Warning: SPOILERS for The Sandman Episode 11 - "Dream of a Thousand Cats/Calliope"
Netflix dropped a surprise bonus episode of The Sandman that's more important than it may first appear. The Sandman season 1 adapted the first two volumes of Neil Gaiman's DC Comics graphic novel saga, Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll's House. The Sandman season 2 was expected to adapt the next two collections, Dream Country and The Season of Mists. However, The Sandman's bonus episode has delivered adaptations of two of Dream Country's four tales: "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" and "Calliope."
"A Dream of a Thousand Cats" is a unique and beloved story Netflix's The Sandman adapts via animated oil paintings on canvas. It tells of the history of cats, which were once larger than people and were the dominant species until human beings collectively dreamed themselves to be superior and made it the new reality. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" also features an all-star voice cast including Michael Sheen, David Tennant, James McAvoy, Sandra Oh, and Neil Gaiman himself. "Calliope" is a harrowing tale of one of Dream of the Endless' (Tom Sturridge) ex-lovers, the Muse Calliope (Melissanthi Lahut), who has been held captive for decades by a writer named Erasmus Fry (Derek Jacobi). Calliope is then passed to a new owner, a struggling novelist named Richard Madoc (Arthur Darville), who continues to exploit the goddess until Dream arrives to punish Madoc until he sets Calliope free.
Both tales in The Sandman's bonus episode appear to be standalone, but they are important because they will have a significant impact on Dream and the series going forward. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" shows that Morpheus shapeshifts according to how dreamers perceive him, including taking on the form of a cat to dreaming cats. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" also lays the foundation for the dream king's friendship with Bast and the Egyptian cat gods, who will in "The Seasons of Mists" storyline in The Sandman season 2. Meanwhile, Calliope proves to be a significant figure in Dream's past. She was once his husband in Ancient Greece and their son, Orpheus, descended into Hell to rescue his love, Eurydice, which cost him his life. Calliope blamed Dream and left him, which resulted in them hating each other for thousands of years until their reconciliation in "Calliope." Orpheus' full story will also be told if The Sandman gets future seasons on Netflix.
Netflix's The Sandman Proved It Can Adapt The Comics' Best Standalone Stories
The Sandman comics alternate between multi-issue arcs and provocative standalone stories that explore different aspects of Dream and his eclectic supporting cast throughout history. Thankfully, Netflix's The Sandman is just as adept at alternating between a serialized, multi-episode story arc like "The Doll's House" to smaller, more intimate tales like "The Sound of Her Wings," which introduced Dream's sister Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) and his immortal human friend, Hob Gadling (Ferdinand Kingsley). "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" and "Calliope" prove once again that the Netflix show can powerfully adapt even the most challenging and unorthodox Sandman stories with no loss of impact, humanity, and artistry.
Calliope will be seen again in The Sandman when Orpheus' story, "The Song of Orpheus," is adapted, but Orpheus also makes another appearance that will feature the return of Lady Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman). Dream only hinted to Hob Gadling that Lady Johanna performed "a job" for him that she "succeeded quite admirably" at, and this task was actually for Johanna Constantine's ancestor to rescue Orpheus' head during the French Revolution. The tragedies of Dream and Calliope's doomed son are more tales to look forward to in The Sandman, either in the main seasons or in possible future bonus episodes.
The Sandman Season 1 is available to stream on Netflix.