Summary
In this episode we follow Morpheus’ sister Death, as she helps Morpheus find his purpose.
This recap of Netflix’s The Sandman season 1, episode 6, “The Sound of Her Wings,” contains spoilers.
Access the archive of recaps, reviews, and news for The Sandman.
The Sandman season 1, episode 6 recap
The latest episode ended with Morpheus collecting all his items and winning by being able to bring the dreaming and waking world back to balance. Then a final shot is of one woman, who is smiling and says, “I’m watching you, big brother,” laughing.
We open to Morpheus feeding pigeons in the park. He is still dealing with his feelings regarding being kidnapped and imprisoned and is reflecting on his journey through the last five episodes. He thought once he got all his possessions back he would feel good, but instead he feels simply nothing, empty.
One of his sisters, Death, is with him and is surprisingly cheery and kind. We witness her take multiple lives, the first is a gentle old man playing his violin. This is a nice perspective on death, and shows how something we fear most isn’t really that scary at all. Then we see her taking someone who is younger, with a family, and how harrowing that can be. Death then takes the life of a young child, probably the hardest of all. Death does not have a nice or easy job, one that is a lot harder than Dream’s.
As there is a sequence of Death taking multiple lives, Dream’s voice-over talks about our fears of death, and how it is a gift, and it is as natural as being born and giving life. Death speaks of serving humans, and that is their job. Their purpose is their function and Dream must remember this in order to continue with this successfully.
Morpheus leaves his sister and visits a run-down pub and the world is flipped back in time to when he first started interacting with people in the waking world. One man has asked for eternal life, and his punishment is so, and Dream comes to visit him every 100 years to see if he is ready for death. Every 100 years we see him living his best life, rich and famous, to being poor and starving, and he still wants to live. Very fun and playful scenes, with likable characters, and enough curiosity to make this hour episode pass by very quickly.
The ending
100 years later we’re in the era of Jack the Ripper, and the man suggests Dream comes back year after year due to needing companionship, and not to ask if he’s ready to seek death. Morpheus is outraged at this comment and they argue, which leads to Morpheus leaving, saying he’ll never return. In 1989, 100 years later we learned that the pub was being sold to make new flats. The reason Morpheus did not visit was that he was in the glass cage held captive. Back to modern day, Morpheus finds a pub close by to the run down old pub where his old friend is sitting waiting for him. With the sweet, melancholy music playing, this scene warms the heart.
The final shot of this episode is again, cutting to the same person at the end of episode 5, but this time we have learned that it is Desire, Dream’s sister with a fierce reputation.
What did you think of Netflix’s The Sandman season 1, episode 6? Comment below.
You can watch this series with a subscription to Netflix.
