Doctor Who: Complete Series 9 [Blu-ray]

Two Christmas episodes in one Complete Series set. That is a first, isn't it?Yes, in "Doctor Who: Complete Series 9", we get not only the 12 episodes in the series, but the 2014 Christmas Special Doctor Who: Last Christmasand the 2015 Special Doctor Who: The Husbands of River SongThere seems to be a lot of people who either don't like Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, or who don't appreciate the convoluted stories that make up this series, or both. I think I understand. Don't get me wrong, I love Doctor Who, including Series 9. But the stories do often go beyond straight sci-fi adventure stories. There's more twisty-turny stuff going on (which may be a relative of the timey-wimey stuff).But how could I resist seeing more of Missy? And I liked the exploration of immortality as a curse. Also, I was fascinated by the idea of toiling 4 billion years to save someone. That's the opposite side of immortality being a curse.There are a lot of Bonus Extras included with the Complete Series 9 Collection. The only ones that may be repeats from prior releases are the "Behind the Scenes Featurettes". These may be the equivalents of the "Doctor Who Extras" included as Bonuses on the Series 9 Parts One and Two Releases.Doctor Who: Series 9 Part 1Doctor Who: Series 9 Part 2If, like me, you enjoy re-watching episodes with commentaries, then this Complete Series 9 is for you. Three commentaries – a nice treat.Bonus Extras:....A. Commentary Track for episodes 3 & 4 "Under the Lake" and "Before the Flood". Commentators include Sophie Stone (plays Cass, 2nd in command a The Drum), Toby Whithouse (writer) and Derek Ritchie (producer).....B. Commentary Track for episode 6 "The Woman Who Lived". Commentators include Maisie Williams (plays Lady Me) and Derek Ritchie.....C. Commentary Track for episode 9 "Sleep No More". Commentators include Reece Shearsmith (plays Gagon Rassmussen, creator of the Morpheus Pods) and Mark Gatiss (writer).....D. Behind the Scenes. These short featurettes have interview snippets with cast and crew during the filming. The snippets for 2-parters are presented together:--Episodes 1 & 2 "The Magician's Apprentice" and "The Witch's Familiar". Commentators include Peter Capaldi, Michelle Gomez (plays Missy) and Steven Moffat (lead writer).--Episodes 3 & 4 "Under the Lake" and "Before the Flood". Commentators include Paul Kaye (plays Prentis, a Tivelian), Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman (plays Clara), Toby Whithouse (writer) and Michael Pickwoad (production designer).--Episodes 5 & 6 "The Girl Who Died" and "The Woman Who Lived". Commentators include Maisie Williams, Rufus Hound (plays Sam Swift, highwayman) and Peter Capaldi.--Episodes 7 & 8 "The Zygon Invasion" and "The Zygon Inversion". Commentators include Ingrid Oliver (plays Osgood, both of them), Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman.--Episode 9 "Sleep No More". Commentators include Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith, Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and Steven Moffat.--Episode 10 "Face the Raven". Commentators include Joivan Wade (plays Rigsy), Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and Steven Moffat.--Episodes 11 & 12 "Heaven Sent" and "Hell Bent". Commentators include Steven Moffat, Rachel Talalay (director), Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman.--2015 Christmas Special "The Husbands of River Song". Commentators include Matt Lucas (plays Nardole), Greg Davies (plays King Hydroflax), Peter Capaldi, Alex Kingston (plays River Song) and Steven Moffat.....E. Series 8 recap....F. Series 9 Trailers and Prologue. In the 1-minute long Prologue, the Doctor is hiding out with the Sisters of Karn.Sister: "Why do you always lie?"Doctor: "Why do you always assume I'm lying?"Sister: "It saves time."....G. "The Doctor's Meditation" (6 minutes) This is a prequel to "The Magician's Apprentice", the 1st episode of Series 9. The Doctor picks a remote castle n 1138 Essex to ponder what may be the upcoming end of his life. Pondering includes being a magician. Ordering the digging of wells. And asking for a sun-roof.Medieval Laird: "What is it you dread?"Doctor: "Why would I dread anything?"Laird: "You're always making jokes. You never sit still, like a man in fear of days to come."....H. Deleted Scenes....I. "2015 San Diego Comic Con Panel" (63 minutes) Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Michelle Gomez and Steven Moffat on the San Diego state, moderated by Chris Harwick (TV host and uber-fan).Capaldi starts out: "I've never been in front of 7,000 people before in my life."Gomez is asked about Missy and the Doctor: "It's this great friendship that just went wrong.... It seems to be like her life's purpose to chase after the Doctor and try and make him understand: "No – YOU started it. I'M right."....J. Wil Wheaton interviews Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman. Wheaton is an American blogger and actor, probably best known for his portrayal of young Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation".....K. "Writing Who". Women writers have not been common on Doctor Who. This documentary follows Sarah Dollard as she creates "Trap Street", an episode that became Season 9's "Face the Raven". First she had to pitch her idea to Steven Moffat, then write the first draft, eventually seeing her story actually filmed. Dollard was born in Australia and moved to England to write for the BBC. In an interview she says "Getting to play in the Doctor Who toy box is a dream come true. It’s a total honor to contribute to a show that has brought me such joy as a fan. However, writing for Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman has presented a serious problem: some days I’ve been too excited to actually sit down and type!”....L. "Dalek Devotion" In this feature, Steven Moffat tells how he was inspired by Dalek episodes written by Terry Nation, as he devised the two opening episodes of Series 9. Nation did not just write episodes with Daleks, he's credited with creating the Daleks, starting with the December 1963 episode, "The Daleks", for the first Doctor. Peter Capaldi features also.....M. "The Adventures of River Song" (10 minutes) Nina Toussaint-White plays Mels, Amy and Rory's childhood friend in "Let's Kill Hitler" (episode 8, series 6). She's back to narrate this special where Alex Kingston and Steven Moffat talk about the creation of the River Song character. And why Alex just had to play it.....N. "Doctor Who: Sublime Online" This is a selection of video shorts from on-line, behind the scenes of Series 9. Includes many of the cast and characters.....O. "Clara's Journey" Colin McFarlane (plays Moran in "Under the Lake") takes us on a look at the life and times of the Impossible Girl. He interviews Peter Capaldi, Matt Smith (the 11th Doctor) and Jenna Coleman.....P. "The Fan Show's Finest". Christel Dee, or Captain Christel, hosts "Doctor Who: The Fan Show" on the Official Doctor Who youtube channel. For this featurette, she combines some of her videos, including "a peek inside Steven Moffat’s writing lair, a look into the Old Monster’s Retirement Home and step into the amazing world of Minecraft to find out how fans are celebrating their love for the show online". Last, but not least, she has mini-interviews with Peter Capaldi and Michelle Gomez.Now that's a lot of bonuses.Happy Reader