The Sandman Season 2 Episode 9 recap: Daniel is finally rescued

In The Sandman Season 2, Episode 9, titled 'The Kindly Ones,' premiered on July 24, 2025, and portrays a chain of long-brewing events converging into a looming catastrophe for Morpheus and the realm of Dreaming. This is the result of multiple events, one being Orpheus' ill-fated descent into the underworld.

Morpheus enlists Johanna Constantine after learning that Daniel has been kidnapped by Loki and Puck. Loki, pretending to be a detective, delivers the news of Daniel's death to his mother, Lyta Hall. Loki even burns Daniel’s body to sell the illusion, pushing Lyta into unbearable grief and eventually revenge against Morpheus. This leads to the climax of the episode, which is 2 episodes away from the season finale.

Read on for the full recap of The Sandman, season 2, episode 9.

Here is what happened in The Sandman season 2 episode 9

As mentioned, Morpheus takes Johanna's help to find Daniel. In season 2 episode 9 of The Sandman, they are both ultimately able to rescue Daniel, though the path to doing so was fraught with deception, power plays, and difficult decisions. Corinthian consumes the eyes of Mrs. Shor to locate Loki. He and Johanna then track the trickster god to a hotel where Loki and Puck were staying with Daniel.

Now the confrontation unfolds in instalments. Puck feels betrayed by Loki's manipulation and ultimately leads Morpheus to his room. While Loki tries his usual illusions to escape capture, Corinthian sees through the trick and easily overpowers him.

Just as he prepares to punish Loki in his signature fashion, Odin and Thor arrive, declaring they will take Loki back to his prison, which Odin believes to be a fate worse than death. The gods handle Loki, and Constantine sees Daniel, who is physically unharmed but is altered. Corinthian then attempts to bring Daniel back to the Dreaming, but recalls her promise to Lyta that she would reunite her with her son.

In the end, Daniel is safely rescued and returned to Dreaming, but his fate is still unfolding, as his transformation into something greater has already begun.

How does The Sandman season 2 episode 9 end?

In a seemingly unrelated but deeply symbolic subplot, Delirium — searching for her lost companion Barnabus — visits Destiny for guidance in season 2 episode 9 of The Sandman. In an extraordinary moment, she perceives not one but multiple Destinies, a phenomenon Destiny neither confirms nor denies. When she shares this with Morpheus, he can understand the significance and suggests that the existence of multiple destinies means the future isn't fixed.

This challenges the idea that Dream is fated to die, and for the first time, we see a glimmer of hope. This validates the notion that there may be alternate outcomes where Dream survives or transforms in unforeseen ways. Meanwhile, Lyta is fueled with revenge. When Furies tells Lyta that she can't avenge her son, she agrees to become their avatar and decides to punish Morpheus on the Dreaming.

Trending

In Faerie, Nuala’s attempt to protect Dreaming fails when her brother Cluracan steals the amulet given by Morpheus and gives it to Queen Titania. Titania, misled by Nuala's explanation of its powers, summons Morpheus, inadvertently leaving the Dreaming defenceless.

With Morpheus absent and only one Destiny remaining in Destiny’s Garden, it becomes clear that fate has narrowed to a single, inevitable path. The Furies, led by Lyta, invade the Dreaming and kill Fiddler’s Green, marking the beginning of a devastating war against Dream’s realm.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback