Tom Sturridge anchors dream-like closing chapter

The Hindu

11-07-2025

Season 2 of The Sandman, adapted from Neil Gaiman's eponymous comic book (1989–1996), serves as the concluding chapter of the fantasy saga.
While showrunner Allan Heinberg has stated that the decision to end the series after two seasons was driven by plot constraints (there are not enough stories featuring Dream for a third season), Netflix's announcement to conclude the show followed multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against Gaiman in January 2025.
It is difficult to divorce the artist from their work, especially so in The Sandman, with which Gaiman is closely involved, having written the comic books, as well as developing and executive producing the show. It is an individual choice and if you do decide to give the uber talented cast and crew of The Sandman a chance, you might not be disappointed.
The Sandman Season 2 (English)
Director: Jamie Childs
Cast: Tom Sturridge, Vivienne Acheampong, Patton Oswalt, Jenna Coleman, Gwendoline Christie, Kirby, Ferdinand Kingsley, Mark Hamill, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Deborah Oyelade
Episodes: 6
Runtime: 45-65 minutes
Storyline: Dream sets out in search of a banished love, a lost sibling and his son
Season 2 opens with Destiny (Adrian Lester) summoning his siblings, the Endless, for a family conclave. The Endless, personifications of human existence, are Dream (Tom Sturridge), Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Desire (Mason Alexander Park), their twin, Despair (Donna Preston), and Delirium (Esmé Creed-Miles). Another Endless sibling, Destruction (Barry Sloane), has gone missing after abandoning his realm.
Destiny says the Fates have made a prophecy that will unfold soon after the meeting. Desire needles Dream about Nada (Deborah Oyelade), an African queen who Dream condemned to 10,000 years in hell for rejecting him.
Dream regrets his treatment of Nada and goes to Hell to set her free — much to the consternation of Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong), his librarian. When he reaches Hell, he finds that Lucifer, (Gwendoline Christie) fed up with sinners blaming them for their wickedness, has shut hell down and sent out the demons and sundry hosts of hell.
Seeking revenge, Lucifer leaves Dream with the key to Hell, prompting beings from every realm to stake their claim, including Lord Azazel (Roger Allam), a duke of Hell; the Norse gods Odin, Thor, and Loki; a child of chaos; and King Auberon and Queen Titania of the Faerie. When Delirium, who was once Delight, asks Dream to help her find Destruction, he sets off on a road trip where he finds more than a brother.
Spanning time and space from the French revolution, with Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) in the thick of things, to Orpheus' wedding in ancient Greece and Shakespearean England with a staging of A Midsummer Night's Dream for the king and queen of Faerie, The Sandman is a dizzying trip through unfettered imagination.
The production design, from the costumes to the sets, echoes the fever dreams. There are slender hands holding up a bridge, the horror of the French Revolution with its mounds of guillotined heads, the sun-dappled vistas of ancient Greece, the different versions of hell, taking one a spellbound trip of enchantment.
The CGI work is top-notch too, bringing Barnabas, Destruction's talking dog, Pumpkinhead (Mark Hamill), the chain-smoking janitor in the dreamworld, and Matthew (Patton Oswalt), Dream's raven emissary, to vivid life.
Sturridge anchors the stunning ensemble cast. His Dream is both distant and deeply human as he navigates his duties as ruler, lover, brother, and father. We feel each of his conflicts as deeply as he does including the tears that burn a path down his cheeks. The five episodes of Season 2 dropping on July 24 and the special on July 31, brings our wanderings in the Dreaming to an end.
The Sandman is currently streaming on Netflix