Dream & Death: Why It's The Best Episode of Sandman
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- Опубліковано 23 жов 2022
- This is a character analysis of Death and Dream based on Netflix's sixth episode of the Sandman and the eighth issue of the comic 'The Sound of Her Wings'.
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I am still not over the baby.
I understand. They also cut the mother’s scream, which is in the comic, from the show because it was “too much to bear”.
I cried at that moment every time I rewatch this episode
@@HeadsAndTales I have to admit, I was initially a bit disappointed that they cut that moment, but after watching several reaction videos to the episode, I think they made the right call. Instead, they transferred that moment to the woman calling "Sam!" when her husband drowned (on their honeymoon!), which was heartbreaking enough.
@@HeadsAndTales I was watching this with my dad and I figured they wouldn't do the scream because it would be gratuitous.
The point was made with the crib.
@@HeadsAndTales the mothers scream also didn’t NEED to be included. The tone that Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s acting set was enough and it was great
Her performance as death is absolutely outstanding
She had a difficult task and still overdelivered.
Hard disagree. Flat, wooden, no spark of life. Even the still illustrations of the comic communicated more warmth and life than her performance.
@@VVVY777 boohoo
hell no ... death was suppose to be spunky, lively....
This is something you can witness if actor is being participated not because of race quota.
Wonderful acting. Brilliant.
My personal #1 of 2022 and maybe more than that..
Kirby Howell-Baptise played Death to sheer perfection. She brought the character to startling life.
I honestly cried seeing how kind and human Death was. She's clearly a Goddess but she wanted to make people feel loved and comforted.
*more than a Goddess. Is a literal Death, a personification of Death
The endless are NOT gods
Death in Sandman reminded me of Twilight Zones “nothing in the dark” episode. The old lady was avoiding death knocking at her door but ultimately when He came in, he was a very nice man ready to take her.
I hadn't thought of that, but I see what you mean. I'm responding "in the moment" without having re-watched the episode, but as I recall, he says something like, "Am I so terrible?" and he's not...he's not terrible at all, and neither is she. I've said this before and I'll say it again, if her face was the last face I ever saw, I would be extremely very OK with that.
@@ericjette2435 I guess in both episodes, Death is personified as a person who is there to ease us into the afterlife. It changes the thought of Death being a skeleton in a cloak with a scythe or a horrific transition. In these instances, it’s two young people that are easy on the eyes. 😊
@@carlosmedrano7005 Yup, young Robert Redford in "Nothing in the Dark". ❤😻❤
@@donnaquixote7538 really? All these decades I’ve seen that episode and I never knew that. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽but yes, now that you mention it I can see that. 😂
"Dream is just a bit of a diva sometimes"
Understatement. lol
The fact that one afternoon with death completely changed his mindset is why episode 6 is the best
Her portrayal is utter perfection
The baby and the man who drowned on his honeymoon broke me. When he wanted to go tell his wife important information she would need. It's so sad you don't always have the chance to get your affairs in order before dying. It just happens.
Death is the someone we wait our whole lives to meet
Literally
I don't mean to impose religion on anyone, but I'm reminded of the Charge of the Goddess by Doreen Valiente, "For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am That which is attained at the end of desire."
For those who have a problem with a black actress portraying the character of Death in the Sandman, Kirby Howell-Baptise's performance is the perfect example of why it doesn't matter. She did the character justice.
I haven’t read the graphic novels.
But I absolutely love the sibling relationship between Death and Dream.
They are both two beings that understand their individual responsibilities as entities in existence.
And they care so much about each other.
This is absolutely my favorite episode. It actually comforted me. My husband passed away five and a half years ago. I've long since come to terms with it even though there's always going to be a scar, for lack of a better word. I found myself hoping that Death as we saw here is who he saw. I loved the idea that someone this kind was there to let him have his moment. This was a gift that calmed the pain I still have. It was beautiful.
Great video. I love Gaiman's Death, both the comic and the show version. I think you put it rather beautifully in your essay - she is exactly how we all hope dying will be like when it inevitably happens to all of us. Just meeting with a kind, old friend.
Exactly! They did a great job of conveying all this in such a touching manner. Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed the video.
Death is a big enough character to have more than one iconic look.
When my time comes, i hope she's there for me. she makes it seem not so terrible, like it's just nature and how life works
This was my favorite episode of TV this year. I can’t wait for Destiny and Delirium when the show comes back.
Looking forward to those two as well! :)
"When death is much kinder than everything else."
In my opinion, the best part of that chapter was Dream reveling in the pigeons at the end, having fun and a smile on his face, a really long panel 😌
I personally think she did a great job. As a black woman, I’m usually against race swapping because I know that if she had failed, some people would bring that up. Hell,even when she did a good job people brought up her race. The Sandman,Elfquest,and WitchBlade was my first foray into comics, im loving this.
I read ElfQuest way back in the day.
If ever death would greet me this is the way how I want to go
What a great breakdown! I’m new to Sandman but I’m obsessed enough to have bought the whole comic collection. Thanks for a great video.
You're in for a treat. There is so much to unpack in each issue. Enjoy the ride!
I did the same. Hubby's giving it to me for Christmas, though, so I haven't read it yet. Can't wait!
Kirby Howell-Baptiste absolutely bodied this role. I loved all the siblings that appeared. Desire really conveyed lust and the self indulgence of desire, but i love how warm death is, She absolutely killed this performance no pun intended. Excited to see more of her in season 2.
Best live adaptation of a comic book series ever.
One of the most emotionally resonant moments of the show. So poignant and introspective.
I loved this adaptation. It was so great. Even the small changes they made helped the story along, but I do wonder how it will affect the story when they go back to hell and Dream has to deal with the factions fighting over the key. I also wonder if Nada's backstory will be a standalone, maybe a special to tide us over in between seasons.
When I rewatches this show with my parents, I had to make sure we watched Sound Of Her Wings right after episode 5.
A testament to how good the writing is in this show, despite not knowing it was death and the not being the same race of actor as dream, in just a few exchanges you immediately know they're siblings. Not only that you automatically get this mature, wise older sister but you automatically understand that he's her little teen brother who's going through a brooding, metal phase. They made something so relatable from these godlike beings.
And now I start thinking the show is poorly written because there is no little teen brother, just personified ideas as old as time, we holding their hand is their essence
Hi everyone! I switched it up for this video, I wanted to focus on one aspect of the episode and do a character analysis instead of going very wide and doing a shot-by-shot breakdown. I hope you like this video essay approach. I pigeonholed myself into doing episode-by-episode breakdowns, which stifled my creativity, so I wanted to do something new. While I haven't covered the entire sixth episode (Hob Gadling), this technically marks the end of Preludes and Nocturnes, and I'm not sure if I will continue analyzing the second half of the season as I did previously. The level of interest is waning, as evidenced by views, and as I mentioned previously, I lost my creative spark trying to break down the entire season in the way I started. This does not mean I'm done covering Sandman. Instead, from now on, I will follow my curiosity and let the video format and the topics come naturally, whether that's a shot-by-shot breakdown of an episode or a video essay uncovering the meaning behind something. Ultimately, I want to be covering different stories and not only Sandman so I need to allow myself this flexibility. Just wanted to share this brief channel update with you! I appreciate you tuning in, I hope you enjoyed the video, and have a splendid rest of your day!
Thank you so much for the videos that you made thus far. I had always wanted to get into the Sandman and watching your videos helped me understand the depth of Gaiman's world. I especially appreciate how articulate and thoughtful you have been. And although I was particularly looking forward to your break down of the Hob Gadling story, I completely understand your need to change things up. I still look forward to watching any other videos you post. Thanks again :)
@@laurentp4023 Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I'm happy you've been enjoying the videos. I'll explore what I can do about Hob's story. I had some ideas but they included revealing major spoilers so I'll see. :)
Hi there! I’m a big fan of your videos, and I sincerely hope you’ll continue to cover the rest of the series. Not being able to listen to you talk about an episode I just watched feels like I’ve lost a friend to talk about the wonderful series with (or in this case, listen to you talk about it) Anyhow, I just want you to know how much I enjoyed your videos. You did an awesome job!
@@nelsonc.3613 Thank you for your heartfelt comment! My goal was to create a community where we can discuss stories and characters we like, and I'm happy to receive such wonderful praise, which means the channel is on the right track. I'm taking a break for a week or two, but you can expect more content on Sandman soon. :)
@@HeadsAndTales Whenever you’re ready, I’m definitely here for more of your excellent breakdowns. Take your time, of course. I’m just glad to hear that you’ll continue to create more contents.
i knew what was going to happen but yet i screamed at the screen "no no no please don't do it :.("
While I loved the "Perky Goth" comic death, I think that watching a living character do that would be sorta grating. I like Series!Death's more somber kindness. I think it's an improvement - especially with an actor that can pull it off.
I agree with this. Plus something else that hasn't been talked about a lot: comic Death was a visual tribute to Cinnamon Hadley, the gothic model and costume designer. Cinnamon passed away not long before the Netflix series went into development. Duplicating that Death in live action would inevitably involve having to find someone a bit too much like Cinnamon so soon after her death. I can see why Gaiman and the producers might have shied away from it.
That said, I do hope in future seasons we see the subjective appearance of the Endless played with more. Death could be represented by any variety of actors (as well as non-human creatures) to fit the context of whom she is interacting with.
She is beautiful! It was the best episode
I'm currently working my way through the comics and your analysis is perfection! This issue is one of my favorites out of the comics I've read so far as well as a favorite moment in the show. You brought up things in the comic that I missed and seeing them really changed my perspective on the issue and possibly the series as a whole! It makes me love the comics and the show even more!
Such a wonderful compliment! Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed the video. :)
It's my favorite
People will lose their mind when they adapt the high cost of living.
That’s the one I’m waiting for!
I hope they adapt that comic, and I can imagine some creative ways to do it that would involve another actress...I'd say more, but SPOILERS.
Great writing and great acting by a STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS actress....the ultimate power coupled with wisdom, kindness and humility. Easily the most likable character in the show!
I kept agreeing with you aloud throughout the video! YES YES YES YES
I haven't read the comics yet but I actually enjoyed the Sandman. I thought it was going to be bad but even my sister liked it. 👍🏿
The contrast in this episode going from death and it's realities to hob who just loves life is so so so perfect
Great video, great series. I love the characterisation of Death, maybe dream is meant to soothe our fears of death. Gaimans inclusion of death of a baby is an incredible nod to all of us who have experience of infant death (in my case still birth). Comfort and acceptance at the other side of grief - only someone who understands death could write it like that.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and personal experience. It’s truly touching how Neil Gaiman's portrayal of Death in the series resonates with you, especially through such profound moments as the depiction of infant loss. It’s comforting to hear that his work could offer some solace and a sense of understanding during difficult times. 🧡
What's ironic about this is I initially thought death would be among the "evil" siblings of dream. She turned out to be caring and loving person. Shows death isn't bad like everyone thinks.
I loved every episode, this is a fantastic series, can't wait until Season 2!
The problem with dream is that he has no clue that no matter how old he is, he is always young on the inside.
Don’t forget the Death from DC Showcase : Death
It was beautiful thank you
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Is the best episode because we have Hob in that one, that's it.
Maybe! I made a seperate video for Hob. :)
The only thing it missed was Death being cheekier....just a bit of the "perky goth chick" she can do. It was an excellent episode and she does great as Death. In the comic she's just funnier and that was a great juxtaposition between her job and Dream
Agreed.
A good take I read somewhere was that the Netflix Death acted like the nicest hospice nurse you could hope to meet. That’s fine, but it’s not the character people fell in love with back in the 90s. It was telling that they cut the whole Mary Poppins bit. “Peachy keen” was synonymous with her character’s introduction.
@@alexshulman7135
Might also have been cut because of Disney. They're already on thin ice with Funland.
Nah... Ms. Baptiste did an Emmy winning job here. Something "cheekier" would have been a bit much, she got it juuuuust right. Not too hot, not too cold.
The actor who played Dream reminds me of a young Kerr Smith.
This is great. I hope you give some breathing space in the next edit. It was interesting.
Ms. Howell-Baptiste did a fantastic job at being death. However I miss the contradiction of the wisdom coming from a child and I miss the skeletal reference in the thinness of the original. NOT that I would trade those two aspects for even a tenth of her skill in portrayal. Netflix made the right choice in actress. I just wish they could have made her seem much younger and skeletal.
I never perceived her as being skeletal in the comics, nor would I want to see her depicted that way. I also never perceived her as younger, even though other characters would sometimes refer to her as a "girl" in a way that implied that she appeared to them to be a teenager. I do think there's a real opportunity here to develop the comic "Death: The High Cost of Living" and cast a different, younger actress...I don't want to say more lest I spoil it for anyone.
Younger and skeletal?... Wha?......
I loved that episode.
I admit i am very strict in preferance to the origianl version in all adaptations, so when i saw this actress as death, at firs i was like "not this diverity bulls*it again, they are ruining the original representation". But when i saw her perfom i was so taken aback that i thought "well why didn't they draw her like this actress in the first place?!" But seriously, she did an amazig job and now i can't see anyone as death but her. She's just so perfect for this role
This video ateeee
Sleep is just death being shy
Whoever I imagine the “I don’t understand" vine, I think of Gaiman’s Death, any version of her
While Kirby Howell-Baptise was great, the poem always felt like the heart of the story, and it's missing in this one. I also felt like putting what Dream learns from hanging out with in Death dialogue, rather than having Dream learn it by himself felt like diminished the lesson.
The Hob part was probably an improvement to the comic story, but changes were made to "Sound of her Winds" to serve that story diminished it somewhat.
But that's my opinion. I have a stiorng feeling toward the source material so I am probably biased toward it.
Death is when you stopped to Dream.
I've got a question that is bothering me but maybe I'm missing something. And I haven't read the source material yet. But so Death comes to everybody as they die, wouldn't she have showed up when Roderick Burgess died right in front of Dreams prison? And I know the endless do not intervere in each others affairs unless they are asked to but wouldn't they at least have seen each other there? Or am I overthinking it because I love the show so much?
That's a great question. Neil Geiman said in an interview that Death had been there for Burges. Dream could have called for help, Death believed he didn't want anyone to interfere. Death later says 'You could have called', the implication being that it wasn't in some remote telepathic fashion, he could have called to her right at that moment but he didn't. Why didn't he do it? Pride. Pure and simple.
@@HeadsAndTales Thank you so much for your reply! So good to know. Makes the initial exchange between the two on the park bench even better for me.
He addressed this in the very first episode although they didn't do so in comic. Dreams siblings knew but they didn't act out of indifference or spite.
Plus your thinking about like a human which The Endless most certainly are not, Dream would have seen his and his realms safety as his own responsibility. Meaning Dream didn't even consider calling for help bc he feels responsible for himself.
The actual hole is in the part in which Death claims she was worried, that's the hole. If she was "worried" TF didn't she do anything?
Was she worried he wouldn't figure a means of escape?
Was she worrying over whether or not to help?.
Those are the questions
@@HeadsAndTalesoh that's what she meant by, "you could have called?" , that makes much more sense
@@markeastlack4180 Thank you for your insightful answer. I always thought death said her reply ("I'm worried about my brother") in the present tense, like she's worried about him now.
I enjoyed the show but could not help feeling like this was a bastardization of Piers Anthony's "The Incarnations of Immortality". There are many parallels.
not perfect but close. Fallout I think is perfect
Fallout is amazing.
I wouldn't say this was the BEST episode, more like it was the last good episode. Show just really went downhill after this episode.
im a huge sandman fan .. i have the omnis, absolutes and deluxes ...... i bought projector in preparation for this netflix release.... IT SUCKED ! the changes were horrid.
its better to concentrate and learn about God - comic books are ok or novels but He has given us His WORD so we can read and understand about Him- do this instead and you will never be lonely - love Him and yourself and each other
Kind of only good episode.
Always hated the character Death. Not because of bad acting or script writing - both the acting and writing were excellent. I mean the character itself. Death, despite the soft humanised face and gentle demeanour is a thoroughgoing and utterly ruthless villain. Possibly the most evil villain in any genre, owing to the number of lives it has destroyed - more than any other villain anywhere, if you think about it. It makes existential decisions over the most precious attribute which any mortal may have, but with no more authority than mere might is right and then puts a human face on it to placate the masses. Death does not act with any moral superiority or wisdom; it simply acts out of the freedom which comes with being powerful. With all that one could presumably do with eternity and omniscience, this is what Death occupies itself with? The reason it was 'time' when the baby dies is simply because Death decided, on a whim, that it was time. The humanistic veneer is just a pretence behind which lies an utterly ruthless monster. Sandman is somewhat redeemable, especially following its centuries-long counselling sessions with Hob Gadling, but Death is simply beyond redemption.
To borrow a Star Trek TNG reference; I can imagine a conversation between Death and Picard going something like:
Death: 'It is time'
Picard: 'By whose calculations?'
Interesting perspective! It's important to remember, though, that in the context of the Sandman series, Death is a personification of a natural process rather than a traditional villain. The character represents an inevitable aspect of life that affects all living beings, regardless of their actions or intentions.
Death's role is not necessarily to destroy lives but to maintain the balance and order of the universe. The character's seemingly whimsical decisions about when someone's life ends may be perceived as arbitrary, but they also underscore the fact that no one can predict or control the timing of death.
Death's humanized appearance and demeanor might serve as a reminder that despite its often tragic consequences, the concept of death is an integral part of the human experience. But I also see your point, and it's only natural to feel conflicted about such a character.
I still really like your perspective, and I'm glad the character evoked such a strong response from you. It's always fascinating to read about different interpretations.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Besides the overt race hustling.
You seem to be the only one in the comments even slightly concerned. Such a lonely way to view the world.
You’re the one who’s making this about race. Death’s actress does a phenomenal job depicting the character. So why does her race bother you, I wonder.
The Endless don't have races. They look different to different people. In the comics Morpheus is shown as looking black to an African tribe, a cat to a group of cats, a flaming head to a group of Martians. There's no race hustling going on here. It's all in your head.
I'll admit that I had a moment of disappointment when I realized I was going to see a different version of Death than the one I knew from the comics, but quickly got over it when I saw Ms. Howell-Baptiste's performance. I feel sorry for you that you can't appreciate it, and I feel sorry for everyone who refuses to watch this adaptation or convinced themselves that it's boring or a bad adaptation of the source material. Yes, as Heads & Tales noted, some elements of the story were lost in the translation of the story to a new medium, but so much was gained! So many characters took on new meaning or were explored in more depth. It's a shame that some people can't appreciate that and let themselves enjoy it.
You rn: 🤡
Another great video.
One of the greatest episodes of television ever done. Absolutely and completely beautiful and beautifully done