Chapter 23: Death: The High Cost of Living is the twelfth episode of the second season of the Netflix original dark fantasy series, The Sandman, and the last episode of the series.
Synopsis[]
In this standalone episode, a journalist overwhelmed by hopelessness has a life-altering 24 hours after crossing paths with Death on her day off.
Plot[]
A man named Sexton sits in his room in front of his computer, composing a death letter to a woman named Slyvie. It's interrupted by two ladies with whom Sexton is friends, Amelia and Billie. Amelia invites Sexton to an event that night, which upsets Billie, who wanted to spend time with her alone that night. As the two talk, Sexton puts on his coat, grabs his packet of pills, and leaves.
Outside, Sexton tries to record a message for Slyvie, but stops after finding a book on the ground entitled The Day of Triffids. From there, he finds more books scattered around a large pile of junk and on a fridge, where he discovers the emblem of Superman. Sexton takes the magnet and stands on top of it, while looking at his packet of pills. Putting the pills in his pocket and placing his phone on the end of the refrigerator causes it to tip over, making Sexton fall forward.
Death soon arrives and assists Sexton in getting out of the rubbish that pinned him down. She also returns his pills, which Sexton claims were for his allergies, and points out that he was bleeding. So Death offers to tend to his arm injury and fix his torn jacket at her place, which Sexton briefly tries to use his cellphone, only to discover it is broken.
Tossing his broken cell phone aside, Sexton follows Death to her place, and they talk about the sound of traffic, why Sexton was by the junk pile, and his thoughts on the world.
Inside Death's apartment, Sexton's jacket is sewn by Death, who introduces her two goldfish to Sexton, who then gives his name to her. However, Death refuses to give her name, but notes that she's very good at sewing, which Sexton agrees with. As Death prepares them tea, Sexton asks what Death does for a living, and she avoids the question, citing Sexton's profession as a journalist, which she knew because of his unique name. This leads up to Death finally admitting that she's "death" and that he has nothing to fear because it's her day off. To her admission, she has one every hundred years to feel what it's like to be human, and Sexton asks if Death lives in Shoreditch, but she states that it's a place the universe makes her feel comfortable. Unnerved, Sexton thanks Death for the tea and mending his jacket, and takes his leave.
Outside of Death's place, Sexton trips over a wire setup by Mad Hettie, who appears and threatens him using a broken bottle to return to Death's place. There, Mad Hettie demands that Death find her missing soul, and Death agrees to do it.
The two walk and talk about their encounter with Mad Hettie, and Death orders a veggie wrap, which she enjoys, and then calls a taxi to enjoy the rest of her day with Sexton.
They eventually reach the nightclub where Sexton frequently hung out with his ex-girlfriend, Slyvie. Although Sexton didn't like the place at all, as he put it, it wasn't his kind of people. Out of nowhere, Billie appears and hugs Sexton, and after learning that she and Amelia had a row, Sexton introduces Death as "Didi". Thanks to Amelia knowing the bouncer, they got in for free. Inside, Didi is introduced to Amelia and Jackie. Once introductions were over, Didi left to fetch some drinks with Billie. However, from afar, Didi realized that Sexton looked miserable, which Billie commented on, noting that he always looked that way. Billie then confesses that Amelia changed her perspective on everything after seeing the world through Sexton's eyes, and that it only takes one person to change it all.
Sexton, Billie, and Jackie all talk together, and it takes a sad turn when Slyvie is mentioned, making Jackie decide to go help get the drinks. Both Billie and Sexton would join them after Sexton informed Billie about an interesting fact regarding her thoughts on her.
At the drink counter, the group meets with Theo, the DJ, promoter, and drink server. After an exchange between Theo and Sexton over whether Didi was in a relationship with Sexton, despite being in a relationship with a lady named Natalie, Theo decided to make a move on her.
Theo approaches Didi, and the two talk about her necklace. After Theo's insistence, they go onto the dance floor to dance.
Meanwhile, Sexton and Billie discuss how Didi thinks she's an incarnation of "death," and upon hearing this, Billie decides to confront Didi about it and save her from Theo. Billie invites Sexton to join her on the dance floor, but Sexton declines, stating he's not a dancer.
While Didi enjoys herself on the dancefloor, Sexton has a heart-to-heart with Jackie about his thoughts on life and such. Jackie then talks about a friend of hers whose father and friends abused her, which led to her nearly taking her life. Sexton notices the long gloves Jackie wore.
Didi then arrives and tells the two that she has learned the club used to be a department store, and invites them to go on a tour of the place. Jackie, though, declines and heads to the dance floor. Theo arrives, and Didi asks if she can invite Sexton on the tour, which he allows.
Lead inside a room, Theo steals Didi's necklace, believing it'll grant him the power over life and death, but despite Death trying to reason with him, he doesn't listen and locks them in there.
Upon inspecting the place, Death realizes that Theo had concocted a summoning ritual there to force her there. Death apologizes to Sexton as she blames herself for their predicament. She also laments not being able to help Mad Hettie by finding her soul. They then discuss various things until Sexton spots a box of marbles. He proceeds to scatter them around the exit to the door as an attempt for Theo to slip and fall over them, but Theo returns with a gun in hand and threatens Death to revive his dead girlfriend, Natalie. Death refuses, so Theo threatens to use the gun on himself, only for him and Sexton to fall over because of the marbles on the ground. Theo experiences a head wound, and it's later learned that he experienced a concussion.
By morning, Sexton and Death walk by a jewelry stall, where Death purchases a new necklace for herself. The two then take a seat by a fountain to talk. There, Death gives her last two pence and Mad Hettie's Soul to Sexton. After this, Death looks at the horizon and falls backward into the fountain, where she drowns. Despite Sexton trying to save her, Mad Hettie arrives and informs him that she's dead. Taking the two pence from Sexton, Mad Hettie places them over Death's eyes and the locket from him too, which contained a picture of her daughter Cordelia. Mad Hettie then talks about her life before her immortality.
Afterward, Sexton informs Billie about Death's death until Jackie arrives and he offers her a cup of tea.
Meanwhile, in the afterlife, Death speaks to another version of herself and takes her hand.
Cast[]
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death
- Colin Morgan as Sexton
- Clare Higgins as Mad Hettie
- Jonno Davies as Theo
- Adwoa Akoto as Amelia
- Jade Anouka as Billie
- Kem Hassan as Phil
- Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong as Joe
- Ellie Mejia as Jackie
- Tracy-Ann Oberman as Lennie
Trivia[]
- This is the only episode that Tom Sturridge (Dream) doesn't make an appearance.
- None of the main cast appear in this episode.
Gallery[]
Promotional Images[]
References[]