Passengers (The Sandman #5, Preludes and Nocturnes)
"Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and lost hopes..."--John Dee
Hello, Dreamers!
I have been notably absent from Shadow Truths—a writer’s got to write, and she has to write some things before she writes others. In this particular case, several new courses and one and a half books ;)
I have also reassessed my use of social media and providing free content (you can read about it here),
and that’s why you haven’t heard from me for a while.
Alas, I am back, and you might find that the structure of Shadow Truths becomes a bit more free-flowing from now on because I was beginning to find the initial format I had chosen too restrictive (it’s okay to stop liking what once you liked, right?). I also intend to break up the publishing schedule a bit because I simply have to admit that creating two newsletters/podcasts on a weekly schedule, as initially planned, was a bit too ambitious. It takes up a lot of time that I don’t always have in droves, so the intervals between publications might stretch out a bit (that’s my saying: it will probably become a bit less predictable henceforth).
Let’s get right to it (I will have a less strict separation between summarising and already going into interpretation from now onwards)…
The Sandman issue #5, "Passengers", is the fifth issue of the first volume, Preludes and Nocturnes, which follows Dream's quest to recover his lost objects of power. We have already talked about his sand and his helm in previous issues (feel free to go back to those issues for a catch-up)—the only thing that is still missing is his ruby. Said ruby had been taken from him by Roderick Burgess, whose mistress Ethel Cripps (or, in the comics, his associate Ruthven Sykes, who was in a secret relationship with Ethel) then stole it from Burgess later on. The ruby ultimately ended in the hands of Ethel’s son, John Dee, who used it to turn dreams and nightmares into reality.
The ruby is the most powerful of 12 dreams stones (“solid dreams”). While it helps Dream to administer his realm (I already likened it to a computer before, and I’m still not really sorry about that, especially not since Neil Gaiman apparently isn’t sorry about that analogy either—read The Sandman Companion by Hy Bender) and wields the power of dreams, it can also shape reality as the opposite side of the coin. In short: It hasn’t been made for mortals, and it puts them and the world in grave danger.
In the comics, we are more or less firmly in the DC Universe at this point, but all of these references have been removed for the TV series. I have to admit I am glad about that, because I always found the DC references shoehorned in (not blaming Gaiman here, it had to be done at the time), and they make the development of the plot awkward in my view. Thankfully, they also stop at some point in the comics (presumably when The Sandman had found its readership and was fully established in its own right).
At the beginning of “Passengers”, John Dee (in the DC Universe a former supervillain known as Doctor Destiny) escapes from Arkham Asylum, and he tells the Scarecrow (yes, the one from “Batman”) about his plan to find his ruby, which he calls the Materioptikon. In the past, he had altered and used it to change reality, but it cost him dearly—his sanity. After his arrest, the Justice League had stored the ruby in a facility (or shall we say a “trophy room”?) in Mayhew, and this is where John is headed after his escape from Arkham.
Dream is obviously searching for the same ruby and basically recruits Scott Free (also a DC superhero known as Mister Miracle) to help him on his quest. As an infant, Scott was exchanged to secure a truce between New Genesis and Apokolips (the latter reigned by Darkseid—it’s honestly impossible and also not necessary to explain the full background story here, but if you are interested, you will find plenty of info on the net). Without going into too much detail, it is probably sufficient to say that Scott had a terrible and traumatic upbringing. He eventually escaped to Earth and joined the Justice League—and that’s where John Dee comes in, because obviously, the JL locked him (and the ruby) away. Scott takes Dream to see his Justice League colleague J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter to help. J'onn sees Morpheus as Lord L'Zoril, the Martian Lord of Dreams. This is where we basically get the first hint in the comics that Dream/s is/are of universal significance—not just to humans. Neil Gaiman has stated in the Annotated Sandman that Dream doesn't really have a name, and that any name for a dream-god will attach itself to him. And yet, even “Dream” isn't his name. It is his function, and it is really tragic to think about, especially as we move on in the story. Just so much at this point: None of the Endless siblings are entirely unscathed by their existence, and they are all buckling under its weight to a degree. But it is only Dream who basically collects names, which is already foreboding for things to come: his deep wish to be something else than his function.
In any case, after that quick discourse: J’onn tells Morpheus that the ruby is stored in Mayhew. Dream arrives (in the comics, he travels through dreams to get there, and it’s rather entertaining) and tries to retrieve the ruby, only to discover that Dr. Destiny has altered it: using it knocks Morpheus unconscious. Before that happens, it is one of the few times (I think I can only recall three) where we see comics!Dream with human eyes, and not with black voids filled with starlight. And I do think that’s important, because every time we see Dream with human eyes, he is either taken aback, not in control or has a “human moment”.
Shortly thereafter, John arrives and finds that the ruby has become even more powerful because it absorbed more of Dream’s power when he tried to use it. Dee then finds a diner and waits “for the end of the world”….
In the TV show, Dream simply tracks down his ruby via his regained helmet. If you need to freshen up your memory, you can do that here:
Deeper Themes
I would like to go into why this issue is actually called “Passengers”, but I can’t get to this without already connecting to the deeper themes. What I have left out in my summary is that in both the comics and the TV show, John basically stops a car driven by a woman called Rosemary. In the comics, he takes her hostage at gunpoint. In the TV show, she takes pity on him because he seems lost and disoriented, and simply offers him a lift.
Comics!Rosemary is initially understandably scared and tells John in her fear that her husband is a mafia hitman who will hunt him down if he doesn’t let her go. But during their drive together, they begin to talk, and she feels sorry for him, not least because he seems in a terrible physical state (Rosemary is a nurse). She even provides him with her husband’s spare coat she has in the car and offers him her lunch sandwiches. By the time we get to John Dee’s destination, they had something like a meaningful conversation, and John had even put his gun down. Initially, it indeed looks like he is going to let her go. He asks her one final question: If it is really true that her husband is a mafia hitman. Rosemary tells him that she was simply scared, and that her husband is actually a teacher. John just comments that it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway and shoots her point blank.
It is a pretty bleak ending: No matter if you lie or tell the truth, no matter if you start to gain someone’s trust or not, no matter if you want to help—you will be punished for it anyway, and in the end, it won’t have mattered. And some people might actually connect with that take because it is so bleak. It feels real if we look at today’s world, right?
But Rosemary’s story has been changed for the the TV series, where John indeed lets her go and even gives her the amulet of protection that his mother had given him (he now has his ruby, which is far more powerful). He tells her she will never need to be afraid or lie again.
What both versions have in common is Rosemary as a person who believes in the good in people, who wants to help despite being under duress (even in the TV show, she finds out little by little that John is a dangerous psychopath, and she sees people come to harm/die because of his amulet of protection). And I really liked that, unlike in the comics, which had a far darker message, her belief is rewarded: John lets her go. Even more poignantly: Despite being scared and having a chance to drive off when he looks for his ruby, she still waits for him and offers him another lift, which obviously isn’t rational, but traumatised people don’t always act rationally. John asks her if that’s what she really wants, and she simply answers truthfully that all she wants is to go home. This is when John tells her that she will never need to lie to anyone ever again since the amulet will protect her from now on.
And while some people might think that the comics version seems more realistic, I would like to stress that hope is an overarching theme in The Sandman. And what did G.K. Chesterton so poignantly write (we’ll get more of that btw)?
“Exactly at the instant when hope ceases to be reasonable it begins to be useful.”
Perhaps it is important for us to remember the light when things seem darkest, and I like that they made this decision for the show.
There is a far more human element to John Dee in the TV series (even if we keep in mind what is yet to come in the next issues) than in the comics, and we get a much stronger sense that he is as much a victim of his own circumstances and traumatic past as he is a perpetrator (and that’s not making excuses at any point). There is a very poignant scene during the car ride when Rosemary and John talk about why people lie, and it is basically completely new to him that some people do so because they are scared, not because they are selfish and have no interest in the truth (and the truth is very important to John, also from this point onward).
And although we will see that John is still out to follow his goal to forcefully strip the world from lies (and to him, dreams are lies), even he has a small moment of compassion. And compassion is really a recurring theme in this issue. We also see Morpheus, who seems cold, detached and aloof a lot of the time, show it. Whether he does it because he empathises (hard no from me at this point) or because it is the right thing to do (yes, he is a stickler for rules and what is “right” or “wrong”) might be a question for interpretation, but undoubtedly, we have seen him in several situations where he just does (Rachel and John Constantine in “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, #3 for example). And in #5, we see him take away Scott’s childhood nightmares, and J'onn Jonzz is granted a dream of the City of Focative Mirrors (which is quite hilarious, because this is a pun on Shakespeare, and it basically means he grants him a sex dream). He wasn’t prompted to do these things—he just did because he felt it was the right thing to do.
Reflections
Since this issue hinges so heavily on the distinction between dreams and reality (and what happens when the lines become too blurred), I have a few questions for you straightaway:
How do your dreams influence your perception of reality? Do you ever think about using your creative discipline (whether that’s writing, visual art, music…) to bridge the gap between the two? And if you do, are you doing it for yourself, or to inspire others?
How do your artistic pursuits shape your understanding of the world?
How easy or hard is it for you to balance your creative aspirations with practical realities? What helps you to maintain mental well-being during that process (and are these questions you ever ask yourself, i.e. do you currently have any self-care practices in place)?
Another topic I’d like you to reflect upon is compassion. And I don’t just have a simple question for you in this case—I’d rather encourage you to share your personal experiences of the previous questions in our subscriber chat or the comments, because empathy and compassion are fostered by social connection and sharing. It doesn't have to be much, only what you are comfortable sharing of course, and you can do this here,
Or here,
If you like, you can also talk about how you cultivate self-compassion during challenging times, or the small acts of kindness that have made a significant difference in your mental wellbeing journey (you can do this with a focus on both yourself, or what you like to do for others).
And while I’d like to encourage you to share this here, I also understand if you’d rather not. If that’s the case, share it with someone close to you, but sharing it and talking about it is important.
That's all for today. I hope you'll join me next time when we will have a look at issue 6, “24 Hours”. Until then, keep dreaming...