Sandman smiling?Story sabotaged by a sickly sweet season finale Review of The Sandman on TV, by Stefan Stenudd
Well, the first three episodes were good rewards indeed for the waiting. Fantastic special effects and splendid acting. But at episode four the story starts to crack, with characters behaving inconsistently and events coming quite haphazardly – two typical signs of sloppy script writing. It gets even worse at the last two episodes. Especially, the use of the Orpheus myth lacks originality and profundity.
Season 1 revisitedI wondered, did the first season of The Sandman have similar shortcomings, which I had forgotten? So, I watched it anew, finding it just as fantastic as I remembered it, if not more so – except for the ending in the last episode (not counting episode 11, which is sort of an extra).The ending is as sickly sweet as if made by Disney. An awkwardly happy ending, far from fitting what went on before it. It even shows the Sandman smiling, albeit in a restrained way probably being a conscious choice by the actor Tom Sturridge, who plays the role brilliantly.
The end of The Sandman season 1 is an anomaly, the way it ends the arc of a story that is so much more sinister and sincere. Happy is not a word that comes to mind. The natural ending should be like that of a classical tragedy, where everybody suffers greatly. No place for smiles.
No smile in the comicThe writer of the original Sandman story was Neil Gaiman, who is a remarkably imaginative writer with an intimate understanding of myths and their mechanics. He has created a number of myths of his own, in comics as well as novels, many of them turned into live-action film. It is really impressive.Would he make the mistake of deviating from what the plot and the characters suggest in his stories? I think not, but it’s worth examining. So, I read the original comic books on which season 1 of the TV series is based (Issues 1-16). In general, the TV series follows the original closely. That is quite rare and also commendable. But it fails at the ending, which is of course the grand finale of any story and of utmost importance. Sadly, that is precisely why so many tend to meddle with it, whether they are competent to do so or not. It is the prime target of concern for business executives and the like, who neither know nor consider its essential function in the story as a whole. This has destroyed a lot of good stories, especially the ones expected to be commercial successes.
In the comic there is no happy ending, and the Sandman doesn’t smile at all. Instead there is an epilogue where the one whose life was saved finds it hard to feel relieved and no one else has reason to be jolly. More like a tragedy than a comedy, for sure. And true to what happened before. It makes much more sense than the merry version of the TV series ending. Neil Gaiman is true to his own art. Show business, as usual, is not. All’s not well that ends well. Since the first season of The Sandman was such a success, it’s no wonder that the meddling with season 2 from people who should keep their hands off has increased. Well, we will see. There is a second half of it coming in a month or so. I am curious as to how it turns out. And, more importantly, I will continue reading the original comic book version. That’s where the true story reigns.
Stefan Stenudd July 10, 2025
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