Season 1 of The Sandman: Dream lost and regaining his powers; a diner episode that will linger in your head long after the Netflix autoplay; and a whole lot about a Vortex, her brother, and the missing sentient parts of the Dreaming that swirl around her.
After three or four decades of development hell, one can no longer blame Netflix or Neil Gaiman, who were just so ecstatic to have finally realized this world (and not the kind with Gwendoline Christie overlooking it, unfortunately). But now that season 1 has come to an end, it feels like a good time to double-check: Did The Sandman understand everything he was attempting to convey?
Why does Desire want Dream to spit blood out of his family?What's so terrible about this?
In the final moments of season 1, Dream learns that Desire impregnated Unity while she was asleep during Dreams absence. He is, naturally, less than happy to hear this, accusing Desire of inciting Dream to spill family blood (either through attacking Desire or killing Rose Walker, who would technically also share family blood with Dream).
Desire purrs. Oh, poor Dream. I really got under your skin this time, didn't I? Next time I'll draw blood.
We get a sense of whats so taboo about it in episode 10 (or even the whole season) but as Dream warns Desire not to step up to him, we get a sense that theres more than just a family rule about it. He alludes to all that this would entail.
[Ed. note: There is no need to read the book if you don't want to know.]
The Endless have a set of rules handed down to them, all of which are equally as old as their own. One of them is to never pour family blood, otherwise you will be dealt with horrible news, namely you summon the Furies, who are no joke and will be maniacal.
What is Lucifers plan?
Lucifer is finding himself in a dismal state as he refuses to give up anything of value to the assembled lords of hell. Lord Azazel comes up to tell a story on behalf of the assembled lords of hell.
Azazel warns of possible plans to invade the Dreams realm and then the awakened world, since none of us may leave hell.
Lucifer promises to act only declaring that the action was something I had never undertaken before. Something that will make God utterly irritated.
If you want to know what Lucifer is doing, you can find them in the comics. However, to put it simply: Big, deadly plans.
What is the scope of the series?How many short stories will be included in The Sandman?
If Netflix allows The Sandman to run at least four seasons, there's certainly a lot for it to get through. The first two books, Preludes & Nocturnes, collecting 1-8, and The Dolls House, collecting 9-16, Gaiman tells Polygon.
Wed get to see Sandman: Overture, a prequel to the series published in 2013, which, strangely, would be the beginning of episode 1 again, according to Gaiman. And we get to do a lot of the side stories and interesting diversions along the way.
Sandman might be allowed to go for a while, tracing the story's arc while also making time for the occasional episodic or self-contained adventure. However, as the series progressed, there were less emphasis on the story's main narrative and more on the small, almost vignette-like chapters that follow Dreams' journeys.
Will Rose Walker be in Sandman season 2?
The Dolls House arc in the comics isnt the last time we see Rose Walker, nor is it the last time we see Lyta Hall and her dream baby. While the show has altered the storylines a bit to fit into the season's arc, it appears likely that they may return in season 2.
Who is the Prodigal that Dream, Desire, and Despair continue to refer to?
Although the Endless is related, there is an obvious one who stands out from the crowd, whom Dream and his siblings refer only to as the Prodigal.
In Sandman season 1, the answer is only slowly played out; beyond a few brief remarks, we get little by the way of explanations. However, the comic (of course) has all of the answers.
[Ed. note: Book spoilers below.]
The Prodigal refers to Destruction, who is next in line after Dream. (He is, of course, not the youngest of his siblings, even if he has all the self-seriousness of an elder child.) The Endless have no names but titles that describe their actions, as Neil Gaiman wrote in his comic companion.
The Endless: Theyre just like us.
How many Endless are there?Will we ever meet all of them?
There are seven Endless Children, although weve only met a few so far. All have names that start with D. In age order they are: Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium (who used to be called Delight).
Death, Dream, Desire, and Despair have all been encountered in Dream's confrontation with Desire, implying that he, Destiny, and Death were sufficiently strong (and united) to keep the others in line.
What was the agreement that Dream forged with Shakespeare?
It's unclear when Dream will be revealed in the next season. However, in the comics, the Dreams realm isn't just dreams as we know them in our sleep; its more like the creation of any dream world that might be thought up. Thats how Dream met up with the Justice League, and it's how Will Shakesbeard might have something to offer in Dream of the Endless.
The Tempest and A Midsummer Nights Dream are two plays from Dream, which tells us what happens in the comic. [Ed. note: Another minor book spoiler is coming up here.]