DC TV Series Sandman: The Series

Fan of the comics here.

4 episodes in, and I am stunned. They made a great SANDMAN show. Wow.

It is such a smart and effective adaptation. Mostly faithful, but with little changes to connect the stories more and provide more dramatic weight.

The casting is mostly great (Sturridge is a dream as Dream) and obviously a lot of care, effort, and money went into the execution of the show. "Hope in Hell" really knocked my socks off.

They really captured the core of what made the comics so different, engaging, and provocative. The intertwining of ideas, of dreams, through so much darkness with a thread towards trying to find a reason to believe in humanity, and to find hope. A story about how stories can give hope, as can dreams.

Obviously not everything translates and maybe a couple concessions were made to the conventional TV construct, but still, wow. I am thrilled so far.

I have heard DOLL'S HOUSE doesn't work quite as well but, even so, I can't help but look forward to watching the rest.

 

I'm actually re-reading The Sandman comics, it's crazy how well they really adapted the comics. It has some changes, but they mostly work.

 

The way they are doing Morpheus' voice is *chefs kiss*.

The Raven getting killed hurt my soul.

Gregory...

Donita Gohil was gorgeous as the youngest fate. I didn't like that they made them so hostile. It worked, but I would have preferred a more subtle danger than the sledgehammer approach they took.

The audio drama adaption on Audible is really good. James Macavoy plays Morpheus and the rest of the cast is really good too.

The Sandman

The Sandman: Act II

I've been listening to Act 1.

 

Quick question for anyone who knows the lore a bit more than I do (I only read the first two story arcs)...

Spoiler

Dream tells Hector (in the show) that he can’t remain in the dreaming because he is dead and has to move on. Is that just because he was meddling with Lyta in the real world? Because dead people like Matthew can remain in the dreaming (albeit as a raven) and Dream even tells Rose she can stay there too after she dies. So is it just a permission thing? Could Dream have allowed Hector to stay there?

Things with Hector and Lyta were different in the comics so this was a change made for the show and thus there might not be a clear answer. I’m just trying to understand the “rules” of being dead but also remaining in the Dreaming.

 

The first 15 min of "On Her Wings" almost brought me to tears it was so beautiful

 

Seems like every episode has at least one moment that hits me like that. I can't recall another show that I've connected with so consistently and effectively. Great stuff.

And holy hell that diner scene. At first I thought they were going to take it easy with the diner scene and just end it with everyone hooking up. Nope. They really went for it.

 

The last scene between John Dee and Rosemary walloped me. As did the look on Lucifer's face when Dream says his famous line to her from the comics.

 

I need a spinoff that can explore Constantine, Lucifer, and Hell.

Oh and if From Software ever wants to do a Dark Souls series I'd trust this crew to bring it to life with Miyazaki.

 

Damn episode 5 was intense . Loved it. And man, all the actors they got were great.

I did really like the dream/flashback look.

 

had to admit: episodes 7 & 8 were pretty boring, hope 9 & 10 will be better

 

About halfway through the third episode. This is a really high quality show, very well made.

 

I was not sure after the first few episodes, but I got to 24/7 and Sound of Her Wings last night and wow, they managed to pull both off. I didn't think it was possible to adapt 24 Hours successfully, so I have to give major props on that one. My only complaint about Sound of Her Wings is

Spoiler

the transition to Hobb's storyline was a little jarring. It really felt like two episodes in one (which makes sense because it's adapting two different stories told a few issues apart). However, they did such a good job adapting both stories that I feel like it's just nitpicking.

 

We have had some real duds from DC obviously, but in recent years, there have been 3 DC projects that I have ZERO complaints about: The Sandman, Joker, and The Batman.

 

I was checking back, if I missed the credits between those two storylines

Watched the 9th episode yesterday and boy, did I have a bad night. The creepiest thing I‘ve seen in a long time…and there are really people outside like those

Spoiler

visitors of the cereal killer convention

 

‘The Sandman’ Proves Its Worth With A Perfect Week On Netflix

 

Season 2 baby here we come!

 

Great news The show deserves it.

 

Definitely. Like Lazarus said, we’ve had a lot of disappointing DC adaptations in recent years but stuff like this, The Batman and Joker have raised the bar (I would also put The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker on this list). But this one really stands out because they truly adapted specific stories instead of doing an amalgam of different things and/or crafting a new story. That’s a rarity in comic book adaptations because it can misfire. But they nailed it with Sandman. They NAILED it.

 

Watchmen (2019) was another recent one I would add to that list. The Batman, Sandman, and Joker have taken risks that elevate the genre. Meanwhile, this phase of Marvel is pumping out tons of mid tier content that just perpetuates the genre without propelling it to new levels.

But then you have truly awful stuff from DC too mixed in there like WW84. So it’s like, what do you choose?

DC- which has higher highs and lower lows, or Marvel- which maintains a general level of quality that doesn’t really take too many risks?

This is just my take on the two brands. It’s great that we don’t have to choose. We can enjoy them both. It’s just fun to notice the contrasting styles.

 

Honestly, I'll take DC any day of the week. I usually enjoy Marvel movies, but seldom ever watch them again, bar a few films. DC has way many more movies and shows I will revisit. Personal preference, but I agree with your take.

 

I agree with you. It’s more of a gamble with DC, but when it pays off, it really pays off! I do have to say that the DCEU in general has been a huge disappointment. Their attempts at creating something that can compete with the MCU have been foolhardy. When DC embraces how different they are and takes big risks, that’s where true greatness can be found. Those projects generally happen to be found outside of the DCEU.

Though I personally would’ve handled the 3 films VERY differently, I actually loved all the Snyder DCEU films and thought they were ballsy and risky. But I also kind of resent those films because of the way they tanked public opinion for DC.

Im actually kind of hopeful that Zaslav and his radical new regime can get the mainline DC universe back on track. Tsujihara and Hamada were not the guys for the job, and I am hoping Zaslav can appoint someone that can get the DCEU back on track. Or at least completely reboot if the universe is truly irredeemable. There’s nothing in the DCEU that I love so much that a reboot would be devastating. It’s mostly meh casting choices IMO (Gadot… Kal-El No!) and baffling creative decisions for the characters and stories.

 

Never read the comics but really enjoyed it. I'd call the season good or really good but not great. Some episodes were really slow and poorly paced. Episodes 5 and 6 were great. Episodes 7 was in for a rough ride after that one.

 

Same for me. I think I like things a bit darker and more realistic.

 

I haven't had an issue with the pacing at all, though maybe it's because I can appreciate how it's adapting the source material in a surprisingly faithful way. There are a lot of changes but comics like The Sandman would usually have gotten FAR more changes than what this show does, and thankfully a lot of the changes made are good ones that help the eccentric and disparate Sandman stories come together as a TV show.

I guess I wouldn't recommend someone binging the show from beginning to end. I think it would work better if someone watched the first 5 episodes in one week, took a break for a couple days, watched episode 6, then a couple weeks later watched the last 4, haha. I think the way the story and style of the show shifts around (very in keeping with the comics, tbh) is really throwing some viewers... but taken on their own merits, I think each episode offers a lot of good stuff. Though certainly the show peaks a bit with episodes 4-6, which are just fantastic.

But yeah, Netflix might have been smart to drop episode 6 and the Doll's House section of the season a month later as a Part 2. That said, I'm not gonna hold the release strategy against the show too much and honestly I'm thankful to Netflix to throw a real budget at this show and have Gaiman heavily involved.

 

I watched the show. Overall, I enjoyed it, but there were 2 episodes in the start of the season i found quite boring and it made my a little worried. Fortunately it got better after those episodes.
The finale was a bit of a let down, I gotta admit.
I hope in the next season will get some explaining for all this hate toward "Dream" from his... siblings.