WARNING: Spoilers for the ending of The Sandman Season 2.The SandmanshowrunnerAllan Heinberg has given his take on the major character death at the end of season 2. The show, adapted from the successful comic book series by Neil Gaiman, has been one of the best and most successful fantasy shows on Netflix.The Sandmanseason 2 endingcontained a major twist, with the death of a beloved character.
With the confirmation thatThe Sandmanseason 3is not happening, the season 2 finale spells an end for the show, and it’s one that leaves several plot points available for future exploration, while also capping off the story of Dream. The season ends with a shocking death, andDream makes a decision that changes everything.
PerTHR, Heinberg discussed Dream’s death at the end of season 2, andhow the character made the decision to sacrifice himself. He mentions how Dream/Morpheus grows to realize that he is actually the villain for most of the people in his life, and that they can only be free with him out of the equation. Check out his comments below:
“Dream realizes he has grievously hurt the people he claims to love. He sees that his own behavior up until that point has been terrible, selfish, manipulative. [He’d thought] he was being honorable and the leading light of all the Endless, and he finds out that, in fact, he’s the bad guy in all these people’s stories.”
Heinberg discusses how the revelation completely alters Dream’s life, and causes him to rethink this version of himself.
“It completely guts him, and contributes to his decision to end this version of his reign and come back as a more human Dream. Lucienne [Vivienne Acheampong] says there’s only so much that Dream knew he could change, and he couldn’t be the Dream he wanted to be [as] this version of himself; he needed to be reborn as Daniel in order to be more human.”
“In the end, he kills his own son, and I just don’t think he can recover from that. He says to Death, “Ever since I killed my own son, the Dreaming is not what it was to me. I just can’t go through this and do this the way that I’ve been doing it, and there’s nothing left for me here.” He’s just stricken by grief and guilt, and the belief that he’s not the Dream the world deserves at that point.”
He also talks about wanting to show an essential scene from the comics that conveys why Dream makes his decision.
“The moment I was telling you about where he says, “I killed my son, and since then I’m not the same. The Dreaming is not the same” — that’s as explicit as we get. But for me, that was the entire key. Then when he says — which Neil wrote in the comic — “I’m so tired, my sister,” I felt like there wasn’t any ambiguity in trying to follow why he’s giving up.”
He concludes by stating that Dream makes the conscious choice to sacrifice himself, and doesn’t want to be saved.
“I have him attempt to fight all along the way, and then the Crone says, “How will you fight us? What will you do? You can do nothing to us.” But in the end, it’s his choice [to die]. Death says, “You’ve been down lower than this before. We can get you out of this.” I think he doesn’t [want to live], because he knows that he’s not enough in this version of himself.”
What This Means For The Conclusion Of The Sandman
It Felt Like The Natural Conclusion For Dream
Though Dream’s decision to sacrifice himself was a shock, it made sense for the character’s arc and the trajectory of the plot. Realizing what he had become, and tired of his place in the world,Dream sought the solace and freedom that only death could bring. This felt like the natural conclusion for the character moving forward.
While it’s a shameThe Sandmanisn’t going to progress beyond season 2, it feels like the main plot points were tied up well, and Dream’s sacrifice, coupled with Daniel replacing him, felt like a natural conclusion.The Sandman’s cast & charactersdid a great job of closing out the show, and broughtThe Sandmanto a great conclusion.
Our Take On The Sandman’s Season 2 Conclusion
The Show Has Did A Good Job With Dream’s Story & Left Enough In Case Season 3 Happens
The Sandmanreceived critical acclaim for its story, character arcs, and plotting, and this is one of the things that season 2 managed to do so well. The season 2 finale did a great job of rounding out Dream’s character arc, but left plenty of plot points that could be explored if the show were to run future seasons.
It feels unlikely that the show will have some kind of revival, but should it continue on another platform, exploring Daniel’s story would feel like the logical route to take. He has now replaced Morpheus as the new Dream, and exploring his reign would be a fascinating story arc for any future seasons ofThe Sandman.
The Sandman
Cast
The Sandman is a 2022 adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s iconic comic series. The narrative follows Morpheus, the King of Dreams, who, after years of imprisonment, embarks on a quest across various realms to recover his stolen artifacts and regain his lost power.
