Cast: Tom Sturridge as Morpheus, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, Patton Oswalt as Matthew The Raven, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, Razane Jammal as Lyta, Kyo Ra as Rose, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Mason Alexander Park as Desire, Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine, Esme Kreed-Miles as Delerium, Ann Skelly as Nula, Mark Hamill as Merv Pumpkinhead, Stephen Fry as Gilbert, Gwendolyn Christie as Lucifer, Adrien Lester as Destiny, Freddie Fox as Loki, Donna Preston as Despair, Jack Gleason as Puck, Steve Coogan as Barnabus, Barry Sloan as Destruction, John Cameron Mitchell as Hal, India Moore as Wanda, Derek Jacobi as Night

Based on the series created by Neil Gaiman

Length: 12 episodes

Streaming Service: Netflix

Audio Description Produced By: Descriptive Video Works

Written by: Connor DeWolf

Narrated By: Justin Smallbridge

What is it?: The conclusion to the epic story of the endless, specifically Dream (Sturridge), who through a twist of fate seems headed on a path he cannot control, and a destiny foretold long ago. As dream begins on what may be his last journey, he strives to make meaningful connections, and continue to affect the lives of those he holds dear (whether they know it or not). It all ends with a conclusion that could spell the end for the entire dreaming, if he can’t find a way around it.

What Works: Whether you have feelings about the author or not, the second season was already in production when any relevant information came to light. That being said, I was a fan of the first season, so being able to conclude the story was still worth the journey. I think we need more endings to things, and often renewal decisions leave shows with totally incomprehensible endings (Quantum Leap). I applaud the resolution. Also, I choose to laud the cast, who gave strong performances across the board. Sturridge has been a reliable captain of the ship, often giving a thoughtful and calm performance, but showing glimmers of a different side of Dream should anyone dare to cross his dust.

But it goes beyond him. The whole ensemble contributes to the work, making it hard to pick an individual performance as a standout. The final episode is actually a bottle episode, which really suggests that Death is perhaps the strongest supporting performer, but it is so easy to say that when they have an entire episode dedicated to them.

Stephen Fry has a lovely monologue about the meaning of life in Episode 11, which rings true even in the dreaming. Life has value because it can be lost, even for something like fiddler’s Green. Bringing back characters from the dead negates the initial existence they had. And this is a series with several characters who have lived quite a long time.

In fact, the play with mortality is prominent across the season, whether it tests in fairness, or in what is owed, we see characters pass and are asked to ponder if their death was needless. it is something Dream certainly ponders as it would seem those around him are in Jeopardy. In one special moment, Dream and delirium bond with a one off character, Wanda, and her presence in the series offers such a stark look at a life lived, and the reflection of that life in those we leave behind. Wanda’s death is specifically painful to Dream, because he feels personally responsible, and does what he can to make sure her identity isn’t erased in death.

This is a show that revels in the violence between Cain and Abel, but also likes to play with lore, and have Loki and Puck together in a situationship. Dream thinks he has to prepare for battle with Lucifer, only to find her morose, and ready to quit. So among everything else he has to deal with, he needs to find a new owner of Hell. Who best to control the realm? certainly not Azazel. Perhaps one of the other mythological figures at the dinner table?

it is moments like that, mixed in with some dark and somber material, that keep The Sandman light and fanciful, and the range and depth of the roster of actors have such a wide range of opportunities to make us both laugh and cry. it’s about family, responsibility, but most of all it is about choices, the ones we’ve made, and the ones we will make as a result. Everything happens for a reason, and this is a truth Dream comes to terms with near the end of the season.

What Doesn’t Work: A handful of episodes feel hacked together, compressed ideas of multiple episodes. it did feel exactly like what it is, a show that was still in production when it found out there would never be a third season. Any hopes to pushing the story one more go around died, and based on what I saw, it looks like they had more ideas, and crammed them all into the allotted episode order.

And while I was excited to see returning characters, as well as some new faces getting fleshed out (Delerium), we really could have left Cain and Abel as season one fixtures. The gag was clever, but the second season doesn’t really have time for them. It allows for a somewhat silly moment in the series finale for Cain, who describes Abel, but the message is likely that those two are just going back to business as usual. perhaps if they had been granted an opportunity to grow and change, but it truly just felt like Cain was sad he didn’t have someone to kill. Perhaps it would have worked better the other way around, if it had been Abel asking for Cain, but that whole thing just didn’t work for me, because they didn’t have the time needed.

Also, there was a lot happening in Season 2, and it can feel cluttered, especially as they chop things together. Some characters get rushed through the story, and others feel like incomplete cameos. In one particular plot point we give up on, Dream rescues someone from Hell he claims to love, and even searches for them on earth, but after his search leads to an unfortunate death he gives up on the entire endeavor. It just made me wonder why we needed it, or what the plan was before they started a worst case scenario plan in the editing room.

The Audio Description: loved Justin Smallbridge, and his narration across the season was perfect. Connor’s writing is very good. He had a glitch in one of the episodes, where he accidentally listed Abel as part of an escaping group, but it was Cain, as (sorry for the spoiler) we already saw it could not have been Abel. I didn’t catch anything else, but some terrific moments otherwise. I loved the entire dinner party episode with all the guests vying for control of Hell. I could use some size relativity in terms of the guards that Dream has, since they seem to be very large, but large in comparison to what? It is a tough series, full of fantasy elements, and even though it wasn’t perfect, the difficulty level is high, and Connnor’s writing was pretty consistent.

Why You Might Like It: You like fantasy shows, especially those with a darker tone. If you haven’t seen season 1, start there. I also recommend Dead Boy Detectives, a brilliant and short lived show that takes place in the same universe.

Why You might Not Like it: It does try and pull off more than it can chew in the final season, likely because they found out it was the final season while filming, and took the opportunity to wrap the series properly.

Fresh: 79/100