The second volume of Netflix’s The Sandman impressed viewers with the way it maintained a balance between adapting crucial arcs from the comics and taking creative liberties to overcome the hindrances of a shortened runtime. Carrying on from that momentum, the final part of the series starts with a steady, fast-paced chapter that wastes no time to make viewers understand the inevitability of the events that will come to pass. As seen previously, Dream has committed an original sin by spilling family blood, and he has to pay, with the Kindly Ones already making arrangements to take him down—the question is whether he will be able to secure the world that he has created before all ends.
Readers familiar with the original comics should keep in mind that the final part strays even further from the source material and expands the mythology of the Endless in a more straightforward approach. It works for the linear, simplistic storytelling the series wants to employ, even though it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Spoilers Ahead
Dream’s Meeting With the Kindly Ones
If you didn’t like the way Morpheus was humanized in the first part of the second volume, be prepared to see him in a mopey state, as throughout the episode, Dream can’t help but continuously remind everyone that he might not survive, and tries to cling to his options to sustain Dreaming in his absence. We get it; he is on a mission to become the ideal ruler of his realm, but this desperation that pesters him feels odd for a nigh-omnipotent being. Anyway, Dream visits his elder brother, Destiny, asking for his guidance on how to evade the judgment of the Kindly Ones, aka the Furies. This time, he promises to do whatever is necessary to ensure the survival of Dreaming and, by extension, of himself as well. However, Destiny’s book has no answers to his queries, as despite being all-knowing, he too is bound by two major factors—time and action. The question about Morpheus’ fate needs to be raised to the Kindly Ones.
As the narrative shifts to the house of Fates on top of a hill, a cheeky remark made by Crone about good endings is meta enough not to be missed. Anyway, Dream Lord knocks at the door, knowing they will determine his fate in the upcoming days. The trio, Maiden, Mother, and Crone had decreed Morpheus’ fate in the final moments of the first part by severing the thread of his life/destiny in the aftermath of his act of filicide. Dream brings offerings, wine, herbs, and polecat—a creature sacred to Hecate, perhaps as an effort to make the Kindly Ones justify their titles. It should be mentioned that the primeval witch goddess Hecate is a mainstay figure in the Wonder Woman comics series, just like the Fate sisters are as well.
Anyway, the Fates mention that, according to old laws, they cannot seek retribution unless someone petitions them to do so. Holding on to a faint glimmer of hope, Dream sheepishly asks what happens if no one petitions so, only for the Fates to remind him that he has a rather long list of associates who want to destroy him. Lucifer Morningstar, Desire, and even Calliope have their personal reasons to end Dream; the inevitable might be delayed, but it cannot be averted.
What Favor Did Dream Ask Of Loki?
Dream visits Loki, who was able to escape from Odin’s prison by striking a bargain with Morpheus in the first part. At present, Loki is in a relationship with Puck, and the two mythical tricksters have decided to engage in some progressive mischievousness. Taking the form of the pope, Loki has welcomed women to priesthood, while disguising himself as a cardinal, Puck is aiding him. Morpheus is not one to be fooled by cheap tricks, as he meets Loki to remind him about the favor he owes him. Loki correctly surmises that, with the Kindly Ones on his trail, Dream obviously needs his assistance. At the same time, he warns him that as a god of chaos, it would be unwise of Morpheus to trust him, as deceit is his second nature after all. It will be the best decision for Dream to release Loki from his deal. Morpheus doesn’t ponder about that, as he privately discusses with Loki about what he wants him to do. Although it remains off-screen, Morpheus’ demands become clear by the end of The Sandman episode 7. In the near future, Dream needs Loki to bring Daniel Hall securely to Dreaming, who will succeed him as the Lord of the realm. Viewers will surely remember Hippolyta Hall conceived Daniel with an apparition of her late husband, Hector Hall, in Dreaming, and Morpheus staked his claim over him. However, Puck, displeased as much as Loki over Morpheus exercising his control over him, has other plans, as he advises Loki to bring ruin to Morpheus by using Daniel’s abduction as a means to set the Kindly Ones on him.
The series comes full circle as the narrative joins Lyta and Daniel’s story with that of Alex Burgess, son of Roderick Burgess, who captured Dream and kept him inside a glass dome for a century. As it turns out, Rose Walker’s grandmother, Unity Kincaid, had purchased the Burgess mansion and turned it into a care home, and with her passing, Rose owns it at present. Alex has been in eternal sleep since the day Dream escaped his captivity, and his lover, Paul, who has stayed right by his side from then, invites Rose and Lyta to the care home. Even though the two don’t plan to settle in London, they entertain the idea of spending a few days at the place. Puck takes the guise of Simon, one of the attendants of the care home, and plans to abduct Daniel at the right opportunity.
Domain of Old Laws: Why Did Dream Visit His Parents?
At Dreaming, Mervyn, Lucienne, Matthew, Gilbert, and Nuala plan on forming a defense to save Dreaming from the Kindly Ones, but Morpheus asks them not to take any such actions, as he has already found his successor in Daniel Hall, who will govern Dreaming after his passing. Morpheus is all too certain about his demise, almost as if he secretly wishes to absolve himself by making the ultimate sacrifice. However, Nuala is confused as to why Dream has let his guard down so easily. Morpheus remarks that if he wished, the most powerful army imaginable could have been at his command, but even an Endless must abide by the old laws.
As for Nuala’s question regarding who decreed the old laws, Dream mentions the parents of the Endless, the primal of all primeval, Time and Night. Before matter came into existence, these two ultimate governors over space and time unified to create the Endless siblings. Dream decides to visit his parents, with the faint hope that the repercussions of the laws might be altered. Time is a lonesome figure, twice removed from anything remotely human or sentimental, as he seems to harbor a deep disdain towards his own children—all except for his eldest, Destiny. Dream finds no comfort in sharing his plight with him; Time has no capacity for being motivated by emotions and deems Dream’s act of mercy-killing his son a foolish errand. After all, Time has such an understanding of events and causality of past, present and future, that it is impossible not to see the futility of sentimental attachments. He cannot help Dream change the laws in his favor. For what it’s worth, he reveals that even if Dream tries to change the past, he will not alter the outcome of the future. Time’s realm reflects brutalist aesthetics, matching his cut-and-dry, apathetic demeanor. As Dream leaves, Time asks him to greet Night on his behalf.
Night, tending to her garden, appears somewhat welcoming and gentle, but she too has no emotional attachments with her children. Night at least offers Dream a chance to evade the wrath of the Kindly Ones if he chooses to stay in her realm, an offer Dream politely refuses, as he has his own realm to protect and take care of. The estranged relationship the Endless share with their parents is pretty obvious from this interaction between Dream and his parents.
How Will Loki and Puck Unleash the Kindly Ones on Dream?
Ignoring Dream’s opinion, Nuala takes the rest of the key players of Dreaming to train for defense when her brother, Cluracan, pays a visit to the realm from Faerie. Viewers will surely remember that in the first part of the second volume, Cluracan had left Nuala as a gift to Morpheus under the command of Queen Titania of Faerie. Now that the rumors about the Kindly Ones’ upcoming attack on Dream have become well known, Titania wants to bring Nuala back to her realm. However, Nuala herself holds grudges against her brother and Titania, as she doesn’t want to return. Morpheus, utterly distraught after returning from seeing his parents, doesn’t want anyone else to suffer for his decisions and agrees to let Nuala go—much to her disappointment. Before she departs, Morpheus gifts her an amulet, which Nuala can use anywhere, anytime she wants to summon Morpheus and ask a boon from him. This amulet is significant to the narrative, as upcoming episodes will reveal as well. Morpheus advises the rest of his close confidants to leave as well, but none of them are going to abandon their master. In private, Lucienne and Morpheus share a moment as Morpheus’ strained relationship with his parents evokes a sense of sympathy in Lucienne’s mind.
On the other hand, Lyta and Rose go out for dinner, when Puck sneakily escapes, taking baby Daniel with him. Lyta finds an ominous warning in the words of Mad Hettie, who foreshadows Daniel Hall’s fate by mentioning Daniel the Prophet, who interpreted the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar in the “Book of Daniel.” However, by the time Rose and Lyta return to Burgess’ mansion, Daniel has been taken away by Puck—who reunites with Loki in the final moments of The Sandman episode 7. These two tricksters are going to use Lyta to sic the Fates against Dream, initiating the proverbial endgame.
Final Thoughts
While The Sandman episode 7 had a lot to unpack within a short span of time, the central theme is basic and reiterated multiple times already. Dream is trying to protect his kingdom and has a hidden wish to meet his end after all is said and done. Dream’s surrender comes from his humbling experiences since the events of the first season, which made him reevaluate his worth as a ruler and also as a person—as weird as it may sound. It will be intriguing to see whether Dream is able to rescue Daniel in time before these tricksters end up ruining his plan of creating a legacy for Dreaming as well, as Morpheus seems already on the back foot as he has to face adversity on multiple fronts.
