#cain and abel and the three fates were all desi iirc which is super cool!!

[somehowmags]

IMO, the Sandman show is anti-Black, perhaps inadvertently, when you look at who most of the dead minor characters are. I haven't seen a lot of talk about that, but it bothered me.

Also, what the hell is going on with Nada and why are people still stanning Dream after that? Horrible. What's in the canon is definitely a bigger problem than what fans are writing about (the only obvious ship bait, which is Dreamling). It's AO3, so a m/f ship with little chemistry is unlikely to be super popular, and Dream is the main character and one of the only characters to consistently appear on screen, so any popular ship will feature him, for better or worse.

your first point is a valid criticism. i, as again a non black poc, can't really judge whether or not it's anti-black, but i did have the same thought myself when watching for the first time. but i do think that sort of tapers off by the second half of the show. there were a lot of minor characters who were black and who died, but also a lot of characters who were black and had a lot of focus and didn't die, like lucienne, rosemary, rose, jed, and death. i don't think it's intentional, but it is a problem and something i hope they fix in the second season.

as for your second point, i do actually have to disagree. we are supposed to think that dream is a bad person, especially after nada. he's grouchy, mean, rude to lucienne, cold to rose, and comes off as arrogant and unfeeling a lot. he is a major fucking asshole. but the sandman (the show, at least, i haven't read the comics) is about him learning how to be a better person. he's not compassionate towards cain and abel after the loss of gregory- but he gives them the egg. he insults lucienne by insinuating that he can handle the work of the dreaming on his own- but he has to apologize, recognizes she was right, and by the end lets her do the administrative work of the dreaming. he's cold and cruel to rose, lyta, and hector after he gets what he wants- but after, he recognizes rose as a power in her own right, and allows her and unity to solve the problem their way. yes, he left nada in hell, but i have no doubt that if sandman is continued, they will address it, and he'll fix the situation and apologize. and i believe they do in fact address it in the comics! (again, haven't read them yet, so forgive me if i'm wrong)

there's a quote i'd like to add here from allan heinberg, one of the executive producers and showrunners of the show, about the making of it: "...The Sandman is an exploration of what it means to be human. To be mortal and therefore vulnerable. Capable of being hurt, but also capable of loving and being loved. The Sandman is the story of an honorable, arrogant king who slowly—very slowly—learns how to love. How to be a loving friend, a loving brother, a loving father." yes, dream is an asshole and a bad person for what he did to nada. but that's the great part about the sandman: we get to watch him have to choose, again and again, to be better.