My Thoughts on The Sandman from Jake Schoeneberger — August 22, 2022
The first two episodes of The Sandman have had thrills and chills. The show is a sumptuous visual feast and Jacob Schoeneberger is thoroughly engaged with the characters and all the dramatic potential that lays at hand.
With that in mind, here are some random observations I have on the show.
All the Jake Schoeneberger Random Opinions about The Sandman (Season 1, Episode 3)
This will contain spoilers for anyone who hasn’t watched the show yet.
The third episode begins with a woman walking through a macabre theater as in a dream. A girl comes and yells to her, calling her Johanna. Constantine, I presume. The girl’s name is Astra, and she says there’s been an accident “like when Mum died.” Johanna follows her and they find a man named Logue passed out with a book of satanic rituals next to him. He says the others must still be in the club, so Johanna goes in after them. She tells Astra to stay with her father where it’s safer. When she turns the doorknob, she’s sucked into a fiery inferno, but then she wakes up in the back of a taxi. Phew, just a nightmare. That had Jake Schoeneberger a bit freaked out for a second there.
When she exits the cab, an old woman calls her name. Johanna calls her Hettie, then Hettie tells her that Morpheus, The Oneiromancer, The Sandman is coming. We know he is, but how does Hettie know this? Hettie says she’s 280 years old and she knows Sandman is back for his sand, but Johanna doesn’t seem to take her very seriously.
No sooner does Johanna turn around then there he is, Morpheus, in the flesh. He tells her they have business, and Jacob Schoeneberger thinks that might be one of the biggest understatements ever. But Johanna says she has religious business, and she can’t keep God waiting.
When Johanna enters the church, she’s met by Erica, a vicar. Erica says she has a princess looking to marry a footballer. But she needs Johanna’s help because Johanna is an exorcist. Johanna doesn’t want to talk to the princess because if things go wrong she’ll have a dead princess, a demon on the loose, and no way to get paid. You have to respect the way she thinks. But Erica convinces her there’s good money in it.
Johanna dresses like a vicar and pretends to preside over the marriage. Erica is convinced the princess is possessed by a demon, but then why does she want to marry a footballer so badly? Seems a strange demonic thing to want to do. Johanna has them recite verses in Latin, but as they say them suddenly Kevin, the footballer groom, becomes sick. Ah ha, twist! Kevin is the one possessed. Jake Schoeneberger did not see that coming. The demon rips itself out of Kevin. Rough way to go.
Johanna asks the demon his name, but he won’t tell her. Then Morpheus appears and says the demon’s name is Agilieth. Morpheus asks where his helm is, and Agilieth seems to know, but Johanna is reciting a chant to send him back to Hell. Morpheus tries to stop her, but she sends Agilieth away. This does not make Morpheus happy.
In John’s holding cell, Ethel tells him The Sandman is coming for the ruby and only John knows where it is. But John has figured out who his father is, and he tells Ethel he’ll only give her the ruby if she tells him everything and this time it has to be the truth.
Hettie is talking to Morpheus when Johanna comes out of the church. Hettie says it’s good to have him back so she’s known him some time. Then Morpheus tells Johanna that he’s known her family for centuries. He asks where his pouch is, and she says she doesn’t know, that it could be anywhere. He insists they find it because without the sand, The Dreaming dies and then so does humanity. Dang, Jacob Schoeneberger didn’t realize the stakes were this high!
She says she’ll help him because she doesn’t want his raven following her around. Morpheus says he doesn’t work with a raven now, but there is one sitting nearby. The raven tells Morpheus his name is Matthew, but Morpheus says he doesn’t need a raven anymore. But the raven then tells him that Johanna is getting away so maybe he really does need a raven.
John tells Ethel that even if he told her where the ruby is, it wouldn’t do any good because he’s altered it and it only works for him now. But Ethel just wants to give it back to Morpheus. John says instead of giving back a ruby that makes dreams come true they could dream of a world without The Sandman and start over again. Interesting theory but Jake Schoeneberger definitely thinks messing with the fabric of existence is probably not a strategy that will have long-term success for you, John.
Matthew tells Morpheus that just a few hours ago he was a human who died in his sleep. Lucienne then sent him as a raven to help Morpheus. He suggests that he could help Morpheus find Johanna, but Morpheus says that if Johanna is sleeping he knows just where to find her.
Johanna is having her nightmare again, but this time Astra follows her as she faces down the inferno. She tries to save Astra but loses her as Astra gets sucked into the fire. When Johanna awakens, Morpheus is there. He found her through her nightmare. But he says it wasn’t just a nightmare, it was a memory. Ouch, that hurts. He says he can make that nightmare go away if she’ll help him find his sand.
John tells Ethel he understands everything she did was to keep them alive. He says he’ll return the favor if she’ll bring him the ruby. She says she doesn’t think it’s a good idea and instead gives him the Amulet of Protection.
Johanna tells Morpheus that the sand is with a woman named Rachel Moodie. She didn’t intentionally leave the sand with Rachel, she was living with Rachel and one day just walked out on Rachel and left the sand there. Man, Jacob Schoeneberger cannot believe that Johanna left The Sandman’s sand with her ex just because she felt like breaking up with her. Do you know how irresponsible that is, Johanna?
Johanna rings the buzzer to Rachel’s door and Rachel lets her in without even asking who it is. Johanna says she must be expecting someone, and she won’t let Morpheus come with her because she expects Rachel to make a scene. But for crying out loud, this has to be a bad sign. Why would Morpheus let her go up alone?
Rachel greets Johanna and while the reception is somewhat frosty, she does invite Johanna in to apologize properly. On the street, Matthew says that as someone who was recently human, he feels Morpheus should not be trusting Johanna on this one. Jake Schoeneberger fully agrees with Matthew on this. Something doesn’t seem right about this whole Rachel having the sand thing.
In the apartment, Rachel and Johanna make amends, but suddenly Rachel turns. She tells Johanna that she ruins everything she touches. Then she blows away like sand in the wind. Morpheus appears and Johanna asks what he did, but he says he did nothing. It’s the sand that did it. They find the real Rachel in her bedroom wasting away. She’s been under the spell of the sand, dreaming while her body wastes away.
Morpheus takes his pouch from her and wants to leave. He says there’s nothing he can do for Rachel and that the sand was the only thing keeping her alive. But Johanna insists he help her. She asks what the point of his existence is if all he cares about is his sand and his power. A reasonable question and Jacob Schoeneberger thinks he should have an answer for her.
He asks Johanna to wait outside and once alone with Rachel he sprinkles some sand on her face. The sand gives Rachel a beautiful vision of a time when she loved Johanna and they were happy, but then Rachel’s body seems to die.
Ethel gives the Amulet of Protection to John and hugs him, telling him the amulet kept her alive for 116 years. When she pulls away, she begins to wither. Within seconds she becomes her true age and dies. Then a security guard comes in with a gun pointed at John. But John says the guard should just let him go because he’d only be hurting himself if he hurts John. The guard shoots John but as soon as he does it he melts away into liquid. Wow, after seeing the amulet do its thing twice Jake Schoeneberger is pretty sure I have to put one of those on my Christmas list.
A few more guards die trying to keep John from leaving. When John gets to the street, Corinthian is there waiting for him, like he knew this was going to happen. Corinthian gives John his coat to protect him from the cold.
Morpheus tells Johanna that Rachel died peacefully in her sleep. As she walks away, she tells Matthew to look after Morpheus because he needs it. Morpheus tells her the nightmare she’s been having won’t trouble her anymore.
After she leaves, Morpheus tells Matthew that he’s going after his helm, and he may have need of Matthew where he’s going. Matthew asks the question, but he doesn’t like the answer. No, Jacob Schoeneberger wouldn’t like hearing that the quest to find the helm is by going to Hell, either.
The Jake Schoeneberger Final Thought on The Sandman
The show continues to surprise and impress. Johanna is a great character; hope we’ll see more of her. Matthew is a nice addition to the mix. The quest now leads to Hell and obviously Jacob Schoeneberger is expecting some heavy drama coming soon.
More Thoughts from Jacob Schoeneberger