DVD Commentary: The Briefest Moments (Doctor Who/Sherlock Holmes [classic] crossver)
This is from that DVD commentary meme. azriona requested that I examine one of my Support Stacie fics from back in the day, a Sherlock Holmes/Doctor Who crossover featuring Ten/Rose, and a degree of self-awareness on the part of the Doctor which is only just barely canonical. ;)
If it's not obvious, I'm fighting a case of the "FRIENDS promised me my mid-twenties would be FUN if I were single!" blahs tonight. So... try not to take anything I say the wrong way.
Shall we rock 'n roll? I think so.
The original fic is Here... but I'm commenting on the whole thing because it's just barely 500 words to begin with.
The Briefest Moments: Director's Commentary
I've commented before on how I think, during this period in my writing, I sometimes sacrificed what could have been a moment for mood-setting in order to drop the reader in mid-story... this is a classic example of that, but I think it works, mostly because I knew my audience would be able to put all of the pieces to this puzzle together really well. That's something they teach you in writing classes which I think is uniquely accessible in the fanfiction paradigm... "know your audience". For me, that's literally true. I KNOW most of you, and I knew that I could make a set of assumptions that perhaps I wouldn't make for, say, an anime fandom.
"Excuse me, very busy, if you don't mind getting out of my way," a man in a calf-length brown coat and a distinctive deerstalker brushed past the Doctor and Rose as they bent over a spot on the ground, investigating its contents. Suddenly, the man stopped and turned. "Actually, you seem to be a sharp-eyed fellow. Would you have happened to see a lady dressed as a man pass by here?" This is one of those lines which I read and I know that I hadn't yet seen Cumberbatch's Holmes. There would have been a smidge more condescension implied, some hint of sarcasm here, in this compliment... But I had yet to see his Holmes. It's interesting how actors can color our perceptions of character, isn't it?
"How long ago?" the Doctor asked absently, scoping up some of the green liquid and placing it in a vial, handing it to Rose. "Lots more women dressed as men than you'd think, although there is a marked tendency towards the reverse."
The man paused, his mouth working for a moment. "I am not often surprised. Can you give me your name, sir?"
"As a point of fact, no," the Doctor said, and rose to his feet, grinning. "But you can call me the Doctor. And this is Rose Tyler."
"Hello," she said, wagging her fingers. I adore Rose. I'm not sure I've said that enough lately, but I really do.
"There have been many times in my life where I could also not give my name," the man said, "so I will ask no further, except to say that a very good friend of mine also practices your profession. I find doctors to be... a refreshing sort of perspective on life." This is one of those times that I really, really wish I would allow myself to edit these as I commentate on them, but no. That awkward sentence must remain. There. Awkwardly. For all of time.
That being said... I like this admission from Holmes.
Rose laughed. "Oh, you have no idea."
"You're from London." The man said, whirling to look her directly in the face, "but not from this area. Far from home? Is this your chaperone? Father?" Trying to give Victorian Holmes a sense of decorum here... he was reluctantly chivalrous in the stories... reluctant, I say, because he could never quite get over that inherited male privilege, which is why Irene Adler could "beat" him in the first place.
"Friend," Rose said evenly.
"Ah," the man said. "In any case, I return to the original question. The time frame would have been no more than 12 minutes, perhaps ten."
"A lady, dressed as a man?" The Doctor nodded. "Oh yes, we both noticed her. I think you'll find, Mr. Holmes, that Ms. Adler went east."
"I..." Sherlock's mouth opened and closed again. "Thank you. I find myself quite... off-center with this whole debacle. I was not aware it was public knowledge."
"It's not. You remain as sharp as ever." The Doctor grinned. "I have a distinct advantage."
"Yes... well, of course."
"If it helps any, I sympathize. Women are -- " the Doctor shrugged eloquently. "Best hurry, though. You'll miss her, at this rate." A little sad because, of course, he does.
Sherlock nodded. "Good day, Doctor."
As he walked off, the Doctor mumbled under his breath, "Well, for me."
"Irene Adler? Didn't she scam him and run off with her Belgian or something?" Rose asked under her breath.
"Yeah," the Doctor said, and turned his attention to the green goop, but not before he focused his eyes briefly on her. "Sometimes even the briefest moments, Rose... they mean the most. He got to love her for days. Just a moment, really. In the span of their lives."
I should say here -- well, perhaps I shouldn't say, but I will say that this is one of those moments which I was sort of known for -- at least I had commented on, several times... a little bitter with the sweet. And it was always bitter because at this point in my life I'd lost hope on permanent happy endings... still sort of have, anyway. I think the Doctor's not wrong here, to observe that sometimes all we're allowed are the briefest moments, and those have to get us through the darkest days.
Rose squeezed his hand, and in her understanding way, said nothing. I'm not so sure that Rose knows what the Doctor's thinking of -- that he will, eventually, lose her, the way he's lost everyone. I think, at 19, she's probably just thinking about the ones he lost before her... but, of course. Nothing gold can stay.
If it's not obvious, I'm fighting a case of the "FRIENDS promised me my mid-twenties would be FUN if I were single!" blahs tonight. So... try not to take anything I say the wrong way.
Shall we rock 'n roll? I think so.
The original fic is Here... but I'm commenting on the whole thing because it's just barely 500 words to begin with.
The Briefest Moments: Director's Commentary
I've commented before on how I think, during this period in my writing, I sometimes sacrificed what could have been a moment for mood-setting in order to drop the reader in mid-story... this is a classic example of that, but I think it works, mostly because I knew my audience would be able to put all of the pieces to this puzzle together really well. That's something they teach you in writing classes which I think is uniquely accessible in the fanfiction paradigm... "know your audience". For me, that's literally true. I KNOW most of you, and I knew that I could make a set of assumptions that perhaps I wouldn't make for, say, an anime fandom.
"Excuse me, very busy, if you don't mind getting out of my way," a man in a calf-length brown coat and a distinctive deerstalker brushed past the Doctor and Rose as they bent over a spot on the ground, investigating its contents. Suddenly, the man stopped and turned. "Actually, you seem to be a sharp-eyed fellow. Would you have happened to see a lady dressed as a man pass by here?" This is one of those lines which I read and I know that I hadn't yet seen Cumberbatch's Holmes. There would have been a smidge more condescension implied, some hint of sarcasm here, in this compliment... But I had yet to see his Holmes. It's interesting how actors can color our perceptions of character, isn't it?
"How long ago?" the Doctor asked absently, scoping up some of the green liquid and placing it in a vial, handing it to Rose. "Lots more women dressed as men than you'd think, although there is a marked tendency towards the reverse."
The man paused, his mouth working for a moment. "I am not often surprised. Can you give me your name, sir?"
"As a point of fact, no," the Doctor said, and rose to his feet, grinning. "But you can call me the Doctor. And this is Rose Tyler."
"Hello," she said, wagging her fingers. I adore Rose. I'm not sure I've said that enough lately, but I really do.
"There have been many times in my life where I could also not give my name," the man said, "so I will ask no further, except to say that a very good friend of mine also practices your profession. I find doctors to be... a refreshing sort of perspective on life." This is one of those times that I really, really wish I would allow myself to edit these as I commentate on them, but no. That awkward sentence must remain. There. Awkwardly. For all of time.
That being said... I like this admission from Holmes.
Rose laughed. "Oh, you have no idea."
"You're from London." The man said, whirling to look her directly in the face, "but not from this area. Far from home? Is this your chaperone? Father?" Trying to give Victorian Holmes a sense of decorum here... he was reluctantly chivalrous in the stories... reluctant, I say, because he could never quite get over that inherited male privilege, which is why Irene Adler could "beat" him in the first place.
"Friend," Rose said evenly.
"Ah," the man said. "In any case, I return to the original question. The time frame would have been no more than 12 minutes, perhaps ten."
"A lady, dressed as a man?" The Doctor nodded. "Oh yes, we both noticed her. I think you'll find, Mr. Holmes, that Ms. Adler went east."
"I..." Sherlock's mouth opened and closed again. "Thank you. I find myself quite... off-center with this whole debacle. I was not aware it was public knowledge."
"It's not. You remain as sharp as ever." The Doctor grinned. "I have a distinct advantage."
"Yes... well, of course."
"If it helps any, I sympathize. Women are -- " the Doctor shrugged eloquently. "Best hurry, though. You'll miss her, at this rate." A little sad because, of course, he does.
Sherlock nodded. "Good day, Doctor."
As he walked off, the Doctor mumbled under his breath, "Well, for me."
"Irene Adler? Didn't she scam him and run off with her Belgian or something?" Rose asked under her breath.
"Yeah," the Doctor said, and turned his attention to the green goop, but not before he focused his eyes briefly on her. "Sometimes even the briefest moments, Rose... they mean the most. He got to love her for days. Just a moment, really. In the span of their lives."
I should say here -- well, perhaps I shouldn't say, but I will say that this is one of those moments which I was sort of known for -- at least I had commented on, several times... a little bitter with the sweet. And it was always bitter because at this point in my life I'd lost hope on permanent happy endings... still sort of have, anyway. I think the Doctor's not wrong here, to observe that sometimes all we're allowed are the briefest moments, and those have to get us through the darkest days.
Rose squeezed his hand, and in her understanding way, said nothing. I'm not so sure that Rose knows what the Doctor's thinking of -- that he will, eventually, lose her, the way he's lost everyone. I think, at 19, she's probably just thinking about the ones he lost before her... but, of course. Nothing gold can stay.