diff --git a/includes/dublin_core.inc b/includes/dublin_core.inc
index a53cfcfb..14d25392 100644
--- a/includes/dublin_core.inc
+++ b/includes/dublin_core.inc
@@ -151,7 +151,6 @@ class DublinCore {
    */
   public static function importFromXMLString($dc_xml) {
     $dc_doc = new DomDocument();
-    // a fix for the potential error of a missing DC (patching a possible fcrepo4 error)
     if (!empty($dc_xml) && $dc_doc->loadXML($dc_xml)) {
       $oai_dc = $dc_doc->getElementsByTagNameNS('http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/', '*');
       $new_dc = new DublinCore();
@@ -162,9 +161,7 @@ class DublinCore {
       }
       return $new_dc;
     }
-    else {
-      return NULL;
-    }
+    return NULL;
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/theme/theme.inc b/theme/theme.inc
index a2f1b74f..b1af50ab 100644
--- a/theme/theme.inc
+++ b/theme/theme.inc
@@ -107,29 +107,15 @@ function islandora_preprocess_islandora_default(&$variables) {
     }
   }
   $variables['datastreams'] = $datastreams;
-  try {
-    //pp,jm added missing value checks for fcrepo4
-    $datastream = $islandora_object['DC'];
-    if (isset($datastream)) {
-      $dc = $datastream->content;
-      $dc_object = DublinCore::importFromXMLString($dc);
-
-      if (isset($dc_object)) {
-        $dc_array = $dc_object->asArray();
-      }
-      else {
-        $dc_array = array();
-      }
-    }
-  }
-  catch (Exception $e) {
-    drupal_set_message(t('Error retrieving object %s %t', array('%s' => $islandora_object->id, '%t' => $e->getMessage())), 'error', FALSE);
+  // Objects in fcrepo4 don't always contain a DC datastream.
+  if (isset($islandora_object['DC'])) {
+    $dc_object = DublinCore::importFromXMLString($islandora_object['DC']->content);
+    $dc_array = $dc_object->asArray();
   }
   $variables['dc_array'] = isset($dc_array) ? $dc_array : array();
   $variables['islandora_dublin_core'] = isset($dc_object) ? $dc_object : NULL;
   $variables['islandora_object_label'] = $islandora_object->label;
-  global $base_url;
   if (isset($islandora_object['TN'])) {
-    $variables['islandora_thumbnail_url'] = $base_url . '/islandora/object/' . $islandora_object->id . '/datastream/TN/view';
+    $variables['islandora_thumbnail_url'] = url("islandora/object/{$islandora_object->id}/datastream/TN/view");
   }
 }