The Sandman - Sleep of the Just

Adapted from Neil Gaiman's comic series, the opening episode of Netflix's stylish adaptation introduces us to Dream (Tom Sturridge), one of the seven Endless entities, who is captured while attempting to retrieve a rogue nightmare known as The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook) and return it to the Realm of Dreams. Caught up in a spell by Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance) whose target was not Dream but Death, to try and force the return of his lost son to the land of the living, our character is kept caged for over a century on Earth while the world without dreams (along with his abandoned realm) begins to decay.

There's quite a bit of world building here, all of it taking place with out lead character only present as a silent observer. With Dream in captivity, and never once speaking a word to his captors, much of the episode focuses on Burgess, his son, and the events of the outside world with dreams cut-off (to the detriment of millions around the globe). Finally freed at the end, "Sleep of the Just" sets up the point of the series for Dream to rebuild what was lost in his absence and reacquire that which was taken from him on his capture which were last seen in the possession of Burgess' mistress Ethel Cripps (Niamh Walsh).  Keeping to the events of the first issue, it's an intriguing way to introduce us to the character's world without seeing too much of Dream in action (saving that for what is yet to come).

• Title: The Sandman - Sleep of the Just
• IMDb: link