Diksha Sundriyal
The second season of Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’ ends on a sombre note for Morpheus, but it makes up for this heartbreak with a special episode that is more hopeful. Instead of taking us back to the Dreaming and continuing the story of Dream, the bonus episode, titled ‘Death: The High Cost of Living,’ focuses on Death’s one day on Earth when she is off the clock and simply wants to enjoy things without the burden of her duties. She is accompanied in this journey by a young man named Sexton Furnival, who learns a lot about life from Death. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Sexton Furnival Crosses Paths With Death on the Right Day
Sexton Furnival is introduced in the final episode of ‘The Sandman’ as an environmental news reporter who is deeply depressed by the way the world is hurtling towards its end. He is angry and heartbroken over the way humans have destroyed the earth, its beauty, and other life forms to serve their greedy behaviour. The fact that he has to report on all this has taken him to even more grim places, which have convinced him that the Earth is doomed. The helplessness of not being able to do anything about it makes him feel that there is no point in living anymore. Also, he is heartbroken over the breakup with Sylvie.
All these things convince Sexton that he must end things as soon as possible, and when we meet him, he is in the process of writing a suicide note. He has sleeping pills at the ready so he can take them as soon as he has figured out what his last words should be. Luckily, his roommate arrives just in time to unintentionally interfere with his plans. What makes things more interesting is that Sexton has several close brushes with death, like when he falls and gets his hand stuck under a refrigerator, or when he almost gets shot by Theo, who wants to bring his dead girlfriend back to life. On any normal day, Sexton would have died ten times over, but luckily, all these attempts on his life happened on the day that Death is on her leave.
Joining Death as a companion on her adventures gives a human point of view to the Endless. Previously, the show only ever presented Death in the context of her siblings, especially Dream, and her duty of helping people cross over to the other side. This is the first time that she is free of all that burden and wants to live as humanely as possible. Thus, putting her next to a human who wants to die makes things more interesting by contrast, and adds depth to the story as well as to the characters.
Colin Morgan Brings Life to Sexton’s Character
The role of Sexton Furnival in the bonus episode of ‘The Sandman’ Season 2 is played by Irish actor Colin Morgan. He is best known for playing the titular role in the BBC series ‘Merlin,’ which ran for five successful seasons. Apart from the fantasy series, the actor has appeared in Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar-nominated film, ‘Belfast.’ His more recent roles saw him in the historical drama called ‘The Gray House’ and the RTE drama series, ‘The Boy That Never Was,’ based on the book of the same name. He is also set to appear in David Gleeson’s drama film, ‘One Night Only,’ as a cinema owner battling a series of disasters.
Apart from films and TV shows, Morgan has also been active in theatre. This is where he started his acting career, and over the years, he has done all sorts of productions, from Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ to Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Todo sobre mi madre.’ He has also extensively worked in radio, in narration of documentaries and audiobooks, and voiced characters in video games. He has also authored a book called ‘The Ballad of Ronan McCoy’, which is set to be released in 2026. Refraining from social media, the actor has dedicated his time to work with charities and non-profit organisations, through which he raises funds for different causes, while also spreading awareness about them.
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