Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series arrived today, along with Arc of Infinity, a Fifth Doctor adventure. The UK version of the latter includes another whole story and more extras, if I remember correctly from Doctor Who Magazine, so I'm slightly disappointed there. Ah, but no matter, because Series Three is here! At last!
Now, you may wonder why someone who has been watching downloaded copies (shh!) of the Series Three episodes almost continuously since their UK air dates would be so anxious to get the commercial copies of those same stories. But I've been watching the first two discs all evening, and nothing I've seen tonight has been identical to what I already had. Most of these new DVDs have David Tennant's Video Diaries, in which the actor chats about the filming of each episode before and after the day's shooting, comments on the date and the fans and the weather, interviews other actors and crew, and is generally both entertaining and surprisingly genuine and humble. Also Freema Agyeman, who plays Martha, takes the viewer on a studio tour, recorded just this past summer. There are deleted and extended scenes, outtakes and trailers. And each episode has subtitles and an autio commentary. The subtitles are great for deciphering the odd garbled line, although there are mistakes here and there.
But the real treasure is the commentary. See, the BBC's Doctor Who web site has an audio commentary already for each story, so you wouldn't expect this to be a big selling point. But it is, because they are completely different commentaries! The online ones were done just before each air date, but these are done more in retrospect, with the actors, producers et al. free to mention things that happen later in the series. Cool!
With this box of delights to enjoy, I haven't gotten any fiction writing in, but progress has nevertheless been made. Sara G gave me some thoughts about a major reworking of Chapter One of Heirs, designed to get it off to a quicker, more dramatic start. I'm not sure I can make myself make all these rather drastic changes, but I'm going to try. I've done a "Save As" from hm01.doc to hm01e.doc, and pasted in the suggestions in the back. Now I can do the big rewrite without endangering the original document, in case it doesn't work out. Meanwhile Sarah K is going to be working on the next installment of "Later This Somewhere," based on my first draft. I'm very interested to see what she does with it.
The other good news, actually the best news of the day, is that Tuffy has been begging us for food. Definitely a hooray there! John and I are very relieved.
I had an absolutely miserable day at work today, trying to figure out something very difficult while continuously sniffling and blowing my nose and sneezing. Whatever I was allergic to, it didn't back off all day, despite a trip home at lunch for two kinds of allergy medicine. This evening at home it finally subsided, perhaps in delayed reaction to Nasonex, perhaps because I'm less exposed to pollen or mold or dust or whatever it is in the house tonight. But now that I'm almost off to bed, I'm starting on a relapse. Fortunately, I can take my usual double dose of Benedryl and sleep! Which I will do approximately right now. Good night!
Karen
3 comments:
And you can't forget that Time-Flight also hit DVD this week.
I think Sara G has the right idea. I'm really curious about her suggestions. I wonder if she's had similar thoughts as I did. That first chapter can make or break a book...and the promise I see in book two and three (which really draw you in!)...book one needs to be just as compelling. :-)
I am one who really enjoys watching the commentaries of movies that impressed me. I will by the discs for that reason. Lots of insight there. Sometimes as or more interesting than the film itself. I hope you find out what the cause of the allergy attack is, or that your body adjusts to it soon. Get some rest.
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