Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[astrogeologist]

Part 5 of the Season 8 Sam Highlight Summary

THREADS
Skydiver sooooo good. Sam and pete, yes I am biased because I really didn't care for pete's character, however, I do like how he's dealt with. I love the scenes with sam and dad…and yes, I did shed a tear.
I like how sam's finally taking charge of her life in a way
NearlyCircular AT’s performance with CA was so perfect. She didn’t play it over the top, because that wouldn’t be in character, but you could see how much she was hurting, and at the end, that she had come to accept it.
majorsal THE turning point for Sam. She was being pulled at many ends emotionally. She'd lost her friend (Daniel), she was being pushed and pulled (Pete), her true love had found another (Jack), and her father was dying. There were *so* many scenes in this ep that I loved that I don't know where to begin. Besides the wonderful shippy scenes concerning Jack, my fave moments were with her father. That scene when Jacob said goodbye... everytime I see it it feels like I've been punched in the stomach. Everything that Sam's been going through since Grace culminated in this ep. Bravo!
StrixVaria This was another great episode, probably my favorite for the season. The scene where Sam shows up at Jack's house and is trying so hard to talk to him when Kerry interrupts... AT played that brilliantly. It was genius. I was so drawn into the scene I knew exactly what she was feeling. And her scenes with Jacob... again, very moving. I was really pleased with the writing in this ep; I thought they gave AT a lot of great, emotional scenes, and she did a fantastic job with them.
ChevronSeven I adored Threads. Moreso for the Sam/Jack observation scene. But, the entire episode for Sam was very well done. I, too, love all Sam and Jacob scenes and it was so beautifully played by Amanda and Carmen. That line about Selmak giving Sam more years with her father...oh, so wonderful. You could literaly see the angst Sam was going through as the wedding drew closer. I know that she cared for Pete, but she just couldn't go through with the wedding. Sure, Jack played a part, but I don't think that it was it entirely. Sam finally had a relationship that she took a chance on. We never really knew about her engagement to Jonas from Season One, but Sam needed to broaden her horizons. In the end, perhaps, she didn't like it and wanted to be "safe" (wink, wink) .
chocdoc The relationship to Jacob is central to Sam's character, and I think this episode illustrated the depth and breadth of this father-daughter relationship. The interactions between the two were superb---for example, when Sam is irritated with Dad for mentioning having to go with Pete to order flowers ((priceless father-daughter interaction)), and the incredibly touching scenes near the end of the episode. This is one of my favorite relationships in Stargate--it has been since Jacob was introduced in Secrets. Loving daughter Sam who has made her Dad very proud.
nearlycircular I've been putting together some screen caps and sound bytes from Season 8. This first group are some of the lighter moments from Threads.

First, Sam reacts to Pete meeting Jacob for the first time

Dialogue
Pete: This is great! You’ve really got one of those things in your head?
Jacob: If, by “one of those things”, you mean a two thousand year old Tok’Ra symbiont, yes.
Pete: Seriously?! Go on! That has gotta freak you right out sometimes! It’s weird!

Sam's expressions as her dad tries to "help".
Dialogue
Jack: Emergency?
Sam: No, no. Just a, um, misunderstanding.
Jacob: Hey, weren’t you supposed to meet Pete at the florists’ this morning?
Sam: No, Dad.
Jacob: No, I’m sure that’s what you said – for the wedding.
Sam : I know.
Jack: Go ahead, Carter. It’s supposed to be your day off anyway.
Sam: It’s OK, sir.
Jack: Well, Teal’c and Bra’tac are meeting with the Jaffa – there’s nothin’ to do around here. Go pick flowers.
Jacob: What?
---------------------
Sam and Jack and Kerry at the cabin (I loved the way that Jack was spraying beer around I bet if AT's back hadn't been to the camera, we would have seen her trying not to laugh.)


Dialogue
Sam:… and if I don’t tell you now, I might never ...
Kerry: Jack, I looked everywhere – I could not find ... Colonel Carter.
Jack: Ms Johnson.
Sam: Yeah, I didn’t – I didn’t ...
Jack: We were just ... meeting here in my back yard on this fine day to discuss the state of affairs.
Kerry: Well, this is awkward!
Sam: Ya think?!
---------------------


Dialogue
Sam: Dad?
Jacob: He hung on as long as he could, then he slipped into a coma just after we activated the weapon on Dakara.
Sam: You’ve known all this time since then?
Jacob: I didn’t wanna spoil your wedding. Now, I thought we could make it.
Sam: “We”?
Jacob: He’s barely alive. I’m gonna die with him, Sam.

Dialogue
Sam: I love my job.

Dialogue
Jack: C’me here
Sam: Thank you, sir.
Jack: For what?
Sam: For being here for me.
Jack: Always.

[astrogeologist]

Part 6 of the Season 8 Sam Highlight Summary

MOEBIUS, PTS 1&2
Skydiver wasn't geek sam just ADORABLE???? she was so precious and it was fun to watch the normally assured Sam be all hesitant and slightly goofy. She's so precious and funny. It's interesting to see how much she's changed by whatever was different in the au universe. But still, even though she's a bit of a frump, she's still sam inside. She's still funny, smart and, it seems to me, just needs someone having confidence in her to bring that confidence and ability to the fore
Tara3583 This was just a joy to watch from start to finish, i just let the story wash over me and sit back and laughed at all Amanda's antics.
Two really very different stories and two very different sides of Amanda's work
UberSG1Fan As for AT, I was amazed at how much she seemed like a different person. She even walked like a geek! And I especially loved her little cough after Jack told her how hot she was... Her mannerisms, her expressions - all priceless!
AgentDark Geek!Sam made the episode
StrixVaria These were fun episodes, and geeky Sam made me laugh. I, too, found the time travel/timeline implications to be a bit confusing... I can't help but think my SG-1 Sam, Jack, and Teal'c died in the past and geeky Sam and Jack were stuck together in the past for the rest of their lives, but oh well. It was still a happy ending in our time.

I also wanted to say that even though I have pointed out several of Sam's apparent insecurities this season, I don't have a problem with the writers portraying her with weaknesses. The scene where she's second-guessing her command decision was very well done, I thought. And I can understand how the writers might have felt it was a good thing to get Carter out of her element and to explore aspects of her personality that haven't been brought to the forefront before. I would guess that AT really enjoyed it, too, since it stretched her acting talents. For my part, it's just that she had so many insecure moments this season that I got a little tired of seeing her so off-balance. When Reckoning came around, I was relieved to see my old Sam back.
ChevronSeven Oh Geek!Sam was fantastic!!! Amanda played that so, so well. From her facial expressions, to her voice, to her walk. She still is the Sam we know, just way more cautious than our Sam. Loved her in both Moebius I & II.
Ancient 1 I just LMAO every time I watch & listen to the Uber-Nerd Sam.
NearlyCircular Geek Sam Rules! AT got to play and show us her comedic talents, and she did it with style.

NC's Sounds and Pictures from Moebius

SGC. LEVEL 22. Alt-Daniel and Alt-Sam are following General Hammond along a corridor.
AU DANIEL: Look, the only reason you have the Stargate is cos of us!
AU HAMMOND: I’m aware of that.
AU DANIEL: I’m a linguist! By all accounts, your team may need one.
AU CARTER: And what if something goes wrong with the Gate on the other end?
AU HAMMOND: Neither of you have had any military training whatsoever. Have either one of you ever even fired a weapon of any kind?
CARTER: Well ... unless you count launching a rocket.
Click here to listen to audio
******************************
Don't Like Guns
AU CARTER: I don’t really like guns.
AU O’NEILL: Neither do I. How do you feel about explosives?
AU CARTER: Those I like a little better.
******************************

Click here to listen to dialogue
…Now, just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside doesn’t ... God, that’s horrible! Who would ever say that?!
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Click here to listen to dialogue
I can’t believe I wasted my frequent flier miles on this.

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And you thought you had bad hair days!
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Blue jello reigns in any reality!
******************************

Click here to listen to dialogue
McKay: Now you – you I would listen to if you were reading the phonebook.
Sam: Oh, brother! (when I first saw this, I could have sworn she muttered “pr**k”)
McKay: You see, I love this whole sexy librarian thing. Look, why don’t I take you to lunch, get you up to speed. I hear it’s lemon chicken today – it’s my favourite, hmm?
******************************


Click here to listen to dialogue
Daniel: We’re waiting to see General Hammond.
Davis: He’s busy. Why don’t you tell me – I’ll decide if it’s worth interrupting him.
Sam: …That is where you’ll find your second Gate.
Daniel: Worth it?

[astrogeologist]

Part 7 of the Season 8 Sam Highlight Summary

NC's Sounds and pictures from Moebius Part 2


Click here to listen to dialogue
Daniel: Wait a minute – I thought the reason why we brought the ship was so we didn’t have to walk.
Sam: We can’t just fly into an alien city. The mission is stealth recon, meaning undetected.
Jack: Meaning shut up!
Sam: Sorry.
******************************
Now, here’s Daniel showing Sam how not to be the hand signal person in charge

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Click here to listen to dialogue
Sam: I don’t really like guns.
Jack: Neither do I. How do you feel about explosives?
Sam: Those I like a little better.
******************************

Click here to listen to dialogue
I wonder if the future me has a boyfriend?

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Click here to listen to dialogue
Jack: It’s just a little weird hearin’ that kind of stuff come out of someone so ...
Sam: So what?
Jack: ... hot.
Sam: Really?
Jack: Yeah.
Sam: Wow. Um, it’s just you ... you’re not the kind of guy that I usually attract.
Jack: No?
Sam: No. Huh. God. Wow! This is kinda awkward.
Jack: Yeah, it’s gettin’ there.
Sam: I’m kind of attracted to ... Daniel.
******************************

Click here to listen to dialogue
I lied. I just wanted to get to know you better. You see, usually I’m a very cautious person and I tend to think things ...

Okay, so, I was fairly certain that Lucille Ball did the fish-face/mouth thing sort of like AT in Moebius... think there's an influence there?

Now, AT's acting has been compared to Meryl Streep and Lucille Ball... how impressive is that?! AT is amazing!

[ForeverSg1]

I think the answer is 'balance'... we've talked about this before in the thread, but it's a topic that will resurface occassionally, and it's worth discussing with new folks and new opinions.

What brought me into the Stargate series was the 'balance' between the lead characters - as we've said before, Sam was treated as an equal amongst the lead characters... She wasn't 'the' lead, but she was one of the team, and she got to be in on the major heroics... they've written and shown her standing alongside the guys in firefights and yet she is smart and intelligent and comapassionate. Right from Season 1, they allowed her character to carry major storylines (e.g., Singularity and In The Line of Duty). They showed a solid, competent officer who had enthusiasm, passion and heart (Singularity). She was heroic and her character was involved in the scifi developments of the series (In The Line of Duty, Ascension, etc.). They also developed and integrated aspects of her personal life (Secrets, Tokra, Jacob, First Commandment). We also got to see some of her mistakes and vulnerabilities (Red Sky, 48 Hours, First Commandment, etc.).
To be honest, no other Stargate character was developed as well as Carter was. And, certainly, no other lead female scifi character has ever been developed as well as Carter was developed over the first 5 seasons. And they did it without Sam being 'the' lead. As we have worked our way through the seasons with the Best Sam Polls, the polls have consistently identified 2-5 really standout episodes each season that featured Sam. That's 2-5 out of 20-22 episodes... or less than 10-25% (which is not to say that she was left out of the other episodes - or didn't have good scenes). It's not the Sam Carter Show... it was actually closer to the Jack O'Neill show... and yet, look at what they accomplished for the character of Sam Carter! This kind of character development is typically only seen for the main male lead. (Although I am sure that there are exceptions, that doesn't invalidate the more general rule).
*snip*
What were some of the positive sides of Season 8?

They really 'worked AT' in Season 8; they allowed AT to show and demonstrate some of her wonderful acting range. And Moebius simply looked like they got to play around - let the actors have a little fun and cut loose.

-she played tortured and broken by Fifth (New Order)
-she played an evil supervillian in RepliCarter (Gemini and Reckoning)
-she played 'beside herself' in Gemini where she was both Sam and RepliCarter on the screen at the same time (Gemini)
-she played the continuing soap-opera drama (Affinity and Threads)
-and she got to play comedy with AU Geek!Sam (Moebius)

What amazing range and breadth... and.. simply.. what fun!

*snip*

Absolutely amazing post Astro!! I truly love hearing everyone's comments and the differing views. That's what makes Sam such a great character and this thread so fun and interesting. The fact that Sam is such a diverse personality that she can bring so many people from so many different backgrounds together. I may not agree with everything that I read, but like Astro said my personal opinions about Sam have been altered and broadened due directly to what I have read on this thread. Through your eyes, I see Sam in a new light. I have to admit, I'm one of those viewers who never really got truly excited bout watching the battle scenes... I mean I enjoyed them but I didn't get all tingling when I saw Sam taking down a Jaffa with a P90 or when she was setting charges for C4. But after spending time on this thread and listening to all your comments, my interest in these scenes have increased a hundred fold. I appreciate the character of Sam as a whole much more deeply now.

I wish I could have given you green for this post Astro...it truly deserved it. Unfortunately I've not been having much luck lately with reping. Everyone I have tried to rep over the past few days has given me the message that I need to spread it around.

Kat

[deepspace]

Whoaa!
First thing I notice when I get back: Samanda’s moved!
Second thing:Yay Amanda’s had her baby!
Third thing: So many people have changed their avatars and sigs that I hardly recognise them anymore!
Now: Time for me to catch up…

[tsaxlady]

Okay! I'm cheating here a little because I couldn't pick just one shot from this scene...the expressions just crack me up...



So, NAME THAT EP using these pictures...

BTW, still looking for people to post eps they'd like me to use as a basis for my "Sam is the Hero in Almost EVERY SG Episode" theory...

Space Race

[astrogeologist]

Okay! I'm cheating here a little because I couldn't pick just one shot from this scene...the expressions just crack me up...



So, NAME THAT EP using these pictures...

BTW, still looking for people to post eps they'd like me to use as a basis for my "Sam is the Hero in Almost EVERY SG Episode" theory...

Great pics, Über! Love the expressions on AT's face! Fun!

[Uber]

Great pics, Über! Love the expressions on AT's face! Fun!

BTW, still looking for people to post eps they'd like me to use as a basis for my "Sam is the Hero in Almost EVERY SG Episode" theory...

Alright AsgroG....IT'S UP TO YOU! Will you take my challenge???

[Uber]

NAME THAT EP (hopefully a little more challenging than the last)...

[tsaxlady]

NAME THAT EP (hopefully a little more challenging than the last)...

Okay I'm going to take a guess is it? spoiler tag Full Circle

[Uber]

Okay I'm going to take a guess is it? spoiler tag Full Circle

You're too good! (Darn it.)

Here's just a fun scene that tickles me...I love to see how uncomfortable our Super Sam is here...

BREGMAN: OK ... Major Samantha Carter, US Air force, Astrophysicist. Considered the foremost expert of the Stargate. You've explored territory that no one on Earth ... in the history of Earth has ever seen ... and you've fought an enemy that no one on Earth has even imagined.

BREGMAN: Major Samantha Carter meet the six and a half billion people of the planet Earth.

CARTER: Hi...

[badmedicinesg1]

Hi! I'm new to this board, but the others told me I could find some blue jello here?

[tsaxlady]

You're too good! (Darn it.)

LOL - It's the hair and uniform that gave it away -

I'm glad I've finally found my way to this thread I can see that I will enjoy hanging out here when I have the time -

By the way ÜberSG-1Fan I've printed out your FanFic to read during rehearsals this weekend.

[Uber]

LOL - It's the hair and uniform that gave it away -

I'm glad I've finally found my way to this thread I can see that I will enjoy hanging out here when I have the time -

By the way ÜberSG-1Fan I've printed out your FanFic to read during rehearsals this weekend.

(((((((((tsaxlady)))))))

Thank you! Be sure to post a review...

[majorsal]

It was in the AT interview that Jackfan posted awhile ago...

Here's an excerpt:


Audience member: In 2001, when Sam falls out of a harvester and down (something)... why didn't someone come and help her when she stacked (or something).....landing on the ramp or something.

Amanda: Thank you!! Thank you. Good question. And I did actually hurt myself, and I'm lying against this metal rack, you know, there's a metal step in the middle in middle of my... and I looked up at these three guys, and they all just stood there, and I'm 'Guys? Yoohoo!', And so they made a kind of a joke, amongst the three of them, that they all just stood around, and at the very end they said 'you all right?' They thought it was hysterically funny. But that was like Rick, Chris and Michael thinking it was hysterically funny... *not* O'Neill, Teal'c and Daniel. And I said to them, 'Guys, your characters would care.'

A lot of laughter. Amanda: 'Come on!' But... they just didn't want to play. They were like 'yeah'. And the director said, 'One of you should try and help her up at least'. And of course their reaction was like 'No, no, she might have broken something, we don't want to make it worse! We should wait for the medical team to come in. We don't want to hurt her.' (pulls a face, like 'yeah, right') So, good question. I don't know the answer. If you run into them, ask them.

As I said, they needed some serious Three Stooges head banging that day!!

well, that actually ticks me off. what, the director can't 'make' them do the right thing? that's what a director's for, you know? '2001' was from the fifth season, where things started changing for the worse. sloppy.


sally