The Sandman is a compelling TV show for many reasons. Its most genius feat, however, might be to turn the supernatural into the everyday. At its core, it asks: What if the forces beyond our power, beings like gods and demons and karma, are actually just like us? Creatures acting in an imperfect world with imperfect information, plagued by communication issues, rules, and resource limitations?
This setup leads to many curious twists in the plot, and it also makes for great thought experiments. In an early episode of season two, Dream of the Endless, our hero and main character, is looking to free Nada, his former love, from Hell. Having left said place on less than good terms last time, Dream is prepared for anything as he approaches the gate. To his surprise, it stands wide open.
Inside, Dream finds…no one. No one except Lucifer, who essentially shrugs and says: “I’ve quit.” Dream, who likes to remind everyone of their responsibilities, protests, suggesting the Devil can’t just let all of Hell’s inhabitants roam about freely. But, after ten billion years of penance for her fall from grace, Lucifer has a different take: “I didn’t ask them to come here. They chose Hell. That is what Hell is. A place for dead mortals to torture themselves. And, like all masochists, they give the orders. ‘Burn me, freeze me, eat me, hurt me.’ And what do I get out of it?” As it turns out, the Devil has no need for human souls.
“You can’t own someone else’s soul,” she continues. “They belong to themselves. They just hate to have to face up to it. They blame me for their little failings. ‘The devil made me do it.’ I have never made one of them do anything. Never. They live their own tiny lives. And then they die. And they come here. And they expect me to fulfill their desires of pain and retribution.” So, equipped with a new perspective and ready for vacation, Lucifer does what anyone with burnout would do: She walks away.
“Hell is closed,” she says and, after Dream ceremoniously cuts off her wings, hands the key to Dream in one final act of revenge. Now, the most rotten of workplaces is his to deal with, and of course, like any bad acquisition, it comes consequences no one wants. In Dream’s case, everyone nefarious and their brother will soon be at his door, eager to reclaim Hell for themselves.
It’s an interesting idea, isn’t it? What if the Devil quit? What if Hell exists for our convenience more so than for those who are running it? And if even Lucifer can walk away from a bad gig, what’s stopping us?
“The important thing is not to stop questioning,” Einstein once told a little boy. That’s what shows like The Sandman inspire us to do. And if even Lucifer can teach a valuable lesson, perhaps it’s no coincidence Einstein ended his advice with a heavenly reminder: “Never lose a holy curiosity.”
