Originally posted by ÜberSG-1Fan
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In the Line of Duty was my very first SG-1 episode EVER. I watched it in syndication and then started watching SG-1 on Showtime, where my first firstrun story was Upgrades. I liked Sam immediately from just those two episodes but In the Line of Duty was just the perfect episode to get started with I think because from it, so much of the series grew.
At any rate, looking back now, I am once again stunned at how brilliant Amanda was in this episode. The desperation on her face and then, like you said, the steely control. That mask that within a few seconds falls right back into position. I can look at a picture of her as Jolinar and see Jolinar. Even in a still, her expressions are so clearly identifiable. Same with Entity, Gemini and Moebius. She creates such an amazing range of personalities that are Sam...yet not Sam...and she does it seamlessly.
For me at least, I think that we're right on this and Amanda is wrong. I believe that Jolinar was desperate...with Sam fighting her on the inside and feeling like a trapped animal waiting for the Ashrak on the outside. She was desperate and used whatever she could think of to get to any one of them to help her.
With Teal'c, she appealed to his desire to find allies to fight the Goa'uld.
With Daniel, she appealed to his need to find Shau're. Did she know where Shau're was? Who knows? But she knew that it had at least the potential of making him an ally to get her out of there.
And with Jack? She appealed to his need to protect Sam. Now I'm not talking about anything shippy here...I think at this time in their knowing each other, they were simply really good friends and colleagues with deep bonds. I am however talking about his need to keep his team safe. She knew he felt guilty about not protecting Sam from being taken as a host and she played on his emotions. Then with her panicked tone begging Jack to believe her and help her...she knew that would tear at him because he wouldn't know what to do but hoped it would be enough to get him to help her.
But see, like I said before, I think Sam desperately fought Jolinar not knowing she was an ally...and Jolinar wasn't able to access all that she needed to know about the SGC. I think had she been able to, she would have trusted the others more readily and known they were friends and allies against the Goa'uld. And like I said, she also didn't fully understand the relationship between Jack and Sam and didn't consider the fact that Sam would not have addressed him by his first name like that.
That's my take on the Jolinar story. For what it's worth.
But then I could be full of bologna and completely wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.
At any rate, looking back now, I am once again stunned at how brilliant Amanda was in this episode. The desperation on her face and then, like you said, the steely control. That mask that within a few seconds falls right back into position. I can look at a picture of her as Jolinar and see Jolinar. Even in a still, her expressions are so clearly identifiable. Same with Entity, Gemini and Moebius. She creates such an amazing range of personalities that are Sam...yet not Sam...and she does it seamlessly.
For me at least, I think that we're right on this and Amanda is wrong. I believe that Jolinar was desperate...with Sam fighting her on the inside and feeling like a trapped animal waiting for the Ashrak on the outside. She was desperate and used whatever she could think of to get to any one of them to help her.
With Teal'c, she appealed to his desire to find allies to fight the Goa'uld.
With Daniel, she appealed to his need to find Shau're. Did she know where Shau're was? Who knows? But she knew that it had at least the potential of making him an ally to get her out of there.
And with Jack? She appealed to his need to protect Sam. Now I'm not talking about anything shippy here...I think at this time in their knowing each other, they were simply really good friends and colleagues with deep bonds. I am however talking about his need to keep his team safe. She knew he felt guilty about not protecting Sam from being taken as a host and she played on his emotions. Then with her panicked tone begging Jack to believe her and help her...she knew that would tear at him because he wouldn't know what to do but hoped it would be enough to get him to help her.
But see, like I said before, I think Sam desperately fought Jolinar not knowing she was an ally...and Jolinar wasn't able to access all that she needed to know about the SGC. I think had she been able to, she would have trusted the others more readily and known they were friends and allies against the Goa'uld. And like I said, she also didn't fully understand the relationship between Jack and Sam and didn't consider the fact that Sam would not have addressed him by his first name like that.
That's my take on the Jolinar story. For what it's worth.
But then I could be full of bologna and completely wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.
I agree that Sam would be fighting Jolinar as hard as she could inside her own head for control but at this point in time Sam did call Jack 'Jack' occasionally (Fire and Water, Solitudes, etc); there wasn't yet the perpetual 'sir' so I don't think the fact that she calls him Jack is an indicator it *isn't* Sam.
Equally, I agree that Jolinar tried to manipulate every team member; Daniel with Sha'uri, Teal'c with their mutual knowledge of the Goa'uld, and Jack with his want to have Sam back as herself but I believe she tries this manipulation when they're faced off in the cell when she offers to go through the gate and find another host.
I do believe when that manipulation failed she let Sam out in the hopes that Sam would convince Jack to let them go where she had not impressing on her internally that they were both dead if she did not. Hence the panicked 'he's telling the truth' statement from Sam. I also think Sam, although fighting internally, is almost petrified of what's happening to her, and her plea is a very human one not to be left alone to face her ordeal by herself. When Jack leaves because he can't trust that it is Sam, Jolinar resumes her control realising she needs to find someone more receptive who might trust what she says - hence her appeal and attempt then to manipulate Teal'c.
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