Full disclosure. I love Neil Gaiman and have read pretty much everything that he's written - apart from his magnum opus, "The Sandman". I'm not really sure why I haven't got around to it, I think it has something to do with always having this beloved thing that I haven't started yet. I think it also had something to do with knowing that an adaptation was likely in one form or another and hoping to come to that fresh. I really liked this series, though I will accept that it feels more like a taster season, than a genuine run.
Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), ruler of the realm of dreams is trapped for 100 years by the occultist Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance). On his escape, he discovers that the dream realm has fallen to ruin and the rebuilding process will require reacquiring three tools that were taken from him in his capture. One sits with the son of his former jailer, one with another mystic Joanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) and one is in possession of a demon, and has been taken to hell, where Lucifer Morningstar (Gwendoline Christie) awaits a reunion with Morpheus.
Infused with the wild imagination that I always find in Gaiman's work and stunningly brought to life with expensive looking special effects, "The Sandman" is often a mesmerising show just to look at. Its performances are universally excellent. Sturridge generally just has to stand there looking sad to effectively play Morpheus, but the occasional cracking of the stoicism is underrated. Coleman and Christie - both of whom' s casting raised the odd eyebrow are excellent, but their performances are almost entirely contained within single episodes. Boyd Holbrook though is wonderful as "The Corinthian" the primary antagonist of this first run.
I will say again, it does perhaps feel more like a taster menu than a genuine season of TV. The fetch quest aspect of the first four episodes is completed, then we get two episodes that almost operate as stand-alone stories, then four more to complete the vortex/Corinthian story. I'm not overly complaining about this, but I do feel that people with less prior investment in the series than me might have struggled to connect with the season a bit because of this. This method though does allow us to have the staggering episode six though, "The Sound of Her Wings" which is two standalone stories, each of which contain more emotion and commentary on the nature of human existence than most entertainment will attempt to get near.
I really liked it, an awful lot and hope that enough people have engaged with it to convince Netflix to make more. (I need to start reading it!).