Netflix The Sandman recap guide: All 10 episodes explained

The Sandman episode 4 recap: A Hope in Hell

Dream and Matthew travel to Hell in search of Dream’s helm in The Sandman episode 4. There, he comes face-to-face with Lucifer Morningstar (Gwendoline Christie). One of Hell’s demons has his helm after responding to the ritual/summoning Ethel did to exchange it for a protection amulet.

A demon named Choronzon, a Duke of Hell, has Dream’s helm, and he’s not keen on returning it. Dream challenges Choronzon. If Dream wins he gets his helm, but if he loses he has to become Chronzon’s slave in Hell for eternity.

Dream decides to represent himself in the battle and Choronzon chooses Lucifer to represent him. Dream and Lucifer face-off in a strange, shape-shifting battle of sorts. Lucifer transforms into a direwolf and Dream into a hunter that stabs wolves. Then Lucifer changes into a snake and Dream into a bird of prey.

Next, Lucifer is a butcher bacterium infecting all living things and Dream is a world. Then Lucifer is a nova, all-exploding, planet-cremating and Dream counters with becoming a universe. Finally, Lucifer turns into anti-life, which is basically a trump card.

Dream starts dying, but Matthew intervenes and reminds him that dreams cannot die. Dream trumps Lucifer by becoming hope and ultimately defeats her. Dream gets his helm back, but Lucifer promises that one day, she and her demons will destroy him.

While Dream is fighting Lucifer in Hell, John is traveling to retrieve his Ruby with an innocent bystander named Rosemary. Rosemary has no idea what she’s getting herself into when she agrees to give John a ride. He slowly reveals his true nature, admitting he was imprisoned for murder, arson and all sorts of chaos.

At one point, they stop at a gas station and Rosemary tries to get the clerk to call the cops. He pulls a gun on John and, as expected, dies.

Luckily for Rosemary, John doesn’t really blame her and even believes she is a good person. Once he reaches his ruby, she even offers to give him a ride somewhere else, but he tells her that it’s okay, she can go. Now that he has his ruby, John doesn’t need the protection amulet anymore and he gifts it to Rosemary so that no one, not even him, can hurt her.

Armed with his pouch of sand and helm, Dream prepares to come for his ruby, but realizes that something is very wrong.

Written by Mads Lennon