The Sandman: Season of Mists Review

 

Episode Number: Season 2, Episode 1

Writer: Allan Heinberg

Director: Jamie Childs

Streaming Platform: Netflix

Release Date: July 3, 2025

 

A cloaked man walks through a room filled with portraits. Unlike in Hogwarts, the subjects do not move or speak. Yet when he summons them, they climb from their frames. Each comes from a different place. Nor are all pleased to see him. And the man never lifts the cloth covering one of the paintings. What does the cloaked man want, and why has he gathered these people together? Let’s grab a pouch of sand, leap into The Sandman: Season of Mists, and find out!

 

Story

This summons comes at a crucial time for Dream, or Lord Morpheus. He has escaped captivity and reclaimed his power. Now, as Dream rebuilds his realm, Destiny calls. Destiny invites him to sit at his table and dine with his family. But Dream betrays little interest in conversation, and none in the food heaped upon the table, in The Sandman: Season of Mists.

 

The other members of Dream's family are the Endless. They rule aspects of Human existence. Death finds joy in helping Humans treasure life. Despair enjoys gathering with her family, seeking happiness for all. Delirium seems fragile but savors beauty. Sadly, Desire seems the most jaded. Imbued with the power to unite others in love, they use their power to manipulate emotions and inflict pain.

 

Destiny feels that his family has been apart for too long. Perhaps the Endless would work more effectively together and find more meaning in their pursuits if they were closer. He also believes that they must stand together to confront whatever lies ahead. But Dream cannot stay. Recapturing his life means reassessing it. And when he looks back on what he has done, Dream wishes to make amends in The Sandman: Season of Mists.

 

Art

Watchers stand in awe as swirling energy rebuilds Dream's castle. Yet Dream holds it in his hand like a snow globe. Dream gazes down on his realm, doubtless remembering his recent captivity. His uneasy reunion with his family evokes Corwin's return to Amber in Roger Zelazny’s novel Nine Princes of Amber.

 

Arches and carved columns surround the Endless as they walk through Destiny’s stately home. The family sits on chairs fashioned with as much care as the Rivendell-like architecture. Although invited to dinner, the food rests in the center of the round table, seemingly cloaked in shadow. After abandoning the unwanted meal, Death counsels Dream in an atrium glowing with light.

 

The camera keeps roving, never lingering in one position too long, amid Dream’s new journey in The Sandman: Season of Mists. Light flares and softens wherever Dream travels. Like the moon, Dream may eclipse the light. Or Dream projects a star of darkness amid the twilight. Light seems an uneasy companion as he visits the touchstones of his life. Yet it fills Dream's memories with a soft, loving glow.

 

CGI blends with location shooting as a young queen strides down a busy street in The Sandman: Season of Mists. A tree in an otherworldly landscape evokes Hellboy’s adventures. The atmosphere of Dream’s world invites beings of all sizes and species, whether their heads resemble pumpkins, or they flutter through the air on tiny golden wings. Although many aspects differ from their original conception, little Irving (or if you insist, Goldie) remains the same in this TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s immortal comic tales. Thanks to Netflix, Warner Bros., DC Comics, and Den of Geek for providing this episode for review.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Despite the wishes of his family and friends, Dream prepares to undertake a new journey. The Sandman: Season of Mists reminds us that we may never undo the harm we inflict on others. Still, it's never too late to try.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For a look inside the production see my preview of The Sandman Season 2.