Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Uber]

Oh Royal Scribe and Photographer, I just looked at both those lists (Roll Call and Scribes) and you're right where you should be! ??

Unless that lightning bolt went into your PC and extracted all things Uber!

First of all, it's "extracted all things Über...not Uber. Let's say it together class....ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜber.



Secondly, where are my Sam posts? I had 3 that describe that the Sam I want to see depends on the mood I'm in at the time. That's what I'm talking about...not the Royal Directory.

Thirdly, I waited with bated breath last night for the syndicated SG-1 episode REVISIONS. Just because it had Sam and Jack. Is that a bad sign?



MB

[Simhavaktra]

About tonight's ending of Origin...

Spoiler:

I'd just like to know... what the hell was the point of bringing Jack/RDA back for that? What a total waste of his time and ours. Good Lord... I can't believe I waited three weeks for that. Here I was waiting and hoping to see this grand farewell to a man who gave us eight great years and what did we get?? Well I can't really express what we got because this is a PG forum. Oh well. I'm gonna go find something to take my mind off my irritation.

Here's hoping you all don't feel as totally let down and disappointed as I do right now.

Kat

Much kvetching about, and dissatisfaction with, season 9 so far, follows:

Spoiler:

o me, it seemed like Jack O'Neill showed up just to say "there, there" to Daniel and pat his head, even though Vala had repeatedly opined the mess wasn't hers and Daniel's fault (can't have folks thinking that Daniel made a great big honkin' mistake in rushing into using the intergalactic Alterran communicator and bringing Earth and the Milky Way, to the notice of the Ori etc., inlike they said that Sam put the entire galaxy in danger from the Replicators, so so Daniel gets not only a "there, there" scene with Jack, even Vala excuses him)(what, me criticize???? ), and to serve as an introduction to a gratuitous special effect scene that had been written for Mitchell.

I suspect I know why the scenes were filmed as they were - tight schedule with RDA, increased focus on Daniel this season/availability of MS, and continued build up of the Mitchell character - but, it didn't work for me.

In the scene with Daniel, the immediate mention of being there to bring a surprise for Mitchell and the discussion of Jack's last surprise, not telling Mitchell that SG-1 was going on to other postings, implied that Mitchell is and ought to be the first subject on their minds, seeing a freind unexpectedly / friendship and threats to the planet and/or galaxy rating below Mitchell on the importance scale. That implication that Mitchell comes first and ought to come first, along with the implication that Daniel didn't know Jack was coming, and seeing Daniel or discussing the Merlin's-communication-device-leads-to-being-noticed-by-the-Ori debacle with him was pretty unimportant, raised that gag reflex in me which is specific to having something shoved down my throat, and that something on which I am gagging is the Mitchell character.

And then, I was 'treated' to the scene in the F-302 where we discover that Mitchelll hasn't flown the space plane since the Antarctic battle, making it look like Jack came to Cheyenne Mountain specifically to bring Mitchell the horse that he ought to have gotten back on, and thereby help him officially get his nerve back. Well, woo hoo - can't have Cammie running round without his nerve, can we? I would think that not having flown the 302 since Antarctica, and, as he was apparently the commander of a squadron of 302's, not having tried to get to fly one up until then, would have raised all sorts of red flags for the military psychologists that would have been following, monitoring, and participating in Mitchell's recovery and rehabilitation, and those red-flags would have made it into Mitchell's file as negatives regarding his outlook and state of mind, and should have negatively influenced Landry's decision to put Mitchell in charge of any SG team, much less the flagship team, SG-1. But, no. If Mitchell had ever had so much as a passing thought about flying the 302 again after Antarctica, we hadn't had it mentioned to us, so this "surprise" visit of Jack's just came across as yet another incident of catering to Mitchell at the expense of logic, existing charcters, good writing and tight plotting.

I feel like I'm being told I'm supposed to like Mitchell, admire him, and view him as being deserving of command of SG-1 without reservation, instead of being shown why he's likable, admirable, and deserving, and left to form my own opinion. I feel like I'm being told to focus on Mitchell (when I'm not focussing on Daniel) and so far, at least, I don't want to focus on Mitchell. In fact, I don't want to focus on Mitchell to the point that I've been having these fond fantasies of what Colonel Reynolds, and even Colonel Dixon, would have done in these situations to run counterpoint to my even more fond imaginings of what Colonel Carter is doing over at Area 51 (and, hopefully, at S4, the putative area on the Groom Lake range where the development and testing of aircraft black projects is now being done). (Com'on Sam, figure out a power source, and the tech on the drive of the Time Jumper, and make us a new fighter that'll make even the Asgard envious!)

Jack O'Neill's opinion of Mitchell doesn't much influence my opinion of Mitchell, and I'm liking Mitchell less every time I see him. He seems to have been given the unqualified favor of the gods, and, though I know why that happened when I view the situation from out here in the 'real world', I can't make sense of why it happened from within the Stargate universe.

Add to that how common sense and healthy scepticism seem to be in short supply at the SGC, and how Daniel and Teal'c seem to have forgotten all the hard lessons they learned in deception and the need for caution in 7 and 8 years respectively at the SGC, and I don't have much use for season 9 so far. It's lame. (Seeing Amanda was great, but the rest of it has way more than cancelled that out for me.)

I'm just glad that Sam hasn't been mentioned at all in eps 2 and 3 - otherwise she might have had to do the assinine scientist schtick that was wished on Dr. Lee instead, and that might have terminally disgusted me with the show.

So now we're at one really lousy and two pretty bad episodes for this season - and the more I see of the season, the greater my fear that "Up" isn't the only direction we can go.

Simha
::wanting Sam back desperately::

[ChevronSeven]

Well, seems like nobody is here to celebrate my birthday with me. And no Sam action or references yesterday whatsoever ( )...
I think I'll just curl up with my fav Sam episodes and keep counting the days until she's back. I can't wait much longer.

Dani76!!

[ChopinGal]

Well, seems like nobody is here to celebrate my birthday with me. And no Sam action or references yesterday whatsoever ( )...
I think I'll just curl up with my fav Sam episodes and keep counting the days until she's back. I can't wait much longer.

Happy Birthday, Two Ewes

Happy Birthday, Two Ewes

Happy Birthday dear Dani

Happy Birthday, Two Ewes!

Jester

[Strix varia]

My bedtime reading last night was 10,000 Suns by our very own Strix.

I thought it was a brilliant read - Sam Injured/dying and needing rescue (minor league Sam/Janet inferences) - I recommend it to everyone!

Thanks to Strix for sharing it!!

Thanks, Coley!

(Woohoo! I figured out how to connect my computer to the internet at a hotel! Playing catch-up, now, as usual. Glad your dad came through the surgery okay, 1speed! Welcome back, deepspace!)

Hugs,
Strix

[Osiris-RA]

Oh - can someone enlighten me as to what Hic Comitas Regit means? I know it's latin...Here..something something...great ones? The King..something. Here is the King? *latin's so off*

[ChopinGal]

Thanks, Coley!

(Woohoo! I figured out how to connect my computer to the internet at a hotel! Playing catch-up, now, as usual. Glad your dad came through the surgery okay, 1speed! Welcome back, deepspace!)

Hugs,
Strix

Hey There Strix! Hope you got to see some of the sights this afternoon! I was running errands all day! Early to bed, now! We have a big day ahead!

CG

[ChopinGal]

Oh - can someone enlighten me as to what Hic Comitas Regit means? I know it's latin...Here..something something...great ones? The King..something. Here is the King? *latin's so off*

Samanda's motto "hic comitas regit" means "kindness reigns here" in honour of Amanda's own philosophy of life!

Osiris, go back a few pages and you'll find a post which gives you important links to some of Samanda's history! Enjoy!

Court Jester

[Osiris-RA]

Oh! cool, thanks!

Spiffy!

[ForeverSg1]

I'm not sure how to respond to this without putting the whole thing in spoilers, so here you go:

Spoiler:

I've seen many people expressing similar frustrations with this scene. Complaints include RDA's acting, the supposition that he and MS were not filming together, the brevity of his appearance, the incomplete (or lack of) explanation as to O'neill's departure, and that RDA's/O'neill's appearances were not memorial enough for the actor/character. I understand where many of these complaints are coming from, but find that condemning the episode for such a small scene or TPTB for something so far beyond their control inequitable.

Personally, and I accept that it is perhaps a matter of taste, I didn't find fault with RDA's acting. While his presence came across as more subdued, more subtle than it has in the past, it seemed appropriate to me given the context of the situation. Even in light of Earth's newfound danger with the Ori, I'm pleased that Jack's visit to Daniel was more of a nod towards their friendship touched with a bit of reticence over his apparently diminished role at the SGC, rather than just talking business. As for the bit with Mitchell, suprisingly I find myself alone in thinking that it wasn't meant to be a passing of the torch. I liked the scene. The fact that Jack O'neill likes Mitchell goes along way towards making me like Mitchell.

As for the amount of Jack, well, I never really expected much more. I'm not pleased with losing RDA, but that happened last season, so I see any scenes with him as a bonus, not a detraction.

And as for the vilification of TPTB over a lack of explanation concerning Jack's departure, well, if this does turn out to be RDA's final appearnce in Stargate, I'll be right there with you ruing the fact that there wasn't more. Delusional as I am, however, I hope to see more of him in the future. At any rate, I don't see what else they really could have done, given the circumstances. If it's a question of no Jack or a little Jack, I'll take a little every time. If anything, this appearance is more a result of RDA's request NOT to be written completely out of the story. There have been a number of comments by various people involved in Stargate that seem to indicate that RDA might not be done forever. And while I'm not naive enough to expect a full time return to SG-1, I don't think that future guest spots are out of the question. What can I say, I'm an optimist when it comes to Stargate. Besides, I really think that if TPTB knew for certain that Jack was gone forever, they would say as much. They seem to be on the hook, just like the rest of us. There's not much more they can say about RDA without RDA saying it first.

I apologize in advance to everyone regarding this rant. Please feel free to just ignore it, but I have watched and rewatched the scenes with RDA over a dozen times now hoping my feelings about it all would change and my distaste for it all just gets worse with each viewing. I'm hoping by vocalizing my disappointment, it may help to make it all go away. If you enjoyed these scenes, I envy you because I never thought I would be this upset by a silly television show.

Spoiler:

I'm not sure if you were referring to me, but I was in no way condemning the entire episode based on this one scene. I was however expressing my utter distaste with these particular scenes. I can understand that RDA, MS, and BB were not together due to scheduling reasons, but we have seen episodes where RDA came in and shot his entire scene against either green screen or with a double. If I remember correctly, a great deal of the episode of Abyss was shot this way. Cliff and RDA were never in the same room together while filming this episode and yet RDA was fantastic in it. The man IS capable of doing a superb job in this type of situation. But in this case, like many people have said, the Jack O'Neill we saw in this episode was only a shell of the man I have come to admire. Why on earth would RDA ask TPTB to keep Jack alive and a part of the SGC if he cared so little about Jack's character than play him with absolutely no life or interest.

I'm sorry, but not only was the script for these scenes pathetic, but I thought RDA's make-up was horrid. They made him look old and washed-out. I have NEVER seen a photo of RDA look this bad and from what I have heard from others he's much better looking in person than on the show. The voice over editing was atrocious. Most of the time, Jack would be speaking while we were looking at Daniel. Neither Jack nor Daniel looked even remotely excited to see one another.

And forgive me for this but Daniel has just told him that the greatest threat they have ever known is coming and Jack looked as if he could really care less. His facial expression, his tone, his words... they were all of a man who has given up and doesn't care anymore.

In my opinion the look on Jack's face was not one of concern or hope or even soothing comfort. To me, it looked more like he was saying 'I'm sorry did you say something... I'm really hungry.'

And that is the part that really bothers me because this is NOT a man who has done his duty and moved on. This is NOT a man who has retired and is now spending his days fishing by a pond. I could have accepted this response from Jack if this had been the case. But no, this is a man who is not only in charge of the SGC, he is now the man in charge of protecting the entire planet. The whole kit-n-kaboodle. He is Homeworld Security. One would think that he would have shown some sort of concern or interest. I know in season eight Jack often looked as if he was out of his element and he was bored at times, but now he looks as if all of the life has been drained out of him. Why on Earth would Jack have taken on this new position if he really didn't care less of what was going on and why was none of this explained to us?

I guess we differ in opinions greatly, because if it's a matter of no Jack or make-me-look-completely-incompetent Jack, I'd rather have had none at all. I wish I could be as optimistic as you seem to be that TPTB will give us some sort of explanation concerning Jack's departure, but honestly I expect to see as much explantion concerning Jack as we were given regarding Cassie after Janet's death. Nothing. Nor do I expect to receive any great detail about what Sam has been doing and why she decided to take the position at Area 51. After tonight's episode, I think we will be lucky at all if we get more than a passing mention about it at all as Sam is rushed into the scene to deal with the problem at hand.

I mean why would anyone wait till the six or seven episodes of a season to explain to the fans what happened to the lead character? I consider myself lucky. I'm read this forum so I've at least had spoilers for the past few months. I knew RDA was leaving the show. Could you imagine what the average fan must have been thinking when they turned on the television to watch the first episode and half the team is gone with little to no explanation?

I appreciate your optimism, I truly wish I could share it, but at this point in time it would definitely take a miracle to change my opinion. Lucky for me, miracles do sometimes happen.

I guess only time will tell.

Kat

[tsaxlady]

Happy Birthday Dani76

Alright I have just watched "Origin" again and I wanted to do that before posting in this thread. Overall I liked the episode - yes I do miss AT's presense on screen and look forward to her return. On the plus side Michael slowed down last night and you could understand what he was saying a lot better than I was able to last week. I want to watch the first three episodes back to back to see how I feel about them. I like Vala a whole lot more this season and I think she would make a good reaccuring character but I'm not looking forward to seeing her again next week. I do want to see what the interaction between Vala and Sam will be like. Like many have already said I was disappointed with RDA in this episode. Hopefully we will see him back at some point in the future.

[ChopinGal]

Spoiler:

I'm not sure if you were referring to me, but I was in no way condemning the entire episode based on this one scene. I was however expressing my utter distaste with these particular scenes. I can understand that RDA, MS, and BB were not together due to scheduling reasons, but we have seen episodes where RDA came in and shot his entire scene against either green screen or with a double. If I remember correctly, a great deal of the episode of Abyss was shot this way. Cliff and RDA were never in the same room together while filming this episode and yet RDA was fantastic in it. The man IS capable of doing a superb job in this type of situation. But in this case, like many people have said, the Jack O'Neill we saw in this episode was only a shell of the man I have come to admire. Why on earth would RDA ask TPTB to keep Jack alive and a part of the SGC if he cared so little about Jack's character than play him with absolutely no life or interest.

I'm sorry, but not only was the script for these scenes pathetic, but I thought RDA's make-up was horrid. They made him look old and washed-out. I have NEVER seen a photo of RDA look this bad and from what I have heard from others he's much better looking in person than on the show. The voice over editing was atrocious. Most of the time, Jack would be speaking while we were looking at Daniel. Neither Jack nor Daniel looked even remotely excited to see one another.

And forgive me for this but Daniel has just told him that the greatest threat they have ever known is coming and Jack looked as if he could really care less. His facial expression, his tone, his words... they were all of a man who has given up and doesn't care anymore.

In my opinion the look on Jack's face was not one of concern or hope or even soothing comfort. To me, it looked more like he was saying 'I'm sorry did you say something... I'm really hungry.'

And that is the part that really bothers me because this is NOT a man who has done his duty and moved on. This is NOT a man who has retired and is now spending his days fishing by a pond. I could have expected a response from Jack if this had been the case. No. This is a man who is not only in charge of the SGC, but he is now the man in charge of protecting the entire planet. The whole kit-n-kaboodle. He is Homeworld Security. One would think that he would have shown some sort of concern or interest. I know in season eight Jack often looked as if he was out of his element and he was bored at times, but now he looks as if all of the life has been drained out of him. Why on Earth would Jack have taken on this new position if he really cared less of what was going on and why was none of this explained to us?

I guess we differ in opinions greatly, because if it's a matter of no Jack or make-me-look-completely-incompetent Jack, I'd rather have had none at all.
I wish I could be as optimistic as you seem to be that TPTB will give us some sort of explanation concerning Jack's departure, but honestly I expect to see as much explantion concerning Jack as we were given regarding Cassie after Janet's death. Nothing. Nor do I expect to receive any great detail about what Sam has been doing and why she decided to take the position at Area 51. After tonight's episode, I think we will be lucky at all if we get more than a passing mention about it at all as Sam is rushed into the scene to deal with the problem at hand.

I mean why would anyone wait till the six or seven episodes of a season to explain to the fans what happened to the lead character? I consider myself lucky. I'm read this forum so I've at least had spoilers for the past few months. I knew RDA was leaving the show. Could you imagine what the average fan must have been thinking when they turned on the television to watch the first episode and half the team is gone with little to no explanation?

I appreciate your optimism, I truly wish I could share it, but at this point in time it would definitely take a miracle to change my opinion. Lucky for me, miracles do sometimes happen.

I guess only time will tell.

Kat

Kat, you've expressed yourself well and I feel the same way. This should have been the episode to define the character's future arc (since they have decided to keep him on as Homeworld Security Director). None of that happened. It wasn't fair to the character or the fans.

RDA's lackluster reading of his lines leaves me puzzled. Perhaps something was going on in his personal life at the time and it carried over to the screen. Or does he have no say anymore on the script itself?

Useless to dwell (as Jack said at his pond)!

I pray that Amanda gets better words to say and better scenes!

[Myrth]

Something pretty to cheer people up. By request, so I'll throw a little speil here too.

For any SVU/Stargate fans here, I run a website dedicated to loving both shows at www.svucrib.com/~sg16 or a mariska hargitay one at www.mariskafans.com or I moderate at www.mariska.com . I'd love to see more SG fans over there (come join int he fun in the threads about SG) and helping me campaign to get AT on SVU as a guest! If anyone here has Amanda's ear, I can throw the suggestion through SVU channels... I'd love to see Amanda explore her range with a victimized ADA role on SVU... she'd be brilliant.

[Historian]

I haven't seen Origin yet. I should be able to see it before the end of the week-end. I've been reading lots of negative commentaries on RDA's interpretation and Jack's appearance. Let's say that I'm not surprised. The pictures posted on GW showed a distant or sad Jack. And I'm wondering if all that isn't part of the script.

Apparently, we still don't know officially where Jack has gone. We still don't know why Sam has also left. Nor why SG-1 is broken. Beside the fact that Teal'c is busy with the Jaffas and that Daniel wanted to go to Atlantis. Maybe we will learn all this through Cam who might want to investigate things. We're seeing all this through is eyes. Or maybe when Sam comes back. And perhaps after all that, we will understand Jack's behavior.

Hell, that's just another theory. We've all got plenty of those. I'll keep watching SG-1 this entire season. Everything's still coming into place, and I won't let a few episodes decide on whether I'll still like it or not.

Hic Comitas Regit

[Historian]

Happy Birthday Dani76