The Sandman 2x12 Full Reaction!
Added 2025-08-01 17:58:47 +0000 UTC
Comments
Yeah, I saw you were taking your time with this one. Understandable for a few reasons. Rotten to hear about the Good Omens of it all, especially as you said that was more Pratchett than Gaiman. Still pushing my brother and sister in-law to see The Sandman. I know that they would love it. Helping is my brother’s more against burying shit than I am, more or less for the same reasons that Jess decided to react to this last season. Told him he might want to hurry before Netflix buries it. I do get the emotional goodbye to Gaiman. For all that we know about him now, like you said, he formed a very important part of your life, so it makes sense that this farewell would be a difficult one. Here’s hoping someone can carry the torch, preferably sans baggage. This episode was a damn good way to end this. See you talked about the difference in age and reasoning for Sexton in this compared to the comics. Looked up, and see Colin’s my brother’s age, so yeah, that change works out much better. Concerning the topic of the suicidal ideations, the thought of how it would affect my family and everyone else who knew me, that does hamper any plans to follow through. Hear you on the inability to decide how and where to do it, makes that scene in The Apartment where Baxter talked about it rather darkly relatable. The wanting to see the endings of shows or film series, that’s the very real thing that spoke to me in The Midnight Club, and will no doubt be the very real regret when the time comes that you won’t get to see whatever show or whatever ending. I get how that would delay attempts at suicide. There was the period in later high school, where I was saved by someone I went to school with, beautiful soul of a woman. Can’t even properly articulate it, just as I can’t fully articulate how Jess similarly has been a proverbial and literal lifesaver a few times. One thing I can say is to borrow from Twelve and say that Jess and the woman I mention, “They’re kind. They’re just that. Just kind.” and it really does help the soul in several ways. It ties to the episode of sometimes it takes a person, and that hits me so hard. Kirby does alter performance some compared to how we’ve seen her as Death prior to this. She and Colin had the great energy. Fair about Death being guilty of Man’s laughter with the sandwich. See we share the aversion to the goddamn clubbing. My brother did that back in the day, and he doesn’t begrudge me having the complete fucking aversion to it. Shared appreciation for Jackie, especially the visual narrative confirmation of her story being about her, rather than spoon feeding the information. That shot got a sob. Oh, yeah, Death died, and as I said the dam just broke with the crying. Ending on that hope, which is nice. And it is the nice comfort of someone to look forward to, though I might have the humor saying, “It’s a Miss Death or something, she’s come about the reaping.” Really, I’ve loved all your comments on this show. Even with the difficulties with the last season, it’s very emotional seeing how much the journey shared with Jess meant to you. Very much second that here’s to many stories more, after this month, of course.
Thomas Corp
2025-08-02 16:24:03 +0000 UTCI can now no longer watch Home Alone type scenes without thinking of a certain sequence in Violent Night. Now that's a good one to see reactions for. There's a movie called Between Two Worlds, a bit tricky to find but worth the effort, about a bunch of people killed by a bomb during World War 2 who go to the afterlife on an ocean liner, leading to all kinds of great thoughtful discussions about their different lives and what they can expect when they arrive. Followed by Sidney Greenstreet as the one in charge of where to put them all, who provides one of the most compelling and comforting ideas about the afterlife ever put on film. It's always one I like to think about when the topic comes up.
Ryan
2025-08-02 15:53:39 +0000 UTCBecause I would not stop for Death, she kindly dropped a bonus episode for me. As you've seen, it took me a couple days to work up the willpower to watch this one, because upon seeing the title added to the show's page, it suddenly hit me that with the Good Omens finale looking like it may well never be released (from what I understand, it's long been finished but no one can agree on the right thing to do with it now), this would mean saying goodbye to a writer that, however much bad shit I know about him now, was a very important part of the majority of my life so far, who opened my mind to further possibilities of what stories could be, and taught me the value of being able to empathize with anyone no matter how foreign they might seem to my life. From now on, I live in a world where there are no new Neil Gaiman stories to look forward to, not even the earlier ones I hadn't gotten to yet, and I can only hope other people come along to carry that torch without the baggage attached. And this is a very fitting note to go out on, based on a three issue miniseries released outside the main series run, so this is the perfect way to make it part of the show. The original Sexton is an emo teenager who Death helps realize most of his issues with the world are bullshit, so it's an immediate hook that this version is a grown man with very legitimate things that have driven him to this point. And I've never mentioned this before, but this does seem like the most appropriate time to bring it up: I've been through a period, I won't say when, where I thought very seriously about killing myself. And part of what got me out was the thought of how it would affect my family and everyone else who knew me, plus my trouble deciding exactly how and where to do it, but if I'm being totally honest, what did it most of all was that I decided I wanted to see the ending of a show I loved that was happening soon, and by the time that happened, I found I just didn't want to do it anymore. I am as god made me, what can I say. Going into this already knowing the setup, I was able to appreciate how Kirby alters her performance so that it's clear this isn't quite the same Death from the moment she first appears. She and Merlin quickly click together and are fully able to carry this whole thing, through all the various tones and story beats they need to. Though I did shout a bit at her giving the sandwich the Frank Drebin Jr. treatment. I'm another one who's very much not a club person, so I was feeling Sexton's pain through that whole thing, though Jackie helps a lot. Very appreciated that the episode assumes we're smart enough to get that her friend was actually herself just from a brief shot of her gloves, reminiscent of how Twin Peaks let one look at Heather Graham's wrist tell the whole story. At last, Death's day is up, and Kirby got to me the most she ever has in her always amazing work on the show, giving her rendition of "King Lear. I played it once, a long time ago...I don't want to go." And what better message could there be right now than to never lose hope, because you never know what could happen to make things better. And when that time is finally up, it's nice to think we'll have someone like her to look forward to. What can the harvest hope for, if not the care of the Reaper Man? So that's The Sandman, one of the most important stories of my life, which it's been a privilege to share with you. May there be many more to come...after August.
Ryan
2025-08-02 15:43:54 +0000 UTCOh, that is a lovely dress, Jess. Complimented well by the jewelry. Looks very nice. Shame that there was no Daffodil episode. But as I see Marissa said, you represented our dear sweet Daffodil very well with that dress. And as this is the day before the last day before you go on break, hat’s off to you and your editor for successfully getting all the remaining Sandman reactions up prior to break. Now to this episode. So, this entire season, none of the episodes, excellent though they were, were surpassing the 24/7 episode from the first season for being my favorite episode of the show. This episode, it likewise does not surpass the 24/7 episode for being my favorite episode of the show. It does, however, find its way into being the very close second favorite episode of the show. Starting off heavy with this one, like you said. Indeed, you describe it as very heavy, with a touch of hope. Fair description. Colin Morgan as Sexton Furnival was terrific. Shared breath that was taken when registering the initial subject matter. You spoke of the people in your life who have either attempted suicide or committed suicide. The subject matter, I know would be very triggering. The feeling is mutual. Never have reached the point of attempting suicide, but there have been the periods of my life where I did get very close to it as the lure of that darkness was most difficult to resist. That would have been a very deep topic for the show to tackle: someone dying not on their own terms even if they’re considering ending of it all. I would have been willing to listen to what you had to say about that if you wished to dive into it. And I do respect your reasoning, Jess, for why you did not dive into it. Fantastic misdirect of you think Sexton’s gone Swayze, but he hasn’t as it happens to be Death’s day off. You and I had near identical reactions to that reveal. And yes, the idea that Death Takes a Holiday being featured in a reaction right before you have a well-deserved break, the irony is not lost on me. Fair that you feel that Death had some red flags. The dark suicidal depression is to blame for Sexton not doing what you said you would have done in his place. The suicidal ideations already have the strong grip on you, making you think that you want to die, red flags like Death knowing about Sylvie without Sexton saying her name, the brain’s not going to scream at you to run all that much. Kirby and Colin made for wonderful scene partners. And Kirby gets a good final hour as Death. Love how she had the list of things that she wished to do. And even when the plans were a touch derailed, she took that in stride, loved your response to that. Shame that she doesn’t get to see the opera as it is a lovely experience. I KNEW you’d greatly appreciate and love the line that Death had about being nice to people. Love how you were on the side of respecting that Sexton says that clubbing is far from fun for him, frankly I concur with him on that. Went the entirety of my twenties without doing that clubbing shit, and now I’m in my mid-thirties, still not doing it. He has the sweet talk with his roommate’s lady love. Striking reaction you had to Jackie’s story, especially great from a narrative perspective of telling us the story about her friend being about her via the close-up of her gloved arms. We both loved her line about being glad to be alive. Knowing you, I get the initial reaction you had with Theo. The fuck off option sounded the agreeable option with Theo. It is good that there is the humanizing story that gives context to his actions. All of this reminds that the inciting event of the series would never have worked, even if Death had been the one imprisoned, rather than her brother. Watching the reaction, it stands out more how Colin sells how Sexton tries hard to stop Theo from killing himself, and you hear the sincerity in his voice. And Theo’s attempt is thwarted by the Home Alone bit. Love the final scenes between Sexton and Death. Good that they help out Mad Hettie. Then the time comes for Death to die. Broke the dam with the tears on my end. Not a full-on breakdown, but I just could not stop crying. Sexton’s reaction to it got me just as bad. A rare thing for a show to make a man sob over Death’s death. And it wasn’t the man with the gun that killed her, nor is it a heart attack that killed her. Time did that all on its own. As it does to us all. And the day with Death, and his encounter with Jackie, both give Sexton the newfound desire to live, and it hits deep in the soul. The man being saved by simple kindness. The divine intervention of that, I’ve experienced it before. More than once. Sometimes it just takes a person, as they say. He will undoubtedly think about that day with Death. And they’ll meet again. Don’t know where. Don’t know when. But we know they’ll meet again. Some sunny day. As to the burnout you say that you’ve been going through, first off, the last Sandman reaction was glorious, Jess, you have no reason to feel bad about it. And that’s just what you said, there was no reason to hold the negative thought about that. Ties neatly with the themes of the episode as it happens. The burnout symptoms you described, that’s what that depression feels like. Doesn’t matter how much there is a lack of logic in the thought process, the brain just deceives you. Seriously, we could talk for hours about the topics in this one. I would be very receptive to further discussions of the topic. For now, thank you for this very beautiful reaction. You are most welcome for the support for this season of The Sandman. And you be sure to have a lovely time on your break, Jess.
Thomas Corp
2025-08-01 21:35:07 +0000 UTC
