Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[SnoggingPicard]

Heehee...Cam on Ritalin. Actually, I know that he's supposed to be kind of clownish and have a sarcastic sense of humor and so on, but I for one am much more impressed when the character gets to show the serious side of himself. I think that Ben is better at these scenes to begin with, and I think that the character himself is more believable, tolerable, and interesting when he isn't constantly wise-cracking. Honestly, not every single team leader on Stargate has to be some sort of homage to Jack. We CAN have a serious guy in charge...sarcasm isn't a prerequisite, so I hope that we get more of a serious Cam next season.

I also deeply miss the team feeling that "old-school" Stargate had, and season seven to me gave some of the best examples of this. There were a few episodes this season that really made me happy as a fan, but for the most part I came away feeling...nostalgic or wistful, I guess. I'm not saying that the show can't work without the original cast (though I do miss it), but for some reason, the new season didn't gel as well for me. It's not for lack of acting ability...maybe the plot lines didn't cut it. Maybe some of the characters were a little...off sometimes. I don't really know what it was, but it was different, and I'm still on the fence about whether I like it. I will say that the Ori just make me giggle...I can't take them seriously, especially with their toilet-bowl shaped ships. Silly.

As a Sam fan, I had mixed reviews about this season as well. For one, I think it was great that AT was able to have her baby and then come back to the show without much of a hiccup. That was lovely. "Ripple Effect" was a great ep for her, and I liked seeing her interact with all of the other characters. We didn't have just Sam/Daniel or Sam/Cam scenes, but a good mix of her with all of the others, and that's always good to see. On the other hand, I'm still trying to figure out why she's not leading the team (or first in the credits, but that's for another thread), and I wish we could see more of the vulnerable side of her. We got that with Cam this season, and it would be great to get another ep where Sam explores some of her fears, anger, or disappointments. Hopefully next year...

I don't know. Jury's still out, I guess. Some good bits, some bad ones, but that's to be expected. It was definitely different this year, and I think I'll know if I like it a few episodes into next season. TPTB are in a tenuous place right now, and the beginning of next season could make or break the show's future.

[ReganX]

I've said this before but Mitchell needs to be put on ritalin - if he would calm down I might start enjoying the character. At this point I don't feel vested in him and if he were to die it would not bother me. It's also why I have a hard time with the idea of Mitchell leading SG-1. The class clown does not make the type of person I want as a leader.

I agree.

Jack used humour too, but it never felt out of place and, as golfbooy pointed out, his humour came from a darker place. I think that it was his defence against becoming the way he was in the beginning of the movie.

With Mitchell, I've felt like screaming "Somebody shoot him - please!" on a regular basis and have actually done so more than once.

As a leader, I have no confidence in his abilities and fear for the safety of SG-1 while he is allowed within five hundred feet of them. It is impossible to watch Mitchell "lead" without comparing him to Jack or Sam and he always comes up short.

TPTB could salvage the leadership situation by promoting Sam to full colonel, but I doubt that they will.

[Skydiver]

Cambo seriously needs some meds

about the one character interaction that i think works is when we see sam and teal'c both express their frustration with cam. like in arthur's mantle and sam's 'oh hi'...which was a very annoyed tone of voice

or a plethora of teal'c's looks and quips. i empathize with them totally.

there's this guy at work that i have to work with. and he is a nice guy, very sweet. but he's so danged up and hoppy and complimentary that he wears you out to be around him. you feel exhausted after all the compliments and comments and up ness of him that you just look forward to him being done and leaving

i feel that way with cam

no, he doesn't have to be a gloomy gus, far, far from it. just please put his upness in perspective and in proportion to the other guys

right now, he's a goofball most of the time...and i just can't put my faith as a leader in a goofball.

i look to colonel dixon as a good example. He was fun and light hearted, but not over the top. He had a good balance

[binkpmmc]

Well I guess it's just not my cup of tea and being on a low fat diet, I find it has just too much cheese

Don't get me wrong- it's not my cup of tea either - if I did watch it it's cheesiness would not bother me because it's suposed to be that way at least I htink it is - no one that makes a show like that can take it seriously can they? (oooh almost forgot about the Stargate PTB - guess they can.)

[Tracy Jane]

Don't get me wrong- it's not my cup of tea either - if I did watch it it's cheesiness would not bother me because it's suposed to be that way at least I htink it is - no one that makes a show like that can take it seriously can they? (oooh almost forgot about the Stargate PTB - guess they can.)

It is meant to be a children's show, essentially. It always has been.

[Mandysg1]

It is meant to be a children's show, essentially. It always has been.

That's the feeling I got about it, but I thought why would they be putting a childrens show on late at night

[Tracy Jane]

That's the feeling I got about it, but I thought why would they be putting a childrens show on late at night

Well, in the UK, Dr Who was a children's show originally, but kind of grew in cult status. The new Dr Who got shown slightly later. It was still principally a children's show, but then the children who originally watched it are now adults, so it has this nostalgic appeal, I guess. But as to why it has a late night airing time in the US, all I can guess is the whole cult status thing.

[jckfan55]

Happy Birthday

jckfan

(does this mean you have to change your number )

Ha, ha. 55 does not indicate my age, I'll have you know. I'm not quite that much of an elder--chronologically or in wisdom.
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes.

[binkpmmc]

Cambo seriously needs some meds

about the one character interaction that i think works is when we see sam and teal'c both express their frustration with cam. like in arthur's mantle and sam's 'oh hi'...which was a very annoyed tone of voice

or a plethora of teal'c's looks and quips. i empathize with them totally.

there's this guy at work that i have to work with. and he is a nice guy, very sweet. but he's so danged up and hoppy and complimentary that he wears you out to be around him. you feel exhausted after all the compliments and comments and up ness of him that you just look forward to him being done and leaving

i feel that way with cam

no, he doesn't have to be a gloomy gus, far, far from it. just please put his upness in perspective and in proportion to the other guys

right now, he's a goofball most of the time...and i just can't put my faith as a leader in a goofball.

i look to colonel dixon as a good example. He was fun and light hearted, but not over the top. He had a good balance

Goofball - that's it- that's exactly the word that fits. GOOFBALL. My best friends son is 12 and I call him a goofball all the time and that is what mitchell reminds me of a kid who acts ridiculous from an adults perspective (but it's fun for a kid) too bad mitchell is not a kid, just a goofball adult and one I would not trust to lead a boy scout troop across the street for fear they'd all get hit by a car while their fearliess cowboy leader was dancing his way across on his own.

[Mandysg1]

Could some one pleas clear something up for me?

or


Which are the real jaffa cakes?

[jckfan55]

grr, ok wehre was i.

ok, yes, atlantis does have cheesy fun. and there are cringeworthy plot holes. But you know, there's not a single character on the show that i care about. Teyla, Ronon, Shep, Weir, Rod, Carson...any of them could get killed off next week and i won't care. I have no emotional connection with them at all.

I know what you mean, though I would care a bit about some of the characters. I wonder if some of it is that we got lucky with the connection between the *actors* on SG1 and some of that translated to the characters.

I pulled out the DVDs today and watched "Bane." My favorite thing about that episode was how Sam, Jack and Daniel worked to save Teal'c. Sam even got angry when she yelled at the geneticist. "You son of a *****!" and "D*** it Timothy, Teal'c is my friend!" I can't see her getting so worked up about Cam. In fact she didn't. Look at that memory episode.

Spoiler:

Sam sitting back "observing."

[dipsofjazz]

It is meant to be a children's show, essentially. It always has been.

Doctor Who has always been a 'family' show. It's normally shown here on Saturdays, in the early evening. I've watched, and loved, the show from the early '60's, and I enjoyed this new series. The episodes do get better. As a child, the Daleks (and especially the Cybermen) terrified me, so there's a lot of nostalgia involved when I watch. This is partly why it is so successful in the UK....we all grew up with the show.

[Tracy Jane]

Mandy Neither... McVitie's Jaffa Cakes are the one true cake!

[Tracy Jane]

By the way, seeing as we were talking about Sam and Jack fics the other day, this one (despite its location) is a PG fic and had me giggling.

http://www.sjnc17.stargate-brats.net...y.php?sid=1459

[Deejay435]

Yeah, that's why I have enjoyed Stargate as well because the characters were always written on the more serious side so it just seemed more believable to me. I mean I know that in reality no one is going to survive so many near death experiences as the members of SG-1, but the characters were written to have some lasting effects. The characters have become increasingly darker as time gone by. They aren't as easily impressed and filled with wide-eyed excitement as they were in the earlier seasons and as sarcastic as Jack may have been he wasn't constantly cracking jokes all the time. He did have a much darker side and while he may have been sarcastic and condesending at times as a means to lighten the mood, he never behaved like a clown to me making jokes of every situation. The problem with SG-1 this season is that it just hasn't felt as if there is a good balance between the wise cracking and the real serious stuff. To me, the wise cracks appear to be added at impromper situations, especially during the briefing room scenes.

I enjoy that Sam and Teal'c have been allowed to loosen up a bit this season, but I just haven't felt any of the drama this season. I know the Ori are suppose to be a huge threat, but I just don't see or feel any real concern from the four members. There's just too much lightheartedness, especially on the part of Mitchell; and maybe that's due to the fact that he really hasn't had to live through the stuff that Teal'c, Daniel and Sam have. Or maybe he's one of those people who deal with stress by making a joke, but it comes across as odd to me.

I'm really hoping that season ten will mesh better and there will be more of a balance between the light and serious moments. Hopefully we'll get some nice juicy tidbits about season ten this week that will help to alleviate some of my concerns.

I would have liked to have seen Mitchell's lightheartedness contrasted better with the more...jaded...Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c. I'm not sure I'm saying this right-but the thing that intrigued me about Mitchell, when he was first introduced, was his wide-eyed enthusiasm about being on the Stargate project. That reminded me of early Daniel and especially early Sam. Those are traits that eight years of the traumas and trials of saving the world over and over again have bled out of them.

What I wanted to see was how Sam and Daniel and Teal'c would respond to someone who hasn't seen what they have, who hasn't been on the receiving end of so much whumping by the universe. Would his excitement and joy be catchy? Would they be able to regain some of that innocence that they lost, through interacting with him? And conversely, would their darker view of life beyond the gate temper Mitchell's enthusiasm at all?

It had potential to bring more growth depth to all four of the characters.

Instead, everything seemed so superficial. They skimmed the surface, and danced around the potential they had-but they never really delved into what could have been a great process of growth, and bonding.