I sometimes wonder whether Gaiman has always been as completely absorbed by exploring the concept of anthropomorphic personification – that our human myths and imagined beings could all be real – as his works seem to suggest, or if this is a post-Pratchett infatuation? Whichever it is, The Sandman is yet another example of how good he is at running with the idea and crafting a world that feels absurdly complex and yet somehow still internally consistent. Much like American Gods or even Good Omens, much of The Sandman relies on you just running with the central conceit that belief either manifests real entities, or that humans are just attuned to a universal reality that we aren't consciously aware of, but it's great fun regardless of how you try to explain it.
As for the show itself, it's beautifully crafted. The casting is perfect across the board, pacing is top-notch, and whilst it can be a little quick to progress the narrative, that only heightens the graphic novel feeling that it has. I've not (yet) read the source material, but I imagine quite a lot of the dialogue, framing, and scenes are lifted beat-for-beat. Certainly, characters like Cain and Abel, Johanna Constantine (an excellent casting for Jenna Coleman), and Fiddlers Green (Stephen Fry in yet another fantastic casting – it really is a top-notch group of actors!), all feel like they've just jumped off the page, and that allows them to have little background, simply appearing, playing their role, and departing again, just like comics tend to work. I do wish it would take a beat sometimes to really sit in the world it has created, and I hope that these characters are seen again at some point, but they serve their parts well regardless.
On the flip side, I'm very grateful that they haven't tried to draw out the plot lines too much, either. I was really surprised that the first season seems to resolve itself three times. The first episode is extra long and could almost be a novel in its own right, with Morpheus trapped and the rest of the world slowly descending into dreamless nights and the chaos of unchecked nightmares. The first half of the season then focuses on Dream regaining his powers and rebuilding his kingdom, which is a useful plot for building out the world in small parts, whilst also giving us a villain in the now quite magic-twisted John Dee (David Thewlis). I think the diner episode, where John slowly twists minds of the unfortunate people around him to act out their darkest dreams, is an absolute standout, even if it does get a bit extreme. Then, just as things seem to come to a premature end, the mid-season revelation that his sibling, Desire, is likely behind much of what occurred is an interesting one, albeit immediately overshadowed by the introduction of a Vortex, a human with powers over the Dreaming.
In many ways, this narrative thread could be considered a whole new season. Yes, there are clear through lines between the two – the sleeping sickness is brought back as a root cause very cleverly, whilst The Corinthian's role continues to expand and finally come to a fitting conclusion – but the tone of the plot shifts so much that it definitely feels like a new beginning. Thankfully, it's not just as good as the first half of the season, but in my mind, actively better. Rather than focusing on Morpheus' revenge and anger, the second act is all about his evolution, as he remembers his true purpose. This starts immediately with the odd – but excellent – sequence with Death, wandering around Hammersmith and discussing why the Endless exist. As Rose becomes a major character, those themes keep returning, hammered home by those creatures of the Dreaming that stayed loyal, constantly reminding Morpheus that his imprisonment should have changed him, and that it is up to him if this is a positive or negative change.
And so, as the season closes out, we have a restored Dreaming, a deeper understanding of the fantastical world behind and beyond the human realm, and a Morpheus that is arguably more powerful than ever, as well as a new hybrid Endless in Rose. Still, the cliffhanger that we're left with – Hell openly declaring war on the Dreaming – feels a little odd. I'm pumped for a second season, but not really clear which direction they're going in. Also, whilst I love Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, there is a part of me that feels like at least some of these characters should have reused the cast from Lucifer itself.