The Sandman season 1 episode 7 recap: The Doll’s House

This article contains SPOILERS for The Sandman season 1 episode 7.

Rose Walker’s journey begins when she is flown to London to learn about her family’s history in the seventh episode of The Sandman season 1.

Catch up here on everything from the last episode!

This episode begins with Dream reading a dream history book with the name Rose Walker on the cover. The audience is then clued in on what he is reading when it shows a young girl, Rose, and her younger brother, Jed, packing up their things.

The episode takes us to 2015, in Cape Kennedy, Florida. The siblings are getting ready to move to New Jersey.

Their mom comes in and lets them know only Rose will go to New Jersey since their father, who has custody, will not let Jack go with his ex-wife. Rose has to leave with Jack pleading for her.

The Sandman season 1 episode 7: Desire’s plans become clear

At Desire’s palace, they are informing their sister, Despair, that Dream is free. Despair asks if their sibling will try again to change him, but Desire explains that since Dream still has not learned, they have to.

After taking full credit for Nada, as seen in episode 4, and for Sir Roderick Burgess, Desire states there is a dream vortex who is a woman. She will surely be their brother’s undoing.

The woman that will end Dream, according to Desire, is Rose Walker. In 2021, Rose is now a teenager living in New Jersey.

Her mom has since passed on and she is trying to locate her brother but having no luck. The money that was left for her by her mom all went to her apartment, ensuring Rose had a roof over her head.

Two folks, Lyta and Carl, are with Rose at this most recent obstacle in finding Jed. Lyta is a family friend who is taking Rose to London for a seven-day paid research trip into her family.

On the plane, Rose explains how this foundation wanted to meet her mom, but she died before she could go. After Rose falls asleep on the plane, Lyta talks to the passenger across the aisle and gives a brief rundown of what Rose is going through.

She explains to this man how she has compassion for Rose since she lost her husband and feels empty without him. This man turns out to be her husband, Hector and is just a dream.

The Sandman season 1 episode 7: Dream learns of his census

Within the Dreaming, Lucienne is talking to Abel about the dream vortex. Lucienne shrugs it off as gossip as she carries on taking her census for Abel’s home.

When she returns to Lord Morpheus, she informs him of the number of entities along with the unfortunate news that three of the Arcana are missing. The three are Gault, a shape-shifter, The Corinthian, an antagonist familiar to the audience, and Fiddler’s Green, one that perplexes Dream considering his longstanding loyalty.

Lucienne also shares the “gossip” from Abel about the dream vortex, something the King of Dreams knows about and surprisingly welcomes with a smirk on his face. Dream clarifies to Lucienne the dream vortex is a “she” and could possibly help their other three problems since vortexes attract dreams.

Matthew volunteers himself to keep an eye on Rose in the Waking World. Dream accepts since everything Matthew sees, he will also see.

During that drive to their final location, Rose dreams of a gold annulet. When they arrive at their destination, they discover it is a private care home in Sussex where a lawyer/solicitor is waiting for them named Mr. Holdaway.

The owner of the “foundation” is a resident here and the solicitor brings them to his client, Unity Kincaid. In Unity’s room, Rose remarks about the pristine dollhouse that did not get played with when she was younger.

The reason for this is that she fell under “the sleepy sickness” or encephalitis lethargica all those years ago while she was just a little girl.

The Sandman season 1 episode 7: Rose Walker’s family grows

During her dreams, Unity dreamt of a life where she took over her father’s business, met a man with golden eyes, and had a baby. When she woke eight months ago, after Dream was freed, she discovered everything was a lie, except for her baby.

In actuality, Unity did give birth and that baby would grow up to have a family of her own and give birth to Rose’s mom, Miranda. This means Unity is Rose’s great-grandmother but also that she lied to her about why she wanted them to meet.

Almost immediately, Rose embraces Unity like the long-lost relative she is. Lyta gives the two some privacy so they can properly catch up.

In Huntsville, Alabama three members of a planning committee are trying to find a replacement guest of honor for their event since their headliner dropped out. Some names are thrown around, one of them being Candyman before they all agree only The Corinthian is their best bet for a good event.

Since he has been asked every year to appear at this event for killers and declines, The Good Doctor suggests they copy the nightmare’s style. Since this goes against their killer code, Nimrod does not give his confirmation.

The Good Doctor goes to the bathroom after being turned down by her co-committee chairs. When she returns, she tells Nimrod and Fun Land she went ahead with her plan, murdered their waiter and stole the eyes just as The Corinthian does.

The Sandman season 1 episode 7: Unity Kincaid has a job for Rose

Back at Rose’s apartment, her friend Carl is house-sitting. There is a knock on the door, and it is revealed to be The Corinthian looking for Rose.

The nightmare tells the lie that he wants to offer Rose a job and ends up wooing Carl into letting him inside the apartment. After conversing with Unity for a short while, Rose goes to find Lyta but hears women calling for her.

Rose walks into a closet where the Fates are there trying to warn her. She asks the wrong question when she could have learned about The Corinthian, how to find Jed, or about Morpheus.

Lyta turns the closet lights on and snaps Rose out of her trance. They all go back to Unity and sit down for a meal.

Unity learns that Lyta and Hector were like family to Rose and Miranda, so she immediately welcomes them into her family after hearing of Hector’s passing. Unity then employs Rose and Lyta to find Jed so she can meet her great-grandson.

Since her family is sugar magnates, Unity can happily and easily afford to help them locate Jed. Before she goes, Unity gifts Rose her family’s gold annulet, making her dream come true.

After Carl and The Corinthian hook up, the nightmare wanders around the apartment finding clues about Rose. One of these clues was a picture of Judy, confirming that Rose Walker was the friend who was trying to help Judy with her relationship problems in episode 5.

Carl asks about the job he has for Rose to which The Corinthian explains he wants her to work for him so they both can put his old boss out of business. The nightmare then gets a notification about someone copying his style, so he departs leaving his card for Rose to call him.

In the Dreaming realm’s library, Lucienne is informing Matthew of all the important details about Rose Walker. Then, the janitor, Merv Pumpkinhead, walks up and asks about the vortex; something Lucienne emphasizes Dream has under control.

Merv and Lucienne tell Matthew to keep an eye out for anything traumatic that might trigger Rose fulfilling her vortex abilities.

The Sandman season 1 episode 7: Rose and Lyta ask about Jed

Down in Cape Kennedy, Rose and Lyta arrive at their B&B to find all the quirky houseguests they will be staying with. The owner, Hal Carter, has already shared Rose’s story with them all since there are no secrets in the Bed and Breakfast.

After checking in, Rose and Lyta go to the foster agency. Although they do not find out where Jed is, the social worker explains that he was taken in by their father’s friends and fostered by her brother.

Rose takes solace in knowing his brother has people who care about him.

Rose accompanies her housemates to get drinks at the drag show Hal is performing at. Suddenly Unity calls Rose.

She takes the call outside but is attacked by a bunch of thugs. A kind older man tries to lend his assistance, but Rose fights off the goons without any of his help.

Gilbert is the man who helped her who also just so happens to be the last person who is staying with them at the B&B. Matthew witnesses all this and reports back to Lucienne.

They find out Jed is missing from the Dreaming and Waking world.

The Sandman season 1 episode 7: The truth about Jed

The same three killers are at the diner in Huntsville, Alabama where Nimrod and Fun Land reveal they killed people and stole their eyes. The Corinthian arrives and threatens to kill them all until he receives his invitation to be their keynote speaker.

This nightmare agrees as long as he can bring a plus one since he intends to have Rose with him. The episode ends with Rose waking up that first night in the B&B to open her closet.

She walks through the door to find it was a passageway to Dream’s palace overhearing him and Lucienne talking about how Jed might be a vortex too. When Rose asks about Jed, the audience is shown him frantically running down a road where his maternal guardian, Aunt Clarice, drives by and sees him.

The much younger Jed tries to convince Clarice they have to go but she hesitates long enough for Barnaby to show up. He takes Jed and, after removing the loaded shotgun, has him placed in the trunk of his car.

All this proves the social worker was wrong and Jed does not have people who care for him.

Do you think someone let Rose into Dream’s palace or was it her power? How do you think Dream will handle Rose being in his palace?

Do you think any of the other deserting arcana are going to become important to the plot? Let us know your answers and opinions in the comments below!

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