The first volume of The Sandman Season 2 presented largely faithful adaptations of the Season of Mist and Brief Lives storylines. What few changes were made cut material from the comics rather than adding on to their stories. Volume 2 is a different beast altogether. This selection of five episodes alters the source material considerably and, in most cases, improves upon it.
The Sandman Season 2 Volume 2 opens with Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) preparing for death. By granting his cursed son Orpheus the death he desired in Brief Lives, Dream doomed himself. The only questions remaining are just how Dream’s downfall will come about and if he can save the dream realm.
It is Dream’s preparations for choosing a successor that set the story into motion. Old enemies seek to accelerate the impending death of The Sandman and thwart his plan to save his kingdom. This ultimately leads to a war on multiple fronts across all of reality.
Best bits of The Sandman Season 2 Volume 2 are the extras
Doubtlessly, fans of the original comics will find this familiar, as it directly adapts The Sandman stories The Kindly Ones and The Wake. However, there are new subplots not found in the comics and new scenes devoted to them. Chief among these is the addition of Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman), whom Dream hires to find his missing heir apparent in the Waking World. Coleman was a highlight of the first season, so her inclusion here is quite welcome.
There are also new scenes that develop the ensemble that had little to do in the original comics. One of the best of these involves a brooding Dream unwittingly finding himself in the realm of his sister, Despair (Donna Preston) and having a talk about his problems. Moments like these build upon the original story beautifully.
The Sandman is too focused on dialogue versus visuals
Unfortunately, the new material only serves to highlight how much the earlier episodes failed to capture every aspect of the source material. While the text of the comics was reproduced word for word in many scenes, the illustrations were not given similar respect. As a result, the Netflix series lacks the visual grandeur of the comics.
This, in turn, highlights the extensive cuts Netflix made to the budget of The Sandman Season 2. Beloved characters requiring CGI (like Merv Pumpkinhead) are barely allowed a cameo now and then. Granting that many of these visuals wouldn’t translate to live action even with a big budget, it is still jarring.
In the end, Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman is the epitome of style over substance. Ironically, this comes not from trying to emulate the series’ unique aesthetics, but by adhering to the text like holy writ. While serviceable as an adaptation, it can be happily skipped by those content to live with their memories of the comics.
Grade: 6/10
