Calliope

Fans of Netflix's Sandman adaptation were surprised with a bonus episode straight from Volume 3 of the comics.

So while “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” was just a fun one-off, “Calliope” has consequences you should remember. A favorite among Sandman readers, “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” was likely adapted for fan-service and fan-service alone. Instead, it’s a harrowing story about the exploitation of women by male artists in positions of power, a “#MeToo” story ahead of its time. The story ends with the kitten going home and dreaming of feline supremacy. In the Dreaming, the Siamese meets with a feline aspect of Morpheus known as The Cat of Dreams. In the comics, a young couple’s kitten is coerced by a strange brown cat to leave the bed of her human owners and attend a speech by a feline prophet, a purebred Siamese.

The Sandman's bonus Calliope episode revealed that Morpheus has an ex-wife who bore him a son named Orpheus.

It's no wonder that Morpheus finds it so hard to feel and express himself in this first season of the show. So when he encounters the bacchanal, the mad female worshippers of Dionysus, he refuses to join their rituals. And just like in the Greek myths, his plan failed because he looked back at her before they left, breaking a key condition that was placed on this deal by Hades. The answers to this lie in what might be the darkest chapter of Dream's history. Morpheus struggles to answer Calliope, unable to bear the loss of his son, even now. But Morpheus was deeply connected to the waking world long before this too. The way 'Calliope' plays out onscreen is almost identical to how this story unfolds in the comics, save for a few, less gruesome details. Upon seeing that the sleeping sickness has been lifted, Calliope calls out to her "former husband" for help, and Morpheus is quick to answer the call. Eventually, Madoc is so overwhelmed with thoughts that he starts writing them out on the walls using his own blood. Desperate to appease his agent and publisher alike, Rich ends up seeking the help of an older, more successful author named Erasmus Fry who lets him in on a little secret. But the boy, named Orpheus, was "torn apart for his sacrilege." This surprise appearance from the King of Dreams isn't just a throwaway cameo.

Netflix released a special two-part bonus episode of "The Sandman" which adapts "Calliope" and "A Dream of A Thousand Cats" from Neil Gaiman's comics.

- Sandra Oh as "The Prophet" [The Sandman Audible adaptation](https://www.newsweek.com/james-mcavoy-playing-lord-dreams-neil-gaimans-sandman-sequel-1631795), of which there are currently two parts, while Sheen portrays Lucifer (played by Gwendoline Christie in the show), and David Tennant voices Loki. - Tom Sturridge as "Dream"

The Sandman just got a surprise eleventh episode on Netflix, one that's both a worthy adaptation of two comics and a fitting epilogue to Season 1.

"A Dream of a Thousand Cats" dabbles in one of the series' most fundamental themes - the impermanence of reality and the unifying power of shared stories. As Morpheus wages a subtle war on Madoc's mind, we see the evolution the character has undergone over the course of 11 episodes. This segment is also a pretty direct adaptation (in this case, of The Sandman #17), but certain elements have been tweaked and expanded upon to better fit the live-action format. The voice cast here is solid, but there's a disconnect between the vocal performances and the characters we see onscreen. It's more or less a direct adaptation of Neil Gaiman's original script (with Gaiman himself making a neat vocal cameo as the vulture). Episode 11 continues the trend, though in this case the two tales in question are treated as distinct chapters rather than two parts of a whole.

Netflix just dropped a two-part bonus episode of "The Sandman" based on the stories "Calliope" and "A Dream of a Thousand Cats."

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Netlfix is adding one more episode to The Sandman's hit first season, adapting two of the best stories from the original comic book run.

As the introduction of a former lover and the mother of his child, “Calliope” plays a key role in that larger tale. Outside of an occasional reference here and there, “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” is a standalone story, one that has no larger stakes for the tragedy of Morpheus. Audiences will best know Mahut as the voice of Kassandra in the [Assassin’s Creed](https://www.denofgeek.com/assassins-creed/) video game series or as Mita Xenakis in [Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/eurovision-release-date-trailer-will-ferrell-netflix/). [Broadway musicals](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/steven-spielberg-reconsider-not-directing-another-musical/)), you know that Orpheus doesn’t exactly have the greatest life, which leads to Morpheus turning his back on his son. Calliope and Dream were once lovers, and the two had a son together, Orpheus. Human couples will be voiced by stars of Staged, [David and Georgia Tennant](https://www.denofgeek.com/david-tennant/), and [Michael Sheen](https://www.denofgeek.com/michael-sheen/) and Anna Lundberg. That’s not the case for the other story adapted in episode 11, “Calliope.” Originally published in 1990’s The Sandman #17, “Calliope” feels like another morality tale about humans who dabble in a domain not meant for them. But all of that changed one night, when the humans dreamed of a different world, one in which humans ruled and cats were pets. [Killing Eve](https://www.denofgeek.com/killing-eve/)’s Sandra Oh as the Prophet and Rosie Day as the kitten. Fans of the series will get to see more of those abundant ideas soon, as Netflix has announced a surprise 11th episode to The Sandman season 1, which adapts not only “Calliope” but also another fan-favorite tale, “A Dream of a Thousand Cats.” Both stories flesh out Dream’s world and the rules of the Dreaming but “Calliope” has deep implications for Morpheus’s larger career arc, paving the way for the end of his story. While in a period of deep sorrow, the Prophet slept and visited the Dreaming, where the Cat of Dreams – Morpheus, in cat form – revealed an earlier world, in which giant cats ruled over tiny human beings. What is “The Dream of a Thousand Cats”?

Neil Gaiman and Netflix weren't quite done treating us to stories in the beautiful world of The Sandman. Today, they surprised us with a new bonus episode with ...

The story is a rather simple one: a writer named Richard Madoc partakes in a transaction that grants him the “ownership” over a goddess and muse named Calliope. The arrival of Morpheus in both stories is incredible. “Calliope” is a much thicker and much more harrowing story compared to its lighter counterpart. I don’t know any of the characters, I don’t relate to them in any way, I don’t even know if I want them to achieve their goal – but I sympathize with their circumstances. As I mentioned, both stories address the idea of a manufactured hierarchy, and here it’s manifested in the dissection of the relationship between pets and humans. Neil Gaiman and Netflix weren’t quite done treating us to stories in the beautiful world of The Sandman.

The Sandman has been one of Netflix's biggest new shows of 2022 as it has adapted the legendary comic series by Neil Gaiman. After the first 10 episodes of ...

Calliope was one of nine Muses in Greek mythology but is heralded as the wisest of the Muses and presided over eloquence and epic poetry. Part 2 of the surprise new episode tells the story of an author, Richard Madoc, who is struggling for inspiration and turns to an older author, Erasmus Fry, who has a magical secret for helping to keep the creative juices flowing. The second part of the episode delves into the story of the titular Calliope but just who is she in the context of The Sandman and what is her character originally inspired by?