Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Lys]

Oy. I thought that as well and I winced.

But you're right, Lys: That "reluctantly" part may be her out.

The spoilers for this episode are a tad bittersweet. I'm so glad they released them, though!

I'm wondering why Landry is so... nutty. He's supposed to be really likeable, but

Spoiler:

if he pulls a General Bauer, I don't know what to think.

Maybe he's just

Spoiler:

desperate by the situation. And I really wonder what are these mixed feelings Sam has. Are they due to the situation with the Ori or related to the SG1 team ? Any ideas ?

[ForeverSg1]

That's exactly the first impression I got when I read the spoilers. But after a second reading I noticed that

Spoiler:

it's General Landry who believes the weapon will be efficient against the Ori, not Sam. I think she's going to follow orders reluctantly because she knows the limits of the Mark IX. It reminds me of the situation in Chain Reaction when she had to agree to General Bauer's orders. .

What can I say, I'm an optimist.

Spoiler:

Ya know, I'm not really sure what the writers have up their sleeves, but I hope your assessment of the situation is much closer than mine. The way they make it sound, Sam doesn't want to come back to SGC at all, which in of itself makes the idea of Sam coming back as leader of SG-1 very unlikely.

I really hope they explain a bit as to why she left ( more so than just having Sam say it was for personal reasons ) because obviously it had to have been something big to make Sam step away from the SGC and not want to return. But then again maybe they are going to use Jacob's last words to her as a reason for leaving... maybe they left doubt in her mind as to why she joined the AF and whether she really wanted to continue with the military side or more from a scientific aspect.

I guess more than anything I just really wish it wasn't such a huge secret... I mean if AT wants to take it easy and step back a bit... play Sam more as a scientist so that she doesn't have to really get involved as much I can totally understand that. What I don't understand is why they have to play up the big climax as to who will lead at the beginning of the season. New fans won't really care, and only Sam fans will be upset if she isn't in charge of SG-1 when the show begins, so why the big secrecy??

I just wish for once that they would write stories that would unite the team and the fans as a whole instead of separating them into bigger and bigger factions. We've finally gotten rid of the whole S/J issue for people to argue about so why try to create yet more issues between Sam and Cam?

For as much as the writers seem to love Amanda, they don't really seem to care for Sam much or are they just completely blind as to what they are doing to her credibility?

Kat

[Skydiver]

sam's mixed feelings may come from

Spoiler:

face it, she was part of sg1. they did thier job. they beat the goauld. they spent 8 yaers doing it, sacrificed their lives adn livelihoods to do thier duty. now her duty is over and it's time for 'me time' and she's getting dragged back in with a 'wait, you can't have a life yet, we still need you'

and then she finds out that sg-1 may not be retired or treated with respect but 'look, mitchell wants to be part of sg1 so we're gonna resurrect it and let him have his way' and heck, i'd resent it

part of me wants her regretful to come back. i'd love to see that tension between them. mitchell's enthusiasm and 'isn't this fun' counteracting sam's 'yeah, so, it's a nova, seen one seent hem all, can we go home now'

there could be an incredible potential for conflict

[Atteria]

OK, don't jump on me all at one, one at a time, please.

Have you ever considered, TPTB are trying to make Sam more "fallible" and thus more human? For the first 7 seasons, Sam was always there to save the day. How many times times did Jack or Daniel say "Sam'll figure it out". Being too smart and right all the time can not only get boring, but can irritate people and from what I've read on other threads, there are many (gasp, say it ain't true), who dislike the character of Samantha Carter.

After watching the entire 8th season of SG-1 yesterday, I was struck by introduction of fallibilty in Sam's character, and I liked it. She is not perfect, and I don't think anyone here wants her to be. At least I don't. I want to see more of her humanity. I know, she has demonstrated this before, in other seasons, such as in Singularity, but she still was being written as the know it all scientist with all the answers. Didn't we learn anything from early McKay?

Please, give me feedback. I'm always interested in what you have to say, as this is most definitely the most intelligent thread on GW.

That's it, just my rather weak 2 cents.

[golfbooy]

RE: Beach Head Spoilers

I have to say that I am boiling over with anticipation for this episode.

Spoiler:

I know that from what I've read above the initial reaction from most is one of trepidation. And, odious as it is to me, the Dannyranters are tittering with glee over the possibility that Sam's weapon fails to work. Nonetheless, I think that this is going to be a great episode for just about everyone, including Carter. The basic plot, which, by the way, is all the spoilers describe, sounds like an intriguing storyline.

As I think I've said before, I tune in every week to SG-1 to see the characters I've become enamored with continue to be developed. I'm hooked. I want to see what happens to them, be it good, bad or otherwise. If all I was primarily looking for was explosions, tech, and aliens mixed in with a miniscule amount of character development, then Atlantis is ready and waiting to feed my obsession. But that's not my cup of tea. I want stuff to happen to my team, I want them to have to make tough decisions, and I want them to grow and change. I, for one, have not grown tired of watching Carter, Teal'c, Daniel, and yes, O'neill go through all that.

And, in spite of how I originally felt in December, I'm pretty damned excited about the prospect of Ben Browder/Mitchell coming on board. I really want to like him as much as I like the rest of the team. Conversally, I still have those same lingering doubts about how much I'm going to like Beau Bridges. I just can't see him commanding anything (that piano was playing him in The Fabulous Baker Boys). He just seems like Hammond Jr. to me. I am willing to give him more than a fair chance, though. Why? Because it's Stargate, and I want everything on Stargate to work great. Initially, I wasn't pleased at all with the idea of Lou Gossett as the General, either. I figured that while he certainly would have the presence necessary, I also figured that he'd wind up being a rather cliched, over-the-top, hard ass. Then, I found out he'd be playing a Jaffa instead. Shockingly, I didn't like that at first either. For a plethora of reasons, that too seemed grossly unoriginal. However, I have to admit that I've also become excited about Gerak. He seems like a great foil for Teal'c, possibly the nemesis that Tanith should have become. Gerak is, off the top of my head, the first Jaffa since Bratac that seems to have some serious depth to his character. And Lou Gossett really is a fine actor, Iron Eagle aside. So, yes, I'll have a big helping of character development for that trio, too, thank you very much.

And, it sounds to me like Beach Head is going to provide me with exactly that.

Spoiler:

The plot sounds like it is rife with potential character moments. These include but are not limited to Carter needing to be convinced to return; General Landry seemingly being so eager to halt the Ori's advance; the obvious rank/command issues between Carter and Mitchell; Vala doing anything "selflessly", or as the case may be, duplicitously selfless; Teal'c obviously has Gerak issues. Throw in the already promised ancillary Cassie and O'neill stuff, and I'm like a kid in a candy store. All of this, not to mention the fact that, from what I've read, I really don't have a problem with the Ori. They sound very much like a Stargate villain to me, very much in keeping with the fundamentals of the show. I'm certainly more enthralled with the idea of exploring the Ori than I am with the prospect of delving into the Wraith.

And, to be honest I can't wait to have Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel back together. Trust me, I'm as disappointed as anybody that Richard Dean Anderson and Jack O'neill won't be back with SG-1. Really, I am. But the selfish part of me is jumping up and down like giddy child at the prospect of more adventures and time spent with what I have to call my favorite fictional characters. They're at least the best that TV has ever given me.

Wow, that was a load. See what happens when I tap the keg that is my addled, mostly whacked brain.

[tsaxlady]

Morning everyone -
I arrived in Burbank safe and had just checked into the hotel and was heading up to my room when I turned around and guess who was standing there hanging out in the hotel lobby? Peter Williams we started talking and some folks that I met last year here came up and it was funny because they did not realize who I was talking to and they just stopped to say hi to me and I said to them have you guys met Peter - they were surprised and of course said 'you look so different' with the hair. Peter was telling us how he just got off the phone with his Mom to see were Hurricane Denis is and he was very relieved to hear from her that it has missed them but it looks like Cuba is going to get hit very hard.
Okay well I'm off to get a bite to eat before things start in about and hour.

Talk to y'all later

[Strix varia]

That's exactly the first impression I got when I read the spoilers. But after a second reading I noticed that

Spoiler:

it's General Landry who believes the weapon will be efficient against the Ori, not Sam. I think she's going to follow orders reluctantly because she knows the limits of the Mark IX. It reminds me of the situation in Chain Reaction when she had to agree to General Bauer's orders. .

What can I say, I'm an optimist.

I sure hope you're right, Lys. My first reaction to reading the spoilers was to groan. I think the writers have made Sam quite fallible enough in the last two seasons, thank you, and it hasn't done anything to silence her critics... it's only given them more ammo to point out how she screws up all the time.

I really want to see competent Carter back. We got a glimpse of her in Reckoning, but I want more. Unfortunately,

Spoiler:

it doesn't sound like that's going to happen in this ep. Nothing like building up Sam's return in the hopes of her saving the day, only to turn around and immediately sacrifice her on the altar to Vala's grand exit.

Yecht. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[Skydiver]

in a way, i don't mind her being fallible. in fact, i think it could be a cool idea

i just need to resign myself that there are some sam-haters out there that will tear apart anything she does. she makes a mistake, she's drawn and quartered, she saves the day, she's reamed for being perfect

they hate her and seemingly have no lack of enthusiasm for tearing her apart and will bend and twist anything and everything she does to be negative in some way

whatever. if they really got nothing better to do with thier lives than to spend it ripping apart a fictional character, what am i do to? i for one DO have bigger and better things to do with my life and my interests do extend a bit beyond hating a fictional character

[DarkQuee1]

I'm sorry, I wish I could be upbeat about all of this right now, but TPTB are making it very hard. The spoilers in general sound terrible and/or retreads of other eps (Stargate and other shows), they seem to be pushing long-standing Stargate fans away, they are going to shove the ex-Farscape actors down our throats and they seem to be screwing Sam yet again.

[spoil] The whole set-up for "Beach Head" seems to be to give Vala a great send off--before, of course, bringing her back again. It's bad enough that I found Vala to be a thoroughly annoying character in PU, and everything I'm reading suggests she hasn't improved any. Now, Sam's "big return" has her put in a second-place position on the team yet again, has her big weapon and the project she's been working on fail (so she's been just wasting her time away, hasn't she?) and the other female character--you know, the one the new Farscape 'Gaters want to see and the one who has the good sense to be interested in Daniel instead of Jack--gets to save the day.

On top of this, a couple of months ago, RCC was talking about how they have new storylines this season for "Daniel and Teal'c" with no mention of Sam (except that we're bringing back old boyfriends. Yeah, that'll do it for me.)

AT is a trooper and will at least talk enthusiastically about the show, but I can't imagine she's all that happy right now.

J.

[jckfan55]

Deal !

Next part, moving the statue into the Queen's garden !

Here you are ChopinGal ! Another statue in our Queen's garden to please you.

Ok, I almost choked on my soda with those! LOL!

[NearlyCircular]

in part three of the brad wright/rob c cooper interview on gateworld, there's something bw says that i need some help with. this is OT, but i know you guys are smart!



GW: And [what] about Rick? For the season finale, perhaps?

BW:: We asked him, and I think as a favor to us, we asked him to, for the lack of a better word, endorse the series without him by appearing in it so it seems as though his leaving is just that.

And, by the way, his character is very much alive ... off-screen. [Laughter] I wrote a scene in "Beach Head" where on the other end of the phone he plays a joke on General Landry. Basically he's talking to him and it's: "That's very funny, Jack," and he hangs up the phone.


the part that i bolded... what is brad saying? i've read it over and over and i don't get it!


sally

I was confused by this at first, too, but as I read more of the interview, I got the impression that they meant RDA endorsed the series by allowing them to keep the character around, if not physically present. That way, if he does ever want to make any guest appearances or come back as a regular, the door is open. He could have requested that no mention be ever made of Jack again or that the character die. This way, Jack is still a presence, unlike someone like Jonas.

NC

[jckfan55]

If by looking different, you mean hotter, then yes

AD, you're incorrigible!

(I think they retouched all the photos to remove those tiny lines & skin flaws. I prefer a more natural look.)

As for some of the other posts:
I will not read spoilers, I will not hear that Sam will be anything other than competent and kick butt in S9-- covers eyes and puts fingers in ears, La, la, la...

[the dancer of spaz]

OK, don't jump on me all at one, one at a time, please.
Have you ever considered, TPTB are trying to make Sam more "fallible" and thus more human? For the first 7 seasons, Sam was always there to save the day. How many times times did Jack or Daniel say "Sam'll figure it out". Being too smart and right all the time can not only get boring, but can irritate people and from what I've read on other threads, there are many (gasp, say it ain't true), who dislike the character of Samantha Carter.

After watching the entire 8th season of SG-1 yesterday, I was struck by introduction of fallibilty in Sam's character, and I liked it. She is not perfect, and I don't think anyone here wants her to be. At least I don't. I want to see more of her humanity. I know, she has demonstrated this before, in other seasons, such as in Singularity, but she still was being written as the know it all scientist with all the answers. Didn't we learn anything from early McKay?

Please, give me feedback. I'm always interested in what you have to say, as this is most definitely the most intelligent thread on GW.
That's it, just my rather weak 2 cents.

I see what you're saying Atteria. I don't want to see a perfect character. And I've never really considered Sam to be perfect. I know that there is a large group of people out there who do consider her to be TOO perfect, and I think we can all attest to witnessing various fans state how much they dislike her. Sometimes, admittedly, those fans aren't always completely off-base.

To me, Carter's reputation is like Daniel's reputation for being the "Chosen One" or Jack's reputation for being "The Main Hero." They are facets of the show which make Stargate so great to me. And, personally, it annoys me when people say they don't like Carter as much as it annoys me when people say they don't like Daniel, Jack, or Teal'c. I love the team dynamic and I pretty much watch the show for that.

The problem is that fans take it to an extreme with Sam. They didn't see the fallibility (for whatever reason) for a long time, and now they're looking for any excuse to degrade her. Because of the backlash she's gotten from the whole ship wars, it's impossible to make her fallible without opening her up to a whole slew of criticism - and that's not necessarily one group's fault, either. Unfortunately, it's been exacerbated over the past few years.

I like your positive attitude Atteria! And I like the idea of making well-known characters fallible. I also like the idea of Vala making a bit of a character transformation a la McKay. I just wonder if that final send off to Vala will be at the expense of what should be a warm welcome for Sam. They chose Daniel's welcome over Jonas' position last time around, and Jonas was there for a whole year. Why the preferential treatment now?

[MajorSam]

Dear Citizens of Samanda…


Alas, the day has come! I am off for a summer full of adventure, trials, tribulations, challenges, fun, excitement, and learning! My flight leaves tonite at 2100 hours. I get back home on August 21st. On the 22nd, my theatre intensive with Tom McBeath starts. I am sure after these insane 2 months I shall have a seemingly INFINITE number of stories and tales with which to amaze you. WISH ME LUCK!!!!!!

Until then, however… ((((((((((((((Samanda))))))))))))))) I am going to miss you all TERRIBLY. I hope you all have GREAT summers, but don’t do TOOO much partying while you’re Pres is gone!

I hope all citizens residing in the UK, as well as their friends and families are all ok after the tragedy yesterday!!! ((((((((((((((UK)))))))))))))

Regarding that matter… I hereby announce, that in my stead, I temporarily promote Vice President MajorSal, to the role of Samandan President!!!! I am entrusting my kingdom to you… treat it well!!

Hic Comitas Regit!!!!

Signing off, see you in two months…

MajorSam

[the dancer of spaz]

Awwwwww... We'll miss you Samo!

Take care, be safe, have fun, go wild, and reply to my PM!

Remember that little EMAIL I sent you a while back? Well... You don't have to respond right away... hint, hint.

Can't wait until you return, Ms. President! I'm sure you'll have a blast!!

~Spazo

ON EDIT: WTH is going on in this forum?