When I was a young teenager, my local library started stocking graphic novels for borrowing. I recall that one of those was Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. I didn't appreciate it at the time, as the only lasting impression it gave me was that the artstyle was strange. Last year, a TV series finally got made of the graphic novels, and it had quite a buzz back then. I was not only late to the party, only beginning it when the bonus episode came out, but I also watched it in a stilted way, watching it sporadically over the past seven months or so. That all means this review might be fuzzy on details, apologies for that!
The Sandman is a dark fantasy/horror that is set in a world in which the Gods are real, but watch humanity from afar. Morpheus (Tom Sturridge) is the God of Dreams, and it is while he is on Earth seeking out one of his nightmare creations, The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook - The Predator), who had escaped from the dream world, that disaster strikes. A man hoping to ensnare Death, instead accidentally captures Morpheus, and decides he will make do with this being instead. His items of power are stolen from him, and he remains magically imprisoned for the best part of a century. Finally managing to escape, Morpheus sets out to find his stolen items, as well as finally put a stop to the pain and suffering that The Corinthian has been unleashing on the world.
Season one takes place over twelve episodes, with that final episode 'Dream of a Thousand Cats/Calliope' being an anthology story seperate to the rest. The show as a whole has an anthology feel at times, as while the core plot point does concern Morpheus, he takes a back seat to other characters. Due to the power of the protagonist it often felt underwhelming with the places his quest takes him. The journey here is more important than the destination, as his power seemed to effortlessly give him success every time he had to deal with humans. I say humans, as the excellent fourth episode 'A Hope in Hell', has him travel to that titular place in order to battle Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie - Wednesday TV series, Game of Thrones TV series) in a special effects laden spectacle.
Luckily, the parts of the show that are not dedicated to the main plot thread are a lot more interesting, and work wonderfully as stand alone episodes. '24/7' may just be the best of the lot, is certainly the darkest at the very least. In this one, John Dee (David Thewlis - The Omen) has headed to a diner, where the powers he has received thanks to one of Morpheus' stolen items means he has the ability to force people to tell their most hidden truths. What occurs over the next forty five minutes is pure horror, with John sat there in the diner, while the guests and staff alike's revelations leads to eventual murder and bloodshed. What was so great about that episode was how it was portrayed on screen. With so many characters to follow, events kept rewinding back in time, so that it was possible to see all the many different horrors that were taking place. 'The Sound of Her Wings' is like a companion piece, in this one, Morpheus shadows his sister, Death (Kirby - The Good Place TV series) as she visits those around London who have recently died. That was a beautiful and calming one. Then there was an episode that revolves around Morpheus, and his meet-ups every ten years with a man who he made immortal. Having the same location being shown over so many different time periods was a fun idea, leading to a great pay-off at the end.
I'm not familiar with the source material, but with season one you have an effective and emotive show, one that has a feel of melancholy to it. Sturridge was great in his role, but it wasn't as large as you might expect. There are a whole host of other characters and it is their stories and interactions that much of the show is centered on. Morpheus often felt like a 'full stop' to any plot, as he always seemed to appear at the end to solve it. With so many interesting characters this didn't become an issue with just a few that I found to be a bit lame (such as Cain and Abel, and Rose's missing little brother). Seeing as how this is based heavily on the source material this is a bit of an unfair criticism, but I wish the main plot had been that little bit more captivating, as it was all the side stories that really stole the show for me.
The Sandman was an excellently made and mournful series that made good use of a mostly strong cast, and had the budget to back up the effects needed to sell the world. While I wish the main plot had been more involving, all the little side stories were what really made this one shine. The Sandman is currently streaming on Netflix.
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