The Sandman Season 2 Episode 8 recap: Has Loki burned Dream’s future?

Just when it seemed like Morpheus was inching toward redemption, The Sandman Season 2 Episode 8 flips the chessboard—and possibly incinerates his successor. Netflix’s dreamscape drama escalates the stakes as allegiances shift, old wounds crack open, and the fate of baby Daniel Hall takes a very fiery turn. After all, this is The Sandman, where gods don't just lie—they scheme through centuries.

The episode is titled “The Favor,” but calling it that might be the biggest understatement since “Morpheus has some trust issues.” The so-called favor Dream asks of Loki—retrieving Daniel safely—spirals into a betrayal, with Puck caught in the emotional crossfire and Daniel seemingly sacrificed to fulfill a prophecy. Meanwhile, Dream faces a mirror of his guilt, with Johanna Constantine acting as his reluctant conscience.

More than a plot progression, Episode 8 marks a thematic tipping point: grief, guilt, and the cost of immortality converge as Dream’s choices threaten the very fabric of the Dreaming. And yes, the Corinthian is back—reborn, rebranded, and ready to bite into the chaos.

Puck's heart vs. Loki's fire: Who really betrayed whom in The Sandman Season 2?

The highlight of The Sandman Season 2 Episode 8 is the twisted triangle of Loki, Puck, and Daniel—one god, one trickster, and one innocent pawn. Morpheus, trusting Loki to fulfill a debt, assigns him the task of delivering Daniel Hall safely to the Dreaming. But Loki’s loyalty is about as stable as his mythological parenting record. Puck, surprisingly, grows fond of Daniel, seeing him as more than a bargaining chip. But Loki—scarred by the loss and manipulation of his own children—views sentimentality as a fatal weakness.

Puck tries to do the right thing. He makes a deal with Dream (or so he thinks), offering Daniel in exchange for Loki’s freedom. But Loki, ever the puppeteer, uses illusion to trick Puck, then turns on him. Using fairy dust, he incapacitates Puck and carries out what appears to be a horrific act—placing Daniel into flames and presenting his ashes to Lyta Hall in a cruel charade. But as with all things Loki, what you see may not be the truth. Is Daniel truly gone, or is this yet another twist in the god of mischief’s long game?

Dream faces his guilt, and Constantine steals the moral high ground

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Elsewhere, the episode quietly explores Dream’s internal reckoning. Accused by Lyta Hall of kidnapping her son—and with mounting evidence planted by Loki and Puck—Morpheus begins to confront the emotional debris of his past. Johanna Constantine calls him out on his pattern of punishing others to atone for his own sins, particularly the haunting memory of his son Orpheus. Her sharp words push Morpheus to seek answers not from gods, but from humanity—specifically, his immortal friend Hob Gadling.

That visit becomes the emotional anchor of the episode. Hob, mourning the loss of his partner, reminds Dream that suffering is not the point of life—connection is. This prompts Morpheus to finally free Alex Burgess from the curse of eternal sleep, a long-overdue act of mercy. It's a small moment of growth from a character who’s been more statue than soul in recent episodes. And just as Dream inches toward vulnerability, he breathes new life—literally—into the nightmare he once destroyed: Corinthian is back, reprogrammed for loyalty, and ready to help. But if The Sandman Season 2 is any guide, nothing in the Dreaming stays obedient for long.

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