Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[astrogeologist]

Well... only to answer for myself - I thought about coming and sharing my thoughts last night after the episode. But because I want to share here amongst fans who appreciate Sam much in the way I do, sharing means sharing my concerns in addition to the parts that did make me smile and sigh contentedly. I'm uneasy to do so now since it was made clear that the slightest mention of Cam here may be interpreted as an attack on his character and things need to be 100% happy and shiny...

So I'll just finish reading through a few places and log out....

SS, we do want to hear your thoughts and comments... so how about putting them inside spoiler tags, with a notation in front letting folks know that there will be negative criticisms regarding characterization? Then folks who don't want to read it don't have to read it (or even see it on the page as they scroll down). From past history here, lots of folks will read and appreciate your comments, critiques and feelings.

[Thor_Beyond769]

**Well*** Sobs***
It looks like Sam's Character is being ruined more and more with each new episode.

[ParadoxRealities]

spoilers for major leadership points, mostly avalon.

Spoiler:

landry comes into a job. CO of the most top secret and amazing base on earth. but the war is over. he's got a team that saved the world eight nine however many times. the war is over. cassie has a problem and area 51 wants carter, the brass agree. landry hardly knows where the bathroom is at the SGC, and now has the opportunity to figure everything out without being under the scrutiny of one of the most, if not THE most experienced knowledgeable officer in the stargate program. he can make the base his own, let it fit his command style, etc, without having a friend HWS general watching him. so he approves. is it wrong? not necessarily. if there's something else behind it there is. but it does show that landry (perhaps rightfully so) is uncomfortable around a person, and a team, with so much more experience than himself. he wants to make this his command, and heck, he has a right to. then mitchell shows up. a guy with a (supposedly) spotless record, great leadership skills (again, supposedly*), saved SG-1, with Washington's blessing. so he makes him a team leader. then, uh oh, Vala and the Ori bring back SG-1. all of a sudden he NEEDS sam, daniel, and teal'c again. but mitchell's CO of SG-1. what does he do? does he kick mitchell, his first pick and probably one of the biggest actions he's made at the SGC to date out of the position he put him in? no, that might seem incompetent. but then there's carter. again, great leadership skills, learned from the current HEAD of homeworld security, has 8 years more experience than him and mitchell combined, and was the prior CO of SG-1. shouldn't she be in charge? wouldn't that be safer? on the other hand, would it be safer than having a base CO who everyone thought was incompetent? then, BINGO, light bulb. he can make them co-leaders (:gag. of course this is dismissing the fact that to become a major general in the United States Air Force, you--hopefully--have to know what you're doing. or at least know better than that. but if you can ignore that, i think it fits together quite nicely. but, back to the actual point: is this the guy that would turn around and make carter his 2IC?

EDIT: realized i forgot to explain the * so here: i say "supposedly" not because i don't believe it (though...) but because landry very likely doesn't know; he just takes it from his file.

EDIT: hey!! 2000 <hunts around for avatar>

[RealmOfX]

Spoiler:

Well since he was a hero and asked to be put on SG1 it makes sence he was given leadership since there was no SG1. He had to make his team.She had left a week earlier remember?

Spoiler:

It makes NO sense especially to the military to let an unqualified and inexperienced officer from a completely different discipline to be on a specialist team let alone lead the flagship team. They had an entire base full of officers who should have got the job before Mitchell.

[Deejay435]

Spoiler:

Considering that Laundry was asking O'Neill for Carter to come back it tells me that it was more O'Neill, by Carters request, that order the transfer. Plus the SGC was pretty much shut down.

Well Cameron asked to be on SG1 but since SG1 was no more he was to make his on team. Makes sence to me.

Mitchell was told by O'Neill that he could have his pick of assignments. However, there is no canon that says O'Neill made that decision as Mitchell was NOT in the SGC at the time, and therefore it was not O'Neill's call to make. He can't command, transfer, make decisions about an airman in another General's chain of command.

But regardless of if O'Neill was the one with the idea that Cam could 'pick his own assignment' Cam picked being on SG1. He did not pick leading SG1. It was Landry that made that decision, not O'Neill. Landry could just as easily put Reynolds or Dixon as SG1's CO, and given Mitchell what he wanted-membership on the team. It was Landry's, imo foolish choice, to make Mitchell SG1 leader.

[ParadoxRealities]

psst, guys. i know we all miss WSL, but i think we might start pushing the bounds of on-topic soon. let's just keep an eye out, huh? we all know these--or rather this--debate is hard to stop once it gets going.

[Mandysg1]

Congrats PR on your 2000th post!
I guess the babbling has its benefits

[jckfan55]

S10 "Uninvited" Pros and Cons. Overall not bad.

Spoiler:

Cons: Too much Mitchell and Landry.
Vala back in pigtails & a bit too much of her overall
Missed opportunity for Vala and Sam to discuss the healing device & Jolinar
The whole idea of Cam "relaxing" in combat?
Edit: and how can I forget Cam getting a cool car like Sam.

Pros: Sam in charge of the base!
Science Sam, Mission Planning Sam, P90 Sam
Sam saying "Holy Hannah!"
Dr. Redden seems likeable and competent
Landry brought up Mitchell's desire to "learn from the best"
Vala not in charge of a team when going after the creature
Not sure I liked the poker game, but always love Sam's smile.

Not a pro or con & I feel bad saying it, but I didn't miss Daniel.

I'm resigned to it never being like the "glory days," but season 10 seems a bit more on track.

[Deejay435]

S10 "Uninvited" Pros and Cons. Overall not bad.

Spoiler:

Cons: Too much Mitchell and Landry.
Vala back in pigtails & a bit too much of her overall
Missed opportunity for Vala and Sam to discuss the healing device & Jolinar
The whole idea of Cam "relaxing" in combat?

Pros: Sam in charge of the base!
Science Sam, Mission Planning Sam, P90 Sam
Sam saying "Holy Hannah!"
Dr. Redden seems likeable and competent
Landry brought up Mitchell's desire to "learn from the best"
Vala not in charge of a team when going after the creature
Not sure I liked the poker game, but always love Sam's smile.

Not a pro or con & I feel bad saying it, but I didn't miss Daniel.

I'm resigned to it never being like the "glory days," but season 10 seems a bit more on track.

Nor did I, I think because:

Spoiler:

This was a really good script to write him out of. Nothing that happened played to his particular strengths very much. So, for me at least, there were no scenes where I felt someone else was doing something that Daniel should have done.

Now I really MUST get back to writing my samfic. Stop procrastinating Deejay! No cookies for you!

[jckfan55]

What I also liked was that, upon hearing some shots fired in the woods near the cabin, Cam said,

Spoiler:

"Sounds like a Vice-Presidential hunting party."

D'oh!!!

Kinda reminded me of Jack saying, "Who elected this SHRUB?"

If you're not American and/or don't get these references, PM me and I'll explain. But the show is still missing two very important and necessary components--Jack and the Sam/Jack Ship!

See I didn't like that reference b/c it referred to real political stuff. Cheney doesn't exist in Stargate's world. Popular culture references (in moderation) are ok, but I think this pulls us out of the SG world too much.

[kes]

spoilers for major leadership points, mostly avalon.

Spoiler:

landry comes into a job. CO of the most top secret and amazing base on earth. but the war is over. he's got a team that saved the world eight nine however many times. the war is over. cassie has a problem and area 51 wants carter, the brass agree. landry hardly knows where the bathroom is at the SGC, and now has the opportunity to figure everything out without being under the scrutiny of one of the most, if not THE most experienced knowledgeable officer in the stargate program. he can make the base his own, let it fit his command style, etc, without having a friend HWS general watching him. so he approves. is it wrong? not necessarily. if there's something else behind it there is. but it does show that landry (perhaps rightfully so) is uncomfortable around a person, and a team, with so much more experience than himself. he wants to make this his command, and heck, he has a right to. then mitchell shows up. a guy with a (supposedly) spotless record, great leadership skills (again, supposedly*), saved SG-1, with Washington's blessing. so he makes him a team leader. then, uh oh, Vala and the Ori bring back SG-1. all of a sudden he NEEDS sam, daniel, and teal'c again. but mitchell's CO of SG-1. what does he do? does he kick mitchell, his first pick and probably one of the biggest actions he's made at the SGC to date out of the position he put him in? no, that might seem incompetent. but then there's carter. again, great leadership skills, learned from the current HEAD of homeworld security, has 8 years more experience than him and mitchell combined, and was the prior CO of SG-1. shouldn't she be in charge? wouldn't that be safer? on the other hand, would it be safer than having a base CO who everyone thought was incompetent? then, BINGO, light bulb. he can make them co-leaders (:gag. of course this is dismissing the fact that to become a major general in the United States Air Force, you--hopefully--have to know what you're doing. or at least know better than that. but if you can ignore that, i think it fits together quite nicely. but, back to the actual point: is this the guy that would turn around and make carter his 2IC?

EDIT: hey!! 2000 <hunts around for avatar>

Spoiler:

This wasnt about Carter being leader, I think she should be. But that's a whole new story. This was about you blaming everything on Laundry. I dont think it is his fault that she was in A51 and that Mitchell got command. O'Neill gave it to him.

[kes]

Spoiler:

It makes NO sense especially to the military to let an unqualified and inexperienced officer from a completely different discipline to be on a specialist team let alone lead the flagship team. They had an entire base full of officers who should have got the job before Mitchell.

Season 9 spoilers

Spoiler:

Well then they shouldnt have let him chose is position. That's bad writting. Not the characters fault and again O'Neill did it, not Laudry.

[Deejay435]

See I didn't like that reference b/c it referred to real political stuff. Cheney doesn't exist in Stargate's world. Popular culture references (in moderation) are ok, but I think this pulls us out of the SG world too much.

For me too. It would have been a funny line had they never identified a president in SG1's world. In that case I could still believe that they're acting in present day US, instead of the clear alternate universe that they're in.

Yes, yes, I know, fic. FIC FIC FIC.

[ParadoxRealities]

Spoiler:

This wasnt about Carter being leader, I think she should be. But that's a whole new story. This was about you blaming everything on Laundry. I dont think it is his fault that she was in A51 and that Mitchell got command. O'Neill gave it to him.

Spoiler:

jack COULDN'T give it to him. as head of HWS, it's not his place to choose SG team leaders. it's landry's job. i think what i wrote is a plausible explination as to why he did. i seriously doubt jack or hammond would have done so. my point, though long winded, was to explain landry's outlook (IMO). so yes, it's going to be about landry (in respect to sam). he's base CO.

[kes]

Mitchell was told by O'Neill that he could have his pick of assignments. However, there is no canon that says O'Neill made that decision as Mitchell was NOT in the SGC at the time, and therefore it was not O'Neill's call to make. He can't command, transfer, make decisions about an airman in another General's chain of command.

But regardless of if O'Neill was the one with the idea that Cam could 'pick his own assignment' Cam picked being on SG1. He did not pick leading SG1. It was Landry that made that decision, not O'Neill. Landry could just as easily put Reynolds or Dixon as SG1's CO, and given Mitchell what he wanted-membership on the team. It was Landry's, imo foolish choice, to make Mitchell SG1 leader.

Yeh fine whatever.
You guys are conducting a witch hunt. Its a new character played by a great actor. So far he seems cool. Ok some bad writting but came on lighten up a bit. I mean when they gave O'Neill the position nobody complained. And he did not seemed like a good choice, same goes for Wier! A civilian (sp)! Now she leads Atlantis I know. Hammond was knew to it too at same point.

Spoiler:

If it wasnt for the new threat it wouldnt have matter and demoting the new hero just seems wrong, right?