Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Strix varia]

are you kidding?! they LOVE these eps! sam's not around, jack's not there to qualify the ship even more, and daniel's getting the attention and adoration... yeah, i'd say they've got their perfect show now.


sally

Ah. Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised!

[ForeverSg1]

Things I like about season nine so far:

1. Sam was in Avalon.
2. The musical scores have been fantastic.
3. Sam looks great and really happy(crossing fingers that the mid-life crisis is over)
4. Neither Teal'c nor Daniel seemed to leap at the idea of working with Mitchell or rejoining SG-1. I know right now there doesn't feel like a lot of cohesion amongst the team, but in all honesty this is exactly what I wanted. I think they have written Teal'c wonderfully so far. For the longest time, O'Neill was the main reason for Teal'c to remain on Earth, and later it became SG-1 as a whole. I truly think it's very much in character for Teal'c to not warm up to Mitchell quickly and I couldn't imagine him remaining a part of the SGC with Jack, Sam and Daniel moving on to other things.
5. Sam and Cameron seem to have a really good rapport together and I think she will play a key role in helping to bring the team fully together again when she returns in Beach Head.
6. I'm not sure how much I like Mitchell yet, but from what I have seen in interviews, I really like Ben Browder and I'm sure with time the character will grow on me.
7. Vala seems to be evolving with each new episode so if we are lucky by the time Sam comes back in BH, Vala will have become a likeable character. I'm just hoping we don't have to deal with anything like PU again.
8. Daniel, is still the same old, curiosity killed the cat, Daniel whom we all know and love. I may not always like what Daniel does or agree with his philolosophy on things but I really feel he, like Teal'c and Sam bring something to each episode and it's always fun to see how he he'll react. I must admit though, I'm a bit curious to see how many people will actually blame Daniel and Vala for Earth's new found enemy, because in my opinion the Ori probably had no knowledge of Earth or our galaxy until Daniel and Vala opened up the doorway. So basically by using the alien device without fully knowing what it did, they inadvertantly bring a brand new threat to the entire galaxy, and we all know if this had been Sam, she would be skinned alive for this sort of mishap.
9. Although this seems to be the season to try to pull in new fans with all new storylines and enemies, the writers seem to be trying to bring back some of the older characters that we have liked with new and exciting twists. At least they are giving us a tiny nod that they [the writers] recognize the we, the original fans, have been their bread and butter for the past eight years. I'm actually looking forward to see which characters they bring back through the season. I'm crossing my fingers for Janet & Jacob
10. Jack is in next week's episode!! I hope they give him a good send-off and give more than a brief explanation as to what he is going to be doing.

[ChopinGal]

Things I like about season nine so far:
[*]Jack is in next week's episode!! I hope they give him a good send-off and give more than a brief explanation as to what he is going to be doing.

You mean, besides this?!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11.../GraceKiss.jpg

Good post, Kat! And, yes, the best is yet to come ... if not, I can always write another fic!

[majorsal]

You' re right, choc ... just like a savvy politician, you better know your constituency and speak to all of them. I think that TPTB will provide some important Sam moments in the future too. And they did write her into the initial script which surprised and delighted many of us. I liked that they acknowledged her importance.

And, yes, there will be a certain amount of clamor because of the potential camaraderie between Sam and Cam. I think that their mutual respect is a plus for sure. Kudos to the writers for getting that right.

I'm also looking forward to Vala and Sam interacting and finding support in each other. We all tossed this angle around pages ago and, at the time, I mentioned that they do have more in common than first meets the eye. They could learn from each other: Vala is rough around the edges and doesn't follow any rules but her own - Sam has learned well how to follow rules and has been rewarded for it and for her courage under fire; Vala and Sam both know the effects of goa'uld possession - the pain (of being a host) and the power (of gaining goa'uld knowledge) but Sam has never quite mastered many of the goa'uld devices and Vala could possibly teach her a thing or two (and Sam could teach her how to pick Tau'ri locks!); both are survivors and have had to use their wits and skill to get out of threatening situations, but Vala has never learned to trust and Sam often depends on her team - she could teach Vala how to trust; both are good at hand-to-hand combat too. Now that would be a fantastic future scene - Vala and Carter kicking alien butt together!

When TR and AT started to play scenes in the first season, they made a pact that the writers would not portray them as "competing" against each other as the only two females; I hope that AT and CB and LD all demand the same for the upcoming season(s). Then we may see some women of substance giving good performances. That dynamic of cooperation rather than competition may almost force the male writers to write more thoughtful material. (Okay, I'm ever the optimist!)

Regarding portraying realistic female characters ... Astro and I chatted about this before she left. Slightly OT, but I was remarking that I find myself watching BSG more and more because I like how the women get whumped right along with the men. And Astro enlightened me by remarking that she thought the writers on Galactica are writing the characters as "soldiers/warriors" and not as gender-based. This is so true ... we have never seen Sam portrayed as realistically as Starbuck and Boomer and it's a shame. We know AT is ready for more Death Knell scenarios ... equal opportunity so to speak. I may have strayed a little here, sorry but I am wishing that Sam and Vala are placed in situations where they are shown as competent and overcoming great odds, not just showing their cleavage! (Yes, I'm starting to fear for Sam's dress code when she gets back too.)

So, just to recap my position on the first two parts of Avalon ... disappointed. I think the writing could have been much more creative and inspiring ... the champagne was flat for me too (Strix). The new actors are trying hard and I think they have potential ... I'm more concerned about the scripts at this point.

The show has a great history in the context of the scifi genre and I hope that, once everyone is onboard, the writing reflects more of what's right about Stargate rather than what's not.

Peace, CG

well, remember when i said i wasn't going to watch? i did. and remember i said i was only going to watch what was interesting to me? i ended up watching all of both eps. and i liked them.

i think that's part of why i was melancholy last night, because i saw so much effort being put into these eps, while i saw huge, honkin plot holes almost overwhelm seasons 7 and 8. it's not just about having new characters to write for or new villians to create, it's about writing creatively *with* the current characters you have now.

one of my fave parts of last night's ep was when mitchell was fighting the hologram. he wasn't doing so well, and i respected that. and when he was getting his butt kicked and it looked like was going to give in, he flashed back to how hard he'd fought to regain his legs working. bang, he got mad (at himself) and fought back. and i almost cried out 'yes!', and then this intense melancholy feel came over me (i almost cried). the first thing that came to mind was that i'd wished it were happening with jack instead. and i like mitchell! it's that they'd wasted *soooo* much potential these last two seasons. it makes me almost mad at them.


i, too, like it that sam and mitchell are friends. it makes this whole 'who's in charge' stuff easier to take. i get zero vibes that this will go shippy, so at least i don't have to worry about that.

i started off so anti vala, but i've changed my mind about her (because of the writing). i would like to see sam and vala interact, and have daniel stand there slack-jawed because vala never treated him so well. i want no competition, just respect. and their bonding because of their mutual 'hells'.

also, i'd love to see them let sam 'really' get knocked around. not just for the heck of it, but just to show realism. that's part of the reason i liked emancipation, because i have no doubt that sam's gender would become an issue somewhere down the line. the *vast* majority of ppl they meet are below them (socially speaking), so you know it would come up. it has, actually, come up, and i like that they haven't overdone it. (i *think*, if it were real, though, sam's gender would be a much bigger issue on missions. much bigger, i'm sorry to say). but them holding back in showing violence on/against sam just seems odd, and smacks of the general idea that the only violence permitable to show against women is rape (or attempted rape). that's baloney!

k, done, bye.



sally

[sg-1fanintn]

Congratulations, tsaxlady, on 700 posts!

Congratulations, ChopinGal, on another wondrous ode!

One good thing, in a back-handed way, about these first two episodes is that I had been worried that the chemistry would be so good between the "new group" that Sam wouldn't fit in when she finally came back. I'm certainly not worried about that anymore. This just feels like flat champagne when I was expecting something delightfully bubbly.

No, Strix, we sure won't have to worry about that!

Please indulge me in a little OT for just a second: would all SAGC members who are also S/J Shippers please check in at the S/J Family Discussion and look for my last post? Nell and I are planning something special for Ship Day, and we need your input/help!

Ok....that's all the OT. Thanks for your indulgence!

[jckfan55]

One good thing, in a back-handed way, about these first two episodes is that I had been worried that the chemistry would be so good between the "new group" that Sam wouldn't fit in when she finally came back. I'm certainly not worried about that anymore.

Ha, ha--so true!

I know that I'm incredibly biased, but unless the writing improves dramatically in the next couple of episodes (which I honestly hope will happen), I'll be waiting for Sam's return to save the season for me.

Yeah. Avalon 2 was particularly blah.

[jckfan55]

Yes, there is this minority that want Vala, Vala, Vala, because she is tied to Daniel---so with Vala, Daniel is in the center of things. Any Sam time takes away from Daniel My guess is that TPTB know that there are quite a few types of fanbases out there in neverland, and that they need to try to appeal to all of them. Right now the focus is on farscape fans and Daniel fans. But they know that they've got Sam in their back pocket for the sixth episode on to keep in the Sam fans and Sam/Jack fans. And they are not just doing Ori stories. So I think they are trying to cover all their bases.

I like Daniel, but I've gotta say, I don't think Avalon I & II have been good Daniel episodes. Sure, he's in them a lot, but I don't think they show him at his best. He's the long suffering foil for Vala. I hope it is the case, as someone said, that episode 2 is a sort of bridge/set up episode and that episode 3 is better.
Counting down to the first full Sam episode...

[majorsal]

[...] and they would spend a good deal of their time slamming Carter for whatever she did, whether she saves the world or makes a mistake, or just shows up for 2 minutes on a videophone, in their eyes it is all the same with Carter - bad and worthy of wishing the character dead, court-martialed or off the show.

LOL!

i know, i shouldn't be laughing, but i loved the way you put that (sam shows up on a video tape -- she must be killed!)

sally

[Agent_Dark]

OMG, Carter was spotted in Washington the other day by a GateWorld member! :O

[golfbooy]

Wow, this place is damn depressing. I must say that while I expected some knashing of teeth over Sam's absence in the earliest parts of the season, this level of doom and gloom is still a shock.

We've all known for many, many months now that Amanda Tapping wasn't going to be around for the first few episodes, so I'm not really understanding why it's being treated as if all that was great and good about Stargate is no more. I've read posts lauding Amanda Tapping, piling praise upon praise for her abilities, and gushing over her pregnancy and subsequent delivery of a healthy newborn by nearly all of the regular posters in this thread. She has decided to stick with SG-1, and the way I see it, if folks were really supporting her, then they would support SG-1 as well. TPTB have been rather eloquent in their accomodation of Amanda's wants and needs both during and after her pregnancy, so holding it against them that she's not there for a chunk of season nine seems quite unfair to me.

As for Carter, well, Sam will return, and what's more, TPTB are playing her return for high drama. She is apparently the cog around which SG-1 will actually reform, so I suppose my question to you all is what greater compliment could possibly be given to her character? This is a not so subtle nod to the fact that there really can't be an SG-1 without Sam, that she is too irreplaceable to do without. Maybe it's me, maybe it's you, maybe we're all just seeing what we want to see, but nothing about Avalon 1 & 2 comes across as different from what I've always expected from Stargate.

My thoughts on Avalon 2 are here and here, if anyone is interested, but I'll warn that they are decidedly at odds with the prevalent opinion expressed here.

Originally Posted by ForeverSg1:
Things I like about season nine so far:

I couldn't find a good way to quote the entire post, so that's all I got. Anyway, your sentiments toward season nine seem to echo mine, ForeverSg1. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who's still enjoying the show.

[Myrth]

That's hilarious.... plausible deniability ey

But then if Wormhole X-treme rings true, it wouldn't actually be called Stargate Command....

OMG, Carter was spotted in Washington the other day by a GateWorld member! :O

[Myrth]

Wow... that's amazing... that chick def could have doubled for AT. Guess everyone's got a doppelganger.. shouldn't be a surprise AT's is brilliant in her field

Meanwhile that last pic is a dead ringer for Carter!Clone!Weir from lost city... maybe that's where she went

It was pretty easy to put it together. Amanda's pool shots are just screen grabs from my Upgrades DVD. Allison's photos were mostly from her web site. Then I just combined them in Photoshop.

I don't know if Allison was Amanda's instructor, but kinda doubt it. She seems to be pretty busy with all her 9-ball tournaments that are held all over the country. In the DVD audio commentary Martin Wood said they had a double to do Amanda's shot, but didn't need the double - as we all know now. Although, it sure looks like Allison could have easily doubled for AT if there had been a need for it! So, as far as I know she is just Amanda's RL "A" counterpart.

And thanks for the 200 post congrats!

[jckfan55]

Wow, this place is damn depressing. I must say that while I expected some knashing of teeth over Sam's absence in the earliest parts of the season, this level of doom and gloom is still a shock.

We've all known for many, many months now that Amanda Tapping wasn't going to be around for the first few episodes, so I'm not really understanding why it's being treated as if all that was great and good about Stargate is no more. I've read posts lauding Amanda Tapping, piling praise upon praise for her abilities, and gushing over her pregnancy and subsequent delivery of a healthy newborn by nearly all of the regular posters in this thread. She has decided to stick with SG-1, and the way I see it, if folks were really supporting her, then they would support SG-1 as well. TPTB have been rather eloquent in their accomodation of Amanda's wants and needs both during and after her pregnancy, so holding it against them that she's not there for a chunk of season nine seems quite unfair to me.

As for Carter, well, Sam will return, and what's more, TPTB are playing her return for high drama. She is apparently the cog around which SG-1 will actually reform, so I suppose my question to you all is what greater compliment could possibly be given to her character? This is a not so subtle nod to the fact that there really can't be an SG-1 without Sam, that she is too irreplaceable to do without. Maybe it's me, maybe it's you, maybe we're all just seeing what we want to see, but nothing about Avalon 1 & 2 comes across as different from what I've always expected from Stargate.

Good point. I agree with what you say in your posts below, too, that the team isn't cohesive yet and *shouldn't be.* I guess what I'd like to see is more sense of the discomfort or at least the unfamiliarity of the team with Mitchell. I'm not sure how to explain my issue--they are almost disinterested. Yeah, here we are, blah, blah, blah. I like Mitchell so far. I may be one of the few who actually likes all the flashbacks. Vala and Daniel did have some good moments, and I'm not anti-CB. Great closing scene in Avalon 2--I'd like to see more serious moments with Vala. Over 5-6 episodes, you've got to hit more than one note. But really what it comes down to for me is that Vala's not a member of SG1. Each of the team members bring something to the table and a big part of the dynamic is definitely missing with Carter not there. And it seems like Teal'c is just trailing around. I'm thinking part 3 will put some of the pieces together though.

My thoughts on Avalon 2 are here and here, if anyone is interested, but I'll warn that they are decidedly at odds with the prevalent opinion expressed here.

I couldn't find a good way to quote the entire post, so that's all I got. Anyway, your sentiments toward season nine seem to echo mine, ForeverSg1. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who's still enjoying the show.

[tsaxlady]

I was at the post office today mailing a package when I ran into someone I have not seen in almost a year. We were talking about what has been going on recently and I was telling her about going to Comic Con. This lead to me saying that SciFi Friday was my favorite night of TV and she said "Oh you mean on the SciFi Channel". Now she is the last person I would expect to watch anything on the SciFi channel. She went on to say that her husband watches Stargate and she has started watching so she could show interest in what he likes. She said we watched last night and I was so confused, they missed Avalon Part 1, neither of them keep up with news reports on what is going on and they had no idea about all the cast changes. She asked what happened to McGyver and please tell me the dark haired chick is not replacing Carter. She was like I just figured out who the Goa'uld and Ancients are and now they are changing everything. It was so interesting to talk to her since she is just becoming a fan of the show. She said I was really becoming a fan of the show and looked forward to watching and now I'm confused all over again and these new guys don't jell very well and why does that one guys talk so fast. She then said she really liked Atlantis last night.

She did say that her husband told her last night that they needed to watch then next few episodes and he felt like things would start to make sense again. I will be playing a gig with her husband tomorrow night so invited them to come over and watch Avalon part 1 with me before since they missed it last week.

[SamFan31]

I was at the post office today mailing a package when I ran into someone I have not seen in almost a year. We were talking about what has been going on recently and I was telling her about going to Comic Con. This lead to me saying that SciFi Friday was my favorite night of TV and she said "Oh you mean on the SciFi Channel". Now she is the last person I would expect to watch anything on the SciFi channel. She went on to say that her husband watches Stargate and she has started watching so she could show interest in what he likes. She said we watched last night and I was so confused, they missed Avalon Part 1, neither of them keep up with news reports on what is going on and they had no idea about all the cast changes. She asked what happened to McGyver and please tell me the dark haired chick is not replacing Carter. She was like I just figured out who the Goa'uld and Ancients are and now they are changing everything. It was so interesting to talk to her since she is just becoming a fan of the show. She said I was really becoming a fan of the show and looked forward to watching and now I'm confused all over again and these new guys don't jell very well and why does that one guys talk so fast. She then said she really liked Atlantis last night.

She did say that her husband told her last night that they needed to watch then next few episodes and he felt like things would start to make sense again. I will be playing a gig with her husband tomorrow night so invited them to come over and watch Avalon part 1 with me before since they missed it last week.

Tsaxlady, thanks for the report of your post office journey. It's great to hear what someone has to say about S9 who isn't into all this like we are.

It will be interesting to hear what they think after they've seen part 1 and have an SG-1 expert in their midst who can answer all their questions!