How Come Netflix Released an Additional Episode of The Sandman?
Ever since the first ten episodes of The Sandman were released, the series has dominated the Netflix charts throughout the world as it is constantly in the top three series watched by different people in different countries. But while there was a lot of hype going into The Sandman prior to its release, the thing that surprised a lot of people was that an additional episode that tells the stories of “A Dream of A Thousand Cats” and “Calliope.” In that regard, why did Netflix release an additional episode of The Sandman?
The additional two-part episode of The Sandman was a surprise release because these storylines were only side-stories to the main storyline in the comics. It was also a way for Netflix to increase the engagement of The Sandman in its third week in the streaming giant’s library.
Even though The Sandman has been one of the big hits that Netflix has enjoyed in the past few months, it was still a pretty much big project on the part of the company, as it was clear that engagement was important to make sure that the series gets the views it needs to warrant a second season. In that regard, let’s talk about the surprise 11thepisode of The Sandman.
What Is The Sandman’s Surprise Episode About?
Netflix’s The Sandman is nothing short of a hit series because of the fact that it was able to finally deliver Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman comic book series—a project he had long been hoping to see a live-action adaption—to the big screen. Of course, considering the powerful cast and amazing use of imagery on the part of the series, it is needless to say that this is one of the best originals that Netflix has had in the past few months.
Of course, a lot of us were quickly able to binge through the first ten episodes of the series’ first season, and we all know how great those first ten episodes are. All ten episodes were able to tell the first few parts of the comic book in a manner that was true and faithful to the source material, and that is why fans of the series loved how it was done.
But the entire world was surprised to see that, yes, The Sandman had a surprise episode that suddenly entered Netflix’s library without even any word from Neil Gaiman or Netflix. So, what is the extra episode about?
The 11th episode of Netflix’s The Sandman is actually a two-part episode that tells two different storylines that comic book fans would be familiar with. The first part tells the story of “A Dream of a Thousand Cats,” which is the 18thissue of the comic book series. Meanwhile, part 2 adapted “Calliope,” which is the 17th issue of The Sandman.
“A Dream of a Thousand Cats” tells the storyline in an animated form and from the point of view of cats instead of humans. This is where we begin to understand that Dream and the other Endless are not entities that are exclusive to humanity but also cater to any other lifeform in the world. The only reason why they appear to be humanoid to humans is due to the fact that the appearance of an Endless will depend on the one perceiving them.
As such, Dream, in this episode, appears as a feline creature, as the storyline follows a prophet cat on a journey to travel all over the world to convince her fellow cats to dream of a better future for all cats in the world.
Meanwhile, “Calliope” tells the story in a live-action format. This is a side-story in the comics, as the storyline follows a struggling writer who ended up imprisoning a Muse from Ancient Greek mythology to force her to help him find the inspiration he requires to become a successful writer. That said, the Muse actually had a past with Dream, as they were once together and even had a son that eventually died. It was due to the fate of their son that the Muse, named Calliope, had to leave Dream. But now in one of the darkest moments in her life, Calliope seeks the help of a former lover to find a way to become free once more.
Why Did Netflix Release A Surprise Episode Of The Sandman?
As mentioned, there was little to no announcement regarding the arrival of The Sandman episode 11 as people were only surprised to see that an 11th episode was now available for streaming on Netflix. So, why is it that Netflix released a surprise episode that it never even marketed at all?
It is worth mentioning that the one thing that Netflix uses to determine whether or not to renew a series, regardless of what the critics say about it, is the engagement coming from the subscribers. The more audience members stream the content, the more likely that Netflix will renew it.
Of course, no matter how great and popular a series may be, it will eventually die a natural death in terms of its engagement and audience numbers, especially if it released all of its episodes at the same time. So, in that regard, even though The Sandman quickly made its way to the top of the most-viewed TV shows on Netflix, it was only a matter of time until it declined in terms of its audience because a lot of people had already seen it.
By releasing a surprise 11th episode, Netflix was probably trying to increase the audience viewership of The Sandman, as those who’ve already seen the first ten episodes will have to tune into the series once more to watch this extra episode.
The fact that the episode was a surprise was also to increase the social media engagement of The Sandman because those who’ve never seen the series will probably see The Sandman trending on social media due to the surprise episode. As such, the likelihood of them watching The Sandman will increase.
This seems to be a first for Netflix because of the fact that The Sandman is a huge project, given the fact that a huge budget was required to adapt a storyline that had long been said was impossible to adapt on television. Nevertheless, The Sandman was finally adapted, albeit at a high cost. So, in that regard, increasing the engagement for The Sandman will only allow Netflix to see returns on its investment and will probably be convinced that the series, no matter how expensive it might be, deserves more seasons.
