The Sandman (Netflix)

That was interesting and intriguing. I haven't read the books, but going by their reputation I expected that. What pleasantly surprised me is that it was satisfying. It actually told a complete story within the hour, which is quite unusual for serialized fare. Usually they expect us to live and die by the cliffhanger. But if this was going to remain the only episode I ever watched, I'm grateful I got a whole story out of it to properly sample things. That's something I very much miss about genre television. 4 stars.

I have to say I love this take on Cain and Abel. They are both cosmically tragic and weirdly lovable. Abel's wishes for a nice family sort of broke my heart. The Gargoyle was cute. Cain claims Gargoyle names should begin with a "g". Like say, Goliath. That actually checks out.

The dream world vistas seemed so familiar to me and I was wracking my brain trying to figure out where I've seen them before. I know! MirrorMask! Duh! The other big Gaiman project I have actually seen. Granted, the budget here is much higher, and the world so much richer, but that's what it reminds me of all right. 4 stars.

The good thing about Joanna Constantine is because Jenna Coleman is a woman, she doesn't have to deliver a performance anything like Matt Ryan's, which we'd invariably compared a male actor negatively with. This take feels new and different enough Ryan isn't on my mind much.

Ethel's plan to sacrifice her life and immortality to protect her son would be a good one... If he weren't actually a sociopath. He gets it from his father, no doubt.

I like Constantine calling Morpheus on his crap after he doesn't want to help ease Rachel's suffering. Talking back to deities and giving them the business is Constantine's entire selling point.

Female Lucifer Morningstar coming up. Buckle up. 4 stars.

Riveting stuff.

I was rooting for Rosalie to survive her ordeal with the bowel leech that is John, and I was delighted he showed her a surprising bit of kindness at the end. I live for tension exhales to go the right way in genre. They don't usually. Neil Gaiman is a special creator. (Although he wasn't as kind to us in the next episode).

Gwendoline Christie's Lucifer Morningstar is entirely different than Tom Ellis. For one thing, she strikes me as far smarter. It wouldn't shock me if she orchestrated that fight herself. Also her threat to keep Dream in Hell means she is a liar, also entirely outside of the Tom Ellis version. TV's Lucifer is not evil and merely punishes it. Sandman's version is much darker.

I found the role-playing-type battle between them creative, poetic, and literate. It was smart television, and as a scene of violence, that is unusual. And as dishonorable as Lucifer ultimately is, even she cannot bear to destroy hope. I haven't read the books, but if this adaptation is a tenth of them, I get why they are beloved. There's just too many of them for me to get to right now. The premise is super interesting. 5 stars.

I hated that. Full stop. It was dark, violent, depressing, and upsetting. I did not want to sit through that. It sucked. The show is usually more measured and this was like a horror episode. I found it entirely distasteful. I hated it with a passion. 0.

Most of my reviews for the series haven't been TOO lengthy but I think I have some extra things to say about this one.

One of the coolest things about the show, (and I guess the franchise), is that it's not merely an ongoing serialized story. It's also an anthology that tells a different story of the week every episode / issue. I like that about it. Sometimes (like the last episode) that can make it suck. Here the premise and execution is amazing instead.

Death has gotten some criticism for being portrayed by a black woman here. She's supposed be be white (and a Goth). I think the change that ultimately hurts the character isn't done for diversity reasons, but rather of practical necessity. But the fact that Death is a woman and not a little girl takes away a big part of the concept's appeal. That DC Showcase animated short a few years back knocked my socks off because that idea was so funky, off-beat, and beautiful at the same. But it is inadvisable to cast children as ageless immortal characters if you plan the show to last longer than a season. They'll age out of the role fast and then the producers are screwed. Maybe making the character a white and Goth adult would make her seem a bit more familiar to fans, but the actual appeal of the character would still not be present.

That being said, Death is still pretty cool. Her stuff was by turns moving and dreadful. I was near bawling at the scene with the baby. What an awful job. And what an amazing person to have the bedside manner for it she does for the past few million years.

I love the anthology this week. I love the dude that loves life, and when Morpheus expects him to tell him how tired he is of living, he says he still can't get enough, and can't wait to see what comes next. And finally centuries later, when the guy has been at a low-point and living in poverty, loneliness, and infamy for the past 80 years, and Morpheus offers to end his suffering, it's just perfect he's like, "Are you crazy? I have so much to live for!" This one guy refuses to abide the moral Aesop's Fables insist he must learn.

It gets better. During their second-to-last meeting the guy accurately says that Morpheus probably understands by this point he's never gonna give up the Immortality gift. He suggests Morpheus sticks around instead because he's lonely and they are friends. And Morpheus gets all huffy and "How dare you?" because Morpheus is a very annoying person with an overinflated sense of self-worth. And the guy tells Morpheus if he sees him again in 100 years, it's because they're friends.

And the guy is disappointed Morpheus apparently ghosted him in 1989. He's lucky he didn't take back the Immortality gift, but he clearly decides Dream doesn't actually consider him a friend after all. But flashbacks remind the viewer Morpheus was actually imprisoned during their planned meeting, and the end of the episode is Morpheus catching up with the guy years later out of season because, yes, they're friends. And I love every inch of the parable because the person learning the lesson is Morpheus rather than the Immortal schlub. That's pure genius and I love it.

That right there is a story created by and told by a person who loves telling stories. Full stop. Those are the best kinds. Always. 5 stars.

I love that at this point in the series, it's no longer actually about Sandman. I think that's the selling point of the anthology format.

I very much enjoyed Rose Walker's story. I love her wacky neighbors in the boarding house, and I loved the fact that the social worker treated her like a real person when she frustratedly points out that the end point of actually making contact with her brother could wind up with him being her dependent at age 21. I like that a lot. Gilbert is awesome too.

Who is the pumpkinheaded dude voiced by Mark Hamill? I have no idea who he is or why he showed up, but it's a fun character.

I am very unsure about the gathering of "collectors". On paper, a society of serial killers is a fun and dark high-concept. In practice, it's probably super cringe and Edgelord. We'll have to see if I'm right, but I remain skeptical about this specific thing, especially seeing as it's being played for laughs. I have serious doubts about this.

The rest of the episode was great though. 4 stars.

Rose Walker's stuff was great, especially her scenes with Hal (although Hal's dream was alarming).

I have to say Morpheus' d-bag behavior at the end is indefensible. There is a reason I find the character annoying and don't like him.

The stuff was Jed was pretty tense too.

It was solid but Dream is a buttmunch. 3 1/2 stars.

Oh, my God, that last shot! The absolute worst thing about the Corinthian telling Rose he was safe with her is realizing he's probably telling the truth. Have we been rooting for the wrong people all season? Is Rose Walker's only actual hope of survival and a future with her long-lost brother a loose consortium of serial killers? Both Morpheus' despicable actions to Lyta and Gilbert's shocking reveal as Fiddler Green, say yes.

And yes, that was a great and unexpected reversal for Gilbert. Well played.

I can't have been the only person getting serious vibes from The Witches from that convention, could I?

Holy crap! The convention of serial killers are the good guys? What the hell?! 4 1/2 stars.

I was very glad the last few seconds of the last episode were a mislead. I would very much have hated having to root for the Corinthian and the Collectors after all.

I see why they didn't use Tom Ellis as Lucifer Morningstar now. Lucifer's role here is entirely different, and it wouldn't fit Ellis' Luci canon at ALL. Makes sense now.

I am not pleased with Dream's action during this episode, but the one just punishment he handed down was making the serial killers feel the proper level of guilt and pain they should have over the fact that they all sucked. I wish that was a real-world sentence a court could hand down. It's something convicted sociopaths all seem to desperately need and never get.

It was solid and reasonably satisfying, with some good loose ends for a potential season 2. I liked it. 4 stars.

Dream Of A Thousand Cats:

An animated episode? Nice.

Both the set-up and the premise lead me to question the reality of the Mistress' story and claims. Everything about it screams Tall Tale (or is it tail?).

The drowning of her kittens was truly sickening. Maybe the reason she believes the dream she had is real is because she needs it to make sense of that specific horror.

I'm trying to understand Morpheus' role in all this, and if his involvement makes her dream more or less likely to be true. But even if it is, as the older cat chuckles to the younger about the likelihood of her mission becoming a reality, "Who can ever get 1000 cats to agree to do anything at the same time?" 4 1/2 stars.

Calliope:

I found the premise awful, and the most horrific thing about it is that it could be confused for a fairytale premise in another franchise. How different is Calliope's imprisonment from Belle's from Beauty And The Beast? The fact that the story takes the idea seriously and attaches reality and consequences to how horrible it is admirable.

I think my favorite thing about the segment is that Maddoc has billed himself as and describes himself as a feminist. I don't know if that is in the written work, but I suspect it isn't. I think the show is using that idea to take a direct shot at Joss Whedon, who claimed similar enlightenment, and while perhaps not treating women THAT horribly, he had no self-awareness of how badly that specific flaw of his comes across after describing himself as such.

I thought Frye (played by Derek Jacobi) was pretty vile. His convincing Maddoc that this is what the Muses were made for is infuriating, because it's self-evident it is not. It it were, since there are only 9 Muses, there should only be 9 writers on Earth at any given time. The fact that this obvious fact never occurs to Maddoc and he rationalizes it away instead erases whatever sympathy I could have found for him at the end.

Morpheus telling Calliope his suffering in captivity was nothing compared to hers gives the audience the proper context for her torment, and about what has actually been going on that we didn't see.

That was a very dark fable about good and evil that takes a clear moral stand, and the right moral stand about it. I thought it was great. 5 stars.

Episode Overall: 5 stars.