By: Kelly Kearney
After agreeing to hear every candidate for the vacant throne of Hell, Lord Morpheus—also known as Dream—finds himself faced with an impossible decision: should he give the key to a compassionate leader who cares for their people, or hand it to a power-hungry demon threatening to devour Queen Nada’s soul?
Dream Is Forced to Make a Choice
For Dream (Tom Sturridge), this is more than political—it’s deeply personal. He once condemned Nada (Umulisa Gahiga) to Hell for rejecting his love in favor of her duty to her people, sentencing her to 10,000 years of torment. Now, with his powers restored and perspective gained, he’s determined to right that wrong,but doing so could throw Hell into chaos. It’s a risk his sister Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) warned him about when she urged him to find a stable successor.
The episode opens with a horrifying image: Queen Nada writhing behind a placenta-like wall, trapped in one of Lord Azazel’s (Will Coban) many monstrous mouths. The demon—Hell’s former army commander—offers her release, but only if Morpheus agrees to hand over the keys. Dream doesn’t say yes, but his vague “I’ll consider it” only feeds the blackmail.
Once again, Dream is caught between duty and desire: does he put the needs of Hell first, or let his personal guilt and love for Nada cloud his judgment? It’s the same kind of choice that led to her punishment in the first place. Back then, he expected her to choose him over her people. Now, he’s trying to prove he can choose others over himself.
But Azazel is a dangerous option. Like many gods and rulers, he’s driven by ego and emotion. His desire for power is insatiable. Still, from a strategic standpoint, he might be the best option. Azazel and his demons have been displaced and need a home. As Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong) – Dream’s trusted librarian and advisor, points out, it’s better to have them locked in Hell than roaming freely through the realms, causing trouble for Dream and his siblings.
Dream, however, sees things deeper. Azazel will never be content ruling Hell. If given the throne, he’ll eventually turn his eyes toward other realms—including the Dreaming. He’s not just ambitious—he’s dangerous,and weidling the powers of Hell could make him unstoppable.
Lucienne understands, but raises the most important question: If you can’t trust Azazel, then who can you trust with the key? And what does that mean for Queen Nada?
A Midsummer’s Dream Revisited
When her brother Cluracan’s (Douglas Booth) nightly escapades keep her awake, Nuala (Ann Skelly) quietly slips out of her room, wandering through the corridors of the Dreaming. She finds herself on a grand staircase lined with floor-to-ceiling paintings—epic depictions of warriors and battles chronicling the long, storied history of Morpheus’s realm. As she takes in the extravagance, she’s met by Dream himself, who wonders if her chambers are not to her liking. Her room is beautiful, she assures him. That’s not why she’s wandering.
Morpheus is struck not only by Nuala’s loyalty—evident in how she dutifully delivered her rulers’ message—but also by her warmth, a rare trait among the power-hungry beings who arrived at his banquet to vie for the keys to Hell. He is so impressed that he offers to tell Queen Titania (Ruta Gedmintas) what an exemplary envoy she’s been. The young blonde, with her pointed faerie ears and poised demeanor, has made an impression.
Their conversation is friendly, as Nuala gently asks if he’s made his decision yet. She quickly apologizes, realizing she may have overstepped—but Morpheus responds honestly: the choice before him feels impossible.
The impression goes both ways. Nuala tells him she believes he can do the impossible—because she’s seen him do it before.That catches his attention.
She reminds him of a time long ago, when her rulers, King Auberon and Queen Titania, visited the mortal world. Morpheus doesn’t recall meeting her then, but she was there. He had more pressing matters at the time and missed their proper introduction. For him, it may have been just another night. But for her, it was unforgettable. She also heard that Dream was a frequent visitor to Faerie. He confirms it—it and the Dreaming are neighboring realms. She also remembers how his friendship with her Queen soured, and how his name became forbidden in their land. He was banned until he did something no one thought possible: he healed the rift between their worlds.
June 23rd, 1593—Sussex Downs, England.
In a flashback to how Morpheus fixed his relationship with the faeries royalty, he stands on a grassy hill where he’s greeted by none other than William Shakespeare (Luke Allen-Gale), who warmly welcomes him. An excited Shakespeare is preparing a special performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, staged by his troupe in a clearing near the hill. The guests will arrive soon—through a portal just beyond the hill.
As the actors ready the stage, Morpheus opens the gateway, and a host of faeries pours through. Among them: King Auberon (Royce Pierrson), Queen Titania, and the ever-mischievous Puck (Jack Gleeson). Their arrival is cautious—this event doubles as a diplomatic truce between the Dreaming and Faerie. Nuala—young and unnoticed—watches Morpheus with starstruck awe.
The play in honor of the royals, paints Queen Titania in a flattering light, going a long way toward mending the fractured relationship between her and Morpheus. During a break between acts, the Queen and Dream share an intimate conversation where she teases him for meddling in mortal affairs–a constant issue with the Dream God. He brushes it off—Shakespeare isn’t just any mortal, he’s an immortal playwright, one worthy of the royal’s attention.
Even Puck is charmed. So much so that he sprinkles a bit of magic on the actor playing him effectively opening the role to anyone with the ears to match. Then, in classic faerie fashion, he steals the mask right off the actor’s face and takes the stage himself. To the delight of everyone in attendance the performance is a success—and more than that, it’s a gesture. A gift from Dream to the rulers of Faerie: a story that will allow them to live on forever in the mortal’s imaginations. In return, Queen Titania lifts Dream’s banishment and grants him safe passage to Faerie once again.
As the portal emerges ready for everyone to leave, Nuala misses out on her introduction to Morpheus. She looks a bit crushed as she seems to be developing a soft spot for the king of dreams.
Nuala’s Dreamy King
Back in the present, Nuala recalls the word she overheard that night at the play. Dream assumes she’s quoting from the performance, but she gently corrects him: it wasn’t a line of dialogue—it was a word he whispered while she was listening to him, not the actors. She memorized it, another quiet sign of her deepening infatuation with the Dream King. She reflects on the grace with which Dream handled the feud between the king and queen of Faerie. He didn’t take sides—instead, he held up a mirror and let them see their own fault in the matter, and somehow, they still loved him for it. Now, she wonders aloud if it might be time for Dream to hold up a mirror to those who would impose Hell on him. Her words give him much to consider—and that thought pleases her enough that she might finally get some sleep. It’s been a long night. Even the sounds of her brother’s trysts won’t keep her awake now that her heart and mind feel settled—especially after the man of her dreams told her he was lucky to have met her.
Thanks to this late-night encounter, Dream finally makes his decision about who will rule Hell. He’s not like his sibling Desire, who thrives on drama and chaos, nor is he walking in the path of his missing brother Destruction, who lives up to his name. Dream is a pragmatic ruler, much like his sister Death. So, he returns Hell to the angels who originally created it—and to their Creator, who has the deepest interest in seeing it run properly.
Of course, Azazel—who hoped to install his displaced demons as rulers—is furious. He threatens to destroy Dream, but threatening a God in his own realm is a foolish mistake. Azazel underestimated Morpheus’ power to bend the realm to his needs. Knowing the demon commander won’t rest until he has his revenge, means Dream has no choice but to imprison him—freeing Nada from Azazel’s grasp in the process.
Now that Hell has a new ruler, the guests of the Dreaming depart—except for Lady Nuala. She learns she was sent as a gift to Morpheus by Queen Titania. Instead of leaving, she remains in his castle as his guest. Meanwhile, Loki (Freddie Fox)—ever the trickster—betrays Lord Susanoo-no-Mikoto (Kristofer Kamiyasu) and takes his place, avoiding a return to prison. Dream is forced to strike a deal with Loki, a bargain that leaves the god of mischief indebted to him.
The episode closes with a serene visit from Lucifer Morningstar who has embraced her retirement. She drops in to deliver the best line of the hour. The real emotional shocker of the episode comes from Nada, who isn’t feeling very thankful for the rescue. Dream longs to recapture the love he once shared with her, but she isn’t interested. After spending ten thousand years in Hell because of him, she’s unwilling to risk another disappointment—or another eternity of torment. Instead of joining him in the Dreaming, she chooses to return to the mortal world, practically begging him not to follow.
The encounter leaves Dream heartbroken. This is a wrong even he cannot undo. His sister Death suspected as much, but Dream—ever the romantic—hoped their love could withstand centuries of pain. If there’s one thing the Endless never lack, it’s ego.