Playing House

The show started really good. It was dark, magical, funny then for some reason half way through the season they've wrapped up that storyline and started a new one and it's not a good one. It's a complete bore. I don't feel for any of the characters because they're all new characters and Dream isn't it in it much anymore. It's very strange.

At least this episode followed the same thread as its predecessor, but random scenes and slow moments. The acting was lacking but enjoyable cinematography and CGI.

While the Rose Walker/Vortex story is indeed taken out of the comic, it undergoes further renovations from it's sharp deviation in episode 7.

Leaving aside the endless debate of whether the art of the past should be edited to fit with modern ideologies, the fact that the writers are clearly much less talented than Mr. Gaiman becomes apparent in this half of the show. The final 4 episodes containing the heavily edited Rose/Vortex arc are the lowest rated episodes of the series, and may others have commented that it feels like the series just abruptly stopped and started again as something completely different. Look at the reviews for episode 6, at least four of them are just titled "What happened?".

Rather than going point by point on the changes, it can best be said that the story was chopped up into it's componet elements, and bits that were judged unacceptable or distasteful were removed and re-written. After the chop job was done, it was re-assembled into something vaguely story shaped, but akin to a good story the way a person is akin to frankenstien's monster.

Narratives and situations are tilted to make certain characters more virtuous, and other more vile. This is done deliberately and for effect, with little concern for the integrity of the story as a whole or the characters roles within it. As a result the story is less engaging than episodes 1-6, which were almost perfect translations of the source material free of 'creative input'. We don't relate to or care about the characters that were favored because they don't have any sharp edges or flaws like real people. We don't take the villains seriously because they're cartoonishly evil and one-dimensional. There's never a feeling of danger because it is so obvious that the story favors Rose and Jeb that we never get the feeling that it would hurt them in the end.

Overall everything in these episodes just feels common, sanitized, and boring. The touch of the master storyteller is gone and we are left with something that feels more like Sandman fan fiction than an adaption.

The visuals are great and for the most part, so is the acting. Maybe it's just me, but Patton Oswalt as the raven just throws me off, now don't get me wrong, he is a actor i usually like, but not in this role. The young actress playing Rose does as well. Her performance is wooden and doesn't seem to flow with the other characters. Everyone else does a fantastic job of captivating you and bringing you in to this beautiful story.

Episode 8: Semi interesting of an episode with countless deep fantasy messages, gorgeous cinematography, average CGI and visual effects for the pleasure of eye candy lovers. Deep storyline and plots adaptation doing justice to the comics, a somewhat unrealistic and weak flow at the same time while the vibe is shinier, all the while telling the story in a mishmash way. The weakest link of the episodes so far is its convoluted, sort of slow burn storytelling, having all the bright ingredients, but sort of falling to coherently grab viewers interest.

A sort of new storyline plots related to like another show. It's moving too slow to catch viewers real attention and too dreamy unrealistic... Jed and his sister!