The Sandman episode 4 begins with Morpheus (Tom Sturridge) and Matthew the Raven (Patton Oswalt) in Hell to find his Helm of state, after acquiring the Pouch of Sand. And Dream is left with no choice but to arrive at the gate of damnation, to Lucifer Morningstar’s (Gwendoline Christie) realm uninvited. “A Hope in Hell” establishes a few more characters from the source material such as Squatterbloat (Martyn Ford) the rhyming demon, The Devil’s closest ally, Mazikeen (Cassie Clare) (revealed as a child of Lilith) and Dream’s backstory from the early ages as Kai’ckul and the mysterious woman he loved, Nada (Deborah Oyelade). In London, John (David Thewlis) gets a lift from a kind stranger and is journeying to recover the Ruby. The fourth episode dives deeper into the Sandman comics’ mythology and the historical blend of world-building so here’s a brief recall of the finest moments that’s got fans cheering on social media.
“It” is known by many names, Avernus, Tartarus, Hades, the infernal region called Hell, something that even Matthew finds hard to believe and he’s lived a human life fearing the hellish place. “They make you bring your own fire to Hell?” (Yes, newbie Raven). The biblical references are showered on viewers during Lucifer’s scenes – the angel who fell from grace after defying God is now a ruler of the pits of Hell. Speaking of defiance, the Dream lord also meets Nada, the ruler of a tribe called the First People and a woman he loved/loves from 10,000 years ago but she continues to face his judgment for well, you guessed it, defying him.
Morpheus’ task to acquire his Helm of State from the demon possessing it comes with its own hurdles, like the Demon known as Choronzon, a Duke of Hell choosing Lightbringer to represent it in a contest of skill, confidence and transformation. An old game that pits Dream/Nightmare and Lucifer in an all-out battle of thoughts with quirky comebacks, though the Lightbringer initially managed to one-up Dream, he uses “hope” to emerge as the victor.
As a last effort, Lucifer tries to use force Dream to bow after reminding him she didn’t say he could leave. But Dream has the perfect quip as to what the consequences of trapping Morpheus could lead to, “What power would hell have if those here were not able to dream of heaven?” The reactions to Morpheus vs. Lucifer’s battle are praising the show’s horror settings. Readers can check it out below.
ok but that "I am a direwolf" line hits differently when it's coming from @lovegwendoline
📺 THE SANDMAN pic.twitter.com/9UBUxAs3L5
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) August 10, 2022
This scene was *Chef's kiss*.
— Stern Pinball (@sternpinballinc) August 10, 2022
We’re watching Sandman on Netflix. During Episode 4, I was struck how much this scene was likely inspired by the John Singer Sargent painting “Graveyard in the Tyrol”. pic.twitter.com/HvQdlm1KdW
— Colin Campbell (@CCampbellArt) August 11, 2022
Sandman Episode 4: Thiiiiiis is my shit
— The Ace Face (@TruthsandLies14) August 11, 2022
the sandman netflix onlies when nada and kai'ckul vs me when nada and kai'ckul 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/f5cV5tFW4d
— d(y)elirium #THESANDMAN (@bbcciarati) August 9, 2022
Dream and Lucifer be like pic.twitter.com/yU0OAAwZDu
— Melancholic Dog (@MrMarooned) August 11, 2022
This was the best for me, even people in hell hope for heaven.
— Are ii (@Are_dion) August 10, 2022
The sandman episode 4 pic.twitter.com/KPpRx1lMx5
— Doña Iguana 💚 (@IsaGeko) August 11, 2022
For anyone wondering why Nada and Dream's (Kai ckul) tragic love story wasn't fully covered in season 1, the writers said they hope to cover the story in it's full glory in season 2.#Sandman #TheSandman #SandmanonNetflix pic.twitter.com/dcjHSiGFog
— Tasha (@Tasha_loves_art) August 8, 2022
Sandman (2022) https://t.co/J8FgyKWX3J
— DC Comics – Universo (@UniversoDCnauta) August 10, 2022
Episode 4 of The Sandman is 🔥
— Ferg Breen (@fergbreen) August 10, 2022
The Sandman episode 4 🤯🚀💣
— Giopota (@giopota) August 10, 2022
sandman is about as good an adaptation you can do with the source material. it's not perfect but I appreciate their willingness to put in some of the more difficult to adapt stuff like the Nada or the diner arc. a pretty solid 7.5/10 so far.
— Fidel Catstro (@gabberghoul) August 9, 2022
It's kinda cool to see that the landscape of Hell in The Sandman is literally the Vatican. #TheSandman pic.twitter.com/hzQYWH9ZM5
— Poli (@R0llyPolly02) August 10, 2022
the irreparable damage this tweet has done to the sandman community… pic.twitter.com/SvnOuoqTdL
— sandman struggles (@sndmnstruggles) August 10, 2022
i love the plot of the sandman pic.twitter.com/YJx3GrHLZU
— Ly 💫 (@spoiler4you) August 11, 2022
The Sandman [2022] pic.twitter.com/zkq1GPvODd
— CBM Shots (@CBMshots) August 10, 2022
During Dream and Matthew’s errand in Hell, meanwhile on Earth – John’s new “friend”, Rosemary and her dog Susie soon learn that they are with bad company (who has eerie politeness in his tone). John’s mommy problems have officially affected his psyche to the point where he fails to realize a mind-altering Ruby has heightened his state of madness. Soon, Rosemary finds herself in a hostage situation after watching John blast a person blast to smithereens due to the Amulet of protection.
Fortunately for viewers, Susie escapes John’s hold and even gets the Amulet of protection as a gift from him. His mysterious POV surprisingly still held on to his humanity, seeing her as a victim of fear which invoked her lies. Though Dream is again in the face of overwhelming odds as he realizes the Ruby does not see him as his master but rather listens to John. An energy bust knocks out the Dream of the Endless and wraps up episode 4 with a cliffhanger.
