Posted in: Netflix, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: LGBTQ, neil gaiman, netflix, sandman

The Sandman: Neil Gaiman Wonders About Trolls & Their Metaphors

As EP & co-writer Neil Gaiman (Good Omens); EP, co-writer & showrunner Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman); and EP & co-writer David S. Goyer's live-action adaptation of Gaiman's The Sandman continues lighting up streaming charts around the world, the push is on to make sure fans keep the streaming numbers and social media buzz as strong as possible so that "The Powers That Be" at Netflix can't ignore the need for more. And if it feels like Gaiman's been hard-wired into social media to keep the drive alive, you're not alone. But Gaiman has also offered some great insight into the streaming series, the original comic book series, how the streaming business works, and tons more. But this time around, he made a point about the phrases that a large number of trolls out there seem to use when looking to trash the idea of having LGBTQ characters in the show (or, as he experienced back in the day, in the comics). Retweeting an example from one of these sad souls who used the phrase "ramming that bullshit down our throats," Gaiman made an observation that my friends and I have pointed out & wondered about, too: "I am beginning to wonder at the continual use of the 'ramming things down our throats' metaphor by people who seem upset by the gay characters on the TV (or in the comics 30 years ago)."

But because we don't want to end things on a downer, how about a deleted scene from S01E01 "Sleep of the Just," as Alex (Laurie Kynaston) confronts his father Roderick (Charles Dance) about the mysterious "Sleeping Sickness" that's spread ever since they captured Morpheus (Tom Sturridge):

The two-part Episode 11 is a mix of live-action and animation, adapting Gaiman's "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" & "Calliope" with a line-up of names that includes James McAvoy, David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Sandra Oh, Arthur Darvill, and more, from a teleplay by Catherine Smyth-McMullen. And to say it's been well-received would be an understatement. Here's a look back at the overview and trailer for Netflix's The Sandman S10E11 "A Dream of a Thousand Cats"/"Calliope":

There is another world that waits for all of us when we close our eyes and sleep — a place called the Dreaming, where The Sandman, Master of Dreams (Tom Sturridge), gives shape to all of our deepest fears and fantasies. But when Dream is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for a century, his absence sets off a series of events that will change both the dreaming and waking worlds forever. To restore order, Dream must journey across different worlds and timelines to mend the mistakes he's made during his vast existence, revisiting old friends and foes, and meeting new entities — both cosmic and human — along the way.

Stemming from Warner Bros. TV, Netflix's The Sandman stars Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Jenna Coleman, Niamh Walsh, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Kyo Ra, Stephen Fry, Razane Jammal, Sandra James Young, Patton Oswalt, and Mark Hamill.

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