XPan

The Living Force
The Sandman
2022 TV-Series, S01 (10 episodes)

It must be one of the most fascinating series I have seen in the last years - I was truly startled. But also worried due to the many "Netflix" kind of underpinnings floating around in the background. Lots of darkness, dreams, alternate realities, "light vs darkness", albeit i sense mainly that the series pretends to be a fight between "light and darkness" at times even appeals to sympathy... but at the same time... well it feel like it delivers false opposites (in secrecy); choices between several evils (hidden in the core). It is also a "tale" which appears to glorify the evils which manifest in our realm (such as pedofile seducers & murderers, greed, over the top vanity), and others known by many different names. Oh, and perhaps not surprising; wokeness is embedded as well.

Still - It is a startling brilliant TV-Series in many ways, darkly beautiful. Plenty of well made eye candy and amazing effects, as well very good actors ! I am not very good in describing the series, because I am still watching, at the same time barely getting a grasp over the underpinnings floating around.


The last scene

was interesting in its symbolic: resembling Vatican City (plaza) - filled with flames and all the demons present, afoot of Lucifer's castle. Here a screen dump from it.

_-2022-08-12-at-03.32.37.jpg


Imdb writes about the series "The Sandman":
Upon escaping after decades of imprisonment by a mortal wizard, Dream, the personification of dreams, sets about to reclaim his lost equipment.


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Wikipedia writes
about "The Sandman", further down the site describing each episode.


1 • Sleep of the Just

While attempting to apprehend a nightmare known as the Corinthian, Morpheus, also known as Dream, is captured in an occult ritual by British aristocrat Roderick Burgess, who was attempting to capture Death. Roderick steals Morpheus's totems of power: his helm, a pouch of sand, and a ruby; all of which are eventually taken by Roderick's resentful lover Ethel Cripps, who is pregnant with Roderick's child.

Morpheus's imprisonment causes an epidemic of "sleepy sickness" which lasts for 106 years. In 2021, Roderick's son, Alex, is an old man who continues to keep Morpheus imprisoned and is cared for by his partner, Paul. After Paul "accidentally" erases part of the runes keeping Morpheus bound, Morpheus reaches into the dream of one of his guards to destroy his cage, allowing him to escape, condemning Alex to an eternal sleep.


2 • Imperfect Hosts


Morpheus returns to the Dreaming, his kingdom and the source of dreams. There, he finds his palace in ruins due to his prolonged absence. Morpheus visits Cain and Abel, a pair of dysfunctional brothers, to retrieve their pet gargoyle Gregory, which will restore his power enough to summon the Fates. Morpheus successfully summons the Fates who inform him of the whereabouts of his equipment; the pouch of sand is in the possession of exorcist Johanna Constantine, his helm in the hands of a demon in Hell, and the ruby used by Ethel's son John Dee. Morpheus sets off on his quest to retrieve his items with assistance from his advisor Matthew the Raven. Back in the Dreaming, Morpheus sends a baby Gargoyle to Cain and Abel to replace their previous companion.


3 • Dream a little dream of me


Morpheus tracks down Constantine, asking for the return of his pouch. However, Constantine remembers that she left it at her ex-girlfriend's apartment. They team up to track down the girlfriend whose home has been warped by the abuse of the powder. Constantine exorcises to cure the girlfriend of her addiction but is left distraught when Morpheus is reluctant to put her down.

Seeing Constantine's guilt, Morpheus finally agrees to put her ex-girlfriend to rest before departing. Meanwhile, Ethel, whose life has been prolonged by a protection amulet, travels to an institution in Buffalo, New York, to visit John, who has a dark obsession with Morpheus's ruby. She passes the protection amulet to John, immediately ages and dies. John then uses the amulet's powers to escape the institution.


4 • A Hope in Hell


To retrieve his helm, Morpheus descends into Hell where he meets Lucifer Morningstar, the realm's ruler. He finds the demon with the helm, but in order to get it back, the demon challenges Morpheus to a game of wits. Morpheus chooses to represent himself in the challenge, but the demon chooses Lucifer as his champion. Morpheus eventually wins the challenge by invoking hope, a concept which Lucifer recognizes as unbeatable, and is able to regain the helm. Before he leaves, Lucifer promises to one day kill Morpheus.

John is offered assistance by a good Samaritan and retrieves the ruby, but not before Morpheus discovers its whereabouts and the fact that John has altered the item to attune to his own wishes and nobody else's. John passes the protection amulet to his terrified rescuer, deciding that he no longer needs it.


5 • 24/7


John, now in possession of the ruby, takes refuge in a local diner. There, he uses the ruby’s power to prevent the patrons and staff (and the world at large, shown via the television) from being able to lie, eventually driving them to murder each other or commit suicide. Morpheus arrives and transports John to the realm of dreams, where John appears to use the ruby's power to defeat Morpheus. Crushing the ruby in his hand, John exults in his victory, before Morpheus reveals himself and tells him that by destroying the ruby, its power was released back into its true master, Morpheus. Taking pity on John, Morpheus returns him to the institution, seemingly in a state of long-term sleep. Elsewhere, Morpheus's sibling Desire plots against him.


6 • The Sound of Her Wings


Morpheus, now aimless after obtaining his tools, is visited by his sister, Death, and accompanies her as she escorts the deceased to the afterlife. Death attempts to show Morpheus the possibility of finding purpose and fulfillment in his duties as ruler of the Dreaming. In a flashback to the Middle Ages, Morpheus and Death visit a tavern where they encounter Hob Gadling, a commoner who vocally wishes to never die.

Death agrees to spare Gadling for as long as he wishes. Hob and Morpheus continue to meet each other once every century. Hob maintains that no matter which turns his life takes, he still does not wish for death. Hob hypothesizes that Morpheus continues to meet with him because he is lonely and friendless, which greatly offends Morpheus. Due to Morpheus's capture by Burgess, he is unable to attend his regular meeting with Hob. When their usual location is sold, Hob chooses a new tavern a block away, hoping that Morpheus will find him. The two reunite in present day. Elsewhere, Desire continues their plans.


7 • The Doll's House


In 2015, Rose Walker and her brother Jed are separated when their parents divorce. In 2021, following the death of both parents, Jed is placed in the foster home system, despite Rose's attempts to locate him and claim legal guardianship. Rose is unknowingly a Vortex, a being who naturally attracts and manipulates dreams, and Desire and their twin sister Despair conspire to use Rose against Morpheus.

Aware of Rose's nature, Morpheus plans to use her to track three errant residents of the Dreaming who are still at large. Rose and her friend Lyta Hall travel to England to meet Unity Kincaid, a wealthy recovered victim of sleep sickness. Unity reveals that she is Rose's biological great-grandmother. Unity offers to fund Rose's search for Jed, and Rose and Lyta travel to Florida. Unable to locate Jed in either the Dreaming or the waking world, Lucienne and Morpheus deduce that the rogue dream Gault has severed Jed's consciousness from the Dreaming. Rose approaches Lucienne and Morpheus in the Dreaming for assistance in finding Jed. Meanwhile, the Corinthian, hunting for Rose, is invited as the guest of honor for a serial killer convention.


8 • Playing House


Despite Lucienne's protests, Morpheus agrees to help Rose locate Jed. During the day, Rose and the other guests at the bed-and-breakfast post signs around Cape Kennedy, which attracts the attention of the Corinthian. That night, Morpheus and Rose travel through the dreams of the guests, eventually crossing into Jed's dreams, which Gault has manipulated to provide an emotional escape from Jed's abusive foster father. Morpheus rebukes and punishes Gault for stepping outside her duties, though Gault maintains that she disobeyed because she believed it was in Jed's best interest. Meanwhile, Lyta seemingly reunites with her deceased husband Hector in the Dreaming. Hector attempts to convince Lyta to stay in the Dreaming and have a baby with him, and when Lyta wakes up, she is visibly pregnant. The Corinthian locates Jed and murders his foster parents, kidnapping Jed to lure Rose to the serial killer convention.


9 • Collectors


Lucienne and Matthew deduce that Lyta's pregnancy is the result of Rose's increasing power, which threatens to break the barriers between the Dreaming and the waking world. The Corinthian calls Rose with Jed, sharing their location at the "cereal convention." Rose travels to the hotel to meet them, accompanied by Gilbert, a fellow guest at Hal's B&B and a self-styled "gentleman."

Lyta continues to meet Hector in her dreams, and finds that her pregnancy is advancing at a rapid rate. Morpheus notices increasing damage to the Dreaming, which Lucienne attributes to Rose, though Morpheus is unsure of her theory. Morpheus finds Lyta and Hector in the Dreaming and realizes that the Vortex has allowed Hector's spirit to inhabit the Dreaming, in lieu of him passing on to the afterlife. Morpheus banishes Hector from the Dreaming and informs Lyta that her unborn child will one day belong to him, as it was conceived in the Dreaming. Rose and Gilbert arrive at the hotel and search for Jed. While searching, the Corinthian and Gilbert recognize each other, causing Gilbert to flee to the Dreaming, where he is revealed to be a personified Fiddler’s Green, one of the other rogue Dreaming residents. Gilbert relays the Corinthian and Rose's location to Morpheus.


10 • Lost Hearts


Morpheus interrupts the Corinthian's keynote speech to the serial killer convention, but the Corinthian shows Morpheus that Rose's power enables him to defend himself against his creator. Morpheus informs Rose of the great danger she poses to the waking world, prompting Rose to temporarily restore the Dreaming and allowing Morpheus to unmake the Corinthian. Morpheus punishes the convention attendees with clarity about their crimes, allowing Rose and Jed to leave unharmed.

That night, Rose confronts Morpheus in the Dreaming. Rose is ready to sacrifice herself to save her friends and brother, but Unity joins them in the Dreaming and convinces Rose to transfer the Vortex into her, allowing Morpheus to end her life. Morpheus realizes that Desire impregnated Unity to pass the Vortex to her descendant, in an attempt to have Morpheus spill family blood. Morpheus confronts Desire, warning them against further schemes. Morpheus remakes Gault as a good dream, and endeavors to act as a more benevolent ruler of the Dreaming. In the waking world, Lyta gives birth to a son, and moves with Rose, Jed, and Hal back to New Jersey. After being reproached by the Dukes of Hell, Lucifer ponders revenge on Morpheus.
 
I do like the character, The Sandman. At times the show is cheesy but then there are interesting scenes and dialogue. Nothing too profound but the play on age old themes seems somehow original, at least in presentation.

Worth a watch if you need something to do. Try not to come with too many expectations though and you might be able to enjoy it for what it is which is interestingly creative, if nothing else. IMO
 
Thanks @XPan for sharing. 💐

Interestingly, the synopsis talks about a mysterious disease that puts thousands of people to sleep in the real world —at the time Sandman is "abducted" from his realm of Dreams.

This mysterious disease really did exist on a global scale, and remains to this day... mysterious. It was first described in 1917, and "disappeared" in 1926.

@Ellipse has opened a thread about a book -Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries, by Molly Caldwell Crosby- that talks about this disease.

And as @Palinurus shared at the time,

There still is an epidemic wave of sleeping sickness circling around, according to recent SOTT articles:


This disease has been named "Encephalitis lethargica" and the causes remain "uncertain". See Wikipedia:

The disease attacks the brain, leaving some victims in a statue-like condition, speechless and motionless.[5] Between 1915 and 1926,[6] an epidemic of encephalitis lethargica spread around the world. The exact number of people infected is unknown, but it is estimated that more than one million people contracted the disease during the epidemic, which directly caused more than 500,000 deaths.[7][8][9] Most of those who survived never returned to their pre-morbid vigour. In the words of the famed neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks:

They would be conscious and aware – yet not fully awake; they would sit motionless and speechless all day in their chairs, totally lacking energy, impetus, initiative, motive, appetite, affect or desire; they registered what went on about them without active attention, and with profound indifference. They neither conveyed nor felt the feeling of life; they were as insubstantial as ghosts, and as passive as zombies.[10]

No recurrence of the epidemic has since been reported, though isolated cases continue to occur.[11]
[...]
Some studies have explored its origins in an autoimmune response,[5] and, separately or in relation to an immune response, links to pathologies of infectious disease—viral and bacterial,[5] such as in the case of influenza, where a link with encephalitis is clear.[16]

Considering my recent reading of Firstenberg's book, The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Lifediscussed here and here as well in which I shared an English translation from a French informative summary of the book (available in French HERE), Pdf that I attached at the end of this post—, I wonder if this mysterious disease could be related to the rise, at the time, of electricity, radio waves and sonar (developed during World War I).

About influenza bolded in the Wikipedia quote above, here is what Firstenberg says about it (extract):
Since ancient times, influenza has been known as a capricious and unpredictable disease, a wild animal that came from nowhere, terrorised whole populations at once, without warning or agenda, and disappeared as suddenly and mysteriously as it arrived, not to be seen again for years or decades. It behaved like no other disease, was thought not to be contagious, and got its name because its comings and goings were said to be governed by the 'influenza' of the stars.

But in 1889, influenza was tamed. From that year on, it would be present every year, all over the world. It will mysteriously disappear as before, but we can count on its return, at about the same time, the following year. And it has never disappeared since.

This, of course, without ruling out a cosmic origin —electro-magnetism and/or other cosmic waves, comets/viruses, etc.—, and maybe (more likely, as often) a congruence of several factors.

Could it be a good question for C's?

I never cease to be amazed as I often see information on a same subject coming from very different subjects —which at first glance have nothing to do with each other— and through very different channels (scientific studies, books, TV series/movies) in a range of a few days. I know I am not the only one, and that many of you are experiencing it very often too! And that is one of the promises of this Forum... How information can reach us is trully astonishing... in many ways! I had never heard of this disease before.

There are so much fascinating things to discover! 🏄‍♀️

Added: Picture that I have just find (source) even if I wonder if the main photo is not one from 1918 influenza; The two others can be found on Google).

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I've watched the first episode of the Sandman TV adaptation. As I have mentioned in other occasions, one of my hobbies is collecting comics. The Sandman comic book is one of my favorites because of all the modern mythology it created and that undoubtedly inspired other works like Harry Potter for example.

LIke Charlie said, Sandman is a classic comic book, which ran for 75 issues between 1989 and 1996. Writen by Neil Gaimam and publidhed by DC cómics. In fact, Lucifer, the character played by Tom Ellis, initially originated in The Sandman, before having his own comic book series.

I must declare myself a purist and conservative when the works are well written. This first episode left me unsatisfied. And from what I've read elsewhere regarding the following episodes, Netflix's Sandman is a woke festival

In the comic, Alex Burgess, the son of the Magus who locked Dream in the basement of his house, is not gay. In the Netflix's show he sustains a gay relationship with Paul.

In the comic book Lucien, the librarian of Dream, is white man, in the Netflix's show is an non-binary African-American woman.
20220813_213850.jpg

John Constantine is now Johanna Constantine. And Death, Dream's Sister is now African-American.
images.jpeg

Of course, social networks exploded with arguments both for and against

With Sandman skyrocketing up the charts of the most watched shows on Netflix, writer Neil Gaiman is getting a lot of buzz. Something that is very noticeable in his social networks, and that has led the writer to develop a very peculiar hobby: collecting reviews that attack the show for its large number of LGBT characters.
Cinemania.com

On the other hand actor Tom Sturridge (Dream) has compiled a bouquet of opinions, posted on IMDB, that spill the usual charges. "I would have given it a 10 if it wasn't for so much gay shit", "it seems like everyone is gay and they're eating each other's mouths off all the time", "welcome to a world where straight people don't exist", "I haven't seen a series with so much shit 'woke' in my life", are some of his landmarks. Cinemania.com

The always controversial change of race or sex of many characters is good marketing strategy. Undoubtedly, this network chatter has done nothing more than make Netflix's dreams come true, since this way they get free publicity and these are modifications that are never made in the opposite direction because then it is racism, homophobic and does not comply with the policy of "inclusion and diversity". By the way, this reminds me of something I read this morning:


Out of this "woke festival" the specialized critics says Sandman is well orchestrated and shows the same story, the same spirit as in the comic book series. According to the different media this first season of the series covers the first two volumes of the ten volumes that Sandman has, that is, "Preludes & Nocturnes" and "The Doll's House". And what is more important, in spite of the woke festival, the dilemmas and behaviors of the main characters of the comics are maintained.
 
I've watched the first episode of the Sandman TV adaptation. As I have mentioned in other occasions, one of my hobbies is collecting comics. The Sandman comic book is one of my favorites because of all the modern mythology it created and that undoubtedly inspired other works like Harry Potter for example.

LIke Charlie said, Sandman is a classic comic book, which ran for 75 issues between 1989 and 1996. Writen by Neil Gaimam and publidhed by DC cómics. In fact, Lucifer, the character played by Tom Ellis, initially originated in The Sandman, before having his own comic book series.

I must declare myself a purist and conservative when the works are well written. This first episode left me unsatisfied. And from what I've read elsewhere regarding the following episodes, Netflix's Sandman is a woke festival

In the comic, Alex Burgess, the son of the Magus who locked Dream in the basement of his house, is not gay. In the Netflix's show he sustains a gay relationship with Paul.

In the comic book Lucien, the librarian of Dream, is white man, in the Netflix's show is an non-binary African-American woman.
View attachment 62455

John Constantine is now Johanna Constantine. And Death, Dream's Sister is now African-American.
View attachment 62456

Of course, social networks exploded with arguments both for and against





The always controversial change of race or sex of many characters is good marketing strategy. Undoubtedly, this network chatter has done nothing more than make Netflix's dreams come true, since this way they get free publicity and these are modifications that are never made in the opposite direction because then it is racism, homophobic and does not comply with the policy of "inclusion and diversity". By the way, this reminds me of something I read this morning:


Out of this "woke festival" the specialized critics says Sandman is well orchestrated and shows the same story, the same spirit as in the comic book series. According to the different media this first season of the series covers the first two volumes of the ten volumes that Sandman has, that is, "Preludes & Nocturnes" and "The Doll's House". And what is more important, in spite of the woke festival, the dilemmas and behaviors of the main characters of the comics are maintained.
I'm seeing Sandman, and Very well done, but You just can't ignore the fact that straight people is absent...
No further comments.
On this topic ....
On the other hand, I can Say that the narratives of the characters are Very interesting....☀️
 
In the comic, Alex Burgess, the son of the Magus who locked Dream in the basement of his house, is not gay. In the Netflix's show he sustains a gay relationship with Paul.

In the comic book Lucien, the librarian of Dream, is white man, in the Netflix's show is an non-binary African-American woman.

I haven't watched the show yet, but I want to, as I am a fan of his comic books, so thank you all for this discussion. At least I will prepare myself. And I saw this today on FB, which is a good representation of what to expect from Netflix (and not only) nowadays.
 

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I think Netflix continues to attract attention as a good propaganda tool as the digital version of Hollywood. I know it's a comic book series, but I don't know anything about this comic. The flow of the series and the handling of some topics are good. I like the series, but it doesn't have great depth. It scores 6.9/10.

I respect people with different sexual preferences, but this homosexual theme in TV shows and movies is overdone.

The trans-humanity movement is being forced into the mind of the audience.
 
I know it's a comic book series, but I don't know anything about this comic.
Many people around the world are in this same situation. They don't know the comic and in fact it's the best thing they can do to enjoy Netflix's version of Sandman. Because once they read the comic they realize the ideological agenda behind it. It ruins your experience, it feels weird, like it's a Mandela effect or decaffeinated coffee. In my case I felt a rejection. It's not a bad adaptation but it does feel strange, like they want to force an ideology on people.
 
The trans-humanity movement is being forced into the mind of the audience.

Every show almost without exception is a "woke festival." I don't really even think to mention that because it's a given these days. One really can't escape it without eliminating at least 90% of available content produced in the last decade or longer.

It's outrageous and I strongly dislike and resent it. I'm waiting for the day when normal people start screaming, enough!

It's an obvious attempt to normalize alternative lifestyles and sexual promiscuity to the youngest upcoming generations. They think they can reengineer society to their liking and maybe they're right. When will people speak out against it?
 
Every show almost without exception is a "woke festival." I don't really even think to mention that because it's a given these days.... When will people speak out against it?

Yes, this reminds me of what happened with Disney's Buzz Lightyear film this year. Seems like people are starting to get tired of the woke festival.

Lightyear suffered a setback that other world premieres did not face: the film has a scene in which two same-sex characters kiss, which provoked a backlash from conservatives who called for the film to be sabotaged. Marketing experts point to this scene as the consequence of rejection. Before the woke ideology, Disney films were aimed at a primarily conservative market.

This scene led to the banning of this film in 14 countries. According to Reuters this "innocent kiss" caused the film to be banned in 14 countries: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Lebanon among them. China asked for the scene to be removed, but Disney did not agree, so they didn't allow it to be shown in their theaters. So financially and visually Lightyear was a failure.

Of course, the memes were not long in coming.

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Lightyear the great failure woke
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