S10: Critique & Contemplation

[Skydiver]

I think there's a difference between the amount of energy the actor brings and the type of characterization. Energy, to me, denotes that the actor is 100% present on the screen. Even when Vala is in the background (believe it or not, it does happen), you can see the character engaged in the proceedings or, if she's disengaged, it's for a reason.

You know how you can tell when an actor just doesn't want to be onscreen, how they look bored? CB doesn't do that--she didn't do it on FS and she doesn't do it here. I think that's what is meant by energy in the context of that post. I'm not implying anyone else does stand around looking bored, but even in the background, Vala is in character, not just standing there. She's not a "just standing there" kind of person and that applies whether she's got lines or not.

and AT is like that as well. She's 'sam' whenever she's on the set, whether she's saying the lines or just standing there while others have thier turn. Which is why, so many of the times, they'd cut to Sam reaction shots. because AT, unlike others, would always be reacting and would give them something to cut to.

what i really, really want to see is vala/claudia allowing to interact with ANYONE that isn't daniel. vala and teal'c are fun, vala and sam have potential. In fact, in the two eps that Daniel wasn't in were the two that i enjoyed vala the most in, because she wasn't so caught up in playing off him and actually did something else

I agree, Vala often doesn't get called on her bad behavior by anyone; is it out of character for the others not to call her on it?

it's humannature to call her on it. If someone is acting outside the norm, it's natural to correct said behavior.

JessM, that is truly sad. I think a lot of the feminine aspects of Sam Carter are things Amanda wanted to have the opportunity to play, and it seems like those things are often the focal point of criticism of the character. Like it or not, there are many career women out there who do long for romantic companionship and long term relationships. There's nothing wrong with it yet it seems to be quite the issue that Carter wants to have a personal life and a relationship (how much do I wish Browder had been cast as Pete!).

While it's possible that there was a good degree of nastiness from some CB/Vala fans (I admit, there are some real nutjobs out there), I remember when I first joined this board pre-season 9, in anticipation of Ben and Claudia's gig, that I read a lot of negative stuff about AT/Carter. I was actually quite surprised because I thought the character was well liked.

No doubt, some actors take all this stupidity personally. I would, were I in their shoes. I was on a thread the other day, critical of Vala, and thought, "wow, I'm starting to feel like I'm actually Claudia-bashing" which is NEVER my intent.

anyway, I do think there's a good amount of support for AT as well, and I think most people have been careful to make a distinction between actor and role but AT has played Carter for 10 years. I remember her mentioning something about how hardcore Carter was in the beginning and how she felt that was not realistic and didn't want to play it that way forever. I think that might have been on the pre-200 special.

At any rate, it just goes to show that these are real people with real feelings who, in AT's case, have put 10 danged years of their lives into this. It would be depressing to read some of this stuff. It depresses me half the time.

It's not fair at all to pigeon hole anyone that bashes sam as a cb/vala fan. People of all 'kinds' hate the character. I know a die hard jack fan who absolutely HATES sam and all she can be because, in her mind, sam is getting in between jack and sara, the one true pairing that the show was meant to have.

I know some slashers that absolutely hate sam. to the point that they probably hate her worse than they did jonas. and there are some gen daniel fans that hate sam. and some tealc....nah, teal'c fans don't hate much of anything.

in any case, folks that hate sam don't belong to any one fan group. they belong to all of them.

[Skydiver]

I hope so. She's probably trying to be fair, and frequenting the forums where Sam isn't popular to get a wider idea of how the character is playing. Unfortunately, there are some places where everything the character does is perceived as wrong.

sam could quite literally get killed off the show and there are folks that would witch that she /DARED to die and steal precious screen time from thier preferred character and why didn't they just shove her out of the way and not mention her cause, you know, she's just a whiny-piney dried up crone lusting after a man that doesn't want her

[DEM]

sam could quite literally get killed off the show and there are folks that would witch that she /DARED to die and steal precious screen time from thier preferred character....

Yup, sad (and creepy) but true. When I come across boards like that, I get the hell out of dodge. I learned that the hard way when I first found this fandom.

[ReganX]

sam could quite literally get killed off the show and there are folks that would witch that she /DARED to die and steal precious screen time from thier preferred character and why didn't they just shove her out of the way and not mention her cause, you know, she's just a whiny-piney dried up crone lusting after a man that doesn't want her

Somehow, I get the impression that in the cases of quite a few of those I've seen making remarks to that effect that if there had never been any indication that Jack gave a flying fig about Sam, she could pine after him to her heart's content.

However, when there are indications that Jack's feelings run deeper than those of a commanding officer for a teammate - I've seen some who seem to dislike even Sam/Jack friendship - it becomes and problem and Sam a target.

[ReganX]

I know a die hard jack fan who absolutely HATES sam and all she can be because, in her mind, sam is getting in between jack and sara, the one true pairing that the show was meant to have.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Sara hasn't been seen since early Season One, right?

How on Earth did Sam manage to come between a man she had known for a few months and the woman he'd been married to for about a decade? If I remember correctly, Sara divorced Jack well before he ever met Sam - was she supposed to have some kind of precognitive abilities?

I know some slashers that absolutely hate sam.

For having feelings for Jack or because Jack has feelings for her?

to the point that they probably hate her worse than they did jonas.

I wonder if those who campaigned so strenously - and with what sound like very questionable methods - for the immediate removal of Jonas and return of Daniel would have had a problem with Jonas if Sam had died in "Meridian" or would it have been great to see Daniel having a friend who shared his interests and really horrible of AT to try to come back a year after she left when her character had been replaced fair and square?

in any case, folks that hate sam don't belong to any one fan group. they belong to all of them.

Not all of them - Sam fans are a fan group.

[Skydiver]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Sara hasn't been seen since early Season One, right?

How on Earth did Sam manage to come between a man she had known for a few months and the woman he'd been married to for about a decade? If I remember correctly, Sara divorced Jack well before he ever met Sam - was she supposed to have some kind of precognitive abilities?

it's fandom, it doesn't have to make sense

In the mind of this person, jack always has and always willlove sara and is still dealing with charlie's death

people see what they want to see

Not all of them - Sam fans are a fan group.

good point. ok, people from all but one fan group, two if you count s/j shippers separate from sam fans, will hate sam. some of them anyway

to each his/her own

[ses110]

Sara has been on the Show one time.IMO Jack and Sara getting back together was never going to happen.IMO the Sam character has always been seen as a threat to the Daniel character.Sam and Jack just standing next ot each other send some into a frenzy.IMO their are many Fans who wanted just Jack and Daniel scenes.MS once mentioned he thought the Show would be a Jack and Daniel buddy Show.IMO the Sam character has been great for the Show and the Sam/Jack Ship has added to the characters and the Show.The only times I thought Sam looked bad was all the male guest stars falling for her and the Pete fiasco.

[ReganX]

In the mind of this person, jack always has and always willlove sara and is still dealing with charlie's death

I think that on some level Jack will always love Sara and Charlie's death is something that he will always have to deal with, but there are different kinds of love and loss does not always keep people from moving on with their lives.

If Jack is able to find happiness with Sam in the future, do this person really think that Sara or Charlie would begrudge him that?

[Skydiver]

IMHO, this person's opinioon on the topic is not a rational one, thus i will not broach the topic with her

personally? certainly jack will always love sara. she was a part of his life for over a decade and the mother of his child. Just as his son will always hold a part of his heart.

to play hypothetical, if sam and jack got married and one day sara called needing jack's help, he'd go. hands down he'd go and sam would have to deal.

see, that's the depth of a relationship that was played out in the course of one episode. we don't get that anymore. sara got more development in one episode than vala did in 5.

but that was back in the 'good old days' when they weren't cranking out template episodes with homogenized stereotypes as characters

[ReganX]

IMHO, this person's opinioon on the topic is not a rational one, thus i will not broach the topic with her

Sounds like a sensible approach.

personally? certainly jack will always love sara. she was a part of his life for over a decade and the mother of his child. Just as his son will always hold a part of his heart.

to play hypothetical, if sam and jack got married and one day sara called needing jack's help, he'd go. hands down he'd go and sam would have to deal.

I don't see Sam having a problem with it. She, unlike some, is mature enough to recognize that Jack's bond with someone else doesn't translate as a threat to his connection to her.

see, that's the depth of a relationship that was played out in the course of one episode. we don't get that anymore. sara got more development in one episode than vala did in 5.

but that was back in the 'good old days' when they weren't cranking out template episodes with homogenized stereotypes as characters

I miss those days - and I wasn't even watching the show then.

[chocdoc]

Not to change the topic or anything, but I just received one of the latest issues of Cult Times magazine in the mail today (one of the reasons I bought it was because Amanda and Michael were on the cover - and I can't remember the last time she was on a cover of an issue having to do w/SG-1).

There is an interview inside with AT. She seems a bit complimentary about S10, but not to the point of gushing over it like some of the others have. One thing that really stood out for me was that she said some fans online have been quite nasty in regards to her character and it's really upset her. Her husband would see her at the computer, crying and ask "are you reading online again?" I don't know if she's admitted it before, but maybe I just don't remember.

If you don't mind me asking, what question was she asked in the interview that led her to make these comments?

I think that almost all the actors could feel bad if they read online comments. I hope that none of them do. CB and BB I think know that their characters have not been 100% appreciated by fans. And CJ must wonder why Teal'c is hardly talked about at all. It seems that Daniel might get the least amount of criticism these days, but some say this was not true several years ago. Weir and Teyla seem to get a lot of criticism as well. I think online fandom is not a good place to come for any actor!

What is important is the success of the show over the years. Hopefully AT knows that she has a very large and loyal fanbase and that many many fans appreciate her contribution to the success of Stargate SG-1 as Sam Carter.

[Kestra Scott]

Sounds like a sensible approach.

I don't see Sam having a problem with it. She, unlike some, is mature enough to recognize that Jack's bond with someone else doesn't translate as a threat to his connection to her.

I totally agree, Sam understands that Jack will, on some deeper level, always love Sara but she knows that Jack is in love with her and will forever no mater what.

I miss those days - and I wasn't even watching the show then.

Me Too

[ToasterOnFire]

One thing that really stood out for me was that she said some fans online have been quite nasty in regards to her character and it's really upset her. Her husband would see her at the computer, crying and ask "are you reading online again?" I don't know if she's admitted it before, but maybe I just don't remember.

Well that's horribly depressing. I've seen plenty of character bashing in this fandom (Sam, Vala, Mitch, and Jonas in particular) but I'd like to think that the actors can separate themselves from their characters and not worry too much about it. It's the petty and cruel insults hurled at the actors themselves that are really sad. And I've never seen such cruel comments as those hurled at Tapping.

More on topic, did Tapping make any comment about her role in the second half of s10? I was disappointed that Sam didn't have much to do in the first half and I was wondering if TPTB realized this and were going to correct it before the end.

[esoap524]

Stupidity because they don't like her character? Everyone is entitled to their opinion...

"stupidity" in that some people aren't always very analytical in their approach.

[pittsburghgirl]

Did AT mention what type of comments upset her?
She's always come across as someone quite strong about the motivations of her character. If it's about some of the bad choices that have been written for the character, I could see her feeling more vindicated than anything else.
I do rather horribly suspect it's linked to those (sadly many) comments I have seen comparing the looks of Sam and Vala.

you know sometimes I think that reading comments about what fans think about you is just not worth the effort. I am saying that maybe it is better for her to just concentrate on being the best Sam Carter she can be with what they give her to work with. It is so cliche to say that-and maybe the therapists on this forum know what I am talking about-maybe everybody else does to and we can all chuckle about it-but the fact that there are some mean spirited people out there and some of them cannot separate the actor from the character can really cause a lot of emotional and spiritual pain.

I have strayed once in a while into the anti-forums and cannot believe some of the stuff that people can actually voice.

the meaness of some people still really upsets me-and as old as I am, I shouldn't really be surprised. i have told my children, that there are people in this world that feel so bad about themselves that they have to make other people feel bad in order for them to feel good about themselves.

Not knowing her personally I would only hope that she would just turn off the computer and go back to her real life with her husband and her daughter and leave the delusions to those that can't see past them.