Why Netflix's 'The Sandman' Failed. [24:10-29:11]

In the comic, however, it's not a request. Dream removes the glamour himself, without listening to Noola's protests. And without her glamour, she's a much more wretched creature. Her brother finds it amusing, and it makes her cry. It's still a liberation of sorts. When Noola returns to Ferry, she causes scandal by choosing not to wear her glamour anymore. But her life in the dreaming isn't exactly liberating. Dream is indifferent to her, to the point of neglect. Noola craves his approval, which Dream only ever gives as an afterthought. She's scared of Dream, but she also falls in love with him. I could go on about Noola in the comics. It's another thing that allegations against Game and cast in a questionable light. Dream is kind of abusive to her. But it's also making a point about objectification. She's given to Dream as a gift, which he has no useful. But she doesn't know how to exist if she's not useful to somebody. She tends to the throne room, despite not being asked to, because she, quote, has to do something. The show makes her a much more empowered character, which I'm not necessarily opposed to. But it means her loyalty to Dream is uncomplicated. He's obviously a better master to serve than Titania, which is not only a different angle on Noola, but also a very different angle on Dream. Part of the difficulty is how do you take a hero who is fairly passive and does not tell people what he is thinking or how he is feeling? How do you make him the centre of your story, and give the audience enough access to him to fall in love with him and go on a journey with him? Again, I'm trying to keep an open mind here. If we're making Sandman into a more conventional protagonist-led character piece, it makes sense to humanize Dream. But if that's who this version of Dream is, why are we telling this story about him? In the comics, Dream's single most defining characteristic is his inability to change. He's been Dream for so long he has no identity outside of his role. He's slavishly devoted to his responsibilities, even though time and time again, it's proven that he doesn't need to be. Ultimately, Dream's story is about how you either change or you die, and Dream chooses to die. He didn't need to spill family blood by killing his son. He didn't need to respond to newless summons. He didn't need to remain Lord of the Dreaming. As death tells him he could have avoided his fate. No, I could not. No, you couldn't. Could you? Whether consciously or not, Dream orchestrates his own death. Barking on a path, he will not deviate from. And in the show, Dream's story is the same, except it's not the same because Dream has changed. I have changed. You've changed. You've changed Dream. You have changed on it us. We've all changed. Even you. What made you change your mind about me, sir? You changed. And when one of the endless changes... Well, that changes everything. The one thing all dreams have in common is change. Does anyone else think change doesn't sound like a real word anymore? Even though the show's plot is broadly the same as the comics, how Dream feels about it is completely different. He atones. He apologises. He learns and he grows. His arc is about how he's changed. And okay, fine. Open mind. If we're making Sandman into a more conventional TV show, it helps that he has a more conventional arc. But if we're changing the most crucial detail of his character, why is his ending still the same? The sense that Dream orchestrated his own death is completely gone. I have no wish to die. At so many points, Dream seems surprised by what's happening. But, my Lord, you are no longer in the Dreaming. No. I'm not. Or desperately scrambling to avoid his demise. Do you see if there are any number of deaths in his, there could be any number of outcomes? My sister, you've given me hope. All of which means when it ends the same way with death agreeing that Dream could not have changed his fate, I could not. No. You couldn't, could you? What are you talking about? All Dream does is change. Look, I can believe this change to Dream's character was a conscious choice.