My Review of The Sandman: "Death: The High Cost Of Living"

 

Written by Neil Gaiman And Allan Heinberg

Directed by Jamie Childs

Death (to Sexton): "Thank you. I had a nice day."

Last week felt like the true finale to the show but this episode could maybe be seen as an epilogue for this show overall. It's also got a very simple premise.

The premise being what would happen if Death took the day off? Every one hundred years that's exactly what she does. She takes a day off and lives a human life. She wanted the whole experience and for that, she needed human interaction.

That would come in the form of Sexton Furnival (Colin Morgan). He's a journalist who broke up with a woman named Sylvie. His flatmate Billie (Jade Anouka) wanted him out of the way so she could have sex with her girlfriend, Amelia (Adwoa Akoto). They'd end up in a fight before later making up.

As for Sexton, he was considering suicide until an accident put him in Death's crossbars and the two struck up a rather chaotic friendship. Oh and Mad Hettie putting them together in order to retrieve her "soul".

Throw in friendly cab driver Lennie (Tracy Ann Oberman), a nightclub reunion with Billie and Amelia and their single friend, Jackie (Ellie Mejia) and things were getting a bit much for Sexton. Then there was Theo (Jonno Davies) holding both Sexton and Death at gunpoint in order to get the latter to bring back his dead girlfriend. 

Eventually they got free, Death seemed happy with how her day as a human turned out and then she "died". Oh and Mad Hettie's "soul" was a picture of her daughter and Sexton got a new lease of life and a potential new girlfriend with Jackie.

- Sexton liked three sugars in his tea and wrote climate reports for The Guardian. He also had a Superman mug and found a Superman fridge magnet.

- Theo learned that Death's sigil couldn't bring people back or control Death herself.

- Death went under the alias of Didi, given to her by Sexton. She also had a conversation with herself near the end of the episode.

- Sylvie is never once seen in the episode, despite being frequently mentioned.

- This episode officially marked the end of this saga. Originally there was a Dead Boy Detectives scene that got cut from the series.

- Chronology: Present day London for the duration of the episode.

Death: The High Cost Of Living was a quiet way to end things. Were things different, I'd like to think that Netflix would've given this show a third season and covered more arcs but I'm grateful for what we did manage to get. Great performances from Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Colin Morgan.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Sandman: "A Tale Of Graceful Ends"

 

Written by Allan Heinberg 

Directed by Jamie Childs 

Mother (to Maid/Crone): "There. For good or bad, it's done."

And so would be this show - almost. This episode alone was a funeral for Lord Morpheus but also a welcoming for Daniel Hall aka Dream II. Its such a pity that we won't get a full season of this version of Dream. I love him already.

Daniel spent a portion of this episode unsure of his new position and aside from one moment of calling out an impatient Cain, he was getting off to a pretty benevolent start. I mean he brought back Abel once Cain described him and then he revived both Merv Pumpkinhead and Fiddler's Green. The latter was less enthusiast about being brought back.

Of course the best scenes that the new Dream got were with Lucienne, Destruction and Lyta herself. Daniel showed compassion to both Lucienne and Lyta while having a rather poignant family exchange with Destruction. The latter might not have attended Morpheus's funeral but he give some great advice to Daniel.

As for the other siblings, yes they showed up to their brother's funeral and each of them gave some rather beautiful speeches. In particular, both Desire and Despair's hit the most. The end scene with the siblings embracing Daniel was a lovely moment. Another shame that we won't get to see more of it.

Going back to Lord Morpheus, his death certainly brought out some players. Matthew came back despite feeling he had said everything about Morpheus. Then there was Hob Gadling grieving for his friend but also wanting to continue to live. I loved his scene with Death.

Last but not least, they really went there with Johanna Constantine and Corinthian II, huh? This episode really pushed the big love story and even a romantic kiss. The woman who described her exes as nightmares and the nicer version of a nightmare. What an odd couple. Maybe it'll work out for them.

- A credit scene had the Kindly Ones reading from a fortune cookie. It seemed to be setting up next week's actual last ever episode.

- Daniel gave Nuala back her old room in the Dreaming. Titania blanked her during Morpheus's funeral. Morpheus also visited an older William Shakespeare.

- I spotted Mad Hettie, Rose Walker and Calliope also in attendance of Lord Morpheus's funeral. Hettie felt guilty about her part in Morpheus's demise.

- Death wore red during Morpheus's funeral while Desire admitted that they'll miss antagonising Morpheus. Despair talked of her previous iteration.

- Next week's actual last episode is titled, Death: The High Cost Of Living.

- Chronology: From where the last episode left off.

A Tale Of Graceful Ends did make for a glorious series finale (of sorts). The funeral scenes were beautifully handled with every character getting some truly great moments. Let's see where the real last episode will go.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "Long Live The King"

 

Written by Marina Marlens

Directed by Jamie Childs

Lucienne: "Daniel?"

Daniel: "No, not any longer."

Well, it turns out that some shows actually can conceal a spoiler until transmission/release of an episode. I mean, we expect Morpheus to die and Daniel Hall to succeed him as the second Dream. The casting of Jacob Anderson on the other hand was a pleasant surprise.

However, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's rewind back and discuss the events that led to a successor. Well, there was Morpheus being called into the Faerie realm. That left the Dreaming vulnerable and gave both Lyta and the Kindly Ones the opportunity to strike.

They absolutely didn't waste any time destroying most of the Dreaming, killing anyone who got in their way and eventually confronting Morpheus themselves. Lyta however almost had a change of heart about killing Morpheus but the Kindly Ones made sure that she held up their deal.

Morpheus's last few moments were poignant and of course, it meant the return of Death herself. I liked that he got some scenes with Lucienne, Matthew and Corinthian II as well as his last moments with Death. For two seasons, Tom Sturridge played a blinder with the character and this was a poignant exit for Lord Morpheus.

It also served to set up the introduction of Daniel Hall as Dream II. His entrance was brief but Jacob Anderson absolutely owned his small amount of screen time. I'm disappointed that we're not going to get to spend a lot of time with him.

As for the rest of the episode, we had a determined Nuala wanting to go back to help Morpheus with both Cluracan and Titania offering their own support. I also quite enjoyed Delirium's encounter with Mad Hettie, her reunion with Barnabas and more resigned reaction to Morpheus's passing.

- RIP to poor Merv Pumpkinhead and Abel. Oh and poor Goldie too. Lyra, you messed up badly.

- Daniel was dressed in white with the protection pendant that Morpheus had given Johanna from the last episode.

- Despite their hatred of Morpheus, the Kindly Ones did back off when Death entered the fray.

- Cluracan really did make it clear that no one really cares about him in the Faerie realm before being helpful to Nuala.

- I just realised that Jo Martin voiced the Griffin this season. Something for Doctor Who fans to pay attention to.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Long Live The King really struck the right Chord for the antepenultimate episode of the series. It marked one hell of an end for Lord Morpheus while quietly ushering in the introduction of Daniel Hall as Dream II. Excellent stuff.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "The Kindly Ones"

 

Written by Greg Goetz

Directed by Jamie Childs

Johanna: "People around me tend to get hurt."

Corinthian II: "I'm not people. You can't hurt me."

In terms of pairings I didn't expect, step up Johanna Constantine and Corinthian II. No, seriously, I didn't expect them. This episode actually managed to make a compelling case for them too.

First of all, let's talk of Corinthian II. He might look the same as his former iteration but he's not the same, even if he does retain some of his former's self's memories. Only this time, he's actually a force for good. It would take a bit for Johanna to realise that but she did.

With Morpheus having to stay in his own realm to avoid the wrath of the Kindly Ones, he paired Johanna and Corinthian II in order to rescue.  There's a bit of a good/bad news on that. Loki didn't destroy him but he did speed up Daniel's impending Godhood with that baptism of fire. 

Another thing Loki managed to do was burn his bridges with Puck. The latter surrender Loki's whereabouts quite easily to Johanna and Corinthian II. They were successful in getting Daniel back and Loki got dragged away by Odin and Thor. Oh and Johanna and Corinthian II flirted up a storm but Johanna also refused to totally give into the reformed nightmare creature.

As for the rest of the episode, the Kindly Ones know how to play dirty. With Mad Hettie, they had no problem with manipulating Lyta into helping their mission to take out Dream. He didn't die in this one but being removed from his realm allowed the Kindly Ones and Lyta to enter the Dreaming. Alas, poor Fiddler's Green. 

Then there's Dream himself. He hated being under virtual house arrest but he managed to have some nice scenes with both Lucienne and Delirium before getting pulled into the Faerie realm by a reckless Titania. Yeah, her attempts to get one over on Nuala really did backfire by the end of this episode. 

- Delirium was looking for Barnabus. Dream didn't want to help but offered her Goldie to go with her instead.

- Corinthian II used Mrs Shore's eyes to locate Loki. Puck obviously hooked up with the previous Corinthian. He also hooked up with Cluracan this episode.

- Mad Hettie currently has Barnabus in her possession. The Kindly Ones continue to enjoy their loop holes by telling Lyta about Orpheus.

- Loki mentioned his six children in the previous episode and also talked about sleeping with Thor's wife in this one.

- Nuala's gift was taken by Titania while Johanna surrendered her protection to Corinthian II.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

The Kindly Ones kicked off the true beginning of the end for Lord Morpheus in style. Every plot strand flowed beautifully together but I really enjoyed the Johanna/Corinthian II scenes together the most.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "Fuel For The Fire"

 

Written by Jay Franklin

Directed by Jamie Childs

Corinthian (to Dream): "Thank you Lord. I await your command."

Oh look who's back. You'd think after the chaos he caused in the first season, the last line of defence that Morpheus would go for would be the Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook). That's how dire the situation has become for Dream. 

Of course, going by the brief scene that Corinthian appeared in, it would appear that his master had made alterations in order to make Corinthian more agreeable. He appeared to be in that one scene. Submissive even. Oh, Corinthian, I've missed you.

This episode seemed to continue a tour of sorts for Lord Morpheus. He recruited the modern version of Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) in order to rescue Daniel. Yet again, there's a spark between Morpheus and Johanna and the latter had no problem in giving Dream a much needed dressing down and some home truths to boot. I'm really glad she's back for a more expanded role this season.

Keeping with the reunions, I'm also really glad that Morpgeus got a scene with Despair. We needed a scene between those two and its a beautifully done scene. Despair had a lot of compassion for Dream losing his son. I thought the stories she told Dream about his son was rather. Also sweet was Dream's reunion with Hob Gadling (Ferdinand Kingsley). I hope they get at least another one before the finale.

Getting back to the Daniel Hall story though, Loki really had no qualms with burning up a baby. Puck to his credit tried to do the right thing but alas, he couldn't outwit his more evil lover. Lyta on the other hand spent most of the episode fully blaming Morpheus for her son's abduction. I mean she wasn't entirely wrong. 

As for Nuala, she wasn't happy about going home. It didn't help that Cluracan was unsympathetic to her plight and even glamoured Nuala against her consent. Nuala's scene with Titania had a certain tension with the latter being fixated on Nuala's gift from Dream. 

- Johanna and Corinthian wore white last season but this time around, both were decked out in black. Johanna has shorter hair this time around.

- Dream gave Johanna her ancestor's diary, which she read about in relation to Orpheus. Johanna was having a dream about killing a lover.

- Puck really does seem to be falling in love with Loki. Loki played on that twice in this episode.

- Lyta's connection to the Kindly Ones was made apparent. They were also rather unhelpful with her.

- Hob had lost his wife from earlier this season. He brought up the fact that he's lost a lot of family members as a result of his refusal to die.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off. Daniel's eight months old.

Fuel For The Fire was a stronger episode with plenty of great character moments. The Loki/Puck dynamic over Daniel. Dream's scenes with Despair, Johanna and Hob were the best from this episode as well as the return of Corinthian.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "Time And Night"

 

Written by Vanessa Benton

Directed by Jamie Childs 

Dream (to Destiny): "I deserve to die for what I've done but I have my realm to consider."

Three weeks ago, the first half of this final season had a poignant arc with Lord Morpheus and his son, Orpheus. By the end of that arc, blood was spilled but it was out of compassion.

This episode opened with Dream being fully aware of the consequences of giving his son a merciful death. He talked about an imminent visit from the Kindly Ones to Destiny. They intend to make sure that Dream will die. Dream sort of had a back up plan for that outcome.

Calling in a favour, Dream summoned Loki, who was now in a relationship with Puck in order to help him. The plan depended on Daniel Hall. Yup, he's back along with Lyta and Rose Walker as they're all back in Unity Kincaid's mansion. Sadly for Morpheus, the trickster couple decided to go off script.

It didn't take much for Puck to impersonate one member of staff while knocking out the other and taking baby Daniel with him. Loki really didn't like the idea of being beholden to Dream and he went about the most reckless way of defying Dream to boot. It turned out that Loki might be rooting for Dream's demise. 

On the other hand, someone actively rooting against Dream's demise was Nuala. Bless, she's completely smitten with Dream and refused to leave his side, even when Cluracan arrived to bring her back to Titania. I did feel bad for Nuala but I do think Dream was trying not to be selfish by sending her away.

Last but not least, the parents of the Endless popped up here and neither of them seem to have a parental bone in their body. Time (Rufus Sewell) outright despised his children and guilt tripped Morpgeus about not loving him while Night (Tanya Moodie) was more conditional. Ultimately both Time and Night refused to help Morpheus when he really needed them.

- The Kindly Ones funnily enough don't take kindly to being referred to as the Furies. They did enjoy toying with Morpheus. 

- Nuala seemed to have formed a bond with Lucienne, Fiddler, Merv and Matthew. Morpgeus also gave her a necklace before sending her away.

- Destiny is the only one who doesn't ask Time for anything while Night talked about Delirium's change.

- Loki and Puck's relationship worked because they don't trust each other. I did enjoy their Conclave roleplay at the Vatican.

- Jed was back in school in the US, explaining his absence from Rose and Lyta.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Time And Night was a sobering mid season opener. The weight of Dream's actions and the impending consequences of that were on fully on display here. A great teaser for events to come.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "Family Blood"

 

Written by Jim Campolongo

Directed by Jamie Childs 

Dream: "What is it that you want?"

Johanna: "Perhaps a bit more time with Orpheus."

As always if there's a Constantine in the mix, my interest will increase for this show. We might not have John, but we can have Lady Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) and she's just as much as fun as her male counterpart/descendant.

It had been five years since Lady Johanna had encountered Dream and Hob Gadling and since then, she's made herself into quite the occult expert. That alone had Dream seek her out for a very special task. Johanna was going to recover the head of Dream's son, Orpheus. It didn't take much to persuade Johanna to embark on such a dangerous mission.

In fact, aside from Dream promising Johanna anything within his mind, the element of danger alone seemed to excite Johanna. It also didn't take her long to find Orpheus's head and attract the attention of Maximilien Robespierre (Jonathan Slinger). Robespierre was a bit too overeager to make an example out of Johanna. 

Instead both Johanna and Orpheus made quite a team together and managed to bring about the downfall of Robespierre. I really liked the Johanna/Orpheus rapport and she seemed to be something of a bridging between Orpheus and Dream.  There's a father/son reunion that came with deadly consequences. 

The previous episode made a thing about Dream not being allowed to spill family blood. Dream broke that rule when gave Orpheus exactly what the latter wanted. The Kindly Ones in particular were very interested in the consequences of Dream's mercy killing of his son. It was a great way to set up the second half of the season.

As for family reunions, we had some great scenes with Dream, Delirium and Destruction. Of course Destruction didn't want to return but at least Delirium got some closure of her own and a friend of sorts with Barnabus to measure. Delirium seemed pretty happy with that outcome.

- Johanna figured out for herself that Morpheus was the King of Dreams. 

- Out of the Kindly Ones, it was the Crone who seemed the least compassionate towards Dream killing Orpheus.

- Destruction prepared a meal that neither Dream or Delirium were interested in eating.

- Was that a laughing magician reference during Johanna's captivity in Robespierre's cell? She did laugh manically at one point.

- The next five episodes of the season will be released on Netflix from July 24th.

- Chronology: Wych Cross, England - June 28th 1794, then heading to Paris before going elsewhere to keep Orpheus's head safe.

Family Blood was another delightful episode. The resolution of the Orpheus storyline that now has led into a bigger one for the second half of the season. The reunion with Destruction. The welcomed return of Lady Johanna Constantine and her scenes with both father and son. Excellent stuff.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "The Song Of Orpheus"

 

Written by Shadi Petosky

Directed by Jamie Childs

Dream: "You've made your choice. Just as your life is your own, so too is your death. Farewell my son, we shall not meet again."

Orpheus: "Please kill me."

Well, this was even more brutal than the previous episode. I mean, there's three big stories here and they all connected rather well to each other. Let's focus on the big one first.

First of all, there was introduction of Dream and Calliope's son, Orpheus (Ruari O'Connor). He's been having sone dreams of future events that he's chosen to ignore. Mostly because he's been distracted by his upcoming nuptials to Eurydice (Ella Rumpf) to focus on the grave warning. 

The wedding almost went without a hitch. All of the Endless attended and offered nice platitudes for the happy couple, except for Destiny. Then the death of Eurydice happened and it sent Orpheus on a very desperate path to get his beloved back.

Dream essentially warned Orpheus not to venture into the Underworld to retrieve his love but the latter persuaded Destruction and Death to help him. Orpheus persuaded Hades (Garry Cooper) and Persephone (Antonia Desplat) to give him back Eurydice. However as the story went, Orpheus couldn't follow the conditions to the letter, lost his head and Dream refused to kill him.

The Dream/Orpheus plot was by far the strongest but it was a strong plot in a sea of many. Dream realised his antics had gotten Wanda killed and he did a nice thing by making sure her grave was marked with her chosen name. Wanda in particular had a rather beautiful scene with Death that gave the character some closure.

As for Delirium, I think she forgave Dream rather too easily after the shit he pulled but I did love their scenes together and with Destiny. The latter was almost helpful in his own way with Dream and Delirium. He probably could've been a bit more helpful though.

- Delirium mentioned being married once when talking to Orpheus and Eurydice. 

- What Orpheus lacks in the dancing department, he made up in the singing one. The Kindly Ones on the other didn't care for it.

- Dream and Calliope were effectively divorced in this episode. Dream also saw another side to Nada during one particular scene.

- Orpheus referred to all of his aunts and uncles by different names. Death's realm is also rather messy.

- What Wanda's family did to her was rather disrespectful to her. In the source material, Barbie had a role in this story but was absent from here.

- Chronology: There was a flashback between Draam and Destruction in 1675 London as well as Ancient Greece.

I absolutely loved The Song Of Orpheus. The longest episode of the season  and the best one so far. Just brilliant from start to finish with a great guest performance from Ruari O'Connor to boot. 

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "Brief Lives"

 

Written by Austin Guzman

Directed by Jamie Childs

Wanda (to Dream/Delirium): "I miss my books. They were my companions. I was obsessed with the Oz books when I was growing up."

Okay, if I had to cite a stunning guest performance for this season so far, then my God, I have to give it to Indya Moore. I mean, in the space of a few scenes she did an incredible job of making me fall in love with Wanda and then there was those last scenes. They were just devastating.

We all know that Dream can be a massive dick but in this episode, he really did manage to outdo himself here. All Delirium wanted was to find Destruction. Dream was more interested in stalking Nada than help his sister out.

Worse than that, Dream knew that "helping" Delirium to try and find Destruction would lead to others being killed but still went along with it. It might not be often that Desire will get the moral highground but their rage at Dream by the end of this episode was totally justified. It was also the first time that Desire showed genuine disgust in Dream's actions.

Getting back to the casualties, Wanda sadly fell into the "Bury Your Gays" trope or in this case, trans. There's a lovely scene where Wanda filled both Dream and Delirium in about being trans while trying to help them go through Destruction's list of contacts. I know her death happened in the comics but it still devastating to watch nonetheless.

As for the other casualties, Death was there to comfort Wyvern (Nonso Anozie) after his long life came to a crashing end. Then there was Ishtar (Amber Rose Revah) herself. Her scenes with Dream showed that he ruined her relationship with Destruction. We had too little screen time with her but she made a solid impression before her demise.

Last but not least, when we weren't getting the rapport between Dream and Delirium, there was Destruction himself. Barry Sloane is a beautiful man, I cannot lie and it was nice to finally meet the character. In his short scenes, we did see Destruction interacting with talking dog, Barnabus (Steve Coogan) while doing a spot of painting. God, he's a handsome fella. 

- Delirium seemed very amused with being apprehended by Martin Tenbones (Lenny Henry). She's also previously met Matthew though it's not happened for him yet.

- Dream bumped into a young woman who resembled Rose Walker but it wasn't her.

- Wanda mentioned Tip/Ozma from the Oz books. Only one live action property had handled that storyline properly, the shortlived NBC series, Emerald City.

- Indya Moore, Steve Coogan and Nonso Anozie have appeared in other DC related projects in the last few years.

- Despair had refused to help Delirium to find Destruction. Despair and Destiny sat this one out.

- Chronology: Outside of the Dreaming, there was a trip to Philadelphia to meet Ishtar.

Brief Lives may have given us brief looks into Destruction, Wanda, Ishtar and Wyvern but the episode certainly packed an emotionally wallop. Wanda especially was fantastic to watch along with that final scene with Dream, Delirium and Desire.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "More Devils Than Vast Hell Could Hold"

 

Written by Alexander Wise

Directed by Jamie Childs 

Dream: "Perhaps when you have seen the world, you might come back."

Nada: "No, my Lord."

Dream: "But I love you."

Nada: "No, you do not."

At the end of the last episode, Dream had something of a dilemma. He could either surrender Hell to Lord Azazel or the latter would consume Nada's very soul. I said that Azazel would live to regret pulling such a stunt. I was right.

At first, Dream tried to play nonchalant by telling Azazel to wait until tomorrow for his answer. However an illuminating conversation with Nuala seemed to give Dream some clarity on how to deal with his Hell dilemma. Nuala was full of surprises this episode as was another character.

Azazel overplayed his hand by trying to attack Dream in his own realm. Dream punished him appropriately, leaving some room for mercy. I'm not sure I would've extended the same courtesy to Azazel and nor do I think the latter will return the favour should he break free either.

As for Nada, her anger for Dream was beyond justified. He deserved that slap and arguably worse. He deserved her anger and Nada's decision to live in the mortal realm was at least hers to make. However despite wanting space, Dream didn't seem like he was going to respect Nada's wishes on the matter. 

The rest of the episode then gave us more of Nuala and Cluracan. They might not have gotten their wish for Hell to remain unoccupied but Nuala was gifted to Dream and in flashbacks to her first encounter with him, there was a rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream to fill in done backstory. 

Last but not least, we had Loki pulling a switcheroo. It looked like he was bound and gagged and being dragged by Thor and Odin to go back to his wife but instead, he glamour someone else into having to endure his punishment. He managed to strike a deal with Dream to stay out of his prison but how long before he's caught?

- In flashbacks we met Puck (Jack Gleeson), King Auberon (Royce Pierreson) and Queen Titania (Ruta Gedmintas) as well as a new William Shakespeare (Luke Allen-Gale).

- Nuala dropped her glamour to reveal her Irish accent. Titania had previously disapproved of it.

- Who was Cluracan getting intimately acquainted with? Either way, his antics got on Nuala's nerves.

- Is it me or did Shimmering Jemmy/Chaos look like a mini Harley Quinn?

- Lucifer briefly appeared, now in retirement and not bothered that Dream gave Hell to two of God's angels.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

More Devils Than Vast Hell Could Hold certainly didn't waste too much time in resolving both the Hell and Nada problems for Dream. They're handled pretty well with both the Nuala and Loki subplots also being quite enjoyable.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "The Ruler Of Hell"

 

Written by Ameni Rozsa

Directed by Jamie Childs

Dream: "This is your revenge on me."

Lucifer: "Perhaps it will destroy you. Perhaps it won't but I doubt it'll make your life any easier."

Last season, we had the battle of wits and cunning between Dream and Lucifer. If you were expecting Round Two to be as theatrical, you might be disappointed. Dream's second trip to Hell in this show had a far stranger outcome than expected.

As Dream came looking to rescue Nada, Lucifer spent that time evicting everyone out of Hell, including Nada. On top of that, Lucifer was less interested in fighting Dream and more fixated on giving up on Hell altogether. They were done with the place and there wasn't anything that Dream could say otherwise on the matter.

Instead Dream got to cut off Lucifer's wings before the latter handed him the key to Hell. Dream didn't want to rule Hell and Death refused to let him palm the place off on her. Instead, Dream would have to host a lavish banquet that would serve as a decider as to whom should rule Hell instead.

This episode was a way to introduce a lot of new characters,  arguably too many all at once. There was Odin (Clive Russsell) and his sons Thor (Laurence O'Fuarain) and Loki (Freddie Fox), a sea god (Kristofer Kamiyasu), Chaos (Lyla Quinn) herself, as well as fairy siblings Cluracan (Douglas Booth) and Nuala (Ann Skelly). The last two were more keen on Hell remaining unoccupied than ruling it.

Of course the most desperate to get their hands on Hell was Lord Azazel (Wil Coban) himself. He made the most noise about wanting to rule Hell and certainly played the most dirty to get Dream's attention. There was offering Choronzon (Munya Chawawa) as a revenge offering. Then there was using Nada to strong arm Dream into surrending Hell to him.

Personally while it did look like Azazel had the upper hand to begin with, I think using Nada might have brought about his downfall. Dream didn't look best pleased and given how he punished Richard Madoc for mistreating Calliope, I imagine Dream will subject Azazel to a similarly nasty fate for hurting Nada.

- Tom Sturridge's mother, Phoebe Nicholls had a role as Taramis in this episode with them sharing a scene together.

- Dream didn't seem pleased with Odin releasing Loki from prison. Dream also destroyed Thor's hammer.

- Of course Cain's party piece would involve sawing Abel in half and turning him into sausages.

- Cluracan was flirting with men and women in this episode. Seven out of nine fairies usually end up in Hell. Nuala was keen to avoid that.

- Dream confessed to Lucienne he had two candidates in mind to take over Hell but didn't tell her who they were.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

The Ruler Of Hell offers an abrupt change of direction for Lucifer but within that chaos, it certainly succeeded in putting Dream in such a dire position. It loses points for too many new characters and not enough time to spend with them.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of The Sandman: "Season Of Mists"

 

Written by Allan Heinberg

Directed by Jamie Childs 

Dream: "Walk any path in Destiny's garden and you will be forced to choose."

Has it really nearly been three years since the first season of this show? Yes, it has and a lot has happened since then. We had a shortlived spin off with Dead Boy Detectives and there's no ignoring what's been going on with Neil Gaiman behind the scenes.

Anyways to the opening episode of this final season, we're introduced to Destiny (Adrian Lester). He doesn't waste time in summoning Dream (Tom Sturridge), Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Desire (Mason Alexander Park), Despair (Donna Preston) and Delirium (Esme Creed-Miles). Basically, family reunion time.

This lot haven't been together in a realm for a long time and it took very little for Desire to respectively stir the pot. Mostly needling Dream but also managing to annoy other siblings as well. Desire really did push the button, specifically the one called Nada (Umilisa Gahiga). Yes, remember her?

Last time Dream saw her in Hell, he had other things on his mind. Now he was determined to save her but not before filling Death in on his complicated romance with Nada. The latter chose to be tormented in Hell out of guilt. Dream also swore Death into keeping quiet about it. Destiny already knew that Dream was heading to Hell and filled the rest of the siblings in on it too.

Dream seemed to be eager to get his affairs in order. He refused the assistance of Matthew (Patton Oswalt) and put Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong) in charge of the Dreaming during his absence. Funnily enough, he also admitted to being afraid of Hell.

Of course, Dream had good reason to. Last time he humiliated Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie) and the latter hadn't forgotten that slight. In fact, Lucifer seemed to be delighted with Dream's mission to Hell and had a plan of their own for Dream. It offered a solid cliffhanger to this opening episode.

- Other characters to appear in this episode included Merv Pumpkinhead, Cain, Abel, Goldie,  the Fate Sisters, Hippolyta and baby Daniel and Hob Gadling.

- The missing Endless sibling was Destruction (Barry Sloane) who chose to abandon his siblings ages ago. Delirium and Despair miss him the most.

- Nada was the Queen of the First People and found herself being pressured into finding a husband. Dream proposed to her.

- Desire seemed to enjoy their impact being felt during their time at an art gallery. The butterfly trick was rather cruel.

- The DC Studios logo popped up during the closing credits of this episode. This season has been split into three release patterns from Netflix.

- Chronology: A while since the events of the previous season finale.

Season Of Mists was a good starter for this final season. I enjoyed the siblings get together, the expansion of Dream's history with Nada and his farewell tour of sorts. A very good start.

Rating: 8 out of 10

DCU Blog - June 2025 Edition: Superman World Tour, The Batman Sequel Script Completed and Clayface Cast

When I say this was the busiest month for DC this year, I mean it. So much information came out. There's a lot to go over.

The World Tour for Superman (July 11th) kicked off with cast and crew visiting various countries to promote the movie.

Additional cast members for this movie include Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan as Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. Alan Tudyk, Jennifer Holland, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, Grace Chan and Michael Rosenblum will voice robots in the movie. Stephen Blackehart will also appear as Sydney Happersen.

Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow will now be titled Supergirl (June 26th 2026). The movie is currently in post production.

James Gunn has confirmed that a Wonder Woman film is in development being currently written. It'll be connected to prequel series, Paradise Lost.

After waiting for the longest time, Matt Reeves and Mattson Tomlin announced that the script for The Batman - Part II (October 1st 2027) is now complete.

Meanwhile, James Gunn has confirmed that he's also working closely with the writer for The Brave And The Bold. 

A draft for the Deathstroke and Bane movie has been written. So far, that's it really.

Peacemaker Season 2 (August 21st HBO Max) will be the focus at Hall H for SDCC next month.

Tom Rhys Harries has been cast as Clayface (September 11th 2026). Filming will start in the UK in October.

James Gunn has also started writing his next film after Superman. I'm sure that'll be announced after next month.

Filming for Lanterns will be completed next month. The show will air on HBO in 2026.

It's also been confirmed that Waller is still in development and that a Teen Titans script is being written by Ana Nogueira.

Season 2 of The Sandman arrives this month on Netflix. Eps 1-6 from July 3rd, eps 7-11 from July 24th and a final special from July 31st.

Creature Commandos will air on Sky for UK/Irish viewers from July 8th at 2am/11pm respectively.

An R-Rated animated series for Mister Miracle is in development. Tom King will be involved with the show.

James Gunn has confirmed that there are complexities involving Static Shock. I wouldn't expect it anytime soon.

Now that Pride Month is coming to an end today, I thought I'd list my favourite LGBT characters. A Top 10 list so to speak. You won't be shocked by it. Here goes.

1) John Constantine

2) Harley Quinn

3) Red Robin (Tim Drake)

4) Poison Ivy 

5) Midnighter

6) Dreamer (Nia Nal)

7) Wonder Woman 

8) Catman

9) Apollo

10) Extrano

Well, that's it for the month of June. Next month is going to be DC at it's most crazy with the release of Superman.

DCU Blog - April 2025 Edition: Superman Dazzles CinemaCon, Supergirl Films And More

Another busy month for DC fans with various news items coming left, right and centre.

Superman (July 11th) certainly made a splash at CinemaCon this month with a behind the scenes feature and merchandise giving a few things away. The movie also escaped a certain lawsuit too.

Paul Ben-Victor has joined the cast of Lanterns in the recurring role of extraterrestrial named Antaan. The pilot episode has finished filming. Chris Coy has also joined the show.

Garrett Dillahunt however will not be playing Green Arrow. There was an Instagram post he made that people got the wrong end of the stick with.

DC Comics Pride 2025 will be released from June 4th. Characters such as Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Alan Scott, Bunker, Midnighter etc to name a few. A boxset containing the previous volumes will be released on May 27th.

Filming is half way through on Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow (June 26th 2026). Some filming has kind of leaked Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa's respective looks as Supergirl and Lobo.

Robert Pattinson has joined the cast of Dune: Messiah, which will likely impact as to when The Batman - Part II (October 1st 2027) will begin filming.

An untitled DC movie is scheduled for March 5th 2027. If I were to guess, I'm betting it'll be Sgt. Rock.

A recent HBO trailer has shown clips for the second season of Peacemaker. The new season will be released on Max from August 21st.

Get Jiro!, an animated adult series based on the DC/Vertigo title will premiere on Adult Swim. 

Adria Arjona has recently commented on the prospect of being cast as Wonder Woman. She's previously worked with James Gunn in The Belko Experiment.

The second season of The Sandman will be released in two parts on Netflix. Episodes 1-6 from July 3rd and episodes 7-11 from July 24th.

Sadly this month, no further updates on Waller, The Brave And The Bold, Clayface and Sgt. Rock. The latter two will film in the second half of the year.

ITVX have recently added both Doom Patrol and Black Lightning to their streaming service.

A busy month for DC fans with the Summer of Superman on the horizon. Fun time ahead.

DCU Blog - February 2025 Edition: Massive Updates/New Projects Announced, Puppy Bowl and The Sandman Cancelled

I mean this was an eventful month but the last few days, it really was a hell of a time to be a DC fan.

This month had some Superman (2025) promo at the Puppy Bowl with a brief look at the upcoming movie. Another trailer will be coming soon. July 11th 2025. Rick Strauss will help with the marketing for the movie.

Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow is currently halfway through filming. It will be released in theatres from June 26th 2026.

Sgt. Rock has officially been confirmed by James Gunn with Luca Guadagnino directing from a script written by Justin Kuritzkes. However, Daniel Craig isn't attached to play the title character.

James Gunn has also confirmed that Ana Nogueira has written a script for Teen Titans while a writer has been confirmed for The Brave And The Bold. Gunn will be working close to that writer but Andy Muschietti might not direct the film after all.

Bad news for Wonder Woman fans as it was confirmed this week that the upcoming game has been cancelled. However, there's been talks NetherRealms and RockSteady for future DCU games.

DC will be teaming with Mattel again for action figures in 2026. 

James Watkins has been tapped to direct Clayface (September 11th 2026), which will start filming during the summer. Casting coming soon.

Yet again, the script for The Batman - Part II hasn't been handed in. The film is still due to be released in theatres from October 1st 2027.

Development for Dynamic Duo (June 30th 2028) is underway but it's unclear if it'll be a DCU movie or an Elseworlds one.

James Gunn and Zack Snyder recently took a photo together but the latter isn't returning to the world of DC.

Natasha Lyonne and Ana Lily Amirpour have teamed up to bring Vertigo series, Basketful Of Heads as a live horror comedy series.

In less good news, the following DCU projects have hit speed bumps - Waller, Booster Gold, Swamp Thing and The Authority.

Filming for Lanterns has begun and a first look image of Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler's John Stewart and Hal Jordan has been released. It will air on HBO in early 2026. The show could run for multiple seasons.

The goal for DC projects per year will be two live action movies, one animated movie, two live action shows and two animated shows. Some will be DCU and others will be Elseworlds.

A pilot episode for Wonder Woman prequel series, Paradise Lost is currently being written.

The animated Blue Beetle series with Xolo Mariduena reprising the role will be greenlit soon. 

Matthew Orton has been confirmed to be writing a DC movie but it's not been confirmed if it's one involving the characters, Deathstroke and Bane.

There's been talks about DC themed park rides at Six Flags as well as some new character skins for Fortnite.

In news that's not too shocking, Netflix announced that the second season of The Sandman will be it's final season. A release  date has yet to be confirmed.

The second season of Peacemaker will be released on Max from August 2025. Expect a new theme song as well. 

The Penguin keeps winning the awards and it's possible that a second season could happen, though Colin Farrell has expressed some doubt about it.

The following animated shows have been announced - DC Super Powers, Starfire, Krypto (series of seasonal shorts) and My Adventures With Green Lantern. The latter will focus on Jessica Cruz and be set in the same universe as My Adventures With Superman.

In tragic news, Gene Hackman passed away yesterday along with his wife and dog. Condolences to their loved ones.

Both Keanu Reeves and Francis Lawrence are pushing to get that Constantine sequel made. It hasn't been greenlit as of yet.

What a month and what a lot of news to mull over. DC fans really do have a lot to look forward to for the next while.

DCU Blog - August 2024 Edition: Dead Boy Detectives Cancelled, Super/Man Arrives and The Penguin Release Pattern

Yes, it's been another merry go around for DC fans this month with a mix of good, bad and unsurprising developments.

Joker: Folie A Deux will be hitting the Venice Film Festival September 4th and WB/DC Studios have been ramping up the TV spots and promo pics. Harry Lawtey has also been confirmed as Harvey Dent for the movie.

Matt Reeves has been active on social media more recently, promising that things are progressing with The Batman - Part II. Filming will commence in early 2025 for it's October 2nd 2026 release date.

Mike Flanagan has expressed an interest in working on a DC project. Just give him one, James Gunn.

Michael Keaton has admitted to not being too upset that Batgirl had been cancelled in recent interviews for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. 

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story had its first trailer released during the week. It'll premiere in US theatres on September 21st and 25th while UK/Ireland will get it on November 1st.

In celebration of Jimmy Olsen, James Gunn unveiled Skyler Gisondo's look as the character for the upcoming Superman (2025) movie. July 11th 2025. Sean Gunn's Maxwell Lord will appear in the movie.

Filming for Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow will supposedly start in January 2025. The film is slated for June 26th 2026.

Several Batman movies have returned to theatres leading to the character's 85th anniversary. Which one is your favourite? 

While the first episode of The Penguin will premiere on HBO/Max from September 19th, the remainder of the series will be Sundays 9pm from September 29th. SkyAtlantic will air the limited series the next day. Robert Pattinson will not appear in the series as Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Superman And Lois has moved up and will now premiere it's fourth and final season from October 7th on the CW, kicking off with a double bill. Tom Cavanagh will play a new character.

ARGUS will make their DCU debut in the second season of Peacemaker, which is still currently filming. John Cena has confirmed the show will be released on Max in 2025. Joel Kinnaman is rumoured to be returning as well.

An animated series focusing on Deadman is rumoured to be in early development for the DCU.

In news that will sadly shock no-one, Netflix have cancelled Dead Boy Detectives after one season. 

The Sandman has completed filming for its second season. Netflix will release it in 2025. A third season is probably unlikely if I'm being honest.

Vanessa Baden, Justin Britt-Gibson and Breannah Gibson are among the writers and producers with Tom King, Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof for the upcoming Lanterns series for HBO. Filming will start in 2025.

Expect a Superman comic box set in 2025 to coincide with the release of Superman (2025). The titles will include All Star Superman, Superman For All Seasons, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow and Kingdom Come.

What a month it's been for DC fans, huh? Let's see what next month brings, shall we?

DCU Blog - July 2024 Edition: SDCC Highlights And More

Well, July certainly turned out to be a very busy month for DC. Various things confirmed in the press and also at SDCC itself. Buckle in folks.

The second trailer for Joker: Folie A Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga was released last week, further solidifying the jukebox musical format. In theatres from October 4th. Harry Lawtey will play Harvey Dent in the movie.

Filming for Superman (2025) has now completed. Will Reeve, the son of Christopher Reeve will appear in the movie. The movie will be released July 11th 2025.

Casting for the roles of Ruthye and Krem have started for Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow. The movie starring Milly Alcock as Supergirl will begin filming later this year. The movie will be released June 26th 2026.

DC Studios unveiled their new logo. It's basically the same as the one from 1976-2005.

Kumail Nanjiani has been heavily rumoured for the role of Booster Gold in the DCU. The fact that James Gunn hasn't denied it is interesting. An announcement must be imminent.

Lanterns will now go to HBO as well as Max. Hal Jordan will be older than John Stewart in the project. Casting for the roles has begun.

The Penguin will air on Max and HBO from September 19th. It'll take a place a week after the events of The Batman. Colin Farrell will reprise the role for the sequel, due to film in early 2025 for an October 2nd 2026 release. Mark Strong is a recast Carmine Falcone.

The first trailer for Creature Commandos was released last weekend, confirming the December 2024 release on Max.

All 10 episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader will be released on Amazon Prime from August 1st. Hamish Linklater will voice Batman while Minnie Driver will voice a female version of The Penguin named Oswalda Cobblepot.

Joel Kinnaman will reprise his role of Rick Flag Jr in the second season of Peacemaker. Details as to how have not been revealed.

The third season of My Adventures With Superman will introduce Superboy and a bald Lex Luthor. 

The fifth season of Harley Quinn will be released on Max from November. Spin off series, Kite-Man: Hell Yeah! is currently airing on Max. 

The first trailer for the fourth and final season of Superman And Lois was released during the weekend. It'll premiere on the CW from October 17th. Tom Cavanagh will appear in the final season.

Paradise Lost is circling it's lead writers. Circe (Anya Chalotra) will be a main cast member in Creature Commandos.

The Sandman has added Ann Skelly, Ruari O'Connor, Indya Moore, Douglas Booth, Freddie Fox, Laurence O'Fuarain, Clive Russell, Jack Gleeson and Steve Coogan to the cast as Nuala, Orpheus, Wanda, Cluracan, Loki, Thor, Odin, Puck and Barnabas respectively. Boyd Holbrook and Jenna Coleman will also return as the Corinthian and Johanna Constantine for the second season.

In some bad news, the Arkham series will no longer be going ahead. So far, it's the only DCU project to have been cancelled.

Those are the highlights of this month. So far, this year has been shaping up nicely for DC.

DCU Blog - May 2024 Edition: Superman First Look, The Sandman S2 Casting and Batman: Caped Crusader Release Date Confirmed

Yup, this past month was extremely plentiful in terms of DC related news. I mean we got a lot to mull over here.

James Gunn released a first look for David Corenswet as Superman (2025) is halfway filming and will make it's July 11th 2025 release.

Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow will release from June 26th 2026 with production to start later this year. Milly Alcock will play the title character and Craig Gillespie has been officially confirmed as the director.

Joker: Folie A Deux will premiere at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will hit select US theatres from September 21st.

The events of Waller will take place after the events of the second season of Peacemaker.

James Gunn that the writing/producing for the upcoming Lanterns series will consist of Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King.

Deathstroke will appear in the DCU but it's likely with a new actor. The project he'll appear had yet to be disclosed.

Frank Grillo will reprise his role of Rick Flag Sr in the second season of Peacemaker, which is currently filming.

The Flash (2023) will hit Netflix from June 25th. 

An actor has been cast for the upcoming Booster Gold series with a showrunner also being sought. Both will be confirmed in due course.

A recent promo from Netflix have confirmed Adrian Lester as Destiny, Esme Creed-Miles as Delirium and Barry Sloane as the Prodigal/Destruction for the second season of The Sandman.

Dead Boy Detectives left Netflix's Top 10 after three weeks. Unfortunately, I'm not anticipating a second season for the show.

Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part Three will be released from July 16th.

A sequel to Batman: Ninja titled Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League has been announced.

The Watchmen animated movie will release its first part from August 13th.

Batman: Caped Crusader will be released on Prime Video from August 1st. The show already has a second season in development.

My Adventures With Superman has both a third and fourth season mapped out but has yet to be greenlit.

UK/Irish audiences will get to see The Penguin on SkyAtlantic in the autumn along with Max viewers. Mark Strong has been cast in an undisclosed role.

The final season of Superman And Lois will air on Thursdays in the autumn on the CW.

Jeph Loeb is returning to DC Comics for Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween. The ten part series will be released from September 25th.

What a busy month. Can't wait to see what's going to be revealed next month.