The Sandman we’ve come to know and love, Dream, a.k.a. Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), is finally faced with his potential end — a tad ironic for a member of The Endless. It would make sense, given the long history of thinking of death as “the eternal slumber,” but it’s still a harrowing potential future for the King of Dreams. If the first part of Season 2 is about Dream facing, and attempting to fix, his past sins, its conclusion is entirely about fateful consequences. Though Morpheus is closer to death (the state of existence, not his sister) than ever before, his newfound determination to fight creates a less somber note, with a more active Dream, than in the conclusion to Part 1. The back half of The Sandman’s final season isn’t as expansive as the first, but it involves exceptional work from series lead Tom Sturridge while showcasing some of the series’ best supporting players within a sufficiently satisfying, faithful ending.
What Is ‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Part 2 About?

The Sandman Season 2 takes off exactly where Season 1 concludes, centered around Dream being marked for death by the decidedly unkind Kindly Ones after spilling family blood in granting his son, Orpheus (Ruairi O’Connor), a mercy killing. They essentially need an agent, an individual to advance the claim against the Dream Lord, who has no shortage of enemies. Meanwhile, Loki (Freddie Fox) kidnaps the infant Daniel, Morpheus’ chosen successor for his role as Dream (as an adult, Jacob Anderson), in order to aggrieve the boy’s mother, Lyta Hall (Razane Jammal). Loki hopes to set in motion Dream’s possible death, negating his debt to the latter. Morpheus sets off to see if there’s a route out of the death sentence and, failing that, to protect his realm and set up Daniel, while his enemies gather.
‘The Sandman’ Ends With a Memorable, Fateful Exploration of Fate

Image via Netflix

Contending solely with consequences and machinations allows the back half of Season 2 to highlight some of the series’ most inspired characters and casting choices. Whether we’re following the charming chaos of Loki and his new paramour, Robin Goodfellow (Jack Gleeson), or the steadfast investigation of Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) and the new-and-improved Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook) over Daniel’s whereabouts, it’s a continually fun and engaging ride despite the finale’s somber tenor. This season also allows small but relevant showcases for the rest of the Endless, with memorable moments from Death (Kirby), Desire (Mason Alexander Park), Delirium (Esmé Creed-Miles), and Destruction, a.k.a. The Prodigal (Barry Sloane). Fun aside, there are also ample opportunities for emotions and drama as Dream makes preparations and says his goodbyes. Morpheus has gained the loyalty of many oddities and outsiders, provoking a stellar journey from Ann Skelly as Nuala and allowing Sturridge to share strong scenes with Creed-Miles’ Delirium, Dreaming caretaker Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong), and Death herself. Over the series’ two seasons, Sturridge has notably evolved his portrayal of the cold, inhuman dream king coming into something resembling humanity, and Season 2, as a whole, provides his finest work yet.

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Kirby Howell-Baptiste stars as Death.

‘The Sandman’ Wraps Up on a Largely Satisfying Note With Season 2 Part 2

Image via Netflix

The Sandman ultimately concludes as an imaginative, creative adaptation anchored by top-tier interpretations of otherworldly characters. The storytelling in the first half of Season 2 felt explicitly episodic, easily divided into distinct narrative arcs, but it ends on a strong and unified note. There’s also the distinct sense that certain legs of the final journey were rushed in order to fit in everything required to conclude the story, but this final stretch of episodes is well-paced, building to a mostly rewarding finale in terms of overall story and various character arcs. From a pure narrative standpoint, it’s also a pity that The Sandman essentially had to end when it did. Creator Neil Gaiman’s sexual assault accusations have put a damper on any potential attempts to extend the series further, although showrunner Allan Heinberg has reiterated that two seasons were always the plan, irrespective of the scandal. Furthermore, Dream’s arc is already set in relative stone, given the events of the comics, necessitating that the series find a way to eventually wrap Morpheus’ story. It does feel like there’s more story to tell with Season 2’s best arcs, but overall, The Sandman wraps up on a satisfying note. The world expands, we get more time with interesting new characters and great scenes with new additions, and Sturridge has a beautiful, sometimes somber, but always thoughtful final turn as Morpheus. It was a wonderful, faithful interpretation that we can always revisit in dreams.

The Sandman

The Sandman Season 2 wraps up with a stronger narrative throughline and a host of memorable, emotional moments.

Release Date

August 4, 2022

Network

Netflix

Showrunner

Allan Heinberg

Directors

Louise Hooper, Andrés Baiz, Hisko Hulsing, Mike Barker, Coralie Fargeat

Pros & Cons

Tom Sturridge concludes his time as Morpheus with some of his best work in the series, capturing his character’s evolution well.
While the first half of Season 2 felt like two distinct narratives, the fine episodes have a clear story and a great sense of story momentum.
The storyline with Daniel activates some of the series’ most interesting supporting players, creating a satisfying final journey into the Dreaming.

It’s hard at times to escape the feeling that there is a lot more story to tell, and that some elements were truncated in a rush to pack too much into Season 2.