Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[dipsofjazz]

I would like to tell everyone how much I am enjoying this thread.
I would also like to ask everyone for some help.

I am a music teacher in a high school here in Edinburgh, Scotland. One of my colleagues teaches Religious and Moral Studies, and she is going to be doing some lessons in a week or so to 14/15 year old pupils about gender stereotypes, and how these are shown on tv. She wants them to see how some characters can be shown as strong women, and I was telling her about Sam Carter. I have shown her the thread here on GW, but of course, I have to explain many of the references as she isn't a Stargate viewer! She wants to use some of the comments in her lessons, and since I have the dvd's of S1-6, she asked if she could use some of them to reinforce what we are talking about. I wonder if you have any suggestions for specific episodes that show Sam at her best. Obviously, the school pupils will NOT be sitting watching full episodes, but I need some scenes that show Sam at her best. I have a terrible memory and would like some input from other people as I'm sure I'll probably miss some vital moments!
I hope you don't mind me asking you for help, but any input would be most welcome.
You can answer here on the thread, PM me or e mail me at [email protected]

Thanks everybody.

[astrogeologist]

It’s sooo good after all these years to finally see a female character in scifi who seems real, and maybe that’s one of the reasons that she’s struck a chord with us.

I’m really hopeful that in the ninth season TPTB treat the character with the respect she’s earned over the last 8 years, but I keep remembering the scene in Fragile Balance when Sam was briefing the pilots and was shown complete disrespect. Then young Jack comes in and he’s accepted with very little hesitation. I just cringe when I see that scene. I know it was a way of making it clear that Jack was still Jack and still held the esteem of the pilots, but I felt it was at Sam’s expense. Astrog, I love your fanfic, Come Fly With Me, which addresses that scene.

Nearly Circular, I wrote 'Come Fly With Me' last spring based on what I'd read in online comments and posts from Stargate fans about the pilots' briefing in 'Fragile Balance'. About a month ago, I finally got the Season 7 DVDs and got to watch the episode for myself. I have to say that the fans were correct - that scene was difficult to watch as they allowed the other pilots and young O'Neill to insult Carter. It's too bad that little scene was handled the way that it was, because the rest of the episode seemed to go over so well with the overall Stargate fandom (folks seem to really like the young actor's caricature of the relentlessly sarcastic and childish characteristics of the older O'Neill).

Oh yes I agree with that scene re the briefing. I just couldn't believe that. That wouldn't really happen, I'm sure they would be more disciplined than that. A boob by the writers I think. One of a few in season 7!!!

I don't think that the character of Sam Carter should know everything or be too perfect - people tend to dislike know-it-alls or people who are always right... SC shouldn't be 'Little Miss Perfect' because people can't relate to that. On the other hand, I really do hate to see the main female lead being arrogantly dismissed by the main male lead. That sets a tone that women do not need to propogate or portray.

The only thing that I thought was well-handled in that pilots' briefing scene was the totally professional way that AT portrayed Sam Carter. Even after young O'Neill barged in and childishly took over, she stood respectfully and did not look pissed - or angry - or childish. Neither did she look comfloombled or weak. She maintained the proper military decorum and faced the pilots straight on as young O'Neill spoke.

That's what amazes me -- AT often manages to maintain a portrayal of inner strength - in spite of what the writers come up with. And that is part of what I got out of that quote from Barbara Stanwyck

"Women are too often shown as the victims on TV and film.
I want to play a woman of strength.

I’ll show emotions, I’ll show vulnerabilities...
My character can be victimized, but I will not play the victim."

So out of that pilots' briefing scene, the part that I liked was that Sam did not play the victim. She wasn't whiny, pissy, cowed or browbeaten. She took it in stride (at least externally) and she stood strong, straight and face-on in spite of the insults.

OK... off the soapbox ... for now...
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[astrogeologist]

Yes! Desperate Measures and New Order had pretty big things happen to Sam, and have shown no fall out from such harrowing ordeals. Sam's not a machine, so where's the reactions? But like I said before, they've done it with the guys as well (Jack and Abyss anyone?).

I also thought there should be some mention of fallout. They don't have to dedicate a whole episode to the consequences of New ORder, for example, but it would be nice to get a mention like "how are the nightmares?"

I rather wished she had gone out dating a few chaps (not at the same time) (does anyone find Mr Right that quickly at our age?), had a nice time, gained some confidence

It's too bad that there weren't simple comments throughout the eight seasons... just simple comments about Daniel's latest date... or Sam's... or Jack's or Teal'c's... give them lives outside of work... With just a few passing comments here and there while they are eating lunch or something. Then there wouldn't have been seven years of nothing followed by one episode of overdose.

I think one of the problems with Sam or any other character on a fairly action-y show like this is that the writers may feel they have little time to devote to personal stuff. they may think: " But we've got to attack the Gou'ald and we have cool special effects to show!" When fans say they like the personal stuff they say--ok let's do a whole episode. But I think what some of you have said about seeing Sam's different sides in various episodes might have been better.

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It's too bad that the writers haven't been able to handle the personal lives of the main characters with just little asides and comments sprinkled throughout the episodes. Instead of allowing years to pass without any comments... which leads to glaring holes in the character development... holes that ultimately scream to be filled... and then the series writers decide to focus entire episodes that sail into unfamiliar territory for the viewers.

Little snippet scenes of the outside lives of J,S,D & T... comments at meals about their social lives and interests... just a few sentences each episode... These lines would establish depth to each of the characters - and make them more realistic and easier to relate to.

Just say... a comment about Jack's family... Are either of his parents still alive? How about a comment about any siblings?

Or a comment about Daniel's neighbors - are they noisy, nosey, quiet? How's Sarah? Or is he dating anyone?

Or a comment about Cassie and what she's up to now. Is she living with Sam?

Or comments about what Teal'c does with his spare time... especially since he's still living on base! Or comments on how Ry'ac is doing... or Ishta (in a personal manner, not professional...).

Or comments and inquiries that show that they are concerned for each other... after episodes like 'Entity' or 'Abyss'

And some comments about their relationships... 'How did that date go last night?' or some such.

Short dialogue exchanges can do so much for enriching the characters. The comments about O'Neill's cabin in Minnesota do so much for that character.

TEAL'C: There appears to be no fish here, O'Neill.
JACK: T, it's not about the actual FISH themselves.
The fish are not important in this context, it's about fish-ING! The ACT of fishing.
TEAL'C: I see.

Look at how short that scene with Sam's motorcycle was (in the episode 'The Curse' and if you blinked, you'd missed it), but it gave a dimension to the character that took her beyond standard academic geekiness.. and fit with the jet-pilot background.


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Photos are screen captures from the episode 'The Curse'
Transcript excerpts are from the Stargate SG-1 Transcript website
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[astrogeologist]

I would like to tell everyone how much I am enjoying this thread.
I would also like to ask everyone for some help.

I am a music teacher in a high school here in Edinburgh, Scotland. One of my colleagues teaches Religious and Moral Studies, and she is going to be doing some lessons in a week or so to 14/15 year old pupils about gender stereotypes, and how these are shown on tv. She wants them to see how some characters can be shown as strong women, and I was telling her about Sam Carter. I have shown her the thread here on GW, but of course, I have to explain many of the references as she isn't a Stargate viewer! She wants to use some of the comments in her lessons, and since I have the dvd's of S1-6, she asked if she could use some of them to reinforce what we are talking about. I wonder if you have any suggestions for specific episodes that show Sam at her best. Obviously, the school pupils will NOT be sitting watching full episodes, but I need some scenes that show Sam at her best. I have a terrible memory and would like some input from other people as I'm sure I'll probably miss some vital moments!
I hope you don't mind me asking you for help, but any input would be most welcome.
You can answer here on the thread, PM me or e mail me at [email protected]

Thanks everybody.

I recommend the following music video montages:
>>> 'Not Just Another Pretty Face' by Shima
http://www.shimatsuno.de/upload/PrettyFace2.wmv
The official video for Amanda Tapping at the German City Con (last year?)
First Place Winner of the Stargate 2003 Music Video Awards: Carter category
http://www.shimatsuno.de/Englisch/e_video.html

>>>'The Way I Am' by Lena and Christina, The Dream Team
http://www.stargate-dream-team.de/thewayiamdownload.htm

These music montages have great clips from many of the episodes, and I think that kids will watch and listen to the music videos. They aren't too long and you don't need too much Stargate background to appreciate that Carter is portrayed as a strong, positive female character. The various images show her in full military gear, in her dress uniform, in front of a chalkboard (or whiteboard) full of equations, working with technology, dressed femininely, etc.

For the video 'The Way I Am', if you download the high-quality (large file), it will play on a 15" computer monitor and it looks very nice (nice clear images) -- my computer screen ends up looking like a TV screen when this video plays.

The video montage 'Not Just Another Pretty Face' is a great song that addresses the variety of roles that women play in today's society. Nicely set to Carter clips.
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[MajorSam]

Hey everyone, I just read through this page (13) and am, as always, amazed at the brilliance of it. During the past 2 years (ish) i've been getting more and more sick of all the Sam haters, and on some places i've even seen people starting to rag on Amanda herself. I was ok (as I could be) with all the Sam stuff, because though I hate to say it, some of the stuff people say about the degrading of her character is real, but when I saw personal attacks on Amanda, I just lost it! I can't believe that anyone could ever do such a thing!

I also believe that a lot of Sam's strength comes from Amanda herself. If I were to pick one person in the world that came closest to "perfect' in my opinion, it would be her. She's nice, caring, generous, genuine, funniest person i've ever met, talented, strong, interesting, interested, smart, happy, energetic, gorgeous... I could go on forever.

Sam I believe is also a lot of these things, if only the writers would add in simple little things about their personal lives, like Astrogeologist said. I think that if they'd done that from the beginning, really humanized the characters, than maybe not so many people would hate Sam. They started to try the whole "personal life" thing in Chimera, and, yes, some people liked it, but a lot said "well I don't care." because they're so set on all of the action stuff, and all that. It's a little late to start bringin in the real lives, writers!

I completely agree on what's been said about Sam never having to face her dark side before. I know I myself would probably have gone crazy if I was her, after the fourth year! Some of the ways to really get to know a person are to push the to the edge, and over. People hate Sam because maybe they don't really understand her. They just brush aside all she's been through and say "Psh, she's just gone downhill, why? I dunno, she just sucks!" You really have to go back and look and realize everything that's been done to her! If that can't screw up a person, I don't know what will.

Jack and Teal'c have both been through their darksides, and they DEFINATELY changed because of it. I love the idea that they try and protect Sam and Daniel, because they know what could happen to her. I really would love for TPTB to take the whole Replicarter farther than I think they are. I want to see Sam break, to get into the real nitty gritty of her. After Gemini people went crazy with the Sam analysis, and lots of people dislike her even more now, but maybe it's a case of "has to get worse before it get's better" If Sam is forced to face her darkside, maybe people could finally see what makes her tick. Amanda herself has said she really wants to see what makes Sam tick.

I sadly doubt anything like that would happen though. I hate to say it, but I think it is partly due to the male writers. Women are getting stronger roles lately, but people still are just plain not used to seeing this amazing women doing amazing things. TPTB might be scared to do such a thing to their female character, not knowing how people would react. I admit, I don't watch other sci-fi shows or anything (except for ST. Voyager, loved it!) so i don't know if it's been done, but i know I havnt' seen anything like it any other place. They can have guys in these intense war-type situations and go crazy and stuff, but females? It would be such a leap to have such a powerful intense thing happen to a character like Sam Carter. The writers have done some really good things with Sam, but still, there are some things a male can't write, due to now knowing how the female mind really works, or a number of other reasons. Just like females can't write certain things for males.

Anyways, I got to rambling slightly... I don't know if I just repeated other people, so if I did, well then obviously I agree!

I also thought there should be some mention of fallout. They don't have to dedicate a whole episode to the consequences of New ORder, for example, but it would be nice to get a mention like "how are the nightmares?" Of course, now that we don't have Janet there isn't as good an opportunity. I'm guessing she might not tell the guys. Of course I haven't seen the rest of season 8.

Sam said to Janet in Hathor "I odn't know about you, but I just can't see how to fit in with these guys. You know, I always feel like "i'm the girl" or something like that...

After 8 years of bonding with them, I'd think that she'd feel like she fit, but i also don't know if she would tell them about it. Admittedly, Jack did say to Sam once "You told me taht whole snake in the head thing was one of the worst things that ever happened to you!" that was second season, so if she already felt secure enough to tell her CO that... It was right after In the Line of Duty though. One of the problems I see is that they'll address things like that within the next few episodes, but then chuck it away. They don't follow up on these big massive happenings.

Anyways, back to the whole "telling the guys" thing. Once again, I think it's still a stereotype thing... It's always been the girls confessing to their girlfriends all the troubles of their lives. I tell my guy-friends a LOT! I want to see a scene with Sam and Teal'c, like the BRILLIANT one in Paradise Lost. I think Teal'c is an amazing character who they could really really develop further. All four of the main original characters have gone through SO much together, if I were any of them, I would feel safe pouring my heart out to (well, except for Sam and Jack, regarding certain *ahem* things... *wink to shippers*)

Once again, i'm sorry if i'm just repeating things here!

Oh, BTW, if anyone at all would be interested in the whole "breaking Sam" thing, i'm writing a fic about it, that I hope will really strip down Sam and see what she's all about. It's called "Broken" ( ) and i'll have it up... well, within the next 5 years... If anyone has any comments on that whole issue, I would really like to hear what you all think! keep posting, PM me, or e-mail at [email protected]

[Skydiver]

I am a music teacher in a high school here in Edinburgh, Scotland. One of my colleagues teaches Religious and Moral Studies, and she is going to be doing some lessons in a week or so to 14/15 year old pupils about gender stereotypes, and how these are shown on tv. She wants them to see how some characters can be shown as strong women, and I was telling her about Sam Carter. I have shown her the thread here on GW, but of course, I have to explain many of the references as she isn't a Stargate viewer! She wants to use some of the comments in her lessons, and since I have the dvd's of S1-6, she asked if she could use some of them to reinforce what we are talking about. I wonder if you have any suggestions for specific episodes that show Sam at her best. Obviously, the school pupils will NOT be sitting watching full episodes, but I need some scenes that show Sam at her best. I have a terrible memory and would like some input from other people as I'm sure I'll probably miss some vital moments!
I hope you don't mind me asking you for help, but any input would be most welcome.
You can answer here on the thread, PM me or e mail me at [email protected]

Thanks everybody.

sam at her best

how about sam refusing to leave cassie in singularity?
or sam conspiring iwth the boys in Enigma
sam fighting to keep jack and herself alive in solitudes
sam in death knell
sam and mckay issues in redemption
sam refusing to leave her dad in tokra

I"m not quite sure what you're looking for, either that or i'm really sleep deprived and n othing is making sense right now??

[NearlyCircular]

During the past 2 years (ish) i've been getting more and more sick of all the Sam haters, and on some places i've even seen people starting to rag on Amanda herself. I was ok (as I could be) with all the Sam stuff, because though I hate to say it, some of the stuff people say about the degrading of her character is real, but when I saw personal attacks on Amanda, I just lost it! I can't believe that anyone could ever do such a thing!

You know, I totally agree. I even saw a post on another site after Amanda announced her pregnancy to the effect that in their opinion, TPTB were generously allowing her to stay on as a regular even though she wouldn't be there the whole season. Thankfully, I haven't seen those kind of comments on Gateworld, but it just shows you what some people are thinking. That's why I'm loving this thread so much. It's reinforcing my feelings about Sam and Amanda with each new post.


It's funny, but I don't see many people criticizing Jack or Teal'c online. Maybe I just haven't happened to read any of those comments, but you almost can't help finding complaints about Sam and Daniel. Now I know that Sam makes mistakes, and maybe we all don't agree with all of her choices the last couple of years, but it seems like some people go out of their way to jump on anything she does.

One of the reasons that I like Sam Carter so much is that she is human; she does make mistakes and hopefully learns from them. Unfortunately, as has been pointed out here, we don't often see how she deals with her mistakes, or triumphs, or tribulations. Since SG1 is a science fiction show, aimed at a young male demographic, we probably never will.

[the dancer of spaz]

How come it is mainly older women that feel an admiration for Sam and Amanda.

Heh heh. Define old? Or, maybe... Not.

I think there are many, many young people who are just totally impressed by her character, both on and off screen. I know I am! There are quite a few young women who consider both actor and character to be great role models.

[ChopinGal]

I don't know about Sam being the US's National Treasure - AT must surley be MGM's biggest treasure?
I'm totally blown away by her - pardon the pun.
I just hope the writers continue to do the actor justice.

Is anyone else on the thread amazed she hasn't been picked up for a major movie. Is she just too good? She'd knock spots off most of the hollywood actors!!

Just a question re the fanfic. I'm almost too embarrased to ask. Do I just click on the link? Then what? Do I read it online? Am I allowed to copy it to my desktop? How do I give feedback? How do I find all the Carter positive fanfic (apart from the ones mentioned in this thread)?

How come it is mainly older women that feel an admiration for Sam and Amanda. Do you think any chaps think she's an amazing actor, but they tend not to post on topics such as acting ability - unless it is negative? I've tended to find in life (in my very small pond I may add) that men in general are not very good at seeing others strengths and passing comment on them. Could this be a valid reason? Or do you think there is a general resistence to having a female in charge in a military capacity? Any thoughts anyone? Is posting a thought like this out of order in the forum?

I watched Menace last night. There was a great little scene with Daniel Sam and O'Neill just outside the lab when they were discussing the robot which had just been reactivated. It was a wonderful scene. O'Neill kept saying "It's a machine!"

Oh yes I agree with that scene re the briefing. I just couldn't believe that. That wouldn't really happen, I'm sure they would be more disciplined than that. A boob by the writers I think. One of a few in season 7!!!

Have they ever thought of getting a female writer on the team?

Keep posting everyone. Lots of new ideas and points keep cropping up - all of which are interesting!!

Hello to you in Lancashire! BTW, just where in the UK are you? Off topic, but I had spent a week in Tonbridge, Sussex, in September - not my first time to England - love the warmth of the people! Actually, let me share something with all of you: I was there in England because I had airplane tickets from the U.S. that I bought in February for the AT GABIT event in London (which didn't happen because she was still shooting Sam Carter in September!). British Air would not exchange or refund the tickets so my daughter and I had to make lemons from lemonade and found a lovely cottage in a town with its own castle (every town should have a castle, just like "every kid should have a dawg").

In the meantime, it amazes me also that the LA crowd/producers have not sought Amanda out for some major film contracts - possibly being Sam Carter for nine months of the year really impacts accepting jobs. She has had small parts and one lead (The Void) but, again, the quality of the scripts don't do justice to her talent.

Re: Fanfic sites - I'm only at www.fanfiction.net because I'm new to this writing game (AstroG got me started!) - but GW right here has some really good fic - best way to find the "really good Carter fic" is, possibly, to go to one or two stories from this thread (cough, cough - please check out Head Trip all about Sam confronting her dark side) ... what I found was, by going into some of the authors and "trying them out", I started to develop my favorites - everyone's focus and writing style is different - it's like trying on some new clothes or shopping for shoes! Try it, you'll like it! What's wonderful about the better fanfic is that the arcs and episodes that we've all been talking about here get looked at in depth and the writer's imagination just takes you soaring (examples Come Fly With Me and Nine by AstroG) and, another favorite at the GW site is Night Terrors a great teamcentric story.

If only some of these gals were the missing "female writer" on the show - now, that would be terrific! Believe me, there were women writers on the first few seasons, and, then, what happened? One can only imagine the politics behind the scenes ... I think what you and a few others write about "Sam facing her dark side" would have been better addressed by a woman looking at emotional ramifications and also looking at the relationships a bit more closely and fleshing them out a bit - not waiting until later seasons after just giving us a tease or two early on. That whole thing with Cassie after Heroes left a lot of people unsettled - nothing substantive about a major arc ... I think women writers would have incorporated the consequences of Janet's death better - including SGC's readjustment (there was more dialogue for Daniel ascending but nothing much after Janet died).

The briefing scene was definitely hard to take and AstroG speaks to it in a previous post. I don't think AT could have been too happy about the way Sam was treated by the fly boys in the room - it was demeaning and disrespectful. And young Jack should have called them on it!

I don't think men are completely oblivious to the emotional cues and nuances of women, but, it seems to be that men tend to want to look for the immediate solution to a problem in a crisis first rather than deal with a woman's pain. Again, some men do feel the pain but are conditioned to think that they, as men, must make it all better and do the rescuing. It's kind of what certain societies expect from their men: to be the strong one in a crisis. We all know here on this thread that there are many Sam Carters in our real world - women who know how to be just as strong and brave. And maybe that's why we are all under Sam's spell: she stretches us, makes us see how heroic we can be as women, how we have that potential to be bright and strong and stand on our own two feet (no matter what our age)!

Have to go prepare a syllabus - keep up the great writing and comments here, sistahs! We've got a good thing going!

[ChopinGal]

One of the reasons that I like Sam Carter so much is that she is human; she does make mistakes and hopefully learns from them. Unfortunately, as has been pointed out here, we don't often see how she deals with her mistakes, or triumphs, or tribulations. Since SG1 is a science fiction show, aimed at a young male demographic, we probably never will.

And that's why we need a Sam Carter spin-off series from Stargate SG-1 (written by women!)

Okay, I'm outta here - carry on without me!

[NearlyCircular]

Nearly Circular, I wrote 'Come Fly With Me' last spring based on what I'd read in online comments and posts from Stargate fans about the pilots' briefing in 'Fragile Balance'. About a month ago, I finally got the Season 7 DVDs and got to watch the episode for myself. I have to say that the fans were correct - that scene was difficult to watch as they allowed the other pilots and young O'Neill to insult Carter. It's too bad that little scene was handled the way that it was, because the rest of the episode seemed to go over so well with the overall Stargate fandom (folks seem to really like the young actor's caricature of the relentlessly sarcastic and childish characteristics of the older O'Neill).




I don't think that the character of Sam Carter should know everything or be too perfect - people tend to dislike know-it-alls or people who are always right... SC shouldn't be 'Little Miss Perfect' because people can't relate to that. On the other hand, I really do hate to see the main female lead being arrogantly dismissed by the main male lead. That sets a tone that women do not need to propogate or portray.

The only thing that I thought was well-handled in that pilots' briefing scene was the totally professional way that AT portrayed Sam Carter. Even after young O'Neill barged in and childishly took over, she stood respectfully and did not look pissed - or angry - or childish. Neither did she look comfloombled or weak. She maintained the proper military decorum and faced the pilots straight on as young O'Neill spoke.

That's what amazes me -- AT often manages to maintain a portrayal of inner strength - in spite of what the writers come up with. And that is part of what I got out of that quote from Barbara Stanwyck

"Women are too often shown as the victims on TV and film.
I want to play a woman of strength.

I’ll show emotions, I’ll show vulnerabilities...
My character can be victimized, but I will not play the victim."

So out of that pilots' briefing scene, the part that I liked was that Sam did not play the victim. She wasn't whiny, pissy, cowed or browbeaten. She took it in stride (at least externally) and she stood strong, straight and face-on in spite of the insults.

OK... off the soapbox ... for now...
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I thought that I had read somewhere that your fic was based on that scene and of course, I loved the way you portrayed Sam in it. You're right that Carter handled the insults, etc. professionally. (much better than I could have!) As a matter of fact, she deals with Jack's snarky comments much better than I ever could. Of course he's her superior officer, so she can't call him on it most of the time.

Another comment about how well Amanda plays Sam. I think Sam is very serious on the job, and tends to be very, very focused. (as she should be when she's trying to save the world) You can see the frustration when she's trying to explain something and Jack interrupts. The briefing scene in Fallen is a good example. When Jack interrupts still another time, she responds with a tight smile and "Again, as the Colonel is well aware, ..." Yet at the end of the scene, Carter does acknowledge the "wackiness" of the plan. She does have a sense of humor, but it tends to get lost in the need for Carter to be earnest so much of the time. It's really too bad, because as we've seen, Amanda has a wonderful comedic sense.

[astrogeologist]

I would like to tell everyone how much I am enjoying this thread.
I would also like to ask everyone for some help.

I am a music teacher in a high school here in Edinburgh, Scotland. One of my colleagues teaches Religious and Moral Studies, and she is going to be doing some lessons in a week or so to 14/15 year old pupils about gender stereotypes, and how these are shown on tv. She wants them to see how some characters can be shown as strong women, and I was telling her about Sam Carter. I have shown her the thread here on GW, but of course, I have to explain many of the references as she isn't a Stargate viewer! She wants to use some of the comments in her lessons, and since I have the dvd's of S1-6, she asked if she could use some of them to reinforce what we are talking about. I wonder if you have any suggestions for specific episodes that show Sam at her best. Obviously, the school pupils will NOT be sitting watching full episodes, but I need some scenes that show Sam at her best. I have a terrible memory and would like some input from other people as I'm sure I'll probably miss some vital moments!
I hope you don't mind me asking you for help, but any input would be most welcome.
You can answer here on the thread, PM me or e mail me at [email protected]

Thanks everybody.

Hi again dipsofjazz,

I recommend
>> the scenes in Forever In A Day where Carter is one of the team and handles the RPG without fanfare
>> and then juxtapose the competent soldier with the compassionate Sam in the scenes in Singularity where she tries to leave Cassie, but then goes back down.
>> and then the scenes in 'Learning Curves' where Sam is speaking with Merrin - and Sam enthusiastically talks about how rewarding it is to figure something out for yourself
>> scenes of Carter's promotion in 'New Order, part 2'
>> scenes of Carter looking at Earth from space in 'The Serpent's Lair'

I think these scenes could be very effective and would only need a little background and/or explanation as to why they were chosen and what they are showing for your purposes.
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I have screen captures of these scenes at my Screen Capture Gallery webpage if you want to check them out before scanning through the DVDs.
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[NearlyCircular]

To dipsofjazz, some good Sam moments: Sam's response to Maybourne in Foothold: "Maybourne, you're an idiot every day of the week ..." and her quick reactions on the plane in the same episode. As a matter of fact, that whole episode was a great Carter episode.

To Coley re fanfic: as I mentioned in an earlier post, I was excited to find out that some of the people posting here have written some of my favorite fan fiction. There are some mighty talented writers on this thread. Skydiver didn't mention her own work, but check out Emerald City. I'm loving Head Trip so far, and AstroG's stories have kept me online for too many hours. I've taken to putting SG1 fanfic on my PDA and carrying it with me to read while waiting for appointments or during (boring) meetings. It's easier to get away with looking at your PDA than reading a paperback.

[chocdoc]

[QUOTE=NearlyCircular]You know, I totally agree. I even saw a post on another site after Amanda announced her pregnancy to the effect that in their opinion, TPTB were generously allowing her to stay on as a regular even though she wouldn't be there the whole season. Thankfully, I haven't seen those kind of comments on Gateworld, but it just shows you what some people are thinking. That's why I'm loving this thread so much. It's reinforcing my feelings about Sam and Amanda with each new post.[QUOTE]


I feel exactly the same wy, NearlyCircular. I think it is probably a very small minority of fans that you and MajorSam are referring too, but nonetheless, it was painful for me to read their comments, so I try to stay away from those posts. I actually know the one you are referring to here and I was shocked that some people thought TPTB were generous to AT for allowing her to stay as a regular. Geez, even if you don't like how Sam is being protrayed, this should not take away from appreciating AT's hard work and dedication to her character and to the show.


[QUOTE=NearlyCircular] It's funny, but I don't see many people criticizing Jack or Teal'c online. Maybe I just haven't happened to read any of those comments, but you almost can't help finding complaints about Sam and Daniel. Now I know that Sam makes mistakes, and maybe we all don't agree with all of her choices the last couple of years, but it seems like some people go out of their way to jump on anything she does. [QUOTE]

I'm not sure why either. To be honest, I was quite shocked at some of the comments about Sam by a small minority of fans. Yes, she has made mistakes, but all the characters do. I thought that much of the basis for the negative critique of Sam comes from her admitting in Grace that she did have feelings for Jack (note--this is while she is hallucinating with a concussion, stranded in space, and probably going to die!!). And, under these conditions, she reflects on her life and what she might be missing---she's satisfied, but has she been playing it safe in terms of loving someone else. (Seems reasonable to me to do this if I were stranded, alone, there was a good chance I wouldn't make it, and had a concussion!). Perhaps the most important event to fuel this strong negative criticism for some, however, is that Sam hallucinated that she would give up her career if Jack wanted to be with her. My feeling is that she has feelings for Jack, yes, but in REALITY she would not give up her career for Jack, or anyone else. Sam is not someone who would toss aside the other aspects of her and she knows that Jack would not want her to (as he says in her hallucination).

And note that even in this episode, Sam is quite resourceful, and figures out how to save herself in her Sam-like fashion.

One of the reasons that I like Sam Carter so much is that she is human; she does make mistakes and hopefully learns from them. Unfortunately, as has been pointed out here, we don't often see how she deals with her mistakes, or triumphs, or tribulations. Since SG1 is a science fiction show, aimed at a young male demographic, we probably never will.

Yes, me too. And yes like so many have said, we don't often get to see how she deals with her mistakes, inner turmoil, etc. That's why I give even more credit to Amanda Tapping, because even when the scripts could be much richer in human characterization, she still is able to work so well with what the writers do give her. She can still make you feel for the character and what Sam is going through, despite the sometimes limited writing.

[tara3583]

This is such a lovely thread to read through
I've loved how Amanda has played Sam right from
the very first show when she came in and said
"she is transfering from ------" imho Amanda had a strong presence on screen right from that
moment on.

I've loved the father daughter realationship that has grown over the years, Sam's cry of "dad please don't go like this" when she found out that he had cancer was heartbreaking to watch, to Jabcob telling her how proud he was of her when he was about to get Salmac was again very powerful to watch.

What i've noticed with Amanda is her eyes and how she tells you what Sam is feeling with those eyes, it really does jump right out at you!