Sandman’s Dream emotes through those around him, like Jessamy and Lucienne

The first time we see the dream lord show much emotion in Netflix’s The SandmanJessamy the bird is an adaptation.

[Ed. note: This post contains slight spoilers for the first episode of The Sandman season 1.]

After being held by humans for years, he sat mostly in his bubble prison, waiting and brooding for his release. Jessamy suddenly emotes when he appears: first, a flickering smile and then, hot, angry, tears, when he is shot.

“The savagery of my captors bespoke a world whose dreams in my absence turned darker still,” Dream’s voice-over tells us. He stares on, cold and steely, and is unable to speak.

It’s a stance he’ll take throughout much of the series, a cool and sullen goth who walks as lightly as he displays emotions. When his captor’s son takes over Dream’s imprisonment, Dream notes that he could not forgive him for murdering his raven. If you’re new to the series it can be hard to really understand how traumatic the period kicking off The Sandman is for Dream of the Endless — instead, much of his emotion gets translated through those close to him, like Lucienne.

Image courtesy of Netflix

“He’s been captured in such a brutal, inhumane way. That was it! It has altered him,” Vivienne Acheampong, who plays Lucienne, tells Polygon. “There’s a deep bond [between Lucienne and Dream]They are the best of friends and spend their most time together for ever. […]So she truly knows his essence. But with what’s happened to him, it’s hardened him.”

This trauma haunts Dream as he struggles to overcome it and remember why he is fulfilling his human obligations (and to the rest of humanity). Season 1 The SandmanDream is actually about Dream’s emotional recovery. And he’s forced to lean on everyone else to help get him there — from Matthew and Johanna Constantine to adversaries like John Dee.

“He’s probably the most vulnerable he’s ever been in his existence. And because of his lack of power, he’s probably the closest he will ever be to being human,” Tom Sturridge, who plays Dream, says. “I think that’s why his relationship with Rose is so important, because he continues to start to understand what it is to be human. And she is so alive, and so generous and brave, and I think he’s disarmed by her.”

But while Rose helps remind him of the affection he has for the world at large, it’s Lucienne who keeps him in check, and even challenges him to fulfill his duties with heart. Sometimes that means falling in line, but sometimes, as Acheampong notes, it’s reminding him of how much growth is possible, even for an omnipotent being who maybe doesn’t change a lot.

Laurence Cendrowicz/Netflix.

“He’s seen the worst of humanity, and he’s vengeful,” Acheampong says. “So I think for Lucienne, what she wants to do is bring him back to the being that she knows that he is; she understands that he needs these rules and regulations. And he has to suppress a bit because that’s what keeps the universe intact. He still draws out his emotions and he feels the empathy she has. She just wants him to remember that.

“I think for me, for Lucienne, she believes in the Dreaming; she understands how important it is, and she wants to protect it. And the same with how she feels about Morpheus.” Acheampong continues, “She believes in this work that he does, she understands how important it is. […] She was never going to leave; she always knew he would return.”

All 10 episodes The SandmanNetflix is now offering streaming.

Tasha Robinson provides additional reporting.