Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[astrogeologist]

Sam Carter Best Episode
Second Award

Sixth round: season 6:

Lys - thanks so much for posting these pics!

The one from Allegiance is one of my favorite Carter pics!

Unnatural Selection ROCKS! It's one of the best episodes of the entire series, Sam greatness aside. It's got Sam being tortured, Sam taking a huge risk to appeal to Fifth, and almost best of all, Sam doing what she has to and what she's been ordered to do, despite her own feelings and despite the personal sacrifice to her own sense of integrity. She literally puts everyone else in the galaxy above herself. I love that Brad Wright always seems to find a way to have Carter faced with difficult, tough decisions where there is no right answer (Other Side, 2010, 2001, etc.). I love that he's capable of presenting her as so conflicted, and I love that each of these "momentous decisons" usually turn into character defining moments for Sam that usually have repercussions and fallout attached to them. All that aside, I also love the episode because it has so much time to breathe. The first twenty minutes of Unnatual Selection feature SG-1 hanging out on the Prometheus, just talking with each other and with Thor. The episode features the kind of character and team moments that made the first eight years of SG-1 so successful. Teal'c, Jonas, and O'neill sitting around eating ice cream works so well it's scary. The short, 15 second scene showing Jack teaching Jonas how to operate a P90 is nothing, but it conveys a great deal about the characters, the situation, and the show in general. Likewise, Carter's "discussion" with O'neill about naming the ship is well played and comfortable. The various character dynamics used to feel so natural because they were. Yeah, that one's probably my frontrunner right now.

....

This is getting long, so I'll stick my other two possibilities in one paragraph. Metamorphosis and Paradise Lost are just awesome episodes. Sitting here thinking about it, I marvel at how good SG-1's "just an episode" episodes used to be. Anyway, both of these episodes feature Sam hurting, in one way or another. And sometimes, you can't beat a hurting Carter for great Sam stuff....As for Metamorphosis, I love the way that Amanda Tapping plays Sam as quietly dealing with her own probable demise. The fact that such a demise is so unnatural and gruesome adds a great deal of gravity to the episode, and it just debunks the prevalent opinion that you can't believably write a lead character "in peril". It's not whether or not you do it or how often you do it, it's how you do it. The details do matter, and they got them right in this one.

I was just watching S6's 2001 (on tape ) and I thought it was a pretty good Sam episode. You get Scientist Sam explaining things to a room full of diplomats as well as base personell. You get Sam having to make a decision to do something Hammond tells her he can't order her to do. You have sodleir Sam going off to face the possible enemy without SG1 and having to accompany the ambassador. Then Sam has to make a terrible decision in having to leave the ambassador behind to save earth, then having to cut that rope knowing how painful that landing is going to be. And yet she gets no comfort from any of her teammates! Ooooh that really irks me!

So I am thinking about voting for 2001

Great comments, Golfbooy and Mandy!

[minigeek]

I doubt anyone has transcribed it yet, but maybe in a week or so. Someone should definitely post some clips from it here. Spoilers for West Wing (Just in case):

Spoiler:

It was a fantastic ep. I was thinking about how much Sam and CJ are alike throughout that whole scene. I especially loved the part where she admitted that she knew how to do her job and she knew how to do it incredibly well, but that she didn't know 'how to do' relationships and she was unsure if she could even learn how.

That whole monologue could have easily come out of Sam's mouth. But then again, West Wing has always had incredible writing - even at its worst. It was time for it to come to an end, but I am still sorry to see it go.

I'm soo glad I'm not the only one who saw Sam Carter in that monologue! And yes, the writing, every time I've caught that show, has been very good. Perhaps they think more about their characters before they put pen to paper. I can only imagine what someone like Amanda could do with writing like that.

[LadyJeep]

And now for my 1,500th post, I thought I'd say something inspiring...
Oh well I guess I'll just have to join Sal in singing a Barbra tune

People
People who neeed people
Are the luck..

Hey who threw that

Congratulations on reaching 1500 posts!

[astrogeologist]

Minigeek's post RE West Wing's latest episode:

Spoiler:

This is only tangentially Sam related ... but it's related enough that I wanted to share it with other Sam fans.

I don't know how many of you watch West Wing (I only catch it from time to time, myself). However this week, they focussed on the CJ Craig (sp?) character, whom, if you don't know, is the outgoing president's cheif of staff. Very powerful female character, needless to say.

Well, the series is winding down now, and they're tying up loose ends. One of which is the 8-year-long-attraction she's had to another (on again, off again) character. And they had several really powerful scenes between her and this other character in the last episode.

It was the first time I'd ever seen (on television) a very powerful female character placed in a relationship type discussion where she wasn't:

(a) Mis characterized.
(b) Overemotional for her character
(c) Turned into a cliche

And neither, for that matter, was the male counterpart in question. I really had to tip my hat to them because it was written SO well that I sat forward in my chair and said: "DAMN, I really wish they'd had that caliber of writing for Sam on SG-1 during any of her 'human' episodes!".

Because I think a lot of the issues addressed for the CJ character also resonate with Sam. The career-focus, the dedication. The single-minded determination. The lack of any and all other focus (the resultant relationship-ineptness that she was really bothered by, yet fiercely protective of revealing to anyone, even her 'chosen partner'.

It took a conversation (and some great acting) the likes of which I haven't seen in a while on TV. The likes of which I KNOW Amanda could handle, and I'd LOVE to see her do, some day, as Sam.

In the end, it left both characters with strong, co-determined choices to make. Just brilliantly done. I wish I could share the clip(s) with you, but I can't. Suffice it to say, if you want a good "what if" for Sam, you may want to get your hands on this past Sunday's episode of The West Wing. Well worth it, even if you've never watched before (I don't watch most weeks, either. Odd how I tuned in for this one).

geek.

well said, mini (insert) geek! I too, watched that episode -

Spoiler:

and I thought that the writing was exceptionally well done. Was watching it at a friend's house, and my comment was along the lines of how rare it is to see a guy written as they wrote Danny Kincannon - and they wrote him that way so that CJ could play off of, and with, his character. The episode focussed on her - and she was written as an important, competent female who had countless numbers of folks clamoring after getting her to work with them. All the way from the new incoming president, to a fictional character obviously modeled after Bill Gates. She's juggling all of this - and she's smart and on top of things... at the same time that she's trying to deal with having a personal life. Very, very well done. And I love their quick dialogue/repartee.

[astrogeologist]

Because Sam Doesn't Do Damsel.

Amen to that, dancer!

[Mandysg1]

Originally Posted by the dancer of spaz
Because Sam Doesn't Do Damsel.

Amen to that, dancer!

That's because Daniel does Damsel
(take it what ever way you want to )

[astrogeologist]

Colonel Sam Carter


Photographic by ForeverSG1

[Mandysg1]

Colonel Sam Carter


Photographic by ForeverSG1

Thanks for posting that pic by Kat, its awesome

[Myrth]

Hey mini that new sig is freaking stunning woman!! Had to get that out there

Just on shows with great writing.. you know I'd love to see Amanda do a guest role on The L Word. I've just seen season 1 of that and the level of intricacy and "realness" and complexity in the character writing on it is incredible. Probably a good study in the difference between a "written by a male" woman and a "written by a female" woman. I think Amanda would handle that kind of writing and rock it out of the park.

And hey they shoot in Vancouver, you never know right... it would be the Flashdancer, the Vampire Slayer and the Savior of the planet.. lol.. sorry I know many of you won't get that reference.

But then I think the writing for Sam over the years has been incredible at times. A comibination of allowing Amanda to do her thing and some solid writing is how we've ended up with Carter. Can't ignore that fact.

I'm soo glad I'm not the only one who saw Sam Carter in that monologue! And yes, the writing, every time I've caught that show, has been very good. Perhaps they think more about their characters before they put pen to paper. I can only imagine what someone like Amanda could do with writing like that.

[Agent_Dark]

Hey mini that new sig is freaking stunning woman!! Had to get that out there

Just on shows with great writing.. you know I'd love to see Amanda do a guest role on The L Word. I've just seen season 1 of that and the level of intricacy and "realness" and complexity in the character writing on it is incredible. Probably a good study in the difference between a "written by a male" woman and a "written by a female" woman. I think Amanda would handle that kind of writing and rock it out of the park.

And hey they shoot in Vancouver, you never know right... it would be the Flashdancer, the Vampire Slayer and the Savior of the planet.. lol.. sorry I know many of you won't get that reference.

But then I think the writing for Sam over the years has been incredible at times. A comibination of allowing Amanda to do her thing and some solid writing is how we've ended up with Carter. Can't ignore that fact.

I've only seen one ep of teh L Word, and I think I watched it for different reasons than you too
I'd go for that

[Myrth]

Lol no doubt AD...

I've only seen one ep of teh L Word, and I think I watched it for different reasons than you too
I'd go for that

[tara3583]

Hi Samandans, i've just watched the trailer "Stuck" and wow i really wish we could see the whole film because from the little bits that showed Amanda in a really diferant role was fantastic to see.
Why was the film not shown to the viewing public?

[majorsal]

Hi Samandans, i've just watched the trailer "Stuck" and wow i really wish we could see the whole film because from the little bits that showed Amanda in a really diferant role was fantastic to see.
Why was the film not shown to the viewing public?

i've wanted to see 'stuck' from the moment amanda mentioned it, let alone filmed it. a movie where amanda playes a drug addict? GOT TO SEE THAT.




sally

[majorsal]

go here: http://www.scifi.com/pulse/

go to the bottom and click on 'stargate deleted scenes tour guide'. it'll show a scene, then you'll have the option of seeing more deleted scenes from seasons 7 and 8. and sam's in some of them!




sally

[majorsal]

so, i'm finally making myself make the decision on my fave s6 sam ep. the eps that are vying for the priviledge are:

'metamorphosis'. has sam whumping.

'paradise lost'. sam angst and emotion.

'unnatural selection'. slight sam whumping and angst.

'prometheus'. sam, super cool chick, saves the day.

'nightwalkers'. sam whumping plus super cool chick.


hmm....

thinks


my choice is 'nightwalkers'.


goes to email sky with ansie





sally