Dream goes to Hell to recover his helm.

I’m going to guess that for many Sandman fans, this is the episode that will be used as the yardstick to measure just how impressive the show’s visual effects are. The vast vistas of Hell aren’t limited by budget on the pages of a comic book, but how convincingly can they be realised in a TV series? The answer: very well.

Having recovered his pouch of sand from Johanna Constantine, Dream shifts his attention to finding his insect-like helm. He’s been told that it has been taken by a demon, but that hardly narrows things down. A visit to Hell is inevitable, and will require an audience with Lucifer Morningstar (Gwendoline Christie). Christie is excellent, a visual match to the Bowie-esque representation of the comic. With gnarly, leathery wings sprouting from her back, she’s a force to be reckoned with, as is apparent in the look of dread on Dream’s face.

Dream is joined on his quest by Matthew the Raven, which is a useful device to help us garner the necessary back story, of which I’ll say no more. Writer Austin Guzman also cannily includes the John Dee story from Dream-light issue ‘Passengers’, effectively giving us two main plot threads and setting up the next episode rather neatly.

Verdict: Spectacle, fan-favourite demons, jeopardy and an unexpected twist, The Sandman is firing on all cylinders. 9/10

Nick Joy