“Dream Sequence” from iHeart Media, Realm, Blumhouse Television and Realm takes the concept of lucid dreaming from “Inception” and turns it into a lite psychological thriller with an antagonist along the lines of the one found in “Quiet Part Loud” from Spotify. The podcast and a number of other Realm shows also won multiple Signal Awards in October 2024.

Stories About Dream Sequences: From Plato to Inception

Plenty of stories have dealt with dreams. The use of dreams in these stories vary from being integral to the plot all the way to the “it was all a dream” cliche. Perhaps one of the first examples is the “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato from Ancient Greece. Of course that all depends on your definition of dream. The allegory dealt with reality and deception. Can we be sure what we are seeing is the truth? Would we believe someone if they told us everything before were lies? Later philosophers like Descartes would try to answer the first question. The first Matrix film and “Inception” would be popular examples of the latter.

Deep Dreams are Back on The Menu

First episode is funnier than one would expect for a show labelled as horror. In fact, I’d use the word horror loosely in this case. The opening few scenes had more in common tonally with “The Menu” starring Ralph Fiennes. While not providing social commentary on foodie culture, both it and “Dream Sequence” use humor effectively. In the podcast’s case, the banter between characters lasts until the end of episode two. Obviously, a movie works differently than something serialized. The percentage of humor to horror in “Dream Sequence” is less than “The Menu.” The said, the movie has more depth because of its satire. As for the podcast, everything feels surface level and that works to its benefit.

It would be easy to overcomplicate the science of dreams to the point where it’s just “Inception” the podcast. “Dream Sequence” is the perfect blend of “Inception” and “Tenet.” Two Christopher Nolan films with high-concept plots, but very different executions. The episodes build the story gradually until it reaches a plateau after episode six. At the time of this writing, nine episodes are out on their podcast feed. Maybe finishing my second listen will change my opinion. It certainly helped with episodes 3-4 where I got so much more enjoyment the second time through.

Quiet Part Loud’s Antagonist Made Manifold

“Dream Sequence” is a story about nightmares. It has depth and a high concept idea like “Inception” and the theme park ride aesthetic of “Tenet.” That film feels more like Nolan’s greatest hits turned into a single movie. “Dream Sequence” in contrast to “Inception” has more emotional depth than intellectual stimulation for the individual.

In addition to Nolan’s dream heist, “Dream Sequence” also shares an element of Gimlet’s “Quiet Part Loud.” It takes the ethereal antagonist of that Spotify original and plops it into another story. The two forces’ motivations may different, but their function in their respective stories are similar to each other. If memory serves, “Quiet Part Loud” doesn’t name its antagonist. In “Dream Sequence,” it has name.

A Dream Sequence, Conspiracies and Flashbacks

How we get from not believing a dream monster is real to unsure if there’s a possibility of it being true is kind of forced. The entire episode with the conspiracy convention felt there only to make it clear that May 17 is an important day and plot point. It’s brought up before, but this just cements it in the listener’s mind. I wish the story had more of a reason to be set at a convention. I should add this mostly happened on the second listen. Sometimes plot beats are obvious for a reason. The second time through just didn’t sit well with me.

Episode six is a flashback episode and a great example of balancing suspense and horror. We learn more about what happened to Sadie and Kay’s parents. The blend of found-footage horror aspect combined with suspense recontextualized the death of the two sibling’s parents. It also answers the question of why Sadie isn’t in jail for drugging her parents.

The story after episode six goes back to the normal cinematic format through the finale. Episode 10 released on September 30, 2024. The last four episodes try to consolidate everything from the mystery of Manifold to Kaye and Sadie’s relationship. This A-Plot/B-Plot of sort again reminded me of “Inception.” There’s the job and answering the question will they succeed as the more action oriented plot. The more interpersonal and emotional core of the movie are spit between Cobb and Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy’s character). I got more emotional at Fischer reconciling with his father than Cobb finally coming home to his kids, regardless of whether the final shot is a dream. Having the interpersonal and emotional plots link together is a tried and true technique of fiction writing. They don’t have to go together, like in “Inception,” but it’s often more satisfying when a story can achieve multiple things at once. Despite linking Manifold’s demise to the two estranged sisters forgiving the other, the impact overall felt less than the sum of its parts.

8/10 Stars