Neil Gaiman's Sandman - Now Netflix/WB co-production

[wev]

Only watched episode so far but I'm intrigued enough by it.

 

I've only actually read Overture and the graphic novel version of Dream Hunters (was it originally a novella? What as Amanos involvement?) so I can't (and wouldn't) compare the show to the comics, but it definitely feels Gaiman-y

[Bucky]

One episode in and I think it's excellent.  The tone, production values, voice over, all excellent.  Can't wait to see more.

[jon_cybernet]

I have mostly enjoyed this series, but thought that “The Sound of Her Wings” would have been so much better if it had’ve stopped at the end of that story, rather than bolting “Men of Good Fortune” onto the end of it. It could have maybe worked if they’d interwoven the scenes, but as it is it totally wrecks the emotional impact of the ending of the Wings story. Just seemed a really odd choice to then start a whole new story 40 minutes into an episode, when it could just have easily been it’s own episode in series 2. 

[Benny]

I felt the second half of the series was maybe a bit weaker than the first half, but episode 6 was absolutely my favourite, just as that part was in the comic. 

 

Spoiler

I never really much liked the serial killer convention bit, but can't fault as adaptation

 

As for the point above about having the Hob part after the Sound of Her Wings: I think it has clearly been intended in this case to show how Dream chooses to re-connect with his old friend after speaking with Death. It seems the opportunity was taken to strengthen those narrative ties in this adaptation to show Dream is changing, and I think it works.

 

[CarloOos]

Has the same problem as most Gaiman adaptations for me, particularly the ones he’s involved with, where ‘show don’t tell’ becomes ‘show and tell and tell and tell and tell, have another character ask a dumb question then tell it again’. Far too much dialogue, barely any of which is as funny or clever as they seem to think it is, constantly veering between interesting and pure cringe.
 

That said, 24/7 was exceptional and it’s significantly better than Good Omens which I found genuinely unwatchable. 

[Festoon]

8 minutes ago, CarloOos said:

Has the same problem as most Gaiman adaptations for me, particularly the ones he’s involved with, where ‘show don’t tell’ becomes ‘show and tell and tell and tell and tell, have another character ask a dumb question then tell it again’. Far too much dialogue, barely any of which is as funny or clever as they seem to think it is, constantly veering between interesting and pure cringe.

 

That's Gaiman writing generally though. Stephen King has a great introduction to Season of Mists basically saying that what he enjoys about Gaiman is not just that he references things, but that he points out it is a reference and his work acts as a bit of a compendium and guide to the works he has read, so Lucifier quotes Milton, etc. In an early internet era, it was handly.

 

Of course the intro is written in plain King prose, which is funny.

[odb]

One thing I do think is lacking is Morpheus being such a petty and spiteful being

[Ry]

Watched the first two episodes. Enjoying it so far. I know nothing about the comics though. 

 

Although the tone is a bit all over the place at times. The Cain and Abel scene was just off and the acting was shit. Same for the three witches shit. Damn that was crap. 

 

There's enough to keep me intrigued though. 

[Thor]

My non-comic thread died a death (I had a feeling it would) so I'll post here. I really enjoyed this, but it did peak a bit too early at ...

Spoiler

... Death, and Gadling. The stuff involving Rose Walker was all bit Doctor Who/BBC-on-a-Saturday-evening in quality, and the early menace of the Corinthian wasn't followed through - he was a bit duff by the end. Also, the fat paedo serial killer appeared to be played for laughs ... that did not sit well with me. 

That said, I did feel it just about stuck the landing.

[Festoon]

5 minutes ago, Thor said:

My non-comic thread died a death (I had a feeling it would) so I'll post here. I really enjoyed this, but it did peak a bit too early at ...

  Hide contents

... Death, and Gadling. The stuff involving Rose Walker was all bit Doctor Who/BBC-on-a-Saturday-evening in quality, and the early menace of the Corinthian wasn't followed through - he was a bit duff by the end. Also, the fat paedo serial killer appeared to be played for laughs ... that did not sit well with me. 

That said, I did feel it just about stuck the landing.

 

Here's my controversial take - Rose Walker was always uninteresting. Hal was always a bit annoying too.

 

Barbie was way more interesting than either, and thankfully, that was followed up in the comic.

[footle]

8 hours ago, Festoon said:

 

That's Gaiman writing generally though. Stephen King has a great introduction to Season of Mists basically saying that what he enjoys about Gaiman is not just that he references things, but that he points out it is a reference and his work acts as a bit of a compendium and guide to the works he has read, so Lucifier quotes Milton, etc. In an early internet era, it was handly.

 

Of course the intro is written in plain King prose, which is funny.

weird. The current intro to seasons of mists is Ellison. Where he says the same thing, but in prose that’s even more overblown than gaiman’s.

[footle]

2 hours ago, Thor said:

My non-comic thread died a death (I had a feeling it would) so I'll post here. I really enjoyed this, but it did peak a bit too early at ...

  Hide contents

... Death, and Gadling. The stuff involving Rose Walker was all bit Doctor Who/BBC-on-a-Saturday-evening in quality, and the early menace of the Corinthian wasn't followed through - he was a bit duff by the end. Also, the fat paedo serial killer appeared to be played for laughs ... that did not sit well with me. 

That said, I did feel it just about stuck the landing.

adaptation spoilers: the problem is that the general menace of the Corinthian is overblown in order to create a throughline through the season, when the actual menace he poses *to Dream* is about the same “menace” as Gregory.

also the peak with death and Gadling is entirely true to the first two story collections. The next season (presumably dream country and seasons of mists) has some really good stuff though.

[Festoon]

17 minutes ago, footle said:

weird. The current intro to seasons of mists is Ellison. Where he says the same thing, but in prose that’s even more overblown than gaiman’s.

 

Perhaps it was one of the other books and I'm old and confused. Maybe Fables & Reflections or The Wake?

 

Yeah, Ellison is verbose, all right.

 

I've just checked - it was World's End, apparently.

[footle]

so end of episode five spoilers, final scene, clearly adaptation spoiler

 

Spoiler

why *exactly* choose to introduce Desire there?

 

Is it just "ensure the foreshadowing is obvious" before the denouement of The Dolls House, in a medium where you're less likely to reread/watch?

 

[Festoon]

1 hour ago, footle said:

so end of episode five spoilers, final scene, clearly adaptation spoiler

 

  Hide contents

why *exactly* choose to introduce Desire there?

 

Is it just "ensure the foreshadowing is obvious" before the denouement of The Dolls House, in a medium where you're less likely to reread/watch?

 

 

I think so, yes. 

 

My wife has never read the comics and she was like

Spoiler

"Is that in the Dreaming? Do they live in a castle shaped like themselves? Which sibling is it? Why do they hate Dream?"

 

So I guess it worked!

[James Lyon]

I'm disappointed that they couldn't get the entire cast of Goodness Gracious Me in there. I guess three out of four ain't bad.

[glb]

The better half is watching. I liked the episode mostly filmed in Richmond, including a stroll past The White Swan, which used to do a decent pub quiz.

 

Ted Lasso, Sandman… is Richmond council offering tax breaks for filming these days?!

[deKay]

Just watched the first episode, and is it supposed to be superwidescreen squashed to normal widescreen? Looks like someone turned the FOV up and everyone is tall and thin.

[Delargey]

28 minutes ago, glb said:

The better half is watching. I liked the episode mostly filmed in Richmond, including a stroll past The White Swan, which used to do a decent pub quiz.

 

Ted Lasso, Sandman… is Richmond council offering tax breaks for filming these days?!

 

I worked at the Odeon in Richmond when I was a teenager so also enjoyed this element. 

[Festoon]

5 minutes ago, deKay said:

Just watched the first episode, and is it supposed to be superwidescreen squashed to normal widescreen? Looks like someone turned the FOV up and everyone is tall and thin.

 

Delibrate. Cinematographer's choice apparently.

[deKay]

1 minute ago, Festoon said:

 

Delibrate. Cinematographer's choice apparently.

Well, that was a waste of 30 minutes fiddling with the settings then.

[Festoon]

33 minutes ago, glb said:

The better half is watching. I liked the episode mostly filmed in Richmond, including a stroll past The White Swan, which used to do a decent pub quiz.

 

Jesus, of course! My brother lived there for years - I knew something seemed familiar.

[glb]

49 minutes ago, Delargey said:

 

I worked at the Odeon in Richmond when I was a teenager so also enjoyed this element. 

Same! 1996 - 1997 for me, when were you there?

 

Pretty sure they were behind the Odeon at one point, looked like outside the fire exit from screen one.

[Yiggy]

4 eps in. Fan of the comics and I really like it. 
 

So much of it is about the characters and the dialogue and the moodiness which it does really well. 
 

8 hours ago, Ry said:

Although the tone is a bit all over the place at times

I assume this is mimicking the original comic because the artists changed throughout its run giving a wide variety of different tones and styles. Makes it more whimsical or dreamlike in places. 

[Sabreman]

The Sound of Her Wings significantly stepped it up for me. I appreciated the restraint it showed in certain scenes, along with some intelligent changes. I thought following it up with Hob's story worked well as a kind of two-parter. Mortality versus immortality, sidestepping the natural inevitability of death as a curious experiment.

[Delargey]

8 hours ago, glb said:

Same! 1996 - 1997 for me, when were you there?

 

Pretty sure they were behind the Odeon at one point, looked like outside the fire exit from screen one.

 

No way! I probably started 2001. My brother might have been there when you where there - Aidan?

[womblingfree]

I’m looking for the best collected Sandman volumes for my newly converted wife.

 

Omnibus? Absolute editions? Or something else?

[cassidy]

Absolute editions.  Everytime. 

[womblingfree]

4 minutes ago, cassidy said:

Absolute editions.  Everytime. 

Brilliant, thanks.

[JoeK]

4 minutes ago, cassidy said:

Absolute editions.  Everytime. 

 

What's the main difference with the Absolute versions? I've only ever had the comics and the original books!