Diksha Sundriyal
The second season of Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’ brings back the ruler of the Dreaming. Following the chaotic events of the first season, Dream, aka Morpheus, is back at work, reconstructing his kingdom, which went into disrepair after his decades-long captivity at the hands of Roderick Burgess. He is interrupted in his task when the eldest Endless, Destiny, calls a family meeting, bringing the rest of the siblings (except one) into the same room after a very long time. On the surface, it seems to be just another family gathering, but it sets up a chain of events that do not end well for the protagonist. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Destiny’s Meeting With the Fates Reveals a Shocking Prophecy
Introduced this season, Destiny is the eldest of the seven Endless and has the power that allows him to know everything that can happen and will happen. Death is the first one to answer his call, then comes Dream, followed by Desire, Despair, and Delirium. The only Endless not to join the meeting is Destruction, aka the Prodigal, who walked away from his family and his realm a few centuries back and hasn’t been heard from since. When asked why he has called the meeting, Destiny reveals that he crossed paths with the Fates, aka the Kindly Ones, the other night.
This was supposed to happen, and so was their prophecy which spoke of a king abounding his kingdom, the clash of life and death, and the resuming of the oldest battle. Destiny reveals that their family meeting is supposed to trigger whatever is supposed to transpire according to the prophecy, though he refuses to reveal what exactly is supposed to happen. He encourages them to converse with each other. This irritates Dream, as he is eager to go back to his realm, which is when Desire starts to poke him, especially about how he abandoned his lover, Nada, which leads Dream to leave the room to gain some composure.
The family also discusses the absence of Destruction, and everyone agrees that things were always much better when he was around. Delirium, particularly, is affected by his absence. Meanwhile, Death has a chat with Dream about Nada and how Desire’s accusations about him are not far-fetched. He did banish the woman he claimed to love to Hell for rejecting her. His favourite sibling’s word hit him hard, and he decides to make things right with Nada, even though it has been ten thousand years since she was doomed to spend an eternity in Hell.
The Story of Dream and Nada
Looking back at his time with Nada, Dream remembers how he fell in love with her because of her dedication to her people. In her dreams, she built a utopian society for her people where everyone was happy and prosperous. She displayed her mettle by making her dreams a reality, which attracted Dream to her. At first, they met each other in her dreams, and she, too, fell in love with him, not realising who he was. He showed up in her kingdom once, and she tried to find him on the mortal plane. But when that didn’t work out, she tried to find him in her dreams, only to discover that he is the ruler of the Dreaming.
As much as Nada and Dream loved each other, romance between a mortal and an Endless was doomed to turn into tragedy. Soon, Nada’s kingdom is hit by a meteor, and all her people die. Seeing the death and destruction leads her to break up with Dream as she wishes to atone for her mistakes, and does not want Dream’s realm to suffer the same fate. Her decision angers him, and he asks her to make a choice. She can either choose to be with him and become the queen of his kingdom, or she will be condemned to hell for all eternity. She chooses the latter, and since then, Hell has been her home.
The last time Dream was in Hell, he heard her cries, but did nothing to help her. At the same time, he also invited the ire of Lucifer Morningstar, so the idea of returning to Hell makes him scared. The last time he left Hell, Lucifer promised to destroy him the next time their paths crossed, and he worries that the Ruler of Hell will make good on their words. Still, he knows he must go forward with his actions. He visits Hippolyta’s son, who was conceived in the Dreaming. While she is scared that he has come back to claim him, he assures her that he is simply visiting. He also meets with his old friend, Hob Gadling, to let him know that he might not be able to show up for their next meeting. As a gesture of farewell, he leaves a rare bottle of wine by his bedside.
Dream’s Foray Into Hell Leads to an Unexpected Turn of Events
Before marching into Hell, Dream sends Cain to send a message to Lucifer about his arrival. On his return, Cain warns Dream that Lucifer and their legion of thousands of demons are waiting for him to come back. Clearly, they are planning to exact their revenge on him. Cain joins Lucienne in trying to persuade Dream not to go through with his plans. But he has made up his mind, and even though he is a little concerned about his safety, he cannot turn back. Wearing his helmet, he walks towards the main gate of Hell and expects to be welcomed by bloodthirsty demons ready to tear him apart. But what he finds is no one.
It turns out that Hell is empty and all the demons are on their own. While Dream processes this development, Lucifer shows up and doesn’t seem in a fighting mood. Referring to herself in the singular, she tells Dream that she is done being in charge of Hell and wants to do something else now. She talks about how this role was thrust upon her by God. Had she not rebelled, someone else would have, and Hell would still exist. But she is done being a part of the divine mysterious plan and maintaining hell as the mirror image of Heaven.
At first, Dream is a little wary because knowing Lucifer, it could be a prank. But then, it turns out that Lucifer is pretty serious about quitting her job. As she locks the main gate, she hands over the key to Dream, telling him that this is her revenge on him. Being the Ruler of Hell means becoming one of the most powerful beings in all realms, and everyone will want this power. This means that Dream has quite a challenge in front of him, as all the enemies will target him and his realm to get the keys to Hell. Before Lucifer bids him goodbye, she has him cut off her wings, such that a huge weight is pulled off of her shoulders and she is finally free to do whatever she wants.
Dream Tries to Find a New Ruler for Hell
Shocked by Lucifer’s decision to give up her realm and her power, Dream goes back to the Dreaming. While Lucienne and the others are happy to see him back safe and sound, they also realise the danger that comes with the responsibility that has been put on Dream’s back. At first, he tries to give the key to Death, but she is already too busy trying to get all the dead souls back to their rightful place. Her rejection leads Dream to consider his options, but he doesn’t have to think too hard as all sorts of people show up at his door, asking for their claim to Hell.
The first party to arrive is Odin and his family, including Thor and Loki, with the latter being pulled out of prison in the hopes that his tricks will help them win. Then there is Azazel, the Prince of Hell, who believes that he is Lucifer’s rightful successor. There is Lord Kilderkin of Order, Shivering Jemmy of the Shallow Brigade of Chaos, and Susano-o-no-Mikoto, the God of Storms. While Susano-o-no-Mikoto seems to be the sanest one of the lot, many things need to be considered before Dream can entrust him with Hell. There is also the party of Faeries, led by Cluracan and his sister, Lady Nuala. They don’t want the keys to Hell, but they want Dream to choose someone who will help them break the deal where they are forced to condemn seven of their own to Hell as tribute.
Dream Receives Several Offers in Return for the Keys to Hell
Dream welcomes all of them to his realm and holds a banquet in their honor. He plans to use this time to assess their character. As the party begins, two Angels show up in the Dreaming because their boss is interested in finding out who Dream chooses to lead Hell. Cain and Abel put up a show to entertain the guests, and the festivities lead to some of them turning towards violence. Meanwhile, almost all of them corner Dream to persuade him to their cause. Shivering Jemmy tries to scare him, Lord Kilderkin offers him the essence of the dreams of people just before they pass away.
Susano-o-no-Mikoto doesn’t offer any bribes, but he does talk about how he would be the best person to be given this responsibility. Odin asks Dream to give them Hell so that he can save his people from the impending doom of Ragnarok. In return, he promises to locate Dream’s long-lost brother, Destruction. However, the most enticing offer comes from Azazel. At first, he offers Dream the demon who challenged him to a duel the last time he was in Hell. When Dream reveals that he is not interested in any form of revenge, Azazel reveals that inside him are a lot of demons and other things, and one of them is Nada.
He knows that the Endless came to Hell a second time to get Nada back. So, he offers to give him what he wants, in return for the keys to Hell. He also mentions that should Dream refuse to give him the key, he will make sure that Nada spends the rest of eternity in complete agony. One would think that Dream would jump at the chance of saving his lover, which is what he’d intended to in the first place. But he tells Azazel that he will consider his argument and reveal his decision the next morning.
Read More: Where Was The Sandman Season 1 and 2 Filmed?
