The Sandman: Season 2 - Vol. 1

The Sandman was a fun thing to review back in late summer 2022. It was endlessly disjointed thanks to the mildly versatile and almost chaotic source material from the legendary Neil Gaiman, but at the same time almost endlessly ambitious and at times so well-functioning that it almost made one wonder why Hollywood hadn't managed to crack the code somewhat earlier.

Now three years have passed, and it is quite clear on Netflix that, once again, it has been difficult to interpret and transform the dynamic and comprehensive chronology of the comics into a linear story - but even if it did not quite succeed to the same great extent as before, this is a pretty good way to spend a few evenings in Dream's strange and surreal company.

Just like in the comics, this second season (of which we are only reviewing "Vol. 1", consisting of the first six episodes) picks up where the first left off, but apart from Dream not being imprisoned or directly weakened as a result of the gradual decline of his realm, you wouldn't immediately notice it. Yes, there are a few plot points that the series treats as imminent narrative landmarks - the disappearance of Endless member Destruction, Dream's complex relationship with the woman Nada, and the remaining Endless' toxic relationships with each other, to say the least. But from there, The Sandman once again weaves a multifaceted narrative that loves to take detours and becomes almost difficult to follow due to its reluctance to create a logical context.

This "Vol. 1" offers the story of the fairy folk and a midsummer night in Shakespeare's company, a banquet intended to determine who will take over the control of Christian hell, and the story of Orpheus' journey to the Greek Hades in search of his deceased bride. These stories naturally place Dream in a linear development process, but they appear separate and distinct in such a way that they almost feel like an anthology.

This makes The Sandman complex entertainment in a rather entertaining way, and fortunately, the actors, music, and visual identity can keep up most of the time. At times, certain settings that should be more surreal are surprisingly mundane, such as the aforementioned banquet, and one gets the feeling that this is to save a little money, but apart from that, The Sandman fortunately leans towards the pompous and lavish, and there is often no skimping on anything.

Tom Sturridge once again delivers as Dream, a character who is infinitely difficult to pin down when he stands there looking like a dismissed member of The Clash, but exuding confidence and complexity. The lines are delivered convincingly, even if the seriousness can at times be on the verge of seeming self-parodying. Fortunately, he is surrounded by a sea of strong talent.

However, once again, the series too often fails to give it enough CG gas and equip the characters with enough "otherworldliness" to fit into this wild setting. A single demon during the aforementioned banquet grows large with a sea of a thousand mouths, which is among the best effects and artistic achievements in a television series I can remember, but Gwendoline Christie's appearance and costume as Lucifer are a bit too budget-like.

Fortunately, despite the almost anthology-inspired format and a slight creak under the weight of the comic books' opulence, the people behind this series interpretation still do very well for the most part, delivering six episodes of quite different television that is both effective and quite ambitious.