The Dragon's Library
The Dragon's Library
S2E67 - The Sandman Episode 11
Join me in The Dragon's Library for review of shows, movies, games, and books. This is my review of The Sandman, the latest DC Comic Adaptation from Netflix. The Sandman follows Dream of the Endless in 1916, when he is captured by a Cult who had performed a ritual in order to bind his sister, Death. The human steal his tools and keeps Dream imprisoned for over a century, wrecking untold havoc on the Dreaming Realm and their own world. After freeing himself, Dream set’s off to repair the damage, recover his tools, and restore order to his realm. In this bonus 11th episode we see the world of cats and the horror of a muse.
Links to the show are below.
The Sandman (Netflix)
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New intro audio designed to be compatible with new youtube intro.
[INTRO]
The Sandman emerges once again, if only for a short time, and I cheer in glee.
Hello, everyone and welcome back to the Dragon’s Library. Today, we will be discussing the bonus 11th episode of The Sandman on Netflix. Although I only just reviewed Sandman about a week ago, we got a surprise bonus episode and I need to talk about it, so here we are.
[BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT]
Now, Netflix is a staunch defender of the binge content style of release. They tend to put out entire seasons all at once, as opposed to the weekly releases of Disney+, Hulu, and many others. This can result in shows that flare up for a week or two, and then vanish into obscurity.
The Sandman seems to be trying to prevent this with a new bonus episode. And it seems to be working, as The Sandman shot back up to the 2nd most watched show this week. Before we go any further, I need to say something.
If you haven’t listened to my previous episode on The Sandman, then leave and go listen to that right now…I’ll wait…
If you haven’t watched my previous episode about The Sandman, then leave and go watch that right now…I’ll wait…
All good. Okay, so from this point onwards there will be spoilers for the first 10 episodes of The Sandman.
Anyway, the new episode is an adaption of two stories in The Sandman comic run. Specifically, Dream of a Thousand Cats and Calliope. So, let’s go over the premise.
[PREMISE]
The first story, making up about ¼ of the runtime is Dream of a Thousand Cats. We follow a small kitten as it sneaks out with several other cats to hear from a Siamese cat that obtained a revelation from a dream of the endless. This is nearly a one for one remake of the comic, with most of the dialogue taken directly from the graphic novel, with limited changes.
The second story, Calliope, follows a struggling author, who purchases ownership of a Greek muse from another man, despite his promises to free her before he died. We then watch as the humility and distaste of the author is twisted by the success Calliope brings him. This story, while very similar from the original, has more direct changes.
[CHARACTERS AND ACTORS]
These two episodes are fairly self contained, compared to the rest of the Sandman series. Each one only has about three main characters, with the only one shared between them being Tom Sturridge as Dream and the Cat of Dreams.
Each of the stories talks about someone asking for help from Dream of the Endless.
The first story Dream of a Thousand Cats is animated and so it has voice actors.
We have Sandra Oh as The Prophet. If you recognize that name, then it is probably from Squid Games. She does a great job with the tragic Prophet who seeks to remake the world through dreams.
There is also the kitten, voiced by Rosie Day, who is alright as well.
Tom Sturridge voices the Cat of Dreams, another form of Dream the Endless. He has the same distant yet subtly dangerous tone that he brought to the rest of the first season.
Moving on to Calliope, we see Tom Sturridge as Dream of the Endless.
The main characters of the story are Melissanthi Mahut as Calliope, the Greek muse, and Arthur Darvill as Richard "Ric" Madoc, a struggling author who imprisons Calliope against her will.
[DIRECTING]
The directing in Dream of Cats is great. Like I said in the original Sandman review, the Dreaming is the same fantastical place, and the way shows the transition from the old cat world to the modern Human one is really well done. As for Calliope, it is less impressive. The directing isn’t bad but Louise Hooper’s camerawork feels less inspired than what she did in episode 10. A lot more flat shots of people talking and less Dreamworld sequences. Though I will say the breakdown of Ric Madoc and his mental collapse were really well done.
[EFFECTS & ANIMATION]
These do feel most underwhelming when it comes to special effects, however, at least in the first story. Dream of a Thousand Cats is an animated short and…oh, how to put this gently…It looks terrible. Occasional scenes, like the prophet standing before the moon or the black cat of dreams look pretty good and the style almost seems made for thumbnail shots. But the animation itself is still and the models, which look fine standing still, distort as they move. The whole experience made me feel like the resolution dropped whenever there was too much motion. Probably the worst part of the whole thing and it distracted me from the voice acting.
Calliope on the other hand does have some cool effects. The visit by the three sisters and the practical effects in Ric Madoc’s breakdown were fantastic.
[WRITING & ADAPTATION]
The writing is nearly a one for one translation of both stories. Dream of a Thousand Cats is practically just an animated recreation of the comics, with nearly every line. Calliope on the other hand, evolved the story for the modern day. Unlike in the comics, Dream keeps with his more empathetic character growth, showing sympathy and forgiveness to Calliope. In addition, they removed scenes of Calliope’s rape, replacing them with shots of a wound she gives her attacker, signifying the defiance. In addition the message of the story changes from retribution and revenge, to acceptance and moving on with life. This allows Calliope to have a more satisfying and happy end, with the potential of future appearances due to Dream’s forgiveness.
[FINAL THOUGHTS]
Both of these stories show off some of The Sandman’s strength’s. Dream of a Thousand Cats demonstrates a faithful adaptation with minimal change and inventive visuals, while Calliope better shows how minor changes can help to better adapt and old work. I did prefer Calliope, mostly on the grounds of the other story’s poor animation, but the entire second episode is well worth a watch. Not required, but a fun time plus it gave me a reason to talk about The Sandman again. 8/10, go check it out if you have Netflix. Which you should have anyway because I already told you to watch The Sandman’s first 10 episodes.
[STORY (SPOILER)]
Ok, so we have two short stories, let’s go.
Starting with Dream of a Thousand Cats, we open on a kitten which is being put to sleep by it’s owners. It looks fine until the jittery human arms come into frame. The art style is weird. It appears to be trying to mimic a painted appearance, but the frame rate is just horrible. Ignoring that, we watch as the kitten meets up with another cat and the two of them head out into the streets to go to some kind of meeting. They keep talking about her and her announcement. As they arrive, the two find a few other cats waiting. Soon a Siamese cat hops up and calls them all to attention. This is the Prophet. Long story short, she’s a stray that used to belong to humans. However, she fell in love with a stray and had kittens that her owners didn’t want. The male owner decided to get rid of the ‘half-breeds’ by putting them in a sack and throwing it in a lake. Ok, wow he’s an asshole. Now the girl doesn’t know how he got rid of them but still, what the fuck. At least take them to a shelter or something. Jeez. Anyway, the Prophet got really depressed, even more so when Mr. Jackass said she was probably better off without some needy kids.
Internet, I present to you this jackass. Tear him apart please.
Anyway, understandably depressed, the Prophet falls into the Dreaming and demands an audience with Dream. She wants to know why the world she lives in allows humans to slaughter her children. Dream explains that the world was not always as it is now. Cats used to be the larger dominant race, and humans, their small subservient pets. The cats even hunted them on full moons, because cats are sadistic. However, one human came to Dream seeking knowledge just as the Prophet did, and learned the truth of reality. A collective dream can reshape the nature of the world. So gathering his people he begged them to dream. They dreamed night after night and with thousands working toward a singular vision, that dream remade the world so completely that it unmade all that there had ever been.
The Prophet ends the story by telling the other cats that only a few thousand all dreaming the same dream could remake the world. The other cats just kinda call her crazy, but the kitten believes her. The last shot shows her sleeping, and the humans comment she must be hunting something in her dreams.
As for the second story, Calliope, well that’s a bit longer. To summarize, a struggling author named Richard Madoc, is struggling to write a follow up to his well received book. In desperation he turns to another author, Erasmus Fry, who says he has something that can help. After giving him some medical waste, ewww, obtained by a fan, Ric is given his muse, literally. See Eramus had captured the Greek muse Calliope and bound her through magical laws. He originally promised to set her free before he died, but since he’s a piece of shit, Erasmus decided to sell her instead.
After the reveal, Ric is initially reluctant, but his desperation drives him to accept the offer. Seeing a chance to end her suffering, Calliope offers to inspire him willingly if he sets her free. Ric almost does it, but in the end, he refuses.
Now before we go any further..I need to make something clear. Yes, this is fucked up. Yes, he will get what’s coming to him. And yes, this is a fantasized representation of abuse.
Continuing on, Ric ends up assaulting Calliope in order to gain the ideas he needs to write. However, unlike in the original comic, which focused on Calliope’s suffering, we don’t see Calliope being assaulted. Instead the scene cuts as he knocks and cuts back as he leaves, with the camera focused on a scratch Calliope put on Ric’s cheek. This is a change that shows Calliope’s agency. Focusing on how Calliope fought back against her assailant and not objectifying her during the horrific act. This gives the scene an almost horror movie aesthetic and makes you hate the bastard all the more.
As Ric grows famous for his new book, his promises to free Calliope after the novel are thrown aside and Ric, like Erasmus before him, begins to see her as a tool for his own ambitions. Meanwhile Calliope contacts the fates, who tell her that none of the Gods are willing or able to help her. However the endless might, but her estranged lover Dream has been imprisoned as well.
Years pass, before Calliope see a news paper declaring an end to season 1’s sleeping sickness. Realizing the truth, she manages to get a message to Dream who comes. Despite a complicated past, Dream, now changed from his ordeal, is able to forgive Calliope and resolves to set her free. Unable to free her directly, Dream opts for a more creative route. First he asks Ric one last time to free Calliope of his own volition.
The asshole obviously refuses, so Dream get creative. Since Ric wanted Calliope’s inspiration, Dream overload’s his mind with idea, to the point where half formed thoughts begin erupting from his mouth mid lecture. As he runs desperate to escape his own thoughts, Ric begins to rip off his own fingers and use the blood to write it all down. Eventually he is found by the fan who helped him in the beginning, and tells her to go to his home and free Calliope. This statement set’s the muse free, so when the fan arrives, all that is left is a book.
At the hospital Ric finds the thoughts leave him, but not as he would like. Dream has revoked his torment, but inflicted a new punishment. Ric will never have a new idea ever again.
To be fair, he totally deserved it.
The last scene show Calliope now free, resolved to free her sisters and change the ancient laws that allowed them to be bound in the first place. Dream, supportive of her new goals, tells her she is always welcome amongst the Dreaming.
The End.
[CLOSING REMARKS]
All and all these two stories are pretty good, with the exception of the animation. And I had a lot of fun. They were a nice little treat to get me all the more excited for season 2.
I can’t wait.
[ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPCOMING]
Alright, with that out of the way we have announcements. I am currently working on a new intro sequence, so look forward to that.
As for upcoming reviews, my next two review will be a book, The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean, and that new Elvis movie. If the book review is delayed, then I might have a last minute replacement in store.
See you all next time… Bye…
