9 Lingering Questions From ‘Sandman’ Season 2 That Keep Us Up at Night
Spoiler Alert
Dream (Tom Sturridge) was the Prince of Stories, and sadly, his story is over now.
In the final episode of Netflix’s Sandman, Dream — aka Morpheus, aka the Lord of the Dreaming, aka Shaper of Form — dies. By taking the life of his son Orpheus (Ruairi O’Connor) in a mercy kill, he spills family blood, a forbidden act among the Endless and one that requires him to end his existence. He willingly takes his sister Death’s (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) hand and dies, and in doing so, transfers his being to Daniel Hall, the only being ever conceived in the Dreaming. The act forces the infant to age into adulthood immediately and become the new Dream (Jacob Anderson).
A wake is held to honor Morpheus, as those who loved him pay tribute and each of his brothers and sisters gets a chance to speak. In the end, they welcome the new Dream with open arms, and in doing so, welcome change and move forward with a new Dream.
With it very unlikely there will be a Season 3, Season 2 was a fond farewell to characters that took decades to bring to the small screen — or any screen, for that matter. But with that farewell, there were quite a few questions left unanswered. (Please note that this does not include the bonus episode focusing on the character Death, played by Howell-Baptiste, titled, “The Sandman Presents: Death: The High Cost of Living.”)
Here are a few lingering questions we have that keep us up at night.
The Sandman, Season 2, Netflix
Will Lord Morpheus come back?
No. As much as fans adored Tom Sturridge’s moody, melancholy turn as Morpheus, his time as Dream has come to an end. With his death, all that he was went into the new Dream, Daniel Hall (played by Jacob Anderson), who refused to take the name Morpheus as it was not his to take.
However, as we soon learned, it is within the power of the new Dreaming to bring back the dead. The new Dream was able to do it first with Abel (Asim Chaudhry), then with Mervyn (voiced by Mark Hamill), and finally with Gilbert (Stephen Fry), a.k.a. Fiddler’s Green, who reprimanded the young god for the misuse of his powers.
“My dear boy, do you not see? If you bring us back, then our deaths, our lives, will have no meaning,” explains the personification of the Dreamworld’s meadow. “Lord Morpheus died for love, for his son, for his kingdom, so you can be the kind of Dream he couldn’t be. And if you bring him back, his sacrifice, his story, will mean nothing.”
How can the Endless die? Are they not, you know, endless?
Sadly, even the Endless have an end. They are anthropomorphic personifications of fundamental forces of existence, each representing a universal concept and existing since the beginning of time, though not necessarily in their current forms. They have the ability to perish, albeit not through aging or any mortal means.
They can die at each other’s hands or by breaking the rules that govern them. In Dream’s case, he violated those rules by spilling family blood, which brought down the wrath of the Kindly Ones, also known as the Fates. But he knew exactly what he was doing when he chose to end his son’s suffering.
There is only one true immortal among the Endless, and that is Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste). As she so eloquently put it, “When the first living thing existed, I was there waiting. When the last living thing dies, my job will be finished.”
Did Daniel Hall's Dream continue to have adventures?
Yes. Daniel Hall’s Dream continued his journey beyond The Sandman comics. He was a main character in the comic series The Dreaming, which expanded the world of the Dreaming, and also appeared in the more recent The Dreaming: Waking Hours. He even encountered Batman in Grant Morrison‘s Dreamtime and in Scott Snyder’s Dark Nights: Metal. There are many more adventures featuring the new Dream for those who are interested in exploring further.
Since the new Dream was immediately accepted as an Endless sibling, does that mean others might be replacements as well?
Apparently, yes. At least in some cases. Despair (Donna Preston) revealed that she is not the first to bear the name; the original Despair died over 100,000 years ago (and in the comic, it’s hinted she was murdered).
It’s unclear whether the other siblings, or even their parents, remain in their original forms. But if that were the case, one would think they’d be open about it.
That is the way with immortals. You live, you die, you grieve, and you forget and move on.
Why did Destruction come back?
A combination of morbid curiosity, family obligation, and brotherly love. He may have abandoned his realm and responsibilities, but Destruction (Barry Sloane) isn’t a bad person, he’s simply tired of being one of the Endless and of carrying the weight of duty. When his brother dies, he comes to meet his new sibling, the new Dream. The moment reflects one of the central themes of The Sandman: Change is inevitable.
Destruction not only acknowledges the new Dream and the differences between him and the old, but also reassures him and the audience that change is good.
His approval of his new brother is meant to offer comfort to the audience during this time of mourning.
The new Dream is the first of the Endless who is also human. What makes him different?
He has an empathy toward humankind that the others lack. They view humans as strange creatures or furless dumb animals they manipulate like marionettes, but Dream has human roots. Though his humanity was burned away, he still carries it in his heart. When speaking to his mother Lyta (Razane Jammal), the old Dream (Tom Sturridge) would have blamed her for her actions, and would have punished her accordingly. But the new Dream (Jacob Anderson) sees that it is not her fault, that her rage and desire for revenge came from a place of pain and anguish, and that she was used.
For someone who has lost so much, he holds nothing but sadness and pity in his heart, and he chooses to forgive her, allowing her to rebuild her life and occasionally visit her son. It is a choice the old Dream would have been incapable of making.
“It is that part, the Daniel part of you, that will make all the difference,” Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong) tells him.
Why did Delirium change her name from Delight?
Even in the comics, it is a mystery. But it there is an unspoken trauma that is eluded to in her past that caused the change from Delight (Esme Creed-Miles) to Delirium. Some believe it has to do with the fragility of innocence, others believe she saw what was in the hearts of men. Pick your poison.
Why was Desire crying when they finally got what they wanted: Dream's death?
Though often portrayed as manipulative, smug, and self-serving, Desire (Mason Alexander Park) did love their brother. They’re just very… dramatic.
They live for the drama, and in the end, the complexity of their character shines through, as does their love for Dream. They may have once tried to kill Dream by tricking him into spilling family blood via Rose Walker, but the truth is, they loved the game of it. Dream was their polar opposite, and Desire relished toying with their older brother. And in their own way, they loved him deeply. Dream was the yin to their yang, the counterbalance that helped keep them centered. And for that, they were grateful.
Why was Death nowhere to be seen when Orpheus died?
Death appears only in cases of natural death. While that might suggest the end of a long life, it actually refers to death within the natural order, any form of passing that can occur through means conceived by humankind. Orpheus, however, had made a deal for eternal life, so even after his body was torn apart, his head lived on. He could only truly die through an unnatural death, one delivered by a member of his own family.
It was also an intimate moment between a father and son, so Death may have chosen to keep her distance.
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