Sam Carter /Jack O'Neill Ship Appreciation Thread 2.0

[fems]

I believe it was Sally Malcolm who once had Jack tell Sam (in a fic of hers) that Laira was like summer romance. Thought that was quite fitting. Perhaps he was also projecting his feelings for Sam on Laira, who was available* and and clearly interested. He probably felt flattered at first, hence the easy flirting. It's not too different from how he flirted with Sam in the beginning of the show, when she was still in the hero worship phase and very attractive but not a real option to him.


* kinda pushy, actually, but I suppose her people might not have the lifespan Earthlings have due to the manual labor/farming lifestyle so perhaps she was in a rush

[UhSir]

So I rewatched A Hundred Days and I've been thinking about it all day, again. Although I'm not happy watching Jack with Laira, I can't be mad at him or blame him, this time.
When they arrive on Edora, as soon as they meet Laira, Jack seems to be in the mood for a little harmless flirting. Just like Sam was when she met Narim, or later Joe Faxon. Or like Daniel is all the time :-)
So why does Jack seem to like Laira? Is it because he is in the position of being the smart one around her, able to teach her something, is she good for his ego? She is independent, strong, and smart enough but not extremely, yet lets Jack act protectively around her. Also the planet is friendly, no Jaffa shooting at them, so it feels safe to be "normal". But then the meteor rain happens, Jack is stranded and suddenly someone who was a nice possibility becomes his only choice. That looks much less interesting than before. So why does he eventually give in? Maybe he is mad at his team? They left him behind so he doesn't need them either? He starts a relationship with Laira but it's clear that his heart is not in it, he is settling.
And maybe Sam settling for Pete in season 8 is quite a similar case.

My opinion of this episode is that Jack was, no, actually, the PTB were completely out of their minds. Jack never would have given up on being rescued, or "settle" for whatever will be, will be, because he knew there were other options for rescue.

[UhSir]

{snipped}
And... I dunno... the episode felt like some kind of "farwest"/countryside ideal idea of a romance (gonna be honest here, it soured me on american country dance and music... I know... petty, maybe... but I keep thinking back to this episode when I watch stuff like this since then). The women make babies, the men work in the fields.

Oh dear, why would you punish American Country Music because of this? That just seems totally off the rails to me.

If I try making sense of this episode... well, one could say Jack fell in love with her because she was devoted to him more than anyone while he was stranded, she looked pretty and womanly and motherly, she also was making passes at him... which means she also was easily available in a way Sam wasn't at all (i noticed this with Jack's love interests in general... he never actively pursue anyone beyond harmless flirting, he lets things happen, he lets women come and want him...
{snipped}

Your confusion about the "relationship" is EXACTLY what the TPB were playing/preying on at the time and ... Totally. Pissed. Me. Off!

[RadicalDreamer]

Oh dear, why would you punish American Country Music because of this? That just seems totally off the rails to me.

Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend or anything. It’s just... an example of how one thing reminds you of something you really didn’t like (the Laira episode). There is just a constant association in my brain. If it makes you feel any better, american country dance and music are similar to some european ones (since it originates from europe anyway... those kind of dances exist in my country too). And i may have enjoyed Shania Twain songs in my teens.

[dipsofjazz]

My opinion of this episode is that Jack was, no, actually, the PTB were completely out of their minds. Jack never would have given up on being rescued, or "settle" for whatever will be, will be, because he knew there were other options for rescue.

Exactly! Jack giving up so easily is completely out of character for him. I can't stand this episode mainly because of the way Jack is written. He is awful to Sam, and settles after three months, when he knows that his team will look for other ways to save him. Laira is an awful character (plus I really don't like the actress that plays her), especially when she almost doesn't tell Jack about the radio. She's supposed to be leader of her group, yet she seemed to forget that most of her friends had gone through the Gate to Earth.
I'm not going to go on about this episode, as it just raises my blood pressure.

[TrueRomantic]

I missed it this year, so belated
Merry Shipmas everyone!

[bluebari]

Merry Shipmas TrueRomantic and everyone else!
It's truly great to read everyone's thoughts here. Thank you fellow SJ shippers for sharing them. Some more thoughts and comments regarding 100 days from me,hope you don't mind.

[bluebari]

With RadicalDreamer, I too noticed that Jack never actively pursues his love interests (neither does Sam, btw). Maybe he prefers being wanted, maybe he just puts his job above anything else.
And why would he be mad at his team? He knows it's not their fault but maybe it just clicked in his mind with the Iraq situation. He is left behind, no matter whose fault.

[bluebari]

Yeah I remember the "summer romance" explanation in one of Sally's fics. I agree that, if things were different, it could be a nice time off for Jack. But this was a somewhat "forced" romance. I don't think Jack loved Laira and would settle that easy. He would at least want to know what happened to his team, if they made it home. And the supposed child? I still think Jack didn't agree to that or might not be able to perform in the end. Laira never knew about Charlie, she didn't want the part of Jack that belonged to Earth, remember? Her hands moving to her belly? Just symbolic of a dream unfulfilled.

[bluebari]

Yeah Jack is awful to Sam in this episode. In the beginning and at the end too. Is it his own guilt projecting here? Guilt of giving up on them. Then there is his later behaviour in the next episode, Shades of Grey. You know, when he tells Daniel about the plans for the Alpha site and him as the supposed commander. I wonder if there actually were such plans or Jack made it up for the ocassion. Perhaps Jack really wanted to disappear from Earth, get away from his team after Edora? Because he feels guilty and angry with himself? All the plotting in Shades of Grey certainly didn't help to repair the relationships within the team after Edora, between Jack and Sam in particular...

[Nefer]

Hm, nothing about that episode ever really bothered me. I don't necessarily think that Jack behaved exemplary, but I thought it was realistic, and not OOC. And I thought the Sam/Jack interaction was appropriate to where they were in their "relationship" at the time. In later seasons, that wouldn't have flown anymore. His behaviour towards Sam is painful, but it seems to me, realistic and tragic rather than mean or ooc, considering the situation he found himself in at the time. Sam was hurt, rightly so, but not by any ill intent on Jack's part, which makes the whole thing so tragic to me.

I read Sally Reeve's story that contains the "summer romance" description, and I didn't particularly like that aspect. It makes it sound like he never intended to take responsibility for a possible child, which under the circumstances (no birth control) would have been a likely result. Laira may not be the love of his life, but I do think he would have taken responsibility for his actions, which is why he asked her to come with him to earth. Yes, I do think they actually had sex, because that was set up to symbolise his decision to stay, like a promise.

Also, "summer romance" kind of sounds like the typical "she meant nothing to me" defence, which is both a cliché and quite immature, in my opinion. She meant something to him, at the time, but that doesn't take away from his feelings for Sam.

I actually always really liked that episode. But then I'm the kind of nut-job who also "liked" the Pete storyline. You have to admit, without the likes such as Laira, Pete, Kerry, Joe etc. half of the S/J drama and innuendo that we did get on screen would never have happened.

[SamJackShipper93]

I've been away far more than I wish I was.

Merry Christmas to all our shippers!

Happy 49th birthday (yesterday) to our favorite astrophysicist!



Happy (early) New Years to you all!

Edit: I'd never seen this photo of Sam before I saw it on fems tumblr a few days ago! But I saw it and thought, how on earth could anyone believe that nothing had happened between Sam and Jack between Seasons 8 and 9? There is absolutely no reason for Sam to be looking so happy and fulfilled and relaxed if not for the changes in her personal life!

[UhSir]

Happy Shippy New Year!!!!

[Samantha-Carter-is-my-muse]

[Samantha-Carter-is-my-muse]

I don't like the Edora episode, mostly because I think it's unrealistic that Jack would give up believing his team would come to his rescue so soon after being stranded.

I also don't think he'd want to have a child with a woman he just met.

Her not telling Jack about the radio just made me dislike her even more.