2’s second volume gets a lot of its drive from the very real possibility that Dream’s days are now numbered, because the Greek vengeance-goddesses known euphemistically as “the Kindly Ones” intend to make him pay for what he’s done.
Volume 2’s five episodes mostly steer clear of the extended flashbacks and digressions that have been a Sandman staple up to now. The plot is more focused, and holds a dark fascination – a lot like watching a disaster slowly and inevitably unfold. As soon as Dream realizes that the unstoppable Kindly Ones are determined to kill him, he starts making plans to defend his ethereal kingdom, “the Dreaming,” while also preparing for the likelihood of his death. Ironically, nearly every choice he makes to try and avert doom winds up bringing it closer to his doorstep.
The Sandman’s supporting cast gets plenty of juicy moments in this half-season. Freddie Fox as the chaotic Norse god Loki and Jack Gleeson as the bratty fairy Puck take center stage early on, as their characters team up to kidnap Daniel, a baby who had been born in the Dreaming and then tapped by Dream to be his potential successor. Later in the season, Jenna Coleman as the cynical supernatural sleuth Johanna Constantine and Boyd Holbrook as the walking nightmare the Corinthian work together to try and find Daniel and foil Loki and Puck – and their unexpected romantic chemistry brings a touch of sweetness to episodes otherwise filled with death and destruction.
Ann Skelly is also a standout as Nuala, an unassuming but courageous fairy who works hard to rally various magical creatures to the Dreaming’s defense. The rich universe that The Sandman has carefully built across its two seasons – drawn from the Vertigo comic book series it’s adapting, written by Neil Gaiman – really begins to pay off in these episodes, as the various storylines and characters converge.
Volume 2’s guest stars are mostly showcased in scenes where they get to say some moving goodbyes, in one of two circumstances. Either they are visited by Dream, as he tries to wrap up old business in case the worst happens, or they are visited by the Kindly Ones, who slaughter them. No matter how many times a fan-favorite Sandman character gets killed in these episodes – and it happens a lot – the deaths are jolting.
Any weaknesses that plagued the first season and a half remain evident to the end. Even as ancient witches are rampaging through the Dreaming and various super-powered mortals and immortals are creating havoc on Earth, the tone of The Sandman remains strangely muted. Sturridge’s portrayal of Dream – soft-spoken and unhurried – tends to set the pace for the actors around him, in ways that can drain the energy out of a scene. This muffled quality feels especially pronounced in this volume’s first episode, “Time and Night,” in which Dream responds to the realization that his life is in imminent danger by having some long, slow, whispery conversations with his parents, Father Time (Rufus Sewell) and Mother Night (Tanya Moodie).
Still, there is always a purposefulness to The Sandman’s quietness, however frustrating it can be. The reason Dream visits Time and Night is so he can grapple with his feelings about killing Orpheus, and with the way his family seems to go out of their way to avoid showing any affection or compassion for their own kin. As Dream has further conversations with relatives and friends like his sister Despair (Donna Preston), his librarian Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong), and his old acquaintance Hob Gadling (Ferdinand Kingsley), he begins to understand that being alive comes with responsibilities beyond the rules he follows – that personal connections matter. Even though these scenes are devoid of magical spells and snarling monsters, they’re exciting in their own way, because the ideas they’re exploring have real resonance, both within this fantasy world and within our own. If nothing else, it’s reassuring to see that even the aloof and officious dream-king can begin to soften and change.
With one big gathering in the penultimate episode – be on the lookout for the final final episode, an epilogue starring Dream’s sister, Death (Kirby), next week – The Sandman appropriately rounds out the story it’s been telling since its series premiere. It began with Dream in a cage, imprisoned by humans hoping to exploit his power. Upon escaping, Dream tried to restore his life to the way it was before, but found little satisfaction. Throughout these two seasons, he’s been trying to derive a deeper meaning from his job as the shaper of dreams, and all along has been working his way toward the beautifully profound realization he reaches here at the end. If gods endure because humans believe they need them, maybe the best way for entities like Dream to be useful is to tap into the undervalued strengths of humanity. That’s a nice, subtle note for such a lavish, ambitious series to end on.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/the-sandman-review-season-2-volume-2