Sam Carter/Jack O'Neill Ship Discussion Thread

[hedwig]

I only have a few comments about "Smoke & Mirrors", which, in spite of its flaws, is one of my favorite episodes.

On the subject of Jack thanking the team for clearing him, I agree that I would like to have seen even a tiny scene of him doing that. However, I don't think he's ever thanked anybody for rescuing him from any of the situations he was in where Sam and/or the team rescued him; at least not that we ever got to see. I'd like to think that he did, though.

For that matter, I don't recall anybody ever saying thank you for being rescued; though I could be wrong about that. Maybe in less severe situations there may have been one or two thank you's along the way. (Not that I think about it, he did say thank you for the rescue in "Tangent", but I don't recall any others - and I always had the impression that it was more Jacob he was thanking than anyone else.)

And I agree with pretty much everything Petra said, especially the "rant" () about Jack and the neighbor who supposedly saw him. I'm a bit surprised there wasn't at least a little more attention given to that detail.

I also agree that Barrett would have been a far better suitor for Sam than any of her other suitors. And even if there was major distrust between them in the beginning, they got past that and became friends (it happens in RL all the time) and could have gone on to something more, had Sam been interested, ... which she clearly wasn't.

I also think that Barrett throwing himself over Sam to protect her when the house exploded was intended to be a "shippy" gesture. But I also think he did it just because she's a woman. I also think that Jonas and Teal'c would have done the same thing in the same situation, though, and they don't have shippy feelings towards her (at least as far as we know). None of the guys would have thrown themselves on any of the other guys to protect them in that situation. (Teal'c threw himself over Vala in "Uninvited" when the grenade he threw at the creature exploded near the two of them.)

I would only add that as far as Jack feeling insulted over the secret mission comment, I think had he not been in prison for a crime he didn't commit, he might not have been so insulted and might even have made a bit of a joke about it.

And with Jonas being familiar with people on the base: when he first came to stay at the SGC, he had three months to do nothing but familiarize himself with everything related to the SGC; and with his super duper special high powered memory, I'm not surprised he was the only one to remember the face of somebody that nobody else remembers.

Hmmm, I guess I had more than a "few" comments.

[EvenstarSRV]

Just really quickly... I haven't caught up on the last page and a half (and I swear, when I have more time I will actually partake in the real discussion here)....

I didn't mean that Daniel and Teal'c should have special treatment. And that they should get whatever they want or anything like that. I just meant I don't mind if Daniel and Teal'c are treated by Jack differently than any other civilian. Or Hammond for that matter. Nothing they've been "given" has been unfair to any other civilian. Nothing drastic. That's Jack's team. That's Hammond's flagship team. Like it or not, even in the military, there are perks to being the best.

As a member of the Air Force, I know all about the regs and fairness and what should or shouldn't happen. But I also know that when you have a close team, outsiders don't even come close. Jack will never treat other civilians the same as Daniel and Teal'c. He won't treat other officers the same as he does Carter. And it's not a bad thing. He knows these people, knows them as much as he knows himself. There is a trust. It's all about trust. A lot of real-world military units run like that. It takes time and effort on the "outsider" to get treated the same way as the inside team. And IMO, that's not a bad thing. Well, for me personally it's a bad thing because my job requires me to be the outsider all the time trying to weasel my way into that small group.. but I completely understand why it's like that and I don't think it's necessarily wrong.

Anyway, I'm sorry. This is probably all OT.

No need to apologize, I actually very much agree with what's you've stated here.

Some more OT

Spoiler:

It does make sense that when you've established such a level of trust and respect for certain people, you'd be more likely to treat them differently compared to less known co-workers. Jack or Hammond would of course give any crazy-sounding ideas coming from Daniel, Sam, or Teal'c more weight or benefit of doubt than if those came from Rothman, Felger, or another Jaffa. It's like Hammond said in Heroes, you'd like to think you treat every one the same, but some people you just get closer to.

My initial comment wasn't referring to that kind of difference in treatment, but more to the idea I've seen in several places on GW that Daniel especially (though also Teal'c, Jonas, and Vala to an extent), don't have to follow any Air Force rules and are under no obligation to follow any of Jack's, Hammond's, Sam's or later Mitchell's or Landry's orders because they are civilians (or aliens). When we see them do so it's apparently just because they happened to agree with those orders being given, not because they were actually required to follow them. This was one of the more baffling things I'd encountered in online fandom and so I wanted to briefly comment on it when I saw Rachel mention the way Stargate treated civilians compared to RL.

I think we have different views about what being promised means.

For me, a promise is an explicit and verbally expressed wish to remain monogamous to each other between two people who love each other. For me, Sam and Jack never make such a promise.

As to the bolded, generally, isn't that the case in all relationships? That if someone is in love romantically with someone else, even if its unrequited, we generally don't expect them to be dating other people?

OT Personal

Spoiler:

Maybe for me it's a personal thing but I know I didn't date someone else until I had really "moved on" and accepted that I would only have friendship with my first love. And knowing he had started seeing someone else definitely suggested to me that he no longer felt romantically inclined towards me. Did I think he still loved me in some way? Definitely as a friend but I assumed no longer as a "love."

I think its more that we have different understandings of what kind of agreement or understanding Sam and Jack came to following the events of D&C. To me, while they acknowledged their feelings for each other they also agreed that they would not let them govern their actions (ie, leave it in the room). So to me it's sort of like a situation where two friends agree that if neither of them are married by some date, they'd marry each other. Sam and Jack agreed that they would each live their lives as before their confessions in D&C, which could include meeting someone else and falling in love with them, but if by the end of their mission neither were married/dating and both were still interested, then they'd give a relationship a try once they were allowed to.

Which is why, to me, I don't feel that Jack would think Sam didn't love him anymore because he thinks she dating someone, or that Sam would think Jack didn't love her anymore because she thinks he's encouraging her to date someone. Now it may certainly give them some angst because it reduces the chances that the other would be available once their mission was over, but I don't think they would doubt that the feelings still exist just that they may not able to act on them.

Because ultimately for me, I don't see either Sam or Jack wanting the other to not live their life to the fullest and find whatever happiness they could in that (which could include romantic relationships) because of their feelings for each other. I don't think they'd want to hold back the other in that way, which is part of the message I personally think Sam was giving to herself via the Jack hallucination in Grace.

Again, we differ here because mind-games for me equals intent to play said mind-games. I don't think Jack intends to play mind-games with Sam so there are no mind-games for me - just miscommunication because they can't talk openly about it, they make assumptions about what the other means, and what they hope it means and therein lies the problem.

And here I think we differ because I believe that Sam and Jack are mostly on the same page regarding the fishing invite, so I don't see them making assumptions or hoping for a particular meaning behind the other's words and therefore not miscommunicating about the intent or feelings behind the invite.

I wanted to comment on Smoke and Mirrors but alas homework beckons, so briefly: great review hlndncr, esp on-the-fly, I agree that Sam would be just as dogged in trying to clear Teal'c's or Jonas's name but that her efforts had an added edge because it was Jack, and I could also see Sam and Barrett as a potential couple, though only if Sam returned his interest.

[josiane]

Banner by Blacky Kitten

Synopsis

The one where Jack is all scruffy and hot.

Or, in more detail... Maybourne turns up at Jack’s with a proposition - he apparently has the gate address, key and combination lock code for a super-secret cache of weapons that was what Simmons et al were after back in Prometheus. Jack is naturally suspicious, but brings it to Hammond, and eventually, after an initial survey of the planet seems to confirm Maybourne’s story, Maybourne is allowed to go through the gate with Jack to activate the portal. Maybourne being Maybourne, he actually intends to double-cross Jack and get away scot-free, but Jack manages to grab hold of him at the last minute and is therefore transported too. They turn up in an abandoned village, supposed to be an alien utopia, where there is nothing to do but fish and eat alien arugula. Everyone gets cranky, Jack and Maybourne get paranoid, and there’s quite a bit of shooting before Sam figures out where they are and can sort out a rescue.

Analysis

Sweet thunky goodness.

Or, if I can get my brain past that fact and start it thinking properly...

This is a really beautifully put together episode. It’s one of those where there is so much more giving you the story than just the words and actions - the way it is filmed, the lighting, the gorgeously atmospheric music, all combine to give you a sense of increasing foreboding, culminating in the paranoid sequence where the light just drains away and its all shadows and over-exposure. The presence or otherwise of the moon in the planet’s sky (and the planet in the moon’s sky) is a nice clue from very early on, and the script itself is full of little clues - particularly with the constant joking about whether Jack is going to shoot/kill Maybourne, but also, and a particular favourite of mine, the line where Jack tells Maybourne “You are what you eat” - nicely prophetic.

Jack and Maybourne are always good value as a double-act, and we see the whole gamut of their interactions here - the wry and sarcastic ‘friendly’ banter, the grudging acknowledgement that they need each other, and sheer fury. Few people wind Jack up like Maybourne does - we discussed with Prometheus how it’s rare to see Jack’s hot anger, but Maybourne brings it out of him here. Jack's line "It's not that I can't believe that you lied to me again, it's that I can't believe you lied to me again" is I think very telling of how Maybourne manages to manipulate Jack and the whole of the SGC (and even the President) into this situation. They really should not be surprised that Maybourne double-crosses them, they even half expected it, and yet they're still a little surprised that he does so successfully. And we can feel this as viewers - you're waiting for the other footwear to fall as Maybourne makes his case for being allowed to go offworld. Everyone is guilty of both being taken in by him and of underestimating him in the first part of the episode - it may be Sam that he managed to disarm, but he was only able to do so both by them letting him get into that position in the first place, and by his understanding of the character of SG1 which enables him to set them up so effectively. It's just occurred to me that this is an interesting counterpoint to Smoke and Mirrors, which as hlndncr pointed out, is all about trust - here they trust too easily, and pay the price for it.

Maybourne's character development is part of this - it's very easy to forget by this point in the series that earlier on he was an out-and-out baddie, but due to his part in helping Jack in Chain Reaction and Desperate Measures, we (and Jack too) are somewhat conned into believing that Maybourne does have some redeeming qualities there somewhere, and, as explicitly stated by Jack and Hammond when discussing Maybourne's proposition at the start of the episode, they do kind of want to let him redeem himself a bit. All of which sets them up nicely for Maybourne to play them in the way he does.

The other thing I really like about this episode is that we really get to see Jack using his brain! He is stranded without his team, and can't therefore rely on them to figure things out for him and explain them to him in words of one syllable - there is no dumb colonel act here at all. Instead, he investigates, explores, looks at the evidence left behind by the civilisation that was there, and realises what happened - in other words, he does just what Daniel and Sam would have done for him. We also get to see his survival skills (particularly contrasted to Maybourne's) and fighting skills, both of which we are more used to seeing from him, but here we get a real picture of a fully-rounded competent soldier, alert, intelligent, and strong, and more than capable of looking after himself and those with him. We know Jack is capable of all of this, that he's too good and respected an officer not to be, but too often he lets the rest of his team do the brain-work and it's lovely to see him not hiding behind his dumb persona.

And one final miscellaneous thing... I have this episode to thank for teaching me what rocket is in American

Sam and Jack stuff to come in the next post... I got a bit wordy again

[josiane]

Sam and Jack

In contrast to Jack, this is not a good episode for Sam! She takes what happens very personally - her admission of guilt straight off the bat to Hammond about Maybourne getting her zat shows this. Hammond is quick to deflect that, and as I said above, it wasn't really entirely Sam's fault at all - it was a collective failure that allowed Maybourne to be in the position where he could get hold of her zat - but Sam doesn't see it that way. I can imagine that she held onto that guilt for quite a while, and that one of the first things she'd have done when she saw Jack again would have been to apologise. (Equally I can't see Jack accepting that for one minute and he would have told her in no uncertain terms that it was not her fault - but as we were denied the reunion scene it can only be conjecture at this point!) However, her taking it personally goes beyond just feeling like it was her fault that Maybourne got away in the first place. She cannot see beyond the fact that Jack is missing, and getting him back is her only focus. She bites Dr Lee's head off more than once, and pleads with Hammond to commandeer a satellite to search for him. None of this is at all out of the ordinary for Sam though - of course it immediately calls to mind her single-mindedness in A Hundred Days, and (on a smaller scale) her mutinous look when Hammond tells her they can't go back to rescue Jack in The Fifth Man. It also prefigures the way she virtually blackmails Weir in New Order. For Sam, when Jack is missing, the only thing that matters is getting him back - she'd throw unlimited resources and effort onto it without a second thought. ("You can't put a value on Colonel O'Neill's life"). Now I'm not going to get into the rights and wrongs of this per se, and I really must say that I'm not putting this out as a criticism of Sam, but it is a recurring pattern for Sam that while she can be almost scarily objective about people, she has no ability to retain that detachment or perspective when it comes to Jack. And while she is as much a proponent of Jack's 'leave no man behind' philosophy in general as anyone, there's an added desperation when the one missing/in danger is Jack himself. Sam knows, as she herself tells us in Singularity, that she is not supposed to let her feelings get in the way or even show while she's doing her job, but her feelings for Jack are such that she just can't compartmentalise them in these kind of situations. I think it's significant that the scene where she yells at Dr Lee is the one that is used as evidence of an unprofessional relationship by Kinsey in Inauguration (although it's also an easy one to use as there was a third party there who would have recorded the event, whereas most shippy moments were only witnessed by the team themselves and thus would never hit official record) - but Hayes's response is every bit as significant. Sam and Jack have clearly broken the spirit of the regs, blown past that years ago, but Hayes explicitly articulates the way that that is OK - the Air Force can't punish people for having feelings, only for acting on them. It's questionable though whether Sam and Jack don't act on their feelings. OK so they don't kiss, sleep together, have a relationship or an affair, but many of their actions are coloured by their feelings, and that is precisely what the regs are intended to prevent.

Wow, so that all ended up sounding rather critical I think the dichotomy is between what the military demands and what non-military viewers expect - like the whole argument about Sam calling Jack 'Sir' in Continuum. A lot of fans seem to expect Sam and Jack's emotions to be on the surface and on display for us, but that's not how they think they should behave. When we see the emotion in the way we do here, we find this understandable and satisfying, but Sam and Jack would view it as a failure. And I guess also it's more evidence of the way in which the regs are basically a smokescreen for Sam and Jack, and for everyone who observes them and is aware, even in a small way, of their feelings. It's not the regs that keep them apart, and it's not because of the regs that they are allowed to continue serving together, the regs just prevent everyone looking at the whole situation too closely, Sam and Jack included. And this is now turning into a much wider discussion, but I think Sam's actions in this episode and the way they are explicitly used as evidence in that very discussion in Inauguration kind of warranted it.

Of course, in talking about the ship in this episode I have to mention Teal'c. This is one of the episodes where he really shows himself to be the First Shipper - he is acutely observant of Sam's behaviour while Jack is missing, and of course it culminates in the wonderful scene in the locker room where he comforts Sam. Teal'c of course even refers back to this time when he does the same thing for Jack when Sam is missing in Grace. I adore the locker room scene and think AT was so right to push for it. The Sam/Teal'c relationship is probably my second favourite after Sam/Jack (and I mean relationship, not 'ship', before I get things thrown at me - not touching the Sam/Teal'c ship discussion with a bargepole, as people tend to get rather heated whenever that possibility is raised...). I think it's because it's such an unobtrusive one. Right from the start, you can see a lot of how the relationships between the main members of SG1 are going to play out - Sam and Jack, Sam and Daniel, Jack and Daniel, Jack and Teal'c, even Teal'c and Daniel - but Sam and Teal'c is not set up in anywhere like the same way. They just quietly bond, under the radar of the relationships that have more tension/common ground from the outset, and almost before you realise it it just is there, quiet and ever-present and strong. They obviously respect and care deeply for one another, and Teal'c understands Sam in a way that I don't think even she does herself, particularly of course when it comes to her feelings for Jack.

All of this is rather one-sided - Sam's feelings, and the effect of Jack being missing on Sam. We see very little evidence the other way around, largely I think because Jack had other things on his mind (!) and we don't see too much about how he feels about being stranded. I think this is typical Jack shutting down and getting on with things, but he is entirely unsurprised by the ship turning up at the end to rescue him - he knows for certain by now that however deep the hole he's got himself into, his team will come through for him. There is one tiny thing that occurred to me as I was rewatching, and that is Jack's fury at Maybourne when they first are transported to the moon. He really goes off on one on him, and at this point he doesn't actually know that they've gone anywhere, so the fact that Maybourne's got them both stranded has nothing to do with his anger. I've always seen it as mostly frustration that Maybourne has double-crossed him (and still do), but I did just wonder, in the light of our Prometheus discussion, whether the fact that the last thing Jack saw was Maybourne zatting Sam might have had a little bit to do with it...


So how's that for a more articulate review than just 'guh', which is my usual reaction to this episode!?!

[Rachel500]

Paradise Lost

Fantastic review, Josi!

Generally

Ah, the S6 version of A Hundred Days. I loved this episode at first watching and it's always great to rewatch.

I agree with Josi that cinematically, it's very beautiful; all those gorgoeus views of nature including one very beautifully rugged man - and I'm not talking about Maybourne.

Sam and Jack

I'll tackle Jack first: I love Jack to pieces in this episode for many of the reasons Josi states; when he's stranded and without his team, we see him being what he truly is: a very smart, competent - and dangerous - soldier.

However, he does make the mistake of semi-trusting Maybourne at the arch; he allows Maybourne to stay too close to Sam and he does look away for a moment giving Maybourne a chance to grab Sam's zat and shoot her. And I think part of the reason why he's so angry with Maybourne on the other side is because Maybourne shot Sam; that Jack himself allowed Maybourne to shoot Sam. Ultimately as team-lead, Jack is responsible for what happened.

Sam, of course, blames herself for losing her weapon, allowing Maybourne to escape and Jack to go missing. And I think some of the self-recrimination is what drives her underlying panic and desperation to find Jack. But I think the locker room scene reveals the deeper reason: she's very scared that she's going to lose Jack and she can't bear that idea. And that fear is magnified because they've already lost Daniel - so there is more of a realism that it can happen to them; they can lose each other.

While Jack doesn't show the same angst of wondering what's happening, I think that's mainly because he's not likely to talk to Maybourne about worrying if Sam was OK after the zat hit and so any concern is kept internal. However, Jack shows a complete confidence that he's going to be rescued and I think that shows a complete trust in Sam (and the rest of the team) to come through for him.

[Zoser]

I just needed to add a few pictures - first Smoke & Mirrors

I can't imagine how humiliating this must have felt for Jack.

You did a great job on one of my favorite episodes!

[hlndncr]

Josi WOW! That was such a great review. I don't have anything much to add.

Yes, Jack Yummy!! Hard to concentrate on anything else, but I'll try.

AT's performance is great. I really feel Sam's desperation and despair.

I did notice the scene with Sam and Teal'c in the locker room we next see Sam sitting in her lab trying to work out where Jack has gone and Teal'c is there. He's working on a computer. How often do we see that? It gives me the feeling that Teal'c decided to stick close by her after her breakdown, offer his silent strength and support. I think that scene has a special intimacy (in the platonic sense of course) all it's own that is not as obvious as the earlier one.

[leiasky]

Great review Josi!

I find it hard to watch that episode and actually do any THINKING. My brain usually checks out with the eye candy displayed so thunkfully before me. Great points and I really don't think I have anything else to add but to commend you for being able to think while watching that episode!

[hedwig]

I did notice the scene with Sam and Teal'c in the locker room we next see Sam sitting in her lab trying to work out where Jack has gone and Teal'c is there. He's working on a computer. How often do we see that? It gives me the feeling that Teal'c decided to stick close by her after her breakdown, offer his silent strength and support. I think that scene has a special intimacy (in the platonic sense of course) all it's own that is not as obvious as the earlier one.

This is by no means an attempt to drag this off course, but I think Teal'c has been supportive of Sam from early on. I was watching "A Matter of Time" yesterday, and noticed (maybe for the first time) that when Sam is in the tent on the surface attempting to figure out what to do, and is looking at equations on the chalk board ... Teal'c walks up beside her and places his hand supportively on her back. I'm not totally sure, but I think that's the first time he ever did that, and I thought it was very sweet, esp. since Teal'c isn't all that touchy, feely with anybody. Then when Sam sits down, Teal'c sits down next to her and asks what he can do to help.

Okay, back to the regularly scheduled discussion now.

[josiane]

Josi WOW! That was such a great review. I don't have anything much to add.

Yes, Jack Yummy!! Hard to concentrate on anything else, but I'll try.

AT's performance is great. I really feel Sam's desperation and despair.

I did notice the scene with Sam and Teal'c in the locker room we next see Sam sitting in her lab trying to work out where Jack has gone and Teal'c is there. He's working on a computer. How often do we see that? It gives me the feeling that Teal'c decided to stick close by her after her breakdown, offer his silent strength and support. I think that scene has a special intimacy (in the platonic sense of course) all it's own that is not as obvious as the earlier one.

Yes, I noticed Teal'c in Sam's lab too - I agree with hedwig's point that we do see Teal'c's support of Sam at other points, but this is a really great example of it.

Great review Josi!

I find it hard to watch that episode and actually do any THINKING. My brain usually checks out with the eye candy displayed so thunkfully before me. Great points and I really don't think I have anything else to add but to commend you for being able to think while watching that episode!

Yeah, it wasn't easy I was actually surprised to find I had so much to say once I got past the slack-jawed, glassy-eyed thunk-induced state of guh

[hlndncr]

This is by no means an attempt to drag this off course, but I think Teal'c has been supportive of Sam from early on. I was watching "A Matter of Time" yesterday, and noticed (maybe for the first time) that when Sam is in the tent on the surface attempting to figure out what to do, and is looking at equations on the chalk board ... Teal'c walks up beside her and places his hand supportively on her back. I'm not totally sure, but I think that's the first time he ever did that, and I thought it was very sweet, esp. since Teal'c isn't all that touchy, feely with anybody. Then when Sam sits down, Teal'c sits down next to her and asks what he can do to help.

Okay, back to the regularly scheduled discussion now.

I love that scene! And I agree that Teal'c has long been supportive of Sam. I think Josi's point about how the Sam/Teal'c dynamic sneaks up on you because it is portrayed so subtly is very much on point.

The point I was trying to make (but I'm not sure I succeeded in doing) was that where the locker room scene is a clear example of Teal'c's caring and support for Sam, the scene in the lab that follows is a less obvious but equally authentic example of their special connection, IMHO.

[Akamaimom]

I love that scene! And I agree that Teal'c has long been supportive of Sam. I think Josi's point about how the Sam/Teal'c dynamic sneaks up on you because it is portrayed so subtly is very much on point.

The point I was trying to make (but I'm not sure I succeeded in doing) was that where the locker room scene is a clear example of Teal'c's caring and support for Sam, the scene in the lab that follows is a less obvious but equally authentic example of their special connection, IMHO.

I would just add to this that Teal'c has lost a friend, too. Perhaps he was hoping to gain some comfort, as well. Also, his seeking her out and commiserating with her could have been his attempt at being proactive, since this situation isn't one where he can do anything else physical in order to help out.

[seldear]

Petra:
"I think Sam likes dangerous guys, which is part of the reason why I found her potential involvement with Narim/Martouf/Orlin and Pete so unbelievable. "

Heh. Petra, have you read 'Too Far' by Artaxastra? It's probably not to most people's tastes - a rather different depiction of our couple, but a very interesting one at the same time.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to just come in and post comments when y'all are in the middle of a discussion, but I figured I'd come and check out what was happening around here.

[Petra]

Petra:
"I think Sam likes dangerous guys, which is part of the reason why I found her potential involvement with Narim/Martouf/Orlin and Pete so unbelievable. "

Heh. Petra, have you read Too Far by Artaxastra? It's probably not to most people's tastes - a rather different depiction of our couple, but a very interesting one at the same time.

Yes, I did. *nods enthusiastically* I think it's fantastic. A few months ago I stumbled upon her fic "Three Days Away" which just hit all the right places for me - realistically speaking, that's exactly how I see them and their issues - and have been an avid and loyal reader of hers ever since. She's one of my favourite fanfic writers. But I think you are right, her portrayal of S/J is so far from your general fluffy "and they lived happily ever after" that it's not everyone's cup of tea.

PS> I left you a VM about this.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to just come in and post comments when y'all are in the middle of a discussion, but I figured I'd come and check out what was happening around here.

By all means, post away We try to stick to S/J discussion here, leaving fluff for the Appreciation thread, but we aren't always very successful. And new faces are always welcome.

PARADISE LOST

Actually I don't have anything to add. I think Josi did a great job and I hope somebody greened her, since I can't. *stupid system*

PL is one of my favourite episodes ever and quite possibly my second favourite Jack episode (after "Abyss"). I love his depiction as very smart, intelligent, tough, self-reliant guy who *can* take care of himself (and his wounded comrade) and work out the problem on his own. Just goes to show you how much of his "I'm not so bright" persona is an act.

Sam is wonderfully emotional here - and I mean it in the best way possible. She's always so controlled and we are so used to seing her hiding her emotions to be the objective one that seeing her losing it every once in a while is nice. Esp. since it's entirely IC for her. She's not the one for public displays of emotions so Teal'c finding her crying in a darkened locker room feels right.

And Teal'c. How I love this guy, always watching out for his teammates, assuming Jack's 'caretaker' role in his absence and his fabulous, quiet friendship with Sam.

See? I can't even string 2 sentences together about this episode without gushing how awesome it is.

[josiane]

PARADISE LOST

Actually I don't have anything to add. I think Josi did a great job and I hope somebody greened her, since I can't. *stupid system*

PL is one of my favourite episodes ever and quite possibly my second favourite Jack episode (after "Abyss"). I love his depiction as very smart, intelligent, tough, self-reliant guy who *can* take care of himself (and his wounded comrade) and work out the problem on his own. Just goes to show you how much of his "I'm not so bright" persona is an act.

Sam is wonderfully emotional here - and I mean it in the best way possible. She's always so controlled and we are so used to seing her hiding her emotions to be the objective one that seeing her losing it every once in a while is nice. Esp. since it's entirely IC for her. She's not the one for public displays of emotions so Teal'c finding her crying in a darkened locker room feels right.

And Teal'c. How I love this guy, always watching out for his teammates, assuming Jack's 'caretaker' role in his absence and his fabulous, quiet friendship with Sam.

See? I can't even string 2 sentences together about this episode without gushing how awesome it is.

Gush away, because THIS. You have just managed to condense all my ramblings into a perfect summary of exactly what is awesome about this episode