Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[jckfan55]

Ok, my important thoughts on "Pegasus Project."

Spoiler:

Waaay to much McKay for my taste. A few good Sam moments. I liked how she sort of mouthed "thank you" to Sheppard when he volunteered to shoot Rodney. I would have liked to see more interaction between Sam and Sheppard.

I did think AT was good in the scene when R. told her about his hallucination. I even liked Cam when he threatened R with the lemon. But this was supposed to be an SG1 episode. Sam should have been much more prominent & should have shown R. up more. After all, it is a fact that she's smarter than he is.

I liked that Teal'c got to lure the toilet ship in to be destroyed even if he didn't get to do much in the episode. Daniel seemed in character to me and Vala wasn't too annoying.

Other issues: I don't know if it's just me, but I felt very little tension during the ep. I was a bit worried about Teal'c, particularly when he heroically broke radio silence, but wasn't worried about the Odyssey. Sure, I know the main cast will live, but sometimes they do manage to work up the tension level a bit.

Now to see what everyone else thought.

[RepliCartertje]

Thanks Nora! Here are some captures.

Spoiler:

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/678...olume21ua1.jpg

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/906...olume37bl3.jpg

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http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/1...olume72he3.png

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6...olume79dv7.png

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3...olume83ew5.png

Cheers,

Jan

Thank you Jan for these lovely screencaps!!! they really look great.

[jckfan55]

Yeah, course we are. I mean, we all know that it's really emus you have running round your back yard. And that you're all within a kilometre of Ramsey Street

Did someone call me?

[ShimmeringStar]

Spoiler:

That'd be Line in the Sand........... look away if you don't want any more spoilers



But basically Carter gets seriously injured when they're attempting to save a village from an Ori attack by shifting it out of phase with the device from Arthur's Mantle. She and Mitchell are left in the out of phase bubble, while Teal'c and Vala are undercover amongst the other villagers. I think. It's something like that anyway

And the kicker is, if what tsaxlady reported from Comic Con is right - that the 2nd half (the remaining 10 eps) of S10 won't start here in the U.S. until mid- to late-March.... We won't be seeing Line in the Sand (probably ep #14 unless the lineup changes) until early to mid-April at the earliest.

Bummer.

[dexterav]

[jckfan55]

If we want to determine who has the strongest accent ... here's the test.

We put AT in a room and bring in AD, deepspace, 1speed and Coley. Each one of the contestants has to say only two words at the back of the room and Amanda then has to repeat what she hears.

The two words are Crystal Skull.

I already know who will have the strongest accent. It was pre-determined at last year's GABIT.

LOL. Don't pick on poor Coley. I'm sure she's clearly understood in her neck of the woods (or is it on the cliffs?)

[WhatFateAlmondRoca]

Regarding Nightwalkers, that and the earlier Foothold held so much promise for Carter's rise to the command post. To think how it just didn't hold up once S9 rolled around.

Okay, Miss Negativity shall leave the scene and begin major sorting and packing and boxing of her humble earthly belongings. This activity shall now continue for three weekends unless I can get Thor to beam me up and deliver me and my ensemble to my new house.

Peace, CG

I have a secret confession: Nightwalkers is one of my favorite episodes, along with Space Race and Foothold. Oh, and Entity. Every time I see AT in her Nightwalkers "MIB" outfit I'm like "dang she makes that look good." The shades, the long overcoat, the boots, the short choppy hair - and I'm a chick!

Furthermore, Rodney McKay once said that she was not only a scientist but an artist and I think those episodes show a terrific marriage of skill and the ability to improvise - to take her knowledge and discipline and apply them effectively and creatively in dire and unexpected situations.

Spoiler:

This brings me to my misgivings about S9 & S10 - I don't see that as much in what they've written for AT. Like you, I do scratch my head at how they can possibly not know what to do with her character, a character that they themselves have given nearly endless possibilities. But then they've pretty much decreased old fashioned Tau'ri ingenuity to searching for hi-tech alien toys. I really hope S10 focuses less on the treasure hunt and more with artful solutions to problems faced by humanity/SGC/our allies.

I'd like to see a Homeworld Security spinoff with her and Jack O'Neill. She'd command a team of intergalactic troubleshooters that deal with technologically-based threats to earth. That way you could have a variety of baddies - not just focus on one or two, and a variety of technologies from genetically enhanced alien warriors gone darkside to super plagues to supergates. And you wouldn't focus on the toys, you'd focus on the baddies and the people fighting the baddies.

That's just one possibility of many - I'm sure the ficcers out there can come up with much better. But not know what to do with Sam from Foothold, Sam from Entity, Sam from Nightwalkers, Sam from In the Line of Duty - oy!

P.S. I'm with you - I should be cleaning my house and getting ready for DD's big birthday bash tonight. Live music, food, etc. Does Thor do finger food????

[jckfan55]

With all the spoilers flying around could I ask (and hopefully this won't sound too bossy) for people to put some kind of label on them? I try to avoid spoilers, but spoilers for some are not for others. For example, most of us in the US have seen all of Season 9, but we still need to spoiler tag for those who haven't. Is that correct, Sky?
So I could read "spoilers" of S9 & up to this week's episode, but wouldn't want to read about episodes that haven't aired on SciFi yet. Does that make sense?

[dreamer]

Originally Posted by Coley
Sadly Amanda has already stated her disapointment at the lack of team episodes. The team splits off quite a bit into two's apparently.

As for interviews I think things are going on for Amanda outside the Stargate World. The official Sci Fi mags have had little or nothing about Amanda or Sam in so far. The attention has been focused on BB and CB. Her exposure is picking up now because something has changed????

BW and The Boy Coop would never admit they made a blunder if the show floundered.

I said in a post quite a while ago that I think a lot of the stalwart SG1 viewers are a niche audience. The show was different from all the other sci fi shows. It was here and now and potentially real. The characters were on the whole believable, and the Stargate is unique. The series was also largely based around a tightly focused unit of four which we all grew to love.

The show now has changed quite a lot. It has become more like a lot of other sci fi shows. The technology has advanced at such a rapid pace that it is far in advance of anything we have now, ships are used more and more - the Stargate less and less. The characters - at least the new ones - are less grounded in human reality, the team focus is lost and the remaining big 3 seem to have had their characters changed to suit the new beat of the show. The camera direction is more akin to a CSI show rather than plain straighforwar shooting.

So why would people watch Stargate over any other sci fi show now?

All the elements I loved about the show have gone, and I think a lot of the general viewers, that do not bother with fandom, liked the show for the same reasons I did. I have stopped watching, it will be much easier for less than stalwart fans to stop watching too.

An ex work colleague was an occasional watcher of the show. However when he saw the first ep of season 9 with Vala in he said that this wasn't what SG1 is about and he wouldn't bother watching it again if that is the way they were going with the show. He actually said if he was interested in cleavage there were plenty of other channels he could watch with that and much more.

Trying to claim the show would have a longer shelf life if it was rebranded is a load of cobblers awls. It doesn't matter what a show is called if it isn't good people won't watch. The execs have actually changed the show a lot without rebranding. If viewing figures fall it means the previously regular fans have stopped watching. I'm not quite sure how still being called Stargate SG1 would stop fans who have watched the show for 8/9 seasons for watching now. The only "intelligent" answer is that people do not like the show which is being put out now.

I'm sure they will also try to blame it on the baggage of the big 3. Yes blame everyone and anything but yourselves chaps. That's real intelligence isn't it! "Consider the possibility!" why don't you.

However you never know. The ratings may be good and as many people who decide not to watch may be matched with new viewers, who have no beef about the changes which have been made to the show.

Wonderful post! You've obviously not been tippling your sloe gin or local brew tonight ... (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Seriously though you've said it truthfully and well. This show has been cosmetically and digitally changed into a "dime a dozen" sci-fi sound-and-light cg series ... too many cooks in the kitchen with too many spicy ingredients. Sad.

Steady as it goes held my interest. I liked the human interest of 3-4 main characters, getting to know them so well if felt like visiting family ... now it's a matter of doing the math: more bodies added to cast = less screentime or lines of script for all.

I think Amanda's future is secure ... she's so talented in so many ways and she'll know when to move in a new direction and grow beyond her wonderful, wonderful portrayal of Sam.

At least we'll have the card game to remember her finest moments.

After listening to Amanda's last interview and her hesitation on if she will continue with the show I think it bothers her the direction the show has taken. It is just my opinion of the interview but who knows. Amanda will do great no matter what show she is in. Her acting Talent is great if the writers want to reach an audience who watch the show for the half dressed and mindless sex appeal than it will soon grow tiresome and fall by the wayside I am sure. I will watch as a fan of Amanda's to see if it improves but as far as rewatching goes that is doubtfull.

[ShimmeringStar]

On Pegasus Project....

Spoiler:

I did think AT was good in the scene when R. told her about his hallucination. I even liked Cam when he threatened R with the lemon. But this was supposed to be an SG1 episode. Sam should have been much more prominent & should have shown R. up more. After all, it is a fact that she's smarter than he is.

I don't know. I only caught the viewing once and was still participating in the ShipDay thread when it reran, but I actually didn't mind the

Spoiler:

lemon thing. Might be because I see Sam as having moved (matured?) on beyond any antagonism she may have with McKay. He's more like a pesky gnat that keeps buzzing around her nostrils, ears, and eyes, but he ain't worth the time it takes to swat him away. Maybe because on one level I interpreted it that Sam was actually happy to sit back and *allow* Cam to deal with the ball of hypersnarkiness that is McKay. Could be too she's just tired of him and it's better to ignore him and if Cam wants to rise to his bait, so be it.

(Least ways that how I'm explaining it to myself!)

Spoiler:

Other issues: I don't know if it's just me, but I felt very little tension during the ep. I was a bit worried about Teal'c, particularly when he heroically broke radio silence, but wasn't worried about the Odyssey. Sure, I know the main cast will live, but sometimes they do manage to work up the tension level a bit.

You weren't the only one. It had the best *ensemble* team feel of the past season and a half, but it was falling flat for me too. Maybe because I can see with the Goa'uld the pacing we had in the earlier seasons - more stand-alone eps, more side trips to other civilizations.... we weren't that much of a threat to the Goa'uld back then. But now with the Ori.... who are much more powerful, and were marketed to the viewers as the most dangerous of *immediate* threats, even though they very loosely try to tie stand-alone eps to the Ori arc, I dunno... the overall SGC/Ori arcs seem too plodding, like a laid back reaction by the SGC to a very real and immediate threat and even at the episode level they seemed to drag and not build as much tension. LOL!

Spoiler:

But there was more than there was in last week's episode... which was a real sleeper!

Now I enjoyed it, more overall than any ep so far, but it was more for those glimpses of greatness than for the whole thing. *giggles* I'm not making much sense am I?

[DEM]

Sadly Amanda has already stated her disapointment at the lack of team episodes. The team splits off quite a bit into two's apparently.

Which is doubly unfortunate because there are 5 of them. Frankly, I'd rather have Mitchell be Guy Doing The Solo Task, and Teal'c and Carter paired off.

ChopinGal,

Spoiler:

The habit BB has adopted of leaning over AT with his hand on the back of her chair (anyone else noticed this?) also heightens the intrusiveness factor. It's a nonverbal with a lot of (unconscious) kick, I think.

[ShimmeringStar]

After listening to Amanda's last interview and her hesitation on if she will continue with the show I think it bothers her the direction the show has taken. It is just my opinion of the interview but who knows. Amanda will do great no matter what show she is in. Her acting Talent is great if the writers want to reach an audience who watch the show for the half dressed and mindless sex appeal than it will soon grow tiresome and fall by the wayside I am sure. I will watch as a fan of Amanda's to see if it improves but as far as rewatching goes that is doubtfull.

She will, won't she? I do hope her next 'vehicle' is one that will showcase her talents to a wider audience. (And not be limited to the Canadian TV market either!)

[ShimmeringStar]

This brings me to my misgivings about S9 & S10 - I don't see that as much in what they've written for AT. Like you, I do scratch my head at how they can possibly not know what to do with her character, a character that they themselves have given nearly endless possibilities. But then they've pretty much decreased old fashioned Tau'ri ingenuity to searching for hi-tech alien toys. I really hope S10 focuses less on the treasure hunt and more with artful solutions to problems faced by humanity/SGC/our allies.

Perhaps they're afraid? Afraid to go out on a limb and take the character to the next logical step? TPTB (and the actress ) crafted one of most unique and viewer/fan-accessible female characters out there and it's almost like they've hit the proverbial glass ceiling. And instead of wanting to bust through it and show what a truly kickbutt and intelligent, but still compassionate female lead can do... TPTB're just sliding their pressed noses up against the glass and moaning it's too hard, too much, to do what it takes to break on through. It's easier to focus on the formulaic rote things where there is no ceiling, no raising of the bar, no attracting a diverse and smart fanbase....

Too bad. Our loss. Amanda's loss. The whole SG arc's loss.

[jckfan55]

On Pegasus Project....
I don't know. I only caught the viewing once and was still participating in the ShipDay thread when it reran, but I actually didn't mind the

Spoiler:

lemon thing. Might be because I see Sam as having moved (matured?) on beyond any antagonism she may have with McKay. He's more like a pesky gnat that keeps buzzing around her nostrils, ears, and eyes, but he ain't worth the time it takes to swat him away. Maybe because on one level I interpreted it that Sam was actually happy to sit back and *allow* Cam to deal with the ball of hypersnarkiness that is McKay. Could be too she's just tired of him and it's better to ignore him and if Cam wants to rise to his bait, so be it.

(Least ways that how I'm explaining it to myself!

No, I agree with you. What I meant by

Spoiler:

Sam showing up McKay was showing him up *scientifically.*

[ShimmeringStar]

Amanda does have the loveliest smile ever, doesn't she?

Yes she does. And it's so easy to tell when people are just acting. (I mean we *are* talking about actors here!) And Amanda is very real and very lovely. *giggles* Yes... I guess I'm a shamless fangurl now.

http://pics.livejournal.com/shimmeri...1/pic/00001w37