Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Myrth]

Keep watching, there's a few in there

Meanwhile does anyone else apparently have 65535 PMs unread? I'm a little frightened by that...

Nice sig Myrth, although your shipping is showing

[SG1Poz]

I'm not really sure what I want to say here but it basically is that I am sick of AT and Carter being touted only regarding the "kissing" and the "future with Jack" anymore The GW headline and others I have seen re ATs con appearance revolve around these issues and it irks me no end (as does the fact that the spoilers on GW for Counterstrike mention everyone except Carter).

There is so much more to this character and it seems that the only thing that gets the press is the kissing and the Jack thing (no offense to Sally or any other shippers). I cannot stand that aspect of this character anymore - it is too much emphasized especially now when it seems the character is being diminished overall and all of a sudden if and when she is mentioned it is this vein. I am giving up on this character for S10 as I suspect that with Jack back for a few eps the focus will be on "what will happen with the ship" and the dolts who do the writing will "F" it up as they did in much of S7 and S8 with the idiotic storyline with that sap whose name I cannot even type and it will continue to diminish the strong, intelligent, soldier, scientist, leader aspects of the character and the fact that she is the only character not mentioned in the counter strike spoilers is appalling at this time (J. Noble's comments at the con seem hollower and hollower to me and I suspect they will ring totally empty with me by the time half of S10 is done with). I am right now holding out very, very little (almost no) hope for this character outside of the Jack storyline and what the dolts in positions of decisonmaking will do to ruin that and the character once and for all.

Sorry - do I sound bitter - well I am. Do I sound negative - well I am. If someone has got something from the con, from a conversation with AT or from spoilers I may not be aware of let me know otherwise I have to pretty much write off 10 like I wrote off 9 and right now it does not look good. I know what mallozzi gave out at that dinner he was at - those aren't cutting it for me - sounds like emty promises to me just like he said Carter was prominent in that ep with orlin (what a joke that was the only thing that came close to Carter playing any role in that one was at the very end otherwise all I saw was her standing around leaning on walls and door jams - I take mallozzi with a huge grain of salt).

Sorry you feel that way Bink. As a shipper I'm thrilled to death!
I just don't understand why some see Sam as diminished when she's seen showing the emotion of love. I didn't feel diminished when I was in love.
It's not like the entire episode will show kissing, hugging or even the idea of snogging (think the bed scene with P). Even if I'd like it to be.

[Mandysg1]

Just think of it this way Bink, when the show gets cancelled (probably after S10 ) the oh so new and wonderful characters will probably take the blame (hopefully).

[Skydiver]

Sorry you feel that way Bink. As a shipper I'm thrilled to death!
I just don't understand why some see Sam as diminished when she's seen showing the emotion of love. I didn't feel diminished when I was in love.
It's not like the entire episode will show kissing, hugging or even the idea of snogging (think the bed scene with P). Even if I'd like it to be.

it's not necesariy seeing Sam as diminished. it's the fear that, when ship is the focus, that's all they do about/with sam. If she's not half of '&Jack' then she has no purpose or reason to be there

It's not her showing the emotion...it's that, especially given how these boys can't write women, the ship gets used as and excuse/crutch to not even try to do anything else with her

[minigeek]

I agree, Poz. I think what it boils down to is what Sky (and others) have mentioned previously. The writing team tends lose their ability to write a smart, sassy, realistic Sam Carter whenever the "romance" aspects of her life are attempted. They fall into traps. As a shipper, I'm THRILLED that we're going to get at least a nod or two, and that Jack is coming back to facilitate that. But as a fan of Sam Carter, I'm only cautiously optimistic.

For me, it's a double edged sword. If they can manage to write Carter as being ... well, Carter ... while alluding to her deeper relationship with Jack, then I'll be unbelievably happy. But if they turn her into a cliche (female-in-love), I'll cringe right along with the non-shippers.

Don't get me wrong - I hope for RST as much as the next shipper, really I do - I'm not sure I want to see it on the show, though. I wouldn't mind seeing a 'post RST' scene, as we were forced to do with Pete and with Kerry, of course. Fair is fair.

As seemingly facile as this might sound, I think if they just write Sam and Jack in a minimal sense, and let Rick and Amanda take care of "the ship", we'll have a far more satisfying outcome than if they try and write something overt into the dialogue (more than one or two times).

mg

[Skydiver]

As seemingly facile as this might sound, I think if they just write Sam and Jack in a minimal sense, and let Rick and Amanda take care of "the ship", we'll have a far more satisfying outcome than if they try and write something overt into the dialogue (more than one or two times).

mg

hands down!!!

RDA and AT have the Touch. Coop and his kids don't.

The only way they seem to be able to write women and ship is

a) throws herself at the man
b) doormat that will just sit there and take it

in other words, they don't write the existing characters, they write their fantasies of the characters

[binkpmmc]

it's not necesariy seeing Sam as diminished. it's the fear that, when ship is the focus, that's all they do about/with sam. If she's not half of '&Jack' then she has no purpose or reason to be there

It's not her showing the emotion...it's that, especially given how these boys can't write women, the ship gets used as and excuse/crutch to not even try to do anything else with her

Exactly Skydiver - these writers stink at "feelings" of that sort and since S9 was a bust for the character, if not for the jack thing in S10 I see them taking Carter nowhere fast in S10 again just like S9. IMO, at this point in time, it seems that to TPTB Carter is only prominent when there is a second half and it is of the opposite sex. I would not have minded the S7-S8 debacle if it had been written for Carter and not some teenaged twit who let herself become a doormat, capital "D" over a guy who was an immature baby and who came nowhere near her equal.

[minigeek]

What's so wickedly interesting about these kinds of things (from an actor's pov) is how many different ways the same line(s) of dialogue can be played. As was briefly evidenced this past year vis-a-vis PDL's interpretation of JM's script for RE wherein he had one take of Sam and Cam holding hands and another two where they weren't. Totally different innuendo in each. I remember (waaaay back when) in Theatre school, doing the same scene for one of the second year acting studio classes, and we had to play it once as lovers "can't keep your hands off eachother", once as enemies "you hate no one and nothing as much as you hate eachother", once as complete strangers "you've never met before in your lives". The same damn words, three totally different scenes. It was most sincerely awesome.

[Mandysg1]

Here's the new cast of Stargate SG1

Spoiler:

[binkpmmc]

As seemingly facile as this might sound, I think if they just write Sam and Jack in a minimal sense, and let Rick and Amanda take care of "the ship", we'll have a far more satisfying outcome than if they try and write something overt into the dialogue (more than one or two times).

mg

I agree with this sentiment 100% - in the early seasons the ship was there to be perceived if those who wanted to see it saw it and not if those who chose not to see it didn't see it. AT and RDA did a fabulous job with the subtleties of it in the early seasons and it never bothered me. When it became more prominent so I could not use perception to avoid it and I was being hit over the head with it and when the disaster that was S7-S8 played out I almost threw my TV out the window several times and that is when I saw the character of Carter beginning to take the hits faster and harder and we are left with the cr@p that was S9.

[Skydiver]

Looks up, you kids realize that we're gonna hit post 34,000 this weekend????

[ChopinGal]

I agree, Poz. I think what it boils down to is what Sky (and others) have mentioned previously. The writing team tends lose their ability to write a smart, sassy, realistic Sam Carter whenever the "romance" aspects of her life are attempted. They fall into traps. As a shipper, I'm THRILLED that we're going to get at least a nod or two, and that Jack is coming back to facilitate that. But as a fan of Sam Carter, I'm only cautiously optimistic.

For me, it's a double edged sword. If they can manage to write Carter as being ... well, Carter ... while alluding to her deeper relationship with Jack, then I'll be unbelievably happy. But if they turn her into a cliche (female-in-love), I'll cringe right along with the non-shippers.

Don't get me wrong - I hope for RST as much as the next shipper, really I do - I'm not sure I want to see it on the show, though. I wouldn't mind seeing a 'post RST' scene, as we were forced to do with Pete and with Kerry, of course. Fair is fair.

As seemingly facile as this might sound, I think if they just write Sam and Jack in a minimal sense, and let Rick and Amanda take care of "the ship", we'll have a far more satisfying outcome than if they try and write something overt into the dialogue (more than one or two times).

mg

Great post, mg, and Sky also. Bink has a made a serious point ... as much as I want some resolution to J/S, I'm dreading that it may be handled to the detriment/diminishment of Sam. Where is Sam Carter in S10? "We don't know what to do with Sam" is still ringing in my ears ...

RDA and AT are professionals and have eight years of great chemistry and can take care of the ship - absolutely! If it's not broke, don't fix it - male writers!! In the meantime, hunker down and give Sam something of substance to do - she only babysat in Fourth Horseman- I totally agree! Granted Amanda had just returned from maternity leave, and she did appear somewhat tired in those scenes. But that didn't excuse the script which left her supporting Orlin, boy wonder, instead of THE OTHER WAY AROUND! Whose name is on the opening credits? Orlin should have been there to add to her storyline! Let's not have more of this in S10.

[minigeek]

I agree with this sentiment 100% - in the early seasons the ship was there to be perceived if those who wanted to see it saw it and not if those who chose not to see it didn't see it. AT and RDA did a fabulous job with the subtleties of it in the early seasons and it never bothered me. When it became more prominent so I could not use perception to avoid it and I was being hit over the head with it and when the disaster that was S7-S8 played out I almost threw my TV out the window several times and that is when I saw the character of Carter beginning to take the hits faster and harder and we are left with the cr@p that was S9.

Except that, I do want them to ratify "the ship", too. I want them to use that innuendo; however they can most powerfully, to give no uncertainty to the fact that Sam and Jack are a couple. What I don't want is to see "As The Stargate Turns". I want my Sam and Jack to be real, established, unquestionably together - but please for the love of all that's holy - not maudlin or cliche. Strong, undeniable, (if understated) passion.

[Myrth]

You know and yet, for some reason the same group of people used to be able to pull it off so well.... what's with that?

I agree on the point that how the ship is played should be left to Rick & Amanda's instincts, they know what they're doing, let them handle it. Hell I'd vote for the whole scene being a blank page, just a vague setup then let Rick & Amanda go with it to reach the outcome on their own.

Also the shipper in me wants something seriously hot... Grace kiss the second coming with double the heat

I dunno, I'm torn on it.

I find the fact that they can't do anything with Sam now quite baffling, they managed it fine before.

it's not necesariy seeing Sam as diminished. it's the fear that, when ship is the focus, that's all they do about/with sam. If she's not half of '&Jack' then she has no purpose or reason to be there

It's not her showing the emotion...it's that, especially given how these boys can't write women, the ship gets used as and excuse/crutch to not even try to do anything else with her

[minigeek]

Also the shipper in me wants something seriously hot... Grace kiss the second coming with double the heat

I dunno, I'm torn on it.

If they can pull off writing the circumstance that would lead to such a kiss in a believeable way, I'd be all for it, too. Totally. Hey, who knows, right?