The Sandman. (L to R) Tom Sturridge as Dream, Umulisa Gahiga as Nada in episode 201 of The Sandman. Cr. Ed Miller/Netflix © 2025
After years of anticipation, Netflix’s The Sandman has finally returned for its second and final season. Volume 1, comprising the first six episodes, has just dropped on the streamer. Was the final season worth the wait? Let’s find out.
When Netflix first renewed The Sandman for season 2, fans were unsure of the direction in which the future of the show would take. Initially, a 5-season plan was laid out. However, when that plan became unattainable, the crew, including showrunner Allan Heinberg, had to work around wrapping up the immense Sandman saga in one more season.
Completing The Sandman in one more season was always going to be an unimaginably difficult task. As readers of the comics will confirm, the story is gigantic, multi-faceted, and jumps all over the place. Season 1 was convoluted enough, chiefly with the shift from Preludes and Nocturnes to The Doll’s House, while also covering standalone stories in bonus episodes.
The biggest consequence of wrapping up The Sandman is one more season was the dropping of numerous story arcs. For instance, the entire A Game of You story arc, which was set in season 1, no longer takes place. Instead, season 2 focuses purely on Dream’s story.
Warning: The following section contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!
The entire Endless family are together, at last!
While season 1 established the existence of The Endless (the dysfunctional family of seven beings embodying different aspects of life), season 2 takes things to another level. Before season 2, we were introduced to Dream (Tom Sturridge), Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Desire (Mason Alexander Park) and Despair (Donna Preston). This season, the rest of the family arrives, namely Destiny (Adrian Lester), Delirium (Esme Creed-Miles), and Destruction (Barry Sloane).
The interactions, arguments, and tension between the family members is so much fun to behold. All of them (except for Destruction) are brought together in the premiere for an urgent family meeting. Desire steals every scene that they appear in, causing all sorts of chaos at the dinner table. So too does Delirium; the innocent, immature, and silly youngest member of the Endless. The family interactions are key to the season, offering up everything from comedy and conflict, to deeply philosophical discussions between their respective duties.
I was delighted to see that the team managed to re-evaluate Despair’s character, making her much more true to her name in season 2. Of all the Endless, I think Delirium is the breakout star. Just like the character in the comics, Delirium is destined to become a fan favourite in the show.
The Endless all show up sporadically throughout the volume, each offering their own unique perspectives on the story. It’s always a delight to see any of them show up, whether it’s the kind, nurturing Death, the stoic Destiny, and so on.
The season kicks off with ‘Season of Mists’
The Sandman. Tom Sturridge as Dream in episode 203 of The Sandman. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2025
Even more so than in season 1, the series delves deep into Dream’s personality. It’s made very obvious: Dream is not the hero of his story. He’s inherently flawed, selfish, and ardently bent on serving his duties as one of the Endless. But even he lets his guard down, most notably when it comes to his… complicated love life. In season 2, the writers really hone in on his relationship with Nada — a woman whom Dream loved, and even proposed to, 10,000 years ago. When Nada decided to break it off with Dream in favour of protecting her people, he condemned her to Hell for a dozen millennia.
Nada is very much the catalyst on which the entire plot advances — her role in the show is larger than the comics. Dream’s entire dysfunctional family, especially Desire (Mason Alexander Park) — who’s portrayed as an interfering, tinkering villain but is also correct in many instances — lament his actions. And so, Dream advances to Hell, where he must once again confront the all-powerful Lucifer to rescue Nada. When he arrives in Lucifer’s realm, he finds it empty. The fallen angel and the ruler of Hell has abdicated. Lucifer leaves the key to the realm with Dream, hoping it will bring him much stress.
This Season of Mists storyline is outstanding and a real highlight of Volume 1. It’s clever, unpredictable, and also introduces viewers to a glut of wonderful characters. When Dream returns to his realm, reuniting with the brilliant inhabitants of his palace — Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong), Merv (Mark Hamill) and Matthew (Patton Oswalt) — he’s quickly greeted by all sorts of figures from myth and legend, each vying to attain the key for themselves. There’s Thor (Laurence O’Fuarian), Loki (Freddie Fox) and Odin (Clive Russell) — the Norse Gods who make a very loud entrance. Fairies Cluracan (Douglas Booth) and Nuala (Ann Skelly) are there, too. The demon Azazel, who now appears in a ‘human’ form, also turns up in an attempt to reclaim the key.
In his great hall, Dream hosts a banquet with everyone attempting to attain the Key to Hell. This is the ultimate show-stopping event. Having such iconic personalities clash, interact, and go head-to-head is a feast for the eyes. So too, there’s a hilarious magic performance by comic relief characters Cain (Sanjeev Bhaskar) and Abel (Asim Chaudhry).
Of all the characters, I was most of all infatuated by Dream’s relationship with Nuala. The sister of Cluracan, Nuala, strikes a close connection with Dream. Nuala is given more spotlight in the show compared to the comics. Her extended role was a welcome addition. This culminates in Nuala initiating a flashback backstory, covering a fan-favorite issue from the comics, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Brief Lives is brilliant
The Sandman. Esme Creed-Miles as Delirium in episode 209 of The Sandman. Cr. Ed Miller/Netflix © 2025
The other major story arc that Volume 1 covers is Brief Lives, which begins with episode 4. While Season of Mists had the show-stopping banquet, Brief Lives is where the plot really begins to evolve, adding a new level of complexity. In this arc, Delirium begs and ultimately convinces Dream to join her on a quest to locate their estranged brother, Destruction, who abandoned his post many years back.
Outside of the brilliant dynamic between Dream and his joyful, childlike sister Delirium, the arc also introduces us to a number of excellent new characters. For instance, there’s Wanda (Indya Moore), a character with an emotional backstory, who assists Dream and Delirium in finding people in the mortal world who Destruction once knew. Plus, there’s Destruction’s former lover, Ishtar (Amber Rose Revah).
The first half of Brief Lives moves at a breakneck speed. Characters come and pass, and the story moves on fast. But the story that is moves onto, covering Dream’s son with Calliope, Orpheus (Ruairi O’Connor), is top tier. The story of Orpheus is based on fact from Greek myth, seamlessly woven to fit into the Sandman’s own lore. It chronicles the seminal story of Orpheus in the Underworld, using the Greek tragedy as groundwork for the show to expand on how it connects to Dream’s story and the immense tragedy that comes from it.
From the gorgeous composition and framing, to the emotionally resonant and thematically cohesive motifs in the score — the conclusion of Brief Lives is enough to bring tears to your eyes. Tom Sturridge’s performance throughout the season, but in this scene in particular, is emotionally devastating and deeply moving. Because of this, I think the show actually portrays the emotional beats of Dream’s story better than the comics did.
Verdict
Outside of the two overarching story arcs — Season of Mists and Brief Lives — Volume 1 presents numerous short stories, with pretty much all of them being presented as flashbacks. From Tales in the Sand (which establishes Nada as a key figure and catalyst in the plot), to the charming and thought-provoking A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Thermidor (which sees a welcome return of Jenna Coleman’s Johanna Constantine), and of course, my personal favourite The Song of Orpheus — they each show different facets of Dream’s personality.
A lot of casual viewers took issue with the constant shift in tone and storylines in season 1. Well, the issue is way, way worse in season 2 — it moves at a breakneck speed and shifts tone constantly. Stories and characters don’t get a chance to grow and evolve, at least in this first volume. However, the arcs themselves are significantly stronger than season 1; Brief Lives is a much better, more engaging story arc than The Doll’s House, for instance.
The team behind Sandman was dealt a bad hand, with Netflix only granting them enough budget to tell one more season. However, what showrunner Allan Heinberg has managed to weave out of the tools he was given is nothing short of outstanding. So far, the story has hit all of the key beats and plot points, giving the fandom a lot to ponder and celebrate.
What to expect from The Sandman Season 2, Volume 2
Season 2, Volume 2 will be the conclusive five episodes. At the end of Volume 1, the three Fates, aka The Kindly Ones, prepared for a visit to Dream’s realm after learning that he’d spilled family blood, in the form of his son, Orpheus. Dream is aware of the forthcoming fallout of his actions at the end of Volume 1. The episode titles are:
- Episode 7: Time and Night
- Episode 8: Fuel For The Fire
- Episode 9: The Kindly Ones
- Episode 10: Long Live the King
- Episode 11: A Tale of Graceful Ends
It’ll also mark the return of Boyd Holbrook’s fan-favorite character, The Corinthian. And without spoiling anything, there are plenty of surprises along the way. Here are some stills we have from the final batch of episodes:
The Sandman. Jack Gleeson as Puck in episode 208 of The Sandman. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2025
Plus, we’re also getting a bonus 12th episode, Death: The High Cost of Living, The episode adapts the spinoff graphic novel of the same name, in which Death spends a day living as a mortal, mingling among humanity, to better grasp the gravity of her duties as one of the Endless. During her time on the mortal plain, she meets Sexton (played by Merlin star Colin Morgan), with whom she spends the day.
The Sandman Season 2, Volume 2 premieres July 24 on Netflix.