Lost Hearts – As the finale of The Sandman begins, the Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook) tells Rose that he isn’t going to hurt her. He claims he is trying to save their lives from Morpheus (Tom Sturridge). Rose (Vanesu Samunyai) asks Jed (Eddie Karanja) to leave so they can talk privately. Once they’re alone, she realizes that the Corinthian is one of the missing nightmares. Corinthian warns her that Morpheus is going to kill her as soon as she goes to sleep and starts bringing the walls down. If someone protected her and kept her alive, she would become the center of the Dreaming. Morpheus would be powerless while Corinthian would be free. The Good Doctor (Jill Winternitz) interrupts to tell them they have 15 minutes until the guest speaker’s keynote address. In private, Corinthian and The Doctor talk about Philip and the boy. Corinthian asks Rose if she is going to wait for him.

When she says no, he warns her that Dream’s Raven will find her. He gives her the room and both keys. He’ll come back in an hour and knock. If she wants, she can let him in. Nimrod (Kerry Shale) speaks to the crowd about Corinthian before he takes the stage. Corinthian admits he doesn’t speak in public much, but this opportunity was too good to pass up. He claims they’re the American dreamers driving down the holy road of true knowledge. He says they don’t kill people to make money or for revenge. They just kill to kill. Corinthian sees them for what they really are and wants them to see it too. He asks them to close their eyes and see themselves as he does before calling them gladiators among other things. As his speech continues, Morpheus shows up to confront him. While they talk, Rose wakes up Jed to tell him they have to go.

Corinthian argues he has done his best to be what Morpheus made him, but Morpheus says he has done his worst. Morpheus was hoping he’d be his masterpiece and a dark mirror made to reflect everything humanity will not confront. Corinthian believes that is what he is and what he has done. Morpheus tells him that he has given them nothing. It is just something else for people to be afraid of. Corinthian warns him that he won’t go willingly. When Morpheus tries to send him back, Corinthian stabs him in the hand with his knife. Morpheus asks how he managed to do that. Corinthian explains he has Rose getting stronger every second while Morpheus gets weaker. She is taking his place at the center of the Dreaming and bringing the walls down between the sleepers’ minds. They’re all dreaming the dream that he inspired. They enter Rose’s dream as Morpheus tries to get her to wake up. Corinthian tries to convince her otherwise.

He tells Rose that the Dreaming is hers now and she can do whatever she wants with it. Rose tells Morpheus what he said about him killing her. Morpheus tells her that the vortex causes the dream to collapse in upon itself and take the waking world with it. It has happened before when he failed in his duty and an entire universe was lost. Rose believes she can find her own way if she is as powerful as they say she is. She says the walls will go back up in the meantime since she isn’t dreaming anymore. After she wakes up, Corinthian tells Morpheus he does this so he can taste what it is like to be human. He doesn’t think Morpheus cares about humanity. He only cares about his realm and rules. Morpheus argues humanity would be consumed without his rules. Corinthian doesn’t think he is the problem. Morpheus blames himself because he had so much hope for him.

As Morpheus eliminates him, Corinthian says he is only sorry he won’t be here to see Rose do the same to him. Morpheus picks up the small skull from his ashes and insists he won’t be so flawed the next time he makes him. He addresses the collectors who have had fantasies in which they’re the victims. He has taken away their dream as his judgment upon them. That will show them how craven, selfish, and monstrous they are. They will feel the pain of those they slaughtered. Good Doctor goes to her car to call 911 to confess to a crime. Nimrod turns a gun on himself as Rose and Jed prepare to drive away from the motel.

Morpheus tells Matthew (Patton Oswalt) that he doesn’t need to follow her because he’ll find her when she sleeps tonight. Then, they will end this. In the car, Jed learns about their mother passing away a few months ago and that she never stopped trying to get him back. She tells him about Unity and Lyta (Razane Jammal) who calls to say she is at the hospital because the baby is coming. Once Rose gets to the hospital, she introduces everyone to Jed. Ken (Richard Fleeshman) comes back with an update from the nurse causing Barbie (Lily Travers) to get jealous. They discuss Gilbert (Stephen Fry) not being there before Hal (John Cameron Mitchell) tries to find out more about the baby’s daddy. Rose steps away to call Rose (Sandra James-Young) so she can ask her to look after Jed in case something happens to her. When Rose is allowed to see Lyta, she admits she is worried that Dream will kill her when she falls asleep tonight.

Lyta reminds her that she has the power to destroy him too, but Rose doesn’t want to destroy him. Lyta recommends finding him in her dreams and putting an end to this. Since she is the vortex, she is in charge now. Later that night, Rose remembers what Morpheus and Corinthian said before another performance from Hal. She takes them to another dream where they see Chantal. Barbara walks nearby with Martin Tenbones (Lenny Henry) who warns her that there is strangeness in the air. They find Ken in a car getting pleasure from the nurse. A storm brews up above them. As everyone begins panicking, Rose blames herself and urges everyone to wake up from this dream. Everyone begins getting sucked into a hole so Jed tries to come save them to no avail. Morpheus arrives to tell her she has already caused a great deal of damage although he can repair it now.

Everyone is sleeping in their beds, but they’re not safe. Nobody will be safe until the vortex is dead. Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong) finds Unity looking for a book in the library so she offers to help her find it. She is looking for the story of her life had things turned out differently. Lucienne isn’t sure they have volumes about her unlived life. Once Unity finds the book, Lucienne learns exactly who Unity is and her relationship with Rose. Morpheus tells Rose that death isn’t always such a long thing. He tells her that she could stay here if she likes. Gilbert runs over to join them as Rose learns he is actually Fiddler’s Green. He tells her how he left his post here so he could experience life as a human being. Rose wonders what the purpose of the vortex is since it has to die. Gilbert believes putting a human at the center of the Dreaming reminds them that they exist because humans dream. The miracle of humanity should always be more vivid to them than any marvels of power.

Morpheus confesses he cannot find it in his heart to punish Gilbert for leaving Fiddler’s Green. Gilbert is ready to return to his position since it was never his intention to abandon his role. When Rose asks who he was, Gilbert explains he was a place. He asks her to visit him if she decides to stay in the Dreaming. Once he is gone, Morpheus tells Rose that he doesn’t want to take her life, but it is one of his responsibilities. She is ready to do whatever it takes to save her brother and friends. Morpheus begins only to be stopped when Unity and Lucienne arrive. Unity explains she was supposed to be the vortex. Since Morpheus was imprisoned and locked out of the Dreaming, that fate was handed down to her descendants. When Morpheus says he doesn’t understand, Unity tells him he isn’t very bright. She wants Rose to reach down inside herself and give her whatever makes her the vortex.

She removes it and hands it to Unity who tells Morpheus she is the vortex now. She admits she should’ve been gone long ago. Moments later, Morpheus tells Unity that she died so Rose can live. He learns that Unity had a baby with a man who had golden eyes. She has never seen anything like them, but Morpheus has. We see a quick glimpse of Desire (Mason Alexander Park). Unity tells Rose goodbye and that Mr. Holdaway will make sure she and Jed have everything they need. Morpheus tells Rose that she and her brother are children of the Endless. He allows her to leave this place before she wakes up in bed.

She finds a message on her phone that contains a picture of Lyta’s baby. While holding the baby, Rose agrees that they can do this together. Lyta thought about naming him after Hector, but there is only one Hector for her and the baby deserves his own name. Jed mentions that people only use your name when you’re in trouble so the baby can’t get into trouble as long as it doesn’t have a name. Rose and Jed return to Hal and the others to tell them they’ll be flying out soon. Hal asks how far New Brunswick is from New York. He had a dream last night that made him consider selling the house and moving back to New York. Chantal and Zelda offer to buy the house from him. Dream talks to Desire using her sigil. Desire welcomes Dream into the chambers. He asks her about taking advantage of his imprisonment to father a child with Unity to create a different vortex.

Dream asks if Desire intended for him to spill family blood with all that would entail. After Desire jokes that it almost worked, Dream insists those of the endless are the servants of the living instead of their masters. They don’t manipulate them. He warns Desire that he, Delirium, and Despair would do well to remember that. Dream threatens her before asking if she thinks she is strong enough to stand against him, Death, and Destiny. Desire tells him that she’ll make sure to draw blood next time. Lucienne interrupts Dream while he is working to say a new book by Rose Walker appeared in the library this morning. Although he may take issue with the depiction of the king in the story, Lucienne loved it. Rose works on her book called Into The Night. Lyta encourages her to send the draft because it is really good. Lucienne asks Dream if he is making new nightmares to replace Gault and Corinthian.

He admits the world doesn’t need a new Corinthian just yet. He asks her to keep the skull safe while he finishes a dream. Dream finishes creating Gault (Ann Ogbomo) who asks what made him change his mind about her. He admits he had no right returning and expecting everything to be exactly how he left them. They tried to tell him that, but he is trying to listen now. After Gault flies away, Dream asks Lucienne to take care of things while he works since he might be here for a while. Mazikeen (Cassie Clare) checks on Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie) to tell her about Lord Azazel wanting a word with her. Azazel (Roger Allam) confirms the Lords of Hell have assembled against her enemy Dream of the Endless. He makes it clear that the armies of hell are hers to command should she wish to strike. She looks past the Dreaming to the Waking world and even Silver City.

Azazel says they can’t leave hell so they might as well expand its borders until hell is all there is. He asks her to do more than think because the generals demand action. Lucifer wants him to tell them that she shall act. Once he leaves, Mazikeen and Lucifer agree that he shouldn’t be trusted. When asked what she is going to do, Lucifer says something she has never done before and something that will make God livid. It will bring Morpheus to his knees.

 

The Sandman Review

The finale of The Sandman was mostly straightforward and exactly what was expected. It was a bit disappointing to see how quickly and easily the Corinthian was removed from the picture while the rest of the episode just worked on setting up another season. There was one line near the end that really irked me when Unity insulted Dream because the character has been turned into a weak punching bag. How many times are you going to let lesser characters insult your main protagonist?

It truly doesn’t make any sense when you’re trying to build a sympathetic character that fans can cheer for. Constantly beating up and dumbing down the character isn’t going to cut it. After the Corinthian was dealt with, the episode became aimless. There were so many possibilities, but many of the characters were just glanced over including Desire and Lucifer. I expected more from the former considering how the show made it seem like Desire was responsible for everything at one point.

The sixth episode was outstanding thanks to Hob’s story alone and the interaction between Dream and Hob was excellent too. Even in the final episode, it was hard to care about any of the characters or their futures. The dialogue sometimes thought it was smarter than it was while attempting to be philosophical, but it fell flat more often than not. Some of the special effects were good while the fantasy scenery looked decent. Gault’s flying scene at the end of the episode stood out for being so unrealistic looking.

Some casting choices could’ve been better and that is without reading the comics. Jenna Coleman is always fantastic, but I couldn’t get into her Johanna Constantine. It just felt off during the action scenes. Vanesu Samunyai’s Rose was a bit irritating at times although I think it was the voice more than the acting. That happens sometimes when British performers are cast for American roles. Overall, the performances were fine with Boyd Holbrook, David Thewlis, and Vivienne Acheampong standing out. Tom Sturridge was good, but a bit handcuffed since he was required to portray the same mopey attitude throughout.

The series didn’t show his true potential. The Sandman may very well get a second season, but it is hard to be excited about that. If I am being brutally honest, it is a relief just to get through this season. I would suspect a lot of viewers won’t reach the conclusion because it really drags near the end. The Sandman might’ve tried to tackle too much and although it included a lot of content, few of the scenes had substance. In the end, it was just okay. The finale scores a 5 out of 10. Recaps of Sandman can be found on Reel Mockery here. Learn how to support our work at this link.