‘Sandman’ Season 1 is What Sweet Dreams are Made Of
Netflix and Neil Gaiman’s highly-anticipated comic book adaptation has finally made it to screen – was the Endless wait worth it?
Everyone who’s ever read Neil Gaiman’s dark fantasy comic book The Sandman has spent the last several years on tenterhooks while everyone talked about possibly on-screen adaptations. We waited and we crossed our fingers when rumors came across our feeds. When it was announced that Netflix would be adapting the beloved universe into a series, we were all hopeful, but cautious. It became clear that Neil Gaiman would be very involved with the production process, which was an incredible sign. Now we’ve had the weekend to watch the entire first season – twice, in my case.
Before deciding to roam further into the Garden of Destiny, you should know that this is a full-spoiler review of the first season of Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’. Tread carefully.
Sandman Features a Phenomenal Cast
There isn’t a single weak casting in the whole series. Neil Gaiman was not joking around when he talked about how each actor was perfectly cast to play his characters. It’s hard to choose a short number of stand-out performances because everyone is so stellar.
The choice to combine John and Joanna Constantine into one character – whose last name we’ve all been mispronouncing, apparently – was a delightful refresher to the character. Jenna Coleman is bold yes avoidant, wise but immature, and was a joy to watch.
There were so many other magnificent character moments – Kirby Howell Baptiste really captures the mood of Gaiman’s Death. I’ve already dug into the Sandman premiere episode’s excellent casting, so I won’t dote too much on Charles Dance here.
But some of my favorite cast members were Rose and Jed Walker, along with all the members of Hal’s house. Hal is played by Broadway favorite John Cameron Mitchell, and the show takes full advantage of Hal’s performance numbers in the book to let Mitchell entertain us. Seeing Chantal and Zelda on screen absolutely tickled me and Barbie and Ken (with his man-bun) were perfect. The moment when Gilbert transforms back into Fiddler’s Green was beautiful and moving.
Almost as moving as the script’s choice to replace comic book characters Brute and Glob with Gault, an escaped nightmare who wanted to be a dream.
Minor Changes to the Narrative Emphasized the Tone
One of the biggest deviations from the source material sees the Corinthian stepping in as a greater adversary and mover of the plot. Boyd Holbrook’s charming serial killing nightmare is actively trying to destroy Dream, rather than just hiding out for as long as he’s able. As far as adapting the story to the screen, this was an excellent choice that really gave the character more time to shine those pearly whites.
Courtesy of Netflix
It also provided the opportunity for The Corinthian to show some more character complexity. The scene where he shares an ice cream cone with Jed and the two talk about how they both like to run away is almost touching (in a terrifying kind of way).
I was also thrilled to see the “Cereal Convention” alive on the screen. It’s a fascinating thought that the niche serial killers that became a part of the cultural zeitgeist are greater in numbers and more organized – thanks to the Corinthian’s influence.
To Hell & Back
Another scene that I was really eager to see was, of course, the John Dee diner scene. Daniel Thewlis doesn’t look like the emaciated, damaged man Dee is drawn to be in the comics, but the actor can certainly capture the cynical and sad nature of the character. The diner episode was very enjoyable, although it didn’t quite live up to the same feeling of absolute terror and abhorrence I remember feeling when I read the original story.
Meanwhile, Gwendolyn Christie’s portrayal of Lucifer miraculously managed to add a whole new dimension to the character I’ve loved for so many years. Her tone of voice and facial expressions absolutely nail the fallen angel’s defiance and grace. The final scene has me as eager for the second season as I have been for the first.
Courtesy of Netflix
Sandman Season 1 Exceeded My Hopes
Only a couple of episodes in and I realized that Neil & Netflix fully intend to see the story of the Endless until the… well, the end. There were mentions of the Kindly Ones, the Prodigal, Nada, and promises that several characters we’ve already met will reappear in future stories. The ambition of this project seems well-matched for its capabilities, and I cannot wait until we get to Seasons of Mist.
