Orpheus revisited in the second season of "The Sandman" on Netflix.

Season two of "The Sandman" goes deep. Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the most-remembered Greek myths. At the wedding of Orpheus (here, the son of the muse Caliope and Morpheus - not Apollo) and Eurydice, the bride is bitten by a serpent and dies before their life together even begins. Orpheus descends into the underworld, and sings to Hades and Persephone in an attempt to rescue his beloved. Operas, visual arts, literature...the story is retold countless times over the centuries. Played here by Ruairí O'Connor (and voiceover by Regé-Jean Page), I didn't expect "The Sandman" to set a new standard for depicting Orpheus' story, but that's exactly what it does. What a shame the central scene lasts only seven minutes.

In the old texts, the trees leaned in to listen, the rivers ran silent, even the rocks shed tears. Sisyphus stopped pushing his boulder to listen. Tantalus ceased reaching for the water he would never drink. The goddesses of vengeance (Orpheus' three-in-one sister/grandmothers) wept. For the first time in our modern age, I feel the story has been done justice. Here, Persephone's breast heaves, so moved by the unfolding tale and the power of Orpheus' song. Then.... her eyes say "da fuk?" as a surging glow of longing uplifts the souls of the dead.

Antonia Desplat is REGAL in this short role. David Thewlis channels Paul Scofield. The whole second season of The Sandman is worthwhile, but IMHO this version of Orpheus (spread over two episodes) is a must-see.