‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Vol. 2: A Perfect Comic Book Adaptation
When The Sandman returned with volume 1 of season 2 earlier this month, it brought back everything that made the first season so special. The beautiful visuals, deep thoughts, and an iconic now performance of Morpheus by Tom Sturridge. Now, The Sandman season 2 volume 2 brings the series to its conclusion. These final episodes of the series close the doors on Morpheus’ journey by exploring the consequences of his actions, the tragic loss, and the unexpected evolution of a character. This final season (with one more special episode coming soon) is deeply rooted in the original comic story arc, The Kindly Ones. Yet, it is adapted in a way that not everything is taken 1:1 from the comic books. This last season remains accessible to those who have only followed the first season.
[Warning: Light spoilers from The Sandman are below!]
High expectations for the final episodes of Morpheus’ story
Going into volume 2, my expectations were huge. The aftermath of Dream’s devastating decision in season 2 volume 1, where he had to take his son Orpheus’ (Ruairi O’Connor) life to honor his boon, started a chain of events leading up to this season’s resolution. The original comic arc in The Kindly Ones is a mixed tale of grief, vengeance, and inevitability. And this season needed to carry that same tragic weight, because without it, the whole story would fall short.
One of the most exciting aspects of this season was the full introduction of the Endless family. Meeting Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Desire (Mason Alexander Park), Despair (Donna Preston), Destiny (Adrian Lester), Delirium (Esme Creed-Miles), and Destruction (Barry Sloane) was a very nice touch, and it was great to witness the sibling rivalry and tension in their family. Alongside more meaningful interactions among the siblings, we also got more profound insight into Dream’s inner problems and his psyche. Their interactions have always been important in the comics, and their presence would signal that the story moves on beyond the terrains of easy storytelling.
The story also needed to explore Dream’s crumbling control over his kingdom. After everything he’s endured and done, including being imprisoned, saving humanity from his “symbols,” rebuilding his realm, killing his son, and losing his beloved. Those choices and events weren’t just mistakes he made. They were personal decisions, and their consequences are irreversible. But as it seems, deep down, he knew that.
The Sandman balances between honoring the comic book source and creating something new
The five episodes of The Sandman season 2 volume 2 pick up with Tom Sturridge’s Dream being devastated by his decisions. Forces way beyond his power come for him, in the name of the ancient law, to take his life because he spilled family blood. The story this time slightly shifts from that stoic and intriguing narrative into something more psychological and emotional.
Initially, we find Dream in a sort of trap. He doesn’t know what his final moments of life would look like, so to be certain, he visits entities that may know. First one is his brother Destiny, with whom he has a different relationship now. Back in the day, Dream would just visit him, tell him he wants to know the future, ignore him, and do everything his way. Now, he is afraid and doesn’t want to die. He almost begs Destiny to reveal to him the future, and promises he will listen to him.
This is a huge evolution of Dream’s character, as he was always broody and acted like he knew everything. This time, he admits to himself that he is afraid and won’t pretend not to be just to hide his weaknesses. When Destiny doesn’t provide him with the answer, he goes to visit The Kindly Ones a.k.a. the Fates (Dinita Gohil, Nina Wadia, Souad Faress). They convince him and confirm that all roads lead to Death, and that he must prepare himself for it. One day or another, someone will decide to go against him, and then, he won’t stop it.
Without spoiling huge plot twists and arcs important to the story, I can say that some stories from season 1 return and become important in this one. It’s simply a continuation of them , and resolution for some story arcs. But their return/continuation is not forced or poorly written. They have the meaning to the story in volume 2, as well as to Dream’s constant evolution of character.
Volume 2 focuses more on exploring Dream’s reflections on the past, paying his debts to others, and attempting to keep the Dreaming safe. This time it’s too late to focus on creating new strategies. He has to, just in case, say goodbye to people who helped him on his journey. Some of them are Hob Gadling (Ferdinand Kingsley) & Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman), who had their small roles in season 1, but now they are treated, in their way, as a larger part of the story. The overall atmosphere & vibe is sometimes almost Shakespearean, with every line, every scene, and every important moment, hinting at something greater and maybe even tragic to come.
The Sandman season 2 vol. 2 characters and their development
The most important parts of this season are the main and supporting characters. Tom Sturridge once again proves that he was a perfect choice to play Morpheus. His mimics, behavior, style of talking, and posture perfectly emancipate Dream from the comics. This season, he acts in a way that shows you Dream’s inner pain in almost every scene. He makes people understand that Morpheus understands he is not a god, but only a man who has cosmic responsibilities and can suffer personal losses. Sturridge’s finest moments this season are in the final episodes, where every single time, it feels like writers and directors thought for a very long time about every single frame, only to give us a perfect version of Morpheus.
Boyd Holbrook’s Corinthian returns this season, and he is referred to as the Second Corinthian. He’s no longer a threat, because he is a new version, that Dream created by learning from his mistakes. This time, he is treated like a rebooted version of himself, who has a lot of new depth to explore, as well as his small story arc. The same goes for Johanna Constantine, who becomes an important companion later in the episodes, as she is one of the friends who help Dream try to avoid his dark future.
The rest of the Endless shine in their own smaller roles. Even though they all have their one moment that’s important to the story, this time, the fewer of them, the better in the end. Destiny is still the biggest mystery ever, especially at the beginning of volume 2. Despair gets more character and “lore” in certain scenes. Delirium always steals all scenes she’s in, and Desire…well, Desire is Desire.
There are more supporting characters like Merv (Mark Hamill), Nuala (Ann Skelly), or Gilbert/Fiddler’s Green (Stephen Fry), and they are wonderful. But their roles and tasks this season should remain a mystery for now so as not to spoil too much. They are the most important supporting characters besides Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong), and without them, we would never truly understand the Dream and why he treats them not only as companions but as close friends and a second family.
A perfect ending for Netflix’s The Sandman series
The finale of volume 2 doesn’t hold back. It’s a very philosophical and powerful addition to the show, which never failed to impress. The whole series slowly introduced us to this world and characters, simply to make us shed a tear in the end, because we didn’t have enough time to stay with them. Dream’s evolution is shown better than in the comic books, because in the first episodes we can see him fighting against change, emotion, and consequence, just for him to embrace and accept them this season.
There’s dignity in the ending of this show. Even in the end, there is a moral that doesn’t try to manipulate the audience with cheap sentiment or surprise. It simply lets the story breathe its final breath, to respect the whole story, as well as to make sure no one is disappointed.
The Sandman Season 2 Volume 2 is a conclusion that this show deserved. It ties together all the emotional threads of stories that began with Dream’s imprisonment and ends with the evolution of a character that was described as an already perfect god, who finds out he is not perfect.
Even though it’s the end, The Sandman is one of the best comic book adaptations ever. There’s no doubt. It perfectly honors the source material, creates its legacy, and leaves you with this feeling that will stay with you for some time.
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Also check out: The Sandman Season 2 Volume 1: Anticipation for Epic Conclusion
