Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[ann_sgcfan]

Happy Birthday ChopinGal!!

I hope you are having a great day!!

[Gate gal]

So I just finished watching the last 15 minutes of "Unending" for like the fifth time, and I don't know what to say.

OK, I think I know what to say.

First of all, Sky, I'm sure your friends have already told you, but...

Spoiler:

You will be pleased by one specific moment.

Sorry. I wasn't sure how spoiled you were.

Now...

Spoiler:

I have to say that it's very clear that an effort was made to make this episode really count. There was a little something for everybody (I think, one particular group notwithstanding), and it's great that they tried to encompass all of the different facets that fans from all over the spectrum could enjoy. For that, I am very grateful.

I'm surprised at how much of Sam's perspective was shown throughout the episode. I expected quite a bit to be about her technobabbling and all that jazz. And while the story was all of theirs, and it was very much a team episode, for some reason there seemed to be a lot of Sam. So... Take from that what you will. I'm not sure why they made that decision, but I enjoyed it.

Amanda has this way of acting that's quite subtle. Like I said, it seems that she was a major player in this episode, yet it wasn't shoved down your throat. She did her thing, deferred to the other actors in the process, and still managed to shine through in many scenes without it seeming forced. For instance, I'd started to get kinda worried about the cello business, but it worked.

And her as an old woman? Bang on. I found myself rewatching those scenes just because I was so impressed with her handling of Sam - from the tone of her voice, to the inflection and volume, to the mannerisms... I totally believed she was pushing 90.

By the way, their prosthetics were out of control - in a good way. I think someone deserves an award.

Sam seemed so incredibly devastated in many ways, and the guilt was obvious. They also played on that, without going over the top. I liked that they showed the rest of the team upset that she hadn't found a way to fix it as soon as they hoped, because it was honest frustration. It also probably added to the guilt she already had.

The relationship aspects of this episode - from both a romantic and platonic standpoint - will probably have fanfic writers drooling for years to come. There were many different ways one could take it, whether you dig Daniel/Vala, Vala/Teal'c, Sam/Cam, Sam/Teal'c, Cam/Teal'c, etc... They had bits of it all in this episode, while still showing a passage of time.

I was even pleasantly surprised to see Sam and Daniel in a scene alone.

I would not be surprised if Sam/Cam fans dig it on multiple levels. I saw their friendship there, just as I've seen it throughout S10. It was more subtle than the way it was addressed in S9, so as a result, I felt like Ben Browder and Amanda Tapping did most of the work - not the writers. Always a plus.

As a Sam/Teal'c fan, I dug it (more on that later). Daniel/Vala... Well, all I'll say is... I'm not surprised it happened (RCC lurves him some Vaniel action). I understand why some S/J fans might be upset, but I think the scene was done pretty well. At least it shows that the writers know how to handle ship and team. While I'd rather see Daniel/Vala in fanfic, and while I hope they don't explore it any more in the films, I think it could've been much worse. And of course MS and CB worked that bedroom scene like nobody's business. Best line between those two: "I'm gonna go crazy... and I'm taking you with me."

One thing that kinda surprised me right out of the scene was the fact that Sam was the one by Landry's side when he died. Because of how far TPTB went to show how close Landry and Cameron were, I would've thought that he would be a natural choice to say goodbye to Landry. And it's not like we've gotten many moments over the past two years that really show off how close Landry and Sam are, even though there were inklings of that earlier in the episode. Still, the scene was well done.

And of course... the Sam/Teal'c Squishy Hug! I'm only half joking when I say that that and Teal'c's little "Good things come to those who wait" and "Indeed" to Sam at the end suggest that Sam and Teal'c got together on the ship.

One final thought: I kinda feel bad for Ben Browder this year. I really got to like his character this season, because they pulled the reins in on his character almost to the point of forgetting about him sometimes. Yet it was obvious that he worked his tail off to make Cameron an integral member of the team. Unfortunately, as Unending proved, Cameron is really quite impotent and unnecessary. Even Vala had an opportunity to try to help Sam out with the tech, because of her experience with Quetesh. I like Cam for the humor. I enjoy his scenes with all of the other characters. But Cameron really serves no tactical purpose.

And so help me, if they try to hint at some kind of Sam/Cam romance in the films so as to give him one, heads will roll...

ETA: Joel Goldsmith is the reason why I had tears in my eyes at the end of the episode.

Finally, here's an ep tag I wrote tonight to explain/explore my confusion.

Never Had

Nice post (can't green you since I just greened you elsewhere), but

Spoiler:

I'm still hoping Sam didn't get together with Teal'c, but I'll admit that if she completely gave up on ever getting home to Jack then Teal'c is the only logical choice. (Not to mention that he ages really well and well, he's totally thunkable!) Of course, I want to believe that the 'good things come to those who wait' comment was referring to them having to wait so long to get home.

I can't wait to see this one. I think it was probably told more from Sam's perspective, because Sam is going to continue to be a big part of the franchise. Sure, they'll all be in the movies, but Sam is going to Atlantis. Let's face it, without some help SGA doesn't have much chance of being renewed for a season 5. The ratings just aren't that much higher than SG-1's this season. TPTB know (finally) that they better bank on Sam (or should I really just say Amanda here) since she is the ratings grabber. Too bad they forgot that in season 9...

Happy Birthday Chompin Gal!

[ForeverSg1]

so what dates are we talking about here? i want to know if it's possible that amanda could show up at the vancouver con at the end of march?
sally

I'm not sure if anyone else has answered this already, but the Vancouver con is March 23rd-25th; and according to the article on GW, Amanda and Ben will be filming March 23rd-29th in the Arctic, so I think it's highly unlikely that Amanda or Ben will make any surprise visits to the con.

[Daivy]

Hey eh sorry to ask this question but.... How do you subscribe to this thread again? I accidently pushed the wrong button and clicked on unsubscribe

There is also a short video on GW: behind the screens of Sanctuary.

About Vancouver con: The filming really comes at a bad time, convention speaking. Altough if I was it (and I don't say I'm better then Amanda, hell not even 1% as great as she is) but I'd ask the Navy guys to gimmie a connection with the hall the convention is in and ask to talk to the people there for 10-15 minuts, I mean, they can do it at the Oscars (which, IMHO Amanda deserves a few) so that's what I should do.

Again: reallys sorry to unsubscribe, if I know how I subcribe again. I love it here, being "maybe" one of the few guys here.

[Mandysg1]

Hey eh sorry to ask this question but.... How do you subscribe to this thread again? I accidently pushed the wrong button and clicked on unsubscribe

There is also a short video on GW: behind the screens of Sanctuary.

About Vancouver con: The filming really comes at a bad time, convention speaking. Altough if I was it (and I don't say I'm better then Amanda, hell not even 1% as great as she is) but I'd ask the Navy guys to gimmie a connection with the hall the convention is in and ask to talk to the people there for 10-15 minuts, I mean, they can do it at the Oscars (which, IMHO Amanda deserves a few) so that's what I should do.

Again: reallys sorry to unsubscribe, if I know how I subcribe again. I love it here, being "maybe" one of the few guys here.

Hey Daivy, just go to thread tools at the top of the page and click on Subscribe

[ForeverSg1]

[quote=meredithchandler73;6445105]

Spoiler:

I have to say that it's very clear that an effort was made to make this episode really count. There was a little something for everybody (I think, one particular group notwithstanding), and it's great that they tried to encompass all of the different facets that fans from all over the spectrum could enjoy. For that, I am very grateful.

I'm surprised at how much of Sam's perspective was shown throughout the episode. I expected quite a bit to be about her technobabbling and all that jazz. And while the story was all of theirs, and it was very much a team episode, for some reason there seemed to be a lot of Sam. So... Take from that what you will. I'm not sure why they made that decision, but I enjoyed it.

Amanda has this way of acting that's quite subtle. Like I said, it seems that she was a major player in this episode, yet it wasn't shoved down your throat. She did her thing, deferred to the other actors in the process, and still managed to shine through in many scenes without it seeming forced. For instance, I'd started to get kinda worried about the cello business, but it worked.

And her as an old woman? Bang on. I found myself rewatching those scenes just because I was so impressed with her handling of Sam - from the tone of her voice, to the inflection and volume, to the mannerisms... I totally believed she was pushing 90.

By the way, their prosthetics were out of control - in a good way. I think someone deserves an award.

Sam seemed so incredibly devastated in many ways, and the guilt was obvious. They also played on that, without going over the top. I liked that they showed the rest of the team upset that she hadn't found a way to fix it as soon as they hoped, because it was honest frustration. It also probably added to the guilt she already had.

The relationship aspects of this episode - from both a romantic and platonic standpoint - will probably have fanfic writers drooling for years to come. There were many different ways one could take it, whether you dig Daniel/Vala, Vala/Teal'c, Sam/Cam, Sam/Teal'c, Cam/Teal'c, etc... They had bits of it all in this episode, while still showing a passage of time.

I was even pleasantly surprised to see Sam and Daniel in a scene alone.

I would not be surprised if Sam/Cam fans dig it on multiple levels. I saw their friendship there, just as I've seen it throughout S10. It was more subtle than the way it was addressed in S9, so as a result, I felt like Ben Browder and Amanda Tapping did most of the work - not the writers. Always a plus.

As a Sam/Teal'c fan, I dug it (more on that later). Daniel/Vala... Well, all I'll say is... I'm not surprised it happened (RCC lurves him some Vaniel action). I understand why some S/J fans might be upset, but I think the scene was done pretty well. At least it shows that the writers know how to handle ship and team. While I'd rather see Daniel/Vala in fanfic, and while I hope they don't explore it any more in the films, I think it could've been much worse. And of course MS and CB worked that bedroom scene like nobody's business. Best line between those two: "I'm gonna go crazy... and I'm taking you with me."

One thing that kinda surprised me right out of the scene was the fact that Sam was the one by Landry's side when he died. Because of how far TPTB went to show how close Landry and Cameron were, I would've thought that he would be a natural choice to say goodbye to Landry. And it's not like we've gotten many moments over the past two years that really show off how close Landry and Sam are, even though there were inklings of that earlier in the episode. Still, the scene was well done.

And of course... the Sam/Teal'c Squishy Hug! I'm only half joking when I say that that and Teal'c's little "Good things come to those who wait" and "Indeed" to Sam at the end suggest that Sam and Teal'c got together on the ship.

One final thought: I kinda feel bad for Ben Browder this year. I really got to like his character this season, because they pulled the reins in on his character almost to the point of forgetting about him sometimes. Yet it was obvious that he worked his tail off to make Cameron an integral member of the team. Unfortunately, as Unending proved, Cameron is really quite impotent and unnecessary. Even Vala had an opportunity to try to help Sam out with the tech, because of her experience with Quetesh. I like Cam for the humor. I enjoy his scenes with all of the other characters. But Cameron really serves no tactical purpose.

And so help me, if they try to hint at some kind of Sam/Cam romance in the films so as to give him one, heads will roll...

ETA: Joel Goldsmith is the reason why I had tears in my eyes at the end of the episode.

My thoughts on *your* Unending thoughts:

Spoiler:

Love your thoughts on the episode. Although Cam didn't seem to do much during the episode besides complain about being stuck on the ship, he did have the idea for using the Ori weapons fire to power the time reversal. They really made this a team episode - lots of great interaction with the characters one on one and everyone had a hand in...at least in some small part. Vala is the one that had the idea for reversing time...it just took Sam a LONG time to figure out how to do it.

As for Sam being by Landry's side when he died - I wonder if at first there wasn't some distance between Landry and Cam because Cam was so adamant about doing something and getting off the ship and Landry kept shooting him down. Along those lines, the quiet acceptance that Landry had for Sam and all that she was trying to do to get them out of their predicament was AWESOME. Sam explains how she put them in a time dilation bubble. Everyone is stunned, but Landry is the first to recover with a "it'll take as long as it takes" attitude. Even though we didn't really get to see any bonding scenes between Landry and Sam, it seems obvious to me that he completely respects and trusts her and totally supports her. Sam was feeling SO guilty (and some of Cam's comments couldn't have helped, though I I don't think they were really directed at Sam, he was just pissed), but I got no sense that Landry blamed Sam for what happened at all.

Spoiler:

Although everyone seemed to be rather frustrated about living their lives in the time dilation bubble, I don't think anyone truly blamed Sam for their predicament. I believe they all realized that she had in fact saved their lives. Because had she not made that decision she did, they would have all perished; and while they may not have chosen to live this way at least they had each other.

As depressed and angry as Cameron may have gotten during certain points in the episode, I think if any of them were truly tired with the living situations they could and would have ended it all quite easily. All they had to do was agree to turn off the bubble and they would have all died quickly. But as long as Sam kept at it, kept trying, there would always be a small amount of hope. Which is why I think Landry said the things he said to Sam at the end and why he told her not to give up, because Sam finding the answer was their reason for going on each day. Without that, I think the other's would have given up as well.

Like others have said, I believe that there were missing elements in this episode that I really wish they had more time to touch on. In my opinion, this would have been an excellent two parter and would have allowed for so much more depth. It's a pity the writers chose to use the extra time on one of the less than spectacular storylines we saw earlier in the season instead. However, I believe this was a very entertaining ending to a season. I suppose I had just hoped for a little more for the ending of the series, but I'll probably still watch it over and over because it's indeed the end of an era.

[the dancer of spaz]

Spoiler:

Although everyone seemed to be rather frustrated about living their lives in the time dilation bubble, I don't think anyone truly blamed Sam for their predicament. I believe they all realized that she had in fact saved their lives. Because had she not made that decision she did, they would have all perished; and while they may not have chosen to live this way at least they had each other.

As depressed and angry as Cameron may have gotten during certain points in the episode, I think if any of them were truly tired with the living situations they could and would have ended it all quite easily. All they had to do was agree to turn off the bubble and they would have all died quickly. But as long as Sam kept at it, kept trying, there would always be a small amount of hope. Which is why I think Landry said the things he said to Sam at the end and why he told her not to give up, because Sam finding the answer was their reason for going on each day. Without that, I think the other's would have given up as well.

Like others have said, I believe that there were missing elements in this episode that I really wish they had more time to touch on. In my opinion, this would have been an excellent two parter and would have allowed for so much more depth. It's a pity the writers chose to use the extra time on one of the less than spectacular storylines we saw earlier in the season instead. However, I believe this was a very entertaining ending to a season. I suppose I had just hoped for a little more for the ending of the series, but I'll probably still watch it over and over because it's indeed the end of an era.

I agree.

Spoiler:

It was a very good finale, but it would've made an awesome two-parter.

[Strix varia]

I'm cross posting a bit here but I wanted to encourage you all to take a look at the newest addition to www.SanctuaryFans.com.

I think it's fair to say that Myrth and I are still flying from the experience...and we hope you enjoy listening to and reading it as much as we enjoyed doing it.

Great stuff, Ooober. So much I want to comment about... but no time right now. Lots of info to chew on.

[minigeek]

I agree.

Spoiler:

It was a very good finale, but it would've made an awesome two-parter.

Spoiler:

It would've made a pretty decent 20-parter, too, dagnabbit.

[jafacakes]

Hey eh sorry to ask this question but.... How do you subscribe to this thread again? I accidently pushed the wrong button and clicked on unsubscribe

Click on Thread tools ( just above the start of the posts on top of the page) and then click on Subscribe to this thread

Happy Birthday ChopinGal

[meredithchandler73]

More Unending talk!!!

LOL about Cameron!

Spoiler:

I agree - Even as a Sam/Jack supporter, I could totally buy that something deeper had become of Sam and Teal'c's relationship, even if on a purely spiritual level. Fifty years is a long time, and I'm sure he's gained a unique bit of insight into each of them.

I forgot to mention that CJ also has a very subtle way of handling his moments with each of the characters. I love Teal'c/Vala - and the fridge room, or whatever it was, reminded me of the Teal'c/Jonas dynamic in the beginning of S6. The fact that Cameron could unleash his frustrations on Teal'c without censure, and that Sam could grieve with him, shows that he's the natural support. People have called Daniel the soul of the team, or Jack the core of the team, but I think Teal'c has always been the rock.

Those are really good points, meredith!

Spoiler:

You're right about Cameron. Though he did spend a good amount of the episode either jogging or complaining, he did think of something that's quite obvious when the other relative geniuses hadn't. He does think a bit differently than the rest, which has helped them in the past.

As for Landry and Cameron, that's really true, too. That moment when Landry said, "I'm not having this conversation again" was probably the beginning of a turning point in their relationship. It was probably the only thing they never talked about together. And I agree about Landry and Sam as well. Right from the beginning, he demonstrates an unwavering amount of faith in her abilities, even when her friends aren't quite ready to understand.

While I always wondered if Landry even *liked* Sam, I don't think he's a very outwardly nurturing guy, which might account for the more professional relationship they had prior to the latter half of S10. Still, there was a paternal feel to him while they were all trapped on the ship that gave me a different outlook on his character towards the end. For me, it made him more likeable.

WONDERFUL observations!!!

And

Spoiler:

Landry not being outwardly nurturing seems very much in line with the backstory of the character. He didn't have a great relationship with his wife and daughter - wasn't around much for them.

[Coley]

I'm cross posting a bit here but I wanted to encourage you all to take a look at the newest addition to www.SanctuaryFans.com.

I think it's fair to say that Myrth and I are still flying from the experience...and we hope you enjoy listening to and reading it as much as we enjoyed doing it.

Hey Uber, Myrth - just want to say I'm still on dial up - so many many thanks for posting the transcript. It was a great interview - lots of interesting info - you've done great!!!

[Coley]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE LOVELY JESTER

Is it this yesr you get a bus pass?!!

[scarimor]

Unending:

Spoiler:

I agree - Even as a Sam/Jack supporter, I could totally buy that something deeper had become of Sam and Teal'c's relationship, even if on a purely spiritual level. Fifty years is a long time, and I'm sure he's gained a unique bit of insight into each of them.

Spoiler:

Sam and Teal'c were so doing it in this episode. I mean, I wanted it to be Sam/Vala, but it was so Sam/Teal'c and that is just as good . The look he gave her in the final scene over the "torture" of not being able to tell... soooo doing the wild thing as far as I'm concerned!

I'm going to watch this ep again now

[RepliCartertje]

I agree.

Spoiler:

It was a very good finale, but it would've made an awesome two-parter.

Spoiler:

It would've made a pretty decent 20-parter, too, dagnabbit.

I so agree with both of you I loved the ep...I just watched it again this time without crying all of the time... and I must say Loved it even more...


Btw Spazzie....if you have time: Hop on msn I got something for you and also have a question or 2 for you