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Spoilers The Sandman grade and discussion

Wow, that was incredible, both stories.

"A Dream of a Thousand Cats" was just as magical as I'd hope it would be. I'm grateful that they wisely chose to animate the episode because the art style is absolutely gorgeous and did a wonderful job in capturing the movements of cats, something I don't think that would work so well with live-action CGI. And I loved the casting surprises! From the clever idea of using real-life couples as the two human couples here (David and Georgia Tennant! Michael Sheen and Anna Lundberg! Any fan of Staged will love that revelation!) to Sandra Oh and James McAvoy in key roles of the story. Oh, and that Neil Gaiman fellow, too. :D

"Calliope" has its own share of surprise casting in the form of Arthur Darvill and Derek Jacobi as two different (but not that different...) writers on opposite ends of a horrifying story about the need for a muse and not just any Muse. As soon as I saw Darvill as the hapless, pathetic Ric Madoc, I knew we were going to be in for a treat but I was even more blown away by Jacobi as Erasmus Fry, oozing vile and charm in a single breath as he often does so very well. Just brilliant casting there. And while I wasn't previously aware of Melissanthi Mahut, she captured Calliope's anguish and terror with aplomb and I look forward to seeing her again (here on this show and beyond). I particularly appreciate how the episode didn't sensationalize or titillate her raping in any fashion but still managed to tastefully handle the ugliness of that situation.
 
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The cat episode was good and the animation well done but damn, Calliope is something else. Such a dark tale and wonderful performances all around, that one lingers with you. Usually bonus material isn't as good as the main but that was quite worthy.

Arthur Darvill brings a lot to a performance that is not flashy. Melissanthi Mahut reminded me of someone, perhaps Eva Green, but also a good performance from someone I don't think I've caught before. I guess she's really good in the game Assassin Creed Odyssey from what I gathered online, I'm curious about checking that out now.
 
The cat episode was good and the animation well done but damn, Calliope is something else. Such a dark tale and wonderful performances all around, that one lingers with you. Usually bonus material isn't as good as the main but that was quite worthy.
Well, I wouldn't really view them as "bonus material" since they're two of many solo stories from the original run. Plus "Calliope" is even darker in the comic than here (if only because it's more explicit about the rapes).
 
Just finished the main show ( that sudden and secret new episode has to wait for tomorrow).

I'm not familiar with the comic origin so i can't comment on what should have been, different creative choice or actors playing their characters differently than in the comics.

All i can say is wow, this is a Fantasy show unlike any other. I just love the initial concept and in retrospect how the story evolved. The first 3 episodes were not easy to get through, i have to say, but i'm really glad i continued and was rewarded with episodes 4 ( Lucifer and Dream battle it out but certainly not how i expected) and 6 ( we meet Death and Dream makes a friend).

Episode 5 was also quite interesting as a philosophical treatise - i figure some will get turned away at the gore if it but i hope they stick around.

Episodes 7-10 are more straightforward when it comes to storytelling and it works quite well too and was a little easier to follow but certainly not lesser for it.

The finale sets up the next season beautifully and i can't wait to see it. I may even track down the comic and start reading though 4000 pages sounds like an ordeal.
 
The finale sets up the next season beautifully and i can't wait to see it. I may even track down the comic and start reading though 4000 pages sounds like an ordeal.
Ordeal it might seem, but just take it one story at a time. The entire run is broken down into ten trade paperbacks (plus several other extra minis here and there during and after), so you can easily start reading it in bite sizes. Most of the story arcs are reasonable lengths until the penultimate one, The Kindly Ones, which is 13 issues long. But if you've made it that far, I imagine it won't seem so much of a burden.

This season covers most of the first two trades, Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll's House ("Tales in the Sand," which depicts Nada's story, is omitted), and today's surprise episode covers half of Dream Country (it's the shortest of all of the trades).
 
I read the comic story to Calliope which introduces her to the reader as an object as she is to the men in the story. I thought the TV adaptation did a better job of making the viewer see her a person and establish the horror of the transgressions and violations despite being less explicit.
 
Finished up the main part of the season today, I didn't see the extra episodes when I was on Netflix this morning.
I pretty happy with the way they tied things up.
I was happy to see Stephen Fry one more time, but after what happened it looks like we probably won't see Fiddler's Green in that form again.
I was a little surprised Dream destroyed The Corinithian so easily, I expected more of a fight, but it was still a good scene. I did find it a little funny that there were times where the serial killer nightmare actually came across as a nicer guy than Dream, but I have a feeling that was the whole point.
I liked the way Dream dealt with the convention attendees, it was an interesting punishment.
I was wondering how they were going to deal with Rose, but Unity taking her place and dying was definitely not what I expected. I'm curious if the fact that Rose and Jed are Desire's grandkids will bring them back into the story at some point. That seems like a pretty big deal to just drop on us at the end and then never address again.
 
^ I was checking Wikipedia and Sandman was initially announced with 11 episodes and then later reported as 10. Knowing what we do now with we can see it was produced but it would make sense not to have more.
 
Watched the new episode today, both parts were pretty good.
I was surprised Dream of a Thousand Cats was animated, I hadn't heard anything about it before it showed up.
I was a little they didn't have their mouths moving, was that an issue with the animation?
I also didn't catch some of the conversation about the world with the giant cats that ruled over and ate people. Was it supposed to be that all of the humans having one dream changed reality?
Calliope was good too, you really have to feel sorry for what she went through. Morpheus's way of getting Madoc to let her go was very appropriate. They really made me think at the beginning that he was going to be better than Fry was, so I was pretty shocked when he started treating her just as badly.
All three actors really did a great job.
Entertainment Weekly has posted an interview with the series showrunner Allan Heinberg, and the directors of Dream of a Thousand Cats and Calliope.
 
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I was a little they didn't have their mouths moving, was that an issue with the animation?
Might just be an artistic choice. The moving mouths might have looked silly.
I also didn't catch some of the conversation about the world with the giant cats that ruled over and ate people. Was it supposed to be that all of the humans having one dream changed reality?
Yes. A thousand dreaming humans changed the world. The Prophet's mission was to get a thousand dreaming cats to change it back.
 
Yes. A thousand dreaming humans changed the world. The Prophet's mission was to get a thousand dreaming cats to change it back.
OK thanks.
The cats didn't move their mouths in the comic either, rather they spoke through thought bubbles. Seemed pretty clear to me that it was telepathy in the episode.
That thought occurred to me, but lip synching and mouth movements have occasionally been an issue with animation, so I wasn't positive.
 
Darling, did you forget those were Earth-2 JSA versions originally? :hugegrin:

1985 The Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The infinitude of alternate Earths bobbing astrographically in the extended DC multiverse were one by one decimated by the villainous Antimonitor's crusade of death, until the last 5 Earths were saved in by the heroes of many Earths, and then the final surviving Earths were smushed together into a composite super Earth with a new oddly different and oddly the same post crisis shared history where the JSA of the 1940s and the JLA of the 80s had always been living together harmoniously with only some knowledge sometimes or not, that anything had ever been any different, on the same unique Earth.

Later DC changed things that Wonder Woman in Sandman was replaced by a less well know, made up, hero called Warrior Woman, which is bullshit, but y'know, branding.

Later still...

Modern day Queen Hypollita time traveled back to world War II, and lived there for a couple years, as the Wonder Woman of World War II, although I'm fairly sure that she was banging Wild Cat, and Steve Trevor was not born yet unless it's a father and son dealio again like in the 70s TV show. How come it's hot when young Dustin Hoffman philanders around with mother and daughter, but it's kinda gross when Wonder Woman bangs every generation of "Trevor Men" she can find, from now until the end of eternity?

Can you imagine her little black book? "Sorry darling, but your great grand father performed a far more competent foot rub."
 
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1985 The Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The infinitude of alternate Earths habituating the multiverse were one by one decimated by the villainous Antimonitor until the last 5 Earths were saved in a the heroes of many Earths, and the final surviving Earths were smushed together into a composite super Earth with a new oddly different and oddly the same post crisis shared history where the JSA of the 1940s and the JLA of the 80s had always been living together harmoniously.

Later DC changed things that Wonder Woman was replaced by a less well know hero called warrior Woman, which is bullshit, but y'know, branding.
Wonder Woman was replaced by two characters: Joan Dale-Trevor/Miss America and Helena Kosmatos/Fury. Fury became the birth mother of Lyta Trevor/Fury II. Miss America is the one who raised her. Both Furies get their powers Tisiphone one of the Furies of myth and an aspect of The Fates/Kindly Ones. Which play large role in later Sandman stories. Most of this happened shortly after COIE. Lyta's father is implied to be "Iron " Monro, a Superman like character.

Warrior Woman is a Nazi analog to Wonder Woman in the Marvel Universe
 
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