Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[astrogeologist]

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Everyone has been sending in great comments on Season 7 Sam highlights! Many folks have commented favorably on Avenger 2.0 - and the humor in the episode. Although not as humorous as the rest of that episode, I wanted to see what screen caps I could get from that last scene on Ba'al's planet... here's what I came up with... enjoy...


I liked the way that they came through the 'Gate - Sam came through first - the soldier on alert.
Felger came through comically, leaving all of the 'protecting duties' to Sam.


I also liked the inside of the DHD - very cool
- and it would be cool to see Sam working on one in some Season 9 episode.


And here are the infamous lines....

CARTER: "How's it coming?"
FELGER: "We're getting there. It's pretty cool, isn't it? You and I working together? We're sort of like the intellectual Butch and Sundance of the SGC."
CARTER: "Butch and Sundance got cornered and killed by the Bolivian army."
FELGER: "Yeah...that's a good point, yeah."

Suddenly, Sam sees Jaffa entering the clearing in front of her. She pulls Felger down with her behind some stones.
FELGER: (still holding the laptop) "What? What? What? What?"
CARTER: "We got trouble."
FELGER: "Wh-what kind of trouble? What?"
CARTER: "Think Bolivia."

NC's 'Think Bolivia' audio clip
NC's screen captures
---------------

Look at those shells fly out of the side of that gun!
AT went through a *lot* of bullets in these scenes!

Where are those clear-plastic protective eye glasses that they've worn in some of the episodes?
*(Now I feel like my mother, sigh)*



And then she has to reload her gun - and in the audio commentary she says that this gun gave her nothing but problems -the props department had literally invented a gun for this episode because they couldn't use the standard P90s that they usually used (they couldn't get ammo as it was all sent to the war in Iraq). AT said that at one point the thing basically exploded on her and the bullets just shot out sideways and she dropped the gun, shouting out something like It's Stargate Barbie and We're All Going To Die! It's amazing to me that she saw it as humorous - I think I would have been scared and then gotten pretty pissed at whoever put that gun together! AT also made a very funny (and sharp) comment that she wished that she had picked up the fallen bullets and started simply throwing them at the Jaffa... ROTFL! Only a comedian would think of such a thing! And the image in my mind is hilarious! Here, take that, you evil Jaffa! (as she flings bullets at them). Handthrown bullets vs. staff weapons...

She also said that the 'ancient stone ruins' were actually lightweight fake props... and she kept knocking them over.... ooops. LOL! I love the fact that AT can laugh at herself!


Col. Carter got to have target practice with the Jaffa in these scenes.
Lots of great scenes showing competent Soldier!Sam with her gun on full rock and roll!

And as a final note, Jack brings the calvary to the rescue in the stolen alkesh. I would have really enjoyed having Carter handle things and then when Jack showed up, Carter would have been standing guard over Felger as he finished up. It would have been great for Jack and company to arrive and Carter has it under control - just competent and professional. With a line or two along the lines of... Jack: 'Came to see if you could use some help...but it looks like you've got things under control...' and Carter just shrugs and gives him one of those small, unprepossessing smiles. "Things could change at any time, sir, so your alkesh is more than welcome." "Good job, Carter." Now I don't need to see Carter always handling everything and never needing any help... but I would have enjoyed seeing her handle this one on her own (I think she earned it with what she had to deal with with Felger all episode ), and then get to greet Jack and Co. more as colleagues than as saviours.
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Photos are screen caps from the episode Avenger 2.0
Transcript excerpts are from the Stargate SG-1 Transcript website
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[astrogeologist]

I'm glad you all liked my post!

Hey, you know, I just had an interesting thought about Sam - and what I'd like to see happen to her after SG-1 wraps up, whenever that may be.

Wouldn't it be neat if Sam at some point became the leader in Atlantis? I'm still not warming up to this Weir chick as I mentioned offhandedly in a previous post. How cool would it be for Sam to not only have a position of command, but to lead an ENTIRE expedition, hmmm???

Now, the Jack/Sam shipper in me doesn't like the idea because of the whole "being on the other side of the universe thing" (adding a new dimension to the phrase "long distance relationship")... but hopefully, travel between Earth and Atlantis will someday be something that could occur without someone being stranded somewhere.

Just a thought!

I really like your idea - Sam in command of the Atlantis group - that would be a great move for her. Unfortunately, I think the Weir fans would then become Sam-haters...oy! I don't think the long-distance relationship would need to be a problem - Jack could just retire from the Air Force and... say... be out with Thor or some such... and they could drop in whenever RDA was willing to make an appearance.

[Uber]

<snip astrogeologist's wonderful pictorial overview of funny Felger/Carter moments from Avenger 2.0>

Great overview - you know, this seems more to be the job of the Royal Photographer *cough, cough*

There was no way she could handle an entire Jaffa platoon by herself. But what's so great was how completely calm she is as she picks off all the Jaffa.

Carter (firing her weapon): How's it coming?

Felger (ducking as he works): I'm feeling a little rushed!

Contrast this Über-confident soldier with the woman waiting to introduce her fiance to her dad in THREADS. Absolutely priceless and perfectly portrayed by AT!



You know at some point I'm going to have to bite the bullet and actually buy the SG DVDs. It seems like it'll be worth it for the commentary alone...

[astrogeologist]

Great overview - you know, this seems more to be the job of the Royal Photographer *cough, cough* You know at some point I'm going to have to bite the bullet and actually buy the SG DVDs. It seems like it'll be worth it for the commentary alone...

How are you getting your great screen caps (like the ones from you posted from Singularity) if you don't have the DVDs?

There was no way she could handle an entire Jaffa platoon by herself.

I agree that there were too many for her to handle by herself as they filmed that scene... so I would have had there be fewer Jaffa - so she could handle it... or have her set claymores and C4 around the clearing before the Jaffa showed up... then she could have been firing her gun and occassionally setting off ordinance when enough Jaffa were in the proper places. But I really don't *need* to see Carter take out a platoon of Jaffa by herself (although I have to admit it would be cool), so simply reducing the number of bad guys would have been enough for me... and then she could handle them.

But what's so great was how completely calm she is as she picks off all the Jaffa.

Carter (firing her weapon): How's it coming?

Felger (ducking as he works): I'm feeling a little rushed!

You are so right! AT came across as the calm-under-fire soldier! Very cool.

Contrast this Über-confident soldier with the woman waiting to introduce her fiance to her dad in THREADS. Absolutely priceless and perfectly portrayed by AT!

Can't wait to see Threads for myself! (am hoping that the instructions over the phone to my mom actually worked... and it will be several weeks before I get a chance to travel over for a visit... )

[Uber]

How are you getting your great screen caps (like the ones from you posted from Singularity) if you don't have the DVDs?

I searched high and low for websites with great screen caps...

But give me some time as I'm going to be developing my own soon enough...

[ChopinGal]

Avenger 2.0 ... Although not as humorous as the rest of that episode, I wanted to see what screen caps I could get from that last scene on Ba'al's planet... here's what I came up with... enjoy...

... Here are the infamous lines....

CARTER: "How's it coming?"
FELGER: "We're getting there. It's pretty cool, isn't it? You and I working together? We're sort of like the intellectual Butch and Sundance of the SGC."
CARTER: "Butch and Sundance got cornered and killed by the Bolivian army."
FELGER: "Yeah...that's a good point, yeah."

Suddenly, Sam sees Jaff entering the clearing in front of her. She pulls Felger down with her behind some stones.
FELGER: (still holding the laptop) "What? What? What? What?"
CARTER: "We got trouble."
FELGER: "Wh-what kind of trouble? What?"
CARTER: "Think Bolivia."

---------------

Look at those shells fly out of the side of that gun!
AT went through a *lot* of bullets in these scenes!

Where are those clear-plastic protective eye glasses that they've worn in some of the episodes?
*(Now I feel like my mother, sigh)*



And then she has to reload her gun - and in the audio commentary she says that this gun gave her nothing but problems -the props department had literally invented a gun for this episode because they couldn't use the standard P90s that they usually used (they couldn't get ammo as it was all sent to the war in Iraq). AT said that at one point the thing basically exploded on her and the bullets just shot out sideways and she dropped the gun, shouting out something like It's Stargate Barbie and We're All Going To Die! It's amazing to me that she saw it as humorous - I think I would have been scared and then gotten pretty pissed at whoever put that gun together! AT also made a very funny (and sharp) comment that she wished that she had picked up the fallen bullets and started simply throwing them at the Jaffa... ROTFL! Only a comedian would think of such a thing! And the image in my mind is hilarious! Here, take that, you evil Jaffa! (as she flings bullets at them). Handthrown bullets vs. staff weapons...

She also said that the 'ancient stone ruins' were actually lightweight fake props... and she kept knocking them over.... ooops. LOL! I love the fact that AT can laugh at herself!


Col. Carter got to have target practice with the Jaffa in these scenes.
Lots of great scenes showing competent Soldier!Sam with her gun on full rock and roll!

And as a final note, Jack brings the calvary to the rescue in the stolen alkesh. I would have really enjoyed having Carter handle things and then when Jack showed up, Carter would have been standing guard over Felger as he finished up. It would have been great for Jack and company to arrive and Carter has it under control - just competent and professional. With a line or two along the lines of... Jack: 'Came to see if you could use some help...but it looks like you've got things under control...' and Carter just shrugs and gives him one of those small, unprepossessing smiles. "Things could change at any time, sir, so your alkesh is more than welcome." "Good job, Carter." Now I don't need to see Carter always handling everything and never needing any help... but I would have enjoyed seeing her handle this one on her own (I think she earned it with what she had to deal with with Felger all episode ), and then get to greet Jack and Co. more as colleagues than as saviours.
.
.
Photos are screen caps from the episode Avenger 2.0
Transcript excerpts are from the Stargate SG-1 Transcript website

I just watched the audio commentary again last night and the timing and delivery on the Sundance lines is so well done ... also, her commentary about being "Stargate Barbie" and the gun problems. She mentions that she gets to lob a grenade too but it was edited out. I wanted her to finish the fight alone too and then have Jack show up ... again, one more way of letting Carter take charge in the field and get the job done without a rescue from a white knight. It also wasn't believable to have her retreat to Felger's position with her back to so many Jaffa still firing at her ... in a fanfic, she would have been hit. But in the show, through the years, we have seen what bad shots those Jaffa are! SG1 can pick them off ten at a time but they rarely tag our guys.

They seemed to really have a lot of fun making this episode. My least favorite scene was the final dream sequence of Sam jumping Chloe but I guess it would fit in with Felger's obsession ... it just made me feel uncomfortable ... two women rolling on the floor, fighting over a man. Thank God the writers didn't suggest mud wrestling! I hope AT would have drawn the line on that!

All in all, a very funny episode that kind of grows on me as I rewatch it.

[ChopinGal]

Wouldn't it be neat if Sam at some point became the leader in Atlantis? I'm still not warming up to this Weir chick as I mentioned offhandedly in a previous post. How cool would it be for Sam to not only have a position of command, but to lead an ENTIRE expedition, hmmm???

Now, the Jack/Sam shipper in me doesn't like the idea because of the whole "being on the other side of the universe thing" (adding a new dimension to the phrase "long distance relationship")... but hopefully, travel between Earth and Atlantis will someday be something that could occur without someone being stranded somewhere.

Just a thought!

I agree with Astro ... looks good in theory, would be a mess in practice because a certain fandom would mercilessly attack Sam Carter once again.

And what about the original Dr. Weir? So far, the character seems wooden and two-dimensional but it could be that the writing and direction are calling for that. OT, but I hope they start to soften and round her out a bit.

I can't seem to care about the female characters on Atlantis the way I gravitated to Sam Carter from the very first episode I watched. I wonder if it is the writing or the actors themselves. Still looking for more depth.

[ChopinGal]

Re: Avenger 2.0 and Sam in combat ... Contrast this Über-confident soldier with the woman waiting to introduce her fiance to her dad in THREADS. Absolutely priceless and perfectly portrayed by AT!

You know at some point I'm going to have to bite the bullet and actually buy the SG DVDs. It seems like it'll be worth it for the commentary alone...

LOL You make a good point! Although I thought she played it a little over the top with Dad and Pete!

Yes, treat yourself to the DVD boxed sets ... there are so many extras which make it twice the fun of watching your favorite episodes all over again!

Great job on the screencaps from the web ... how do you actually do that? You can PM me here on the thread.

[Skydiver]

For me,
Rda was why i tuned in in the first place. 45 minutes of macgyver a week, what's not to love?

It didn't take me long however to start to gravitate towards Sam. I liked show she was their friend and equal, and not just there to be rescued every other week

around season 3 when i started to play online, the first thing i looked for was sam fic. There wasn't much of it...and i wanted some so i started to write, and i started to write sam fic.

I made friends online and ran off to gatecon 2001 to meet them, my first trip out of the country.

All in all, the character has had an impact upon my life and i'll always like her for that

[Strix varia]

And what about the original Dr. Weir? So far, the character seems wooden and two-dimensional but it could be that the writing and direction are calling for that. OT, but I hope they start to soften and round her out a bit.

Yeah, I liked the original Weir better, also.

I can't seem to care about the female characters on Atlantis the way I gravitated to Sam Carter from the very first episode I watched. I wonder if it is the writing or the actors themselves. Still looking for more depth.

I was really hoping to like Weir (being a woman in a leadership position and all) but as you say, the writing/directing/acting isn't working for me very well. I hate to be critical of actress' looks given our culture's obsession with weight, but Torri Higginson looks skeletal to me (I wish they'd soften and round her out a bit, too, but probably not in the way you were thinking ). Don't they have food in Atlantis?

And I haven't really been able to identify with Teyla the same way I identify with Sam.

Strix

[Strix varia]

Great sig pic Strix! Sam with each of the guys!

<Discovering pages and messages that I have missed before...> Thanks, Astrog! (Your sig actually gave me the idea for it...)

Hugs,
Strix

[Coley]

News Report

It has been communicated to the Oh Yea Times that the three mother hens have been spotted in green combat gear on walkabout in the University Grounds and buildings. This followed a rumour spreading around the Court that The Head of Security had been spotted on his security rounds at the University flying low without a licence.

The hopeful trio were also sporting field binoculars and determined expressions. Anyone sighting them, could they please confiscate the binoculars and point the excitable trio in the direction of their homes.

Honestly! What will they get up to next?

Head of Security - please be more careful when dressing!!

[astrogeologist]

And what about the original Dr. Weir? So far, the character seems wooden and two-dimensional but it could be that the writing and direction are calling for that. OT, but I hope they start to soften and round her out a bit.

I can't seem to care about the female characters on Atlantis the way I gravitated to Sam Carter from the very first episode I watched. I wonder if it is the writing or the actors themselves. Still looking for more depth.

I think it's a combination of the actor and the writing. The writing has to give them the opportunities to shine and the chances to be seen as heroic, a positive role model, and yet friendly. And then the actor has to take advantage of the scenes (if they are written for their character).

I wrote some of this earlier in the thread, but I want to take it a bit further here: When I first saw Stargate, I watched it with the judgemental eyes of someone with several decades of science fiction novels, movies and TV behind me. And the movie just didn't cut it as top-level scifi - I saw it as a B-grade scifi movie and I didn't connect with any of the characters in a sympathetic fashion.

So when they made it into a TV series, I wasn't expecting much and only caught pieces of a few rerun episodes in syndication in weird times on local independent stations... say while channel flipping after 1am in the morning...

But then, one day, a little over a year or so ago, I caught the beginning of Forever In A Day... and there was the lead female character working shoulder to shoulder with the guys as they fought a pitched battle against the bad guys (Jaffa, I later found out). The female wasn't overly butch or macho... and yet there was simply no reference to her being female! She was simply one of the team as they all worked their automatic weapons on the bad guys. And then, she picks up the RPG and launches a grenade at the bad guys - and that's a big piece of weaponry - very macho - and usually only handled by the lead macho guy. But in this scene, the female soldier (Sam, as I later learned) didn't look macho - she just looked competent. And yet she didn't look like an emotionless, hard-hearted soldier either... she shot the RPG and then picked her automatic weapon back up and rejoined the basic firefight. No fanfare. Just competence.



So, I'm sitting there stunned at how well that scene was done - and how much I hadn't expected it. After more than 3 decades of scifi, I was used to seeing the male macho lead who is also smart and sexy and solves almost all of the galactic problems... is never wrong (in the end) and has heroic scenes in every episode. And the female characters are usually not-so-heroic... wrong quite often (because it's the male lead who gets to be right)... not nearly as strong in character, and, of course, dressed in something sexy all the time... skin tight 'uniforms' (catsuits) or something in leather that leaves lots of skin exposed and looks like it belongs on a movie set for the Amazons or 'Invasion of the Alien Sluts'. This intro scene in FIAD surprised me and I started trying to figure out when the syndicated reruns were being shown so that I could catch more of them.

I came to realize that the idea of the Stargate allowing them to explore the galaxy was a really cool scifi idea (this wasn't how it was presented in the movie - in the movie they only talked about the gate going to Abydos).

And then there was Sam Carter. Wow! Did they do a good job with her character or what? Yes, there were still lots of things written in the classic fashion for the female character (like when she stupidly stands up to get shot in The Nox)... but there were so many moments where they 'broke the mold' that I was willing to let the more standard stuff slide (just wince and hope its over soon).

It didn't take long for me to get onto Amazon.com and buy the DVDs (trying to catch the shows in syndication on independent stations is frustrating). When I got to see Season 1 in its entirety (and in order), I winced at the 'reproductive organ' lines... and at the scenes in Emancipation, Broca Divide and Hathor and such... but then I was completely in awe of how well they wrote other scenes for this female scific lead. Singularity was simply fantastic. Seasons 2 and 3 were also wonderful - and I think what struck me was what chocdoc or deepspace said awhile back on our thread -- Sam was being treated as an equal amongst the scifi hero leads. She was getting 'equal screen time'... what seemed to be an equal amount of large heroic scenes... and, quite frankly, I was blown away and it put a great big grin on my face!

Over the first three to four seasons, they developed the character and added depth and scifi to her character (e.g. Jolinar), and yet they allowed her to show her human side and her feelings (e.g. Secrets, The Tokra, Enigma, etc.). Overall they developed a fantastic character.

And then there was AT - the actress who made it happen. Who took the lines and scenes as written and played them differently than I'd ever seen a female scifi lead play them. She didn't come across as the female who used her femininity to get what she needed from the guys - in fact, she was written and/or played as if she wasn't even aware of her affect on the guys most of the time - and that is definitely not something I was used to seeing in the female lead of any scifi show! And I love that shyness that AT gave to the character of Sam Carter. Shyness and humility and a lack of arrogance or obnoxious ego. She doesn't need to assert herself because she's comfortable with her own competence - she knows what she can do and she doesn't need to prove it every minute of the day.

I was also extremely impressed that AT didn't play Sam Carter as an Ice Queen or a butch macho military woman. And I really think this is AT coming across on the screen - she just seems... 'nice'! And how cool is that? As someone said earlier - she seems like she'd make a great friend! In most scifi shows, or even cop/detective shows and such, the female leads often come across as a bit reserved or cold to me... like they've had to deal with the hard realities of life as a 'woman in a man's world' and there is a bit of hardness to their faces quite often (unless they turn on the sex appeal to get something)... but AT doesn't show that sort of face very often... she just looks like... a person... someone who could be a friend or relative. Somehow AT comes across as real to me on the screen. All I can do is applaud loudly for her accomplishments at something that very few are able to do.

I honestly don't think that Sam Carter would be nearly the positive female lead that she is if someone other than AT had been cast to play her.

Since participating in this thread, you have all shown me even more of the positive scenes, lines and aspects of the character of Sam Carter. I can't thank you all enough! This thread is fun and I have a greater appreciation for AT as an actress and for Sam Carter as a character.

[tara3583]

Astro i could'ent agree with you more on your view of Sam and of course Amanda, i wish i could give you some green jelly cubes but i cant so here you go, have some of Sam's favourite jelly

I would like to add something my husband said when he saw Amanda as a soldier,"well i could really believe she was a proper serving soldier
in the armed forces" that imho is a great complement to her as an actress from somone who
is not a fan of the show but was just passing through the living room at the time!

My thoughts of Amanda, when she shared her baby
news with us and why she could not go to any cons my heart went out to her because here was a woman feeling bad for letting fans down and her fans wanting her and her baby to be well.
She really is one in a million and as a fan that is umm getting up there in age i have to say this is the first time that i have encountered something like this, i'm really looking foreward to meeting her at Gabitevents as soon as she can, which brings me to not long
now for baby to arrive, so i'll end by wishing her and Alan all best wishes and love and hope
baby ie here soon. (((((Amanda,Alan and baby))))

[Uber]

I agree with Astro ... looks good in theory, would be a mess in practice because a certain fandom would mercilessly attack Sam Carter once again.

And what about the original Dr. Weir? So far, the character seems wooden and two-dimensional but it could be that the writing and direction are calling for that. OT, but I hope they start to soften and round her out a bit.

I can't seem to care about the female characters on Atlantis the way I gravitated to Sam Carter from the very first episode I watched. I wonder if it is the writing or the actors themselves. Still looking for more depth.

I agree the current Weir is wooden - but I can't blame the writers for that. You can have a strong female presence with strong female emotions and not come off as a piece of plywood. The actress simply does not emote her feelings well.

Sam could have been a walking cliche. She could have been really dull as an Über Geeky Scientist or over the top as a Rambo wannabe... but AT made even the most ridiculously complicated material interesting and attainable. Her character is a soldier that does what she's told, killed who knows how many enemy soldiers in the line of duty - but AT managed to bring pieces of her personality and character in and as a result, Sam never seemed to be trying to be masculine.

No matter what she does, she maintains her strength and presence without losing her femininity...