Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City Chapter II Review

Author's Note: This review was originally published in February 2021. It's been edited and republished.

I’m always on the hunt for a good story. I mean, between seasons of Dimension 20. As of writing these words, The Unsleeping City Chapter II is already past episode 14.

I figured it's time to introduce the season to those who know Dimension 20 but haven’t caught The Unsleeping City yet. But if you don't know Dimension 20, that's fine too!

Each core cast season has about 17-18 episodes. Episodes of the show air every Wednesday on Dropout.

This particular season is a sequel. If you want to read about its predecessor, you can read that review here.

By the way: this article will include spoilers! They will be for season one,the and minor spoilers for the beginning of season two.

So without further ado, let’s dive in and review this season of Dimension 20.

New Beginnings

In my interview with Brennan, he said they decided on chapter 2 instead of a new season. The Pandemic made everything complicated. Instead, they chose to explore new beginnings in a familiar setting.

The Heroes of New York are familiar. Returning to their stories is an excellent way to dive into lockdown productions.

This season is a direct continuation of Chapter 1, but it happens three years after that season’s events.

No Minis

This entire season was shot remotely and not in the dome because all cast members were in lockdown. They also introduced a system called Roll20 to have an online board during battles.

Rick Perry (the master of the minis in previous seasons of Dimension 20) was also involved in this season. Just not with minis this time. He was the creative director of this season as well as previous seasons.

Rick and all the artists involved did a remarkable job on this season’s look and feel.

Exploring Mental Health

Pete and Sophia are two characters with Traumatic pasts and must deal with them daily. They introduced a new system of rolling the die on triggers and resolving success or relapse.

The cast included this system with the help of sensitivity advisers. They advised to let the die decide if a mental health trigger has any effect or not. 

Both Emily and Ally were in charge of their respective dice rolls. If they considered something as triggering, they would roll alone and react to the result. They would let Brennan know whether the dice roll was successful or not.

This is a great way to respect mental health and explore the challenges people have daily. We don’t see what the person in front of us is going through. Looking through that lens is vital to educating people about mental health. Also about the importance of getting help and caring for yourself.

It’s the one thing that Dimension 20 always did well. The cast cares about their audience, what they are going through, and the challenges they face. Introducing such a system is respectful to people who might go through things we don’t see. I admire them for that.

Coming Back to The Familiar

This season we return to follow "The Heroes of New York." 

We pick up where they left off only after a “short” break of three years.

Kingston Brown is still the Vox Populi of New York City and is now living with Liz and a cute dog.

Pete the plug left the drugs behind. Now he's doing something more productive and healthy with his life. He started working at a bookshop.

Ricky Matsui decided to leave the fire department. Now he's doing other meaningful things with his time, like volunteering in a kids’ shelter. He also lives with Esther Sinclair, the new head of The Gramercy Occult Society.

Sofie Bikes kept being the first fist of the order of the Midnight Sun. She never got over Dale’s death, but she went to therapy and cared for herself as best she could. Sofie also stayed in touch with La Gran Gata, becoming a powerful fighter in darkness.

By the end of last season, the characters Kugrash and Rowan left the party. Kug sacrificed himself for the good of all and ate the bagel that made him a part of everything in the universe. After Rowan’s victory over Titania, she established her own Seelie court. Now she is managing it, so she left the party to live there and make that pocket dimension thrive.

The party introduced new characters we’ll discuss next to replace Kugrash and Rowan.

Introducing Two New Characters

The fates of Kugrash and Rowan led the cast to introduce new characters for Siobhan and Murph.

These characters are Iga Lisowski and Cody “Night Angel” Walsh.

Iga performs Tarot readings for famous people in New York and the unsleeping city. Cody is a paladin who is a total goth with many swords and geeky ideas.

The Big Baddie

In season one, the big boss was something that you can pinpoint. It was not only the boss of an organization (Robert Moses) but also a target you could defeat (the American Dream).

This time, the cast decided to switch this goal and now target something that is not a person. It’s not one target that you can defeat – it’s an idea. This season, we will explore the Deeper Dreaming, Nod’s family, and what it means to not be in the moment.

D&D has more ways to solve problems than fights, and I’m excited for you to see those moments!

Powerful Storytelling as Usual

It doesn't matter if the players are around the table together or on a conference call. Brennan still weaves the tale with hooks and consequences we all know and love.

We will still explore powerful emotions, relationships, the consequences of our actions, and more. Above all, this experience will let us escape this pandemic into a magical New York City we all want to visit.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that I love Dimension 20. I love the characters and the people who portray them, and I also love a good story.

If you haven’t watched any Dimension 20, I urge you to start with The Unsleeping City or Fantasy High.

All seasons are so good, and this season is for those who watched season one. So do yourself a favor, watch season one, and then dive in to watch this season.

The Unsleeping City Chapter II airs every Wednesday on Dropout.tv.

Let me know in the comments what’s your favorite season of Dimension 20 so far!