Orpheus and Eurydice fate is just as tragic in this Netflix series

The Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is one we tell time and time again. A tragic tale of a love that wasn’t strong enough for Orpheus to trust, that doomed his beloved to a life of damnation all because of his actions.
We’ve seen it interpreted in a number of different ways, most recently as a musical with Hadestown. But the Netflix series The Sandman also had their own take on the tragic tale and it was just as upsetting as the rest. The series, which was delayed because of allegations against the comic book series creator Neil Gaiman, focuses on Dream (Tom Sturridge). Dream (also known as Morpheus) is an Endless, a being more powerful than the gods. And his son just so happens to be Orpheus.
In The Sandman season 2 part 1, we get to see “The Song of Orpheus.” Orpheus (Ruairi O’Connor) is getting married to Eurydice (Ella Rumpf) and the minute you hear their names, it feels like a weight is sitting on your chest. You know what is going to happen and it doesn’t bode well for their “joyous” wedding day. Even Destiny (Adrian Lester) isn’t exactly happen for his nephew because he knows what sorrows await the couple.
On their wedding night, Orpheus doesn’t want to dance with his bride and so she suggests they go into the meadow to dance in private, while there, she dies and Orpheus makes it his mission to go to the underworld and as King Hades and Queen Persephone to bring Eurydice back to him. The rest, as we know it, is the tragic story of a man not trusting the woman he loves to follow behind him and his action damns her to hell.
The Sandman takes that lore one step further
After Orpheus’ failure, he decides to allow himself to be killed but as the son of Dream, he survives with only his head still living. He’s not yet returned to the underworld to be with Eurydice and he’s trapped living without a mortal body attached to him. He goes on like this, learning from Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) and eventually Orpheus is finally released from this realm by his father, who kills the only living bit of him left.
It is, as the musical states, a “sad song” and remains as such in every adaptation we get of Orpheus and Eurydice’s love story. And it is a lot to take on but The Sandman did a great job of making their love story unique to the series.
Season 2 of The Sandman is being released in parts and, according to the creatives behind the show, was already in post-production by the time the allegations against Gaiman came out. Meaning that the cast and creatives were not aware when filming the final season of what Gaiman was accused of. It has also been clarified that he was significantly less involved this time around. The show is set to end with season 2 and that decision was made prior to the Gaiman allegations. The future of Gaiman’s other series, Good Omens with Prime Video, still hang in the balance.
(featured image: Ed Miller/Netflix)
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