The Sound Of Her Wings – As the sixth episode of The Sandman begins, Dream (Tom Sturridge) sits on a bench and catches a soccer ball heading towards him. Franklin (Curtis Kantsa) thanks him, retrieves it, and returns to the game. A woman sits next to Dream who is feeding the pigeons. She warns him that he’ll end up with fat pigeons if he does it too much. She suspects something is going on with Dream since he is sitting here moping. Dream admits something is wrong although he doesn’t know what it is. When they captured him, he only thought about vengeance, but it wasn’t as satisfying as he thought it’d be. He tells her about his kingdom falling apart and going on a journey to find his tools. Now that he has retrieved them, he is stronger than he has been in a long time. Regardless, it doesn’t feel right. In fact, he feels worse in some ways than when he first started.

She tells him that he could’ve called her. She insults him by calling him stupid, self-centered, and pathetic for not having enough balls to go find a new game. Death catches the soccer ball and tells Franklin that Dream is her idiot brother. Dream agrees to come with her. Before they leave, Franklin asks Death if he can see her again. She says yes and they’ll see each other soon. He wants to get her number, but they’re gone when he turns around. After Death gets a free apple, Death admits she is good with humans. They had a family dinner when Dream was away, but he hasn’t seen any of the others. They talk about Desire (Mason Alexander Park) who missed having her sparring partner when he was gone. Dream learns that the prodigal is still missing. She mocks him until he finally asks how she is doing. She admits she is worried about her brother. They go inside so Dream can hear the music he hasn’t heard in 200 years.

They approach Harry (Jon Rumney) who stops playing because he starts coughing. He says he can’t keep playing because Schubert never finished it. Dream’s sister asks if he knows who she is. Harry pleads with her not to do it yet, but she says it is time. Harry wants to say something first. He quickly says the Shema because his old man said it would guarantee him a place in heaven. He looks at himself still sitting in the chair and comes to the realization that he is already dead. He will find out what happens next right now. Once they leave, Dream confesses that they weren’t looking to capture him and instead wanted for her. Death says she knows before taking her shoes off and urging him to come so they don’t miss the next one. They run into Sam who wants to talk to his wife Tabitha for one second because all their flight information is on his phone. They’re on their honeymoon and he wants to give her the phone code, but Death says time is up.

He goes with Death as Tabitha begins looking out at the water and yelling for Sam. His body is pulled out of the water. Dream asks his sister how she does this. She explains that she’ll be here for the last one although there are exceptions such as Mad Hettie. She mentions his ongoing project or Hob Gadling. Death believes Hob would be glad to see him. She used to think she had the hardest job in the family. It was fine in the beginning because living and dying were new things, but it got harder over time. Although she thought about giving up, she continued. Death admits people get upset and hurt when they die. She found that people just need a kind word and a friendly face. Death takes a baby from its mother. Then, they visit the Nagler Hospice to deal with another person. Dream wonders why people fear the sunless lands when it is as natural to die as it is to be born.

People aren’t always ready for her gift, but they get it anyway regardless of the circumstance. At the end, each of us stands alone. The sunless lands are far away and the journey is hard. Most will be glad to have the company of a friend. Death isn’t alone when she does her job because she is there holding their hand. She is adamant that they’re here to serve them so it isn’t about quests or finding purpose outside of their function. Death believes she needs them as much as they need her. She thinks she is lucky considering more people don’t have a job they love. Dream thanks her for reminding him of something he had forgotten.

Death has one last appointment with Franklin while Dream says he has one too. Franklin tells her the car came very close to hitting him before he leaves with her. Dream goes to an abandoned property before we jump back to 1389. Dream doesn’t see the purpose, but Death thinks it’d be good for him to see them on his terms. They go inside the pub for a drink. Dream tells his sister that a delegation of Faerie came to see him last night because they’re talking about abandoning the plane forever. She encourages him to listen to the people. Geoffrey (Harry Burton) and Edmund (William Chugg) talk about Geoffrey’s rhyming. Hob discusses seeing death because of the Black Death and Burgundy. The others tell him that he is a fool. Hob (Ferdinand Kingsley) believes everyone dies because they just go along with it. He has made up his mind that he isn’t going to die. Hob says he might get lucky. He wants to live because there are so many things to do and see.

Dream asks his sister why any sensible creature would crave an eternity of this. Death offers to grant his wish so he can find out. Dream believes he’ll be begging for death within a century. He walks over to Hob to tell him and arrange to meet him again in the White Horse Tavern in 100 years. Once Dream leaves, Hob admits he doesn’t know who that was, but he’ll ask him in 100 years. In 1489, Hob asks Dream how he knew that he’d still be here. Hob wants to know who he is and who he made a deal with. Dream explains that he is there because he is interested in his experience. He wants Hob to live his life how he chooses and meet him at the tavern every 100 years so he can find out what it is like. Hob says it is brilliant before saying everything is changing.  He mentions some of the changes. Dream asks what he has been doing for the last 100 years.

Hob says he has been doing the same things as before such as soldiering when possible and banditry when he can’t find a war. He has started a new trade called printing. After Hob confirms he still wants to live, they agree to meet again in 100 years. In 1589, Dream arrives at the tavern and listens as Kit (Angus Yellowlees) is told about bargaining with the darkest powers. Hob is now calling himself Sir Robert Gadlen. He admits the Gods have smiled on him. Hob says he was working with Billy Caxton the last time they spoke. He made some gold that he put to work in Henry Tudor’s shipyards. He went north for a while and came back as his son. Once Henry went to the monasteries, he bought his estates. He donated a hefty amount of money to the Crown to get a knighthood. Hob shows Dream a picture of his wife Eleanor and child Robyn. He admits this is what he always thought heaven would be like way back when since it is safe to walk the streets and there is plenty of food.

Will Shakespeare (Samuel Blenkin) makes a scene nearby. He would love to be able to give men dreams that live on long after he is dead. Hob tells Dream about Will and the fact that he acts a bit and wrote a play. Hob says he is crap, but the guy next to him with the broken leg is good. Dream walks over to Will before saying they have met but men forget in waking hours. Dream thinks they should talk. Hob believes there is nowhere to go but up. In 1689, Hob nearly gets thrown out of the pub until Dream says he is his guest. At this point, Hob is starving because he lost his land, gold, Eleanor, and everything. Eleanor died in childbirth along with the baby while Robyn died in a tavern brawl at 20. They tried to drown him as a witch. He has hated every second of the last 80 years. Regardless, he still wants to live because he has so much to live for. Someone draws them from nearby.

In 1789, someone shows the sketch to others before going inside. Hob believes this country will be next for a revolution. He has been sending money all over the world so he can get out at the first sign of trouble. Until then, he is in the shipping business. When he talks about slaves, Dream tells him it is a poor thing to enslave another. He urges him to find another line of business. After Hob says he will consider it, he mentions seeing King Lear and the idiots had given it a happy ending. Dream believes the great stories will always return to their original forms. Hob says Will Shakespeare turned out to be a decent playwright after all. He suspects Dream made some kind of deal with him. Hob still wants to know more about Dream. Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) interrupts with her smuggler friends. She says they tell a tale in these parts about the Devil and the Wandering Jew meeting at this tavern once every century.

Johanna shows them the sketch she found. She knows Dream has been sharing immortality and she wants him to share it with her. Dream says he isn’t the Devil and Hob admits he isn’t Jewish. They refuse to cooperate with her. Hob beats up her guards before she pulls a small knife on him. Dream tells them to wait. He blows smoke in her eyes before telling Hob that she has old ghosts he has shown to her. After Dream says Hob didn’t need to come to his defense, Hob jokes he didn’t want to be drinking alone in 100 years’ time. He is encouraged to be cautious because he can be hurt and captured before they agree to meet in 100 years. In 1889, Lushing Lou (Sarah Twomey) harasses Dream until Hob arrives and sends her away. Although her name is Louise Baldwin, they call the hospital because she spends so much time in them and sends so many men to them. Her father was in the British army. Her cousin raped, impregnated, and deserted her when she was just a child.

Hob realizes he knows everything. Dream reveals Johanna completed a task for him. Hob admits he has learned a bit from his mistakes even though it hasn’t stopped him from making them. He believes he knows why they keep meeting here. He thinks it is friendship since Dream likely knows he will never be ready for death. Dream doesn’t like that he would suggest he needs his friendship so he decides to leave and prove him wrong. Hob says he’ll be here in 100 years. If Dream comes, it’ll be because they’re friends. In 1989, Hob goes to the tavern to wait for Dream and drinks. He thinks he has been stood up though. They had a fight the last time they were here and he thinks it was his fault. The bartender tells him that the place has been sold to make new flats so they’ll have to find a different place to meet. The council is trying to stop them, but you can do whatever you want when you have enough money.

Dream stands outside of the closed pub and finds a sign pointing him to The New Inn. Once he enters, Hob tells him he is late. Dream thinks he owes him an apology since he has already heard it is impolite to keep one’s friends waiting. Desire knows their brother has found a way out of his cage so their plan has failed. Desire has a new one.

 

The Sandman Review

The sixth episode of The Sandman was easily the best so far even though it could’ve been sped up at certain points and slowed down at other points. In particular, I would’ve liked to have seen more with Death and Dream because there were so many stories that could’ve been. Not enough time was dedicated to that side of the episode while the Hob’s storyline could’ve been slimmed just a tad.

On the other hand, I’ll be disappointed if we don’t learn more about Hob and everything he has been doing in the last few hundred years. Both were entertaining although I do think the Dream scenes were rushed a bit. A lot of questions were left unanswered such as what Johanna did for Dream and what Dream did for Shakespeare.

The episode obviously didn’t push the story forward any, but it was still a good side trip since it created the best episode yet. If viewers have to watch one episode of The Sandman, this would be the one I’d strongly recommend. The episode scores a 7 out of 10. Recaps of The Sandman can be found on Reel Mockery here. Learn how to support us at this link.