Morpheus begrudgingly helps Delirium search for their vanished sibling in the waking world, where a deadly force lurks in the shadows.

Episodes 4-6 of this second season of The Sandman cover the 9-issue story arc Brief Lives, in addition to one-shot issues The Song of Orpheus and Thermidor. And if that feels like they’ve squeezed a lot into just under three hours, you’d be right. Some purists might balk at the disappearance of certain characters or some serious curtailing of their story time, but I do think that this helps significantly with the pacing.

Morpheus is in a funk after Nada rejects his offer to be with her, questioning whether he’s capable of love. His sister Delirium (the excellent Esme Creed-Miles, The Doll Factory) helps distract the miserable dream lord by asking him to work with her to find sibling Destruction, who has abandoned his realm. To find him, they track down his former friends in the Waking World, but when they start to die, it’s apparent that someone (something?) doesn’t want Destruction to be found.

The chauffeur on the road trip is an example of where the showmakers have switched in a character from another story arc, letting certain beats play out differently, and sometimes in a different order. This is a gorgeous looking show that uses a wide range of locations, the Dorset coast convincingly standing in for a Mediterranean locale. Episode highlights include the flashback to Orpheus’ visit to the Underworld to rescue his beloved Eurydice, and Lady Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) going to recover something of great value in Revolutionary France.

The themes in these episodes run from guilt to atonement, discovering the true of value of family, and doing the right thing. By the end of Episode 6, the die has been cast for the final batch of episodes, to be dropped later this month.

Verdict: An excellent distillation of a number of Sandman issues, teasing out the key beats and delivering top quality, high-end TV. 9/10 

Nick Joy