Has Sam ever ticked you off?

[AlyssaCalavicci]

Hello everyone I wanted to ask you something cause its been eating me as well more I watch QL more mad I get at Sam the reason is cause he comes off rude to AL in so many ways I can list alot of things he has gotten me mad on like in the first season "the right hand of god" Al was gonna help him learn to box and Sam wanted a real trainer that made me angry there way he acted then when ever Al pops in Sam never just talk to him just demands what he is there for first like in the episode "Southern Comforts" he demanded Al go away and not return until he got some info I wanted to slap Sam then. Been so many times I wanted to Slap Sam for not giving Al a break makes me wonder about him if I was Al I would really let him have it. Has any of you ever wanted to Slap Sam at one point?

[ohboy]

Honestly, no. I could see that Sam is under a lot of stress between his leaps, and when he first leaps he wants to get his information, rather than talk. Plus, he is very prudent, and while he may doubt Al to a fault at times, I can see that it is just the stress talking. Also, there are times when Sam needs the information quickly, and Al won't give it to him without chatting, and Sam has to hurry this process up. This is just my opinion, but I have never really held against him his iratiability against Al.

[AlyssaCalavicci]

Maybe your right it could be the stress talking but something about Sam the way he treats Al sometimes kind of burns me up lol maybe im looking at it at a different way I think. I could see Sam being upset of the fact he cant get home and being lost in the past for years that can take a toll on anyone.

[sparkyclarkie]

I think its what makes Al and Sam so good, i find it makes me laugh, cause all sam wants to do is get on with it and Al comes along chatting about tina or past wives.
Sam comes through in the end for Al in mirror image.

I would give anything to see Sam being short with Al again in a new season of Qleap, please!

[AlyssaCalavicci]

I wish they show the new season of QL myself to Sam and Al are kind of funny at how they argue I can say that LOL poor Al on the lasr episode of Season one when they had that fight at the bar poor thing Sam was sweet and told him sorry afterwards

[Snish]

To the original question, yes, he has ticked me off! I just want to smack him sometimes--most especially in The Leap Back, when Al has just leaped for the first time, he's confused and scared out of his wits, and Sam is purposely mean to him. I know Sam had a point to make about the way Al treats him, but it would have been nice if he had waited until Al was over the first shock of leaping.

On the other hand, Al can be really annoying to Sam sometimes--though he's never rude. Al is forgetful, easily distracted, and given to telling long-winded stories about himself. I find all of that very entertaining but I can see why it would frustrate Sam. Al can be thoughtless, as when he suddenly appears in front of Sam and startles him. And Al sometimes does things that would be mean if they were intentional, like being late for the test flight in the pilot or being late for the concert in "Blind Faith." I guess we'll never know if there was some real reason why Al was delayed or if he really was being mean.

Also in Sam's defense, he's under a huge amount of stress in his bizarre life, and when he's with Al is the only time he can be himself and vent about it. Al seems to understand that, because he never snaps at Sam the way Sam snaps at him.

But Sam's chronic anger and rudeness reach such a peak in the later seasons that it becomes almost difficult for me to watch, because I love Al so much. That they allow the hero to show this other side makes him a better character, but it honestly doesn't make me like him better. It would have been a good thing if Al had called him on it once or twice, because then Sam would have to apologize and maybe explain why he's so cranky. We all know why, but I still think it would be good to hear him say it.

[Sam's Crow]

Not really.

[AlyssaCalavicci]

Wow that was a good post I so agree with you on alot of it I can see why Sam gets cranky and moody at times cause he is stuck in the past and lost everything his life, his job, his wife and family and friends and even his own idenity and the only close friend he has is Al whom he cant ever hug or just cry on. I think I would get a bit moody if I was in his shoes. Al in the beginning in the poilot episode "genisis" I did want to smack Al there several times even when he ranned out on Sam at the bar leaving him scared and alone. Looks like I wanted to knock some sense into them both it would be funny if they both called each other on how they acted LOL

[Sam's Crow]

If I were in Sam's position I'd probably be crying myself to sleep every night.

[Bexter]

I agree with Sam's Crow. Sam is under so much stress given what he does I don't blame him for taking out on Al!! But that is why I love Al so much because he obviously understand the stress and takes it from Sam because he's his best mate!! Thats what best mates do!! I'd cry myself to sleep every night if I was Sam, actually i cry myself to sleep everynight regardless!

[AlyssaCalavicci]

If I was in Sam's shoes I would as well. Poor thing lost everything he had except Al whom he cant even hug at all

[laestrella]

Originally Posted by AlyssaCalavicci

If I was in Sam's shoes I would as well. Poor thing lost everything he had except Al whom he cant even hug at all

hell yeah, anyone p----d off with his attitude in "how the tess was won?"

especially when he said that a man could do a better job than a woman! i'm so glad tess punched him. oh i wish sometimes widowmaker lived up to his name.

[bluedana]

Yep, Pool Hall Blues. Sam takes the bank manager to task for not giving Violet a loan, the "you've made it, how can you not help someone behind you" speech. Oh, I wish I could leap into the bank manager and give Sam a piece of my mind. Something along the lines of, "You have no earthly idea what it feels like to be a grown man continually treated like a boy, to suffer daily humiliation just for the chance to bring home a paycheck - a paycheck that is not as big as my white subordinates. Never to be able to raise my voice, or disagree with policy, because I can't give them any reason to fire me. Every mistake I make is amplified, and everyone is just waiting for me to fail just so I can prove what they've known about black people - excuse me, 'colored' people (like who colored me in??) - all along. Yes, I guess I've 'made it' if by 'making it' you mean I get to be condescended to like a child instead of sold like cattle or lynched. So pardon me for not wanting to put my entire livelihood in jeopardy for this woman who managed to herself into a bad situation with a gangster. Oh, and by the way, corn fed white boy in black sheep's clothing? STFU."

I do like the episode in general, but that scene burns me. It was obviously written by someone who had no understanding of what it was like to be a black man in a white collar job in that time.

[ohboy]

Originally Posted by bluedana

I do like the episode in general, but that scene burns me. It was obviously written by someone who had no understanding of what it was like to be a black man in a white collar job in that time.

Actually, I think that you touched up on what was the entire intent of that scene. Sam wouldn't know what it was like, given his life experiences, and that is how the writers portrayed him. It could be told many times in the series that he was ignorant to certain people's plights. Sort of like "How the Tess was Won", he was biased toward his situations, because he has never been in them before. However, I think that the intent of his character was to have him grow as a person because of his experiences. We all make mistakes based on ignorance, but in the end, I think that Sam got to litterally "walk in another's shoes". We add these to our life experiences, and we become better, more tolerant and understanding people as a result. If I myself was whisked away to another situation like Sam, I would have to draw upon my own life experiences and values, because I wouldn't know any different.

Hope I didn't tire anyone out to this point I know I probably read to deep into that, but still...

[sparkyclarkie]

I think that was a very good point, being a white man in a black mans body and in a different time to his own how could he fully understand how hard it was. But im off now to refresh my mind of this scene, any excuse to watch Qleap

[Bexter]

Originally Posted by ohboy

Hope I didn't tire anyone out to this point I know I probably read to deep into that, but still...

Whats the point in watching it if you can't read deep into the episodes, thats why we are fans

[Snish]

Originally Posted by ohboy

Actually, I think that you touched up on what was the entire intent of that scene. Sam wouldn't know what it was like, given his life experiences, and that is how the writers portrayed him.

True, Sam wouldn't know what it was like, especially coming from a 1990s frame of reference. But it would have been nice if the bank officer could have clarified that for him. I think, though, that the officer didn't have a private office. His desk was in the same room with his co-workers, who could have overheard him telling Sam off. It would be considered quite inappropriate for him to talk to a customer that way. So he had to sit there and take it. Just another day at the office.

How's that for rationalizing an episode?

Originally Posted by AlyssaCalavicci

Looks like I wanted to knock some sense into them both it would be funny if they both called each other on how they acted LOL

It could be a great scene though. Probably end up as a tear-jerker for the audience because they would be apologizing to each other and feeling bad, etc. But this is the relationship dynamic that makes this show great--it's so real and has so much depth. Both of the characters have faults and they keep working together and doing their best anyhow.

Lesser writers would simply have the characters bicker with each other. But it's much more effective to have Al let it slide as a way of showing that he understands Sam's situation and is really doing anything he can to help--because he really can't do much. If they ever had Al complain to Sam in return, they should only do it very rarely, because it would lose its effectiveness. (But I'm speculating here, since they never did it.)

[bluedana]

Originally Posted by Snish

True, Sam wouldn't know what it was like, especially coming from a 1990s frame of reference. But it would have been nice if the bank officer could have clarified that for him. I think, though, that the officer didn't have a private office. His desk was in the same room with his co-workers, who could have overheard him telling Sam off. It would be considered quite inappropriate for him to talk to a customer that way. So he had to sit there and take it. Just another day at the office.

How's that for rationalizing an episode?

I think if the writers were trying to convey the fish-out-of-water aspect of Sam's situation, they would have added some coda, such as Al reminding Sam of where and when he was - Al did it plenty of times ("Sam, this is 19-whatever, things don't work that way . . ."). So it's either a failure of the writing in getting that intent across, or (imo) the writers trying to express a world view, namely, blacks who have made it have a responsibility to help those coming behind. I don't disagree with the premise, but in this context it was completely off base and rather unfair. It didn't ring true, probably because the whoever wrote that little speech had no experience from which to do so.

And, frankly, nobody at the bank would give a rat's behind about a black employee telling off an old black man, unless it was loud and made a scene. More likely, the bank manager's own respect for his elder is what restrained him. That and the fact that Sam had made him feel like crap.

[AlyssaCalavicci]

Good points there guys Oh the Pool Hall Blues I def. wanted to strangle that banker then but I can see back then he was probably pressured with his co-workers around though the blacks hateing whites still burns me up I am a white woman and I would never treat blacks like that maybe thats cause Im in a different time zone era I wasnt born til late 70's lol Sam was born in 53 so he was still to young to understand the culture of that era therefore Al was born in 34 I belive and seen it all. It would be nice if the writers made Al yell at Sam and make him understand somethings in his leaps that he been through. "In the color of god" Al did get a bit upset at Sam for how he was acting for one reason Al knew in 55 a black man could get beaten and I think Al was scared of that and Sam was being kind of dense which led him being arrested he was lucky getting arrested was all he got I wanted to lecture Sam for the way he was acting but from his side he had know idea what 55 was like cause he was 3 years old at the time.

I hope I didnt put you all to sleep there with my ranting LOL

[Snish]

Originally Posted by bluedana

So it's either a failure of the writing in getting that intent across, or (imo) the writers trying to express a world view, namely, blacks who have made it have a responsibility to help those coming behind. I don't disagree with the premise, but in this context it was completely off base and rather unfair. It didn't ring true, probably because the whoever wrote that little speech had no experience from which to do so.

I do think that's the real reason the scene was written the way it is. I was trying to find a passable within-story explanation.

[ohboy]

Originally Posted by AlyssaCalavicci

Sam was born in 53 so he was still to young to understand the culture of that era therefore Al was born in 34 I belive and seen it all. It would be nice if the writers made Al yell at Sam and make him understand somethings in his leaps that he been through.

I hope I didnt put you all to sleep there with my ranting LOL

You know, in all of my life experiences rantings, I have never thought of when he was born as a factor. You make a good point, as does everyone else.

Oh, and don't worry, I can be a ranter as well .

[bluedana]

No worries, Snish. Nine times out of ten I can find an in-episode reason for Sam acting the way he does (like in Leap Home, Part I, he's kind of a selfish brat, but I get why). But PHB? For some reason, that one just makes me want to punch him in his beautiful face.

Al irritates the crap out of me much more often.

[sparkyclarkie]

I like the way you put 'that one just makes me want to punch him in his beautiful face' Ha Ha Ha Ha lol Thats just so funny.
Im aways the one defending sam too. Maybe thats why im so blind to his rudeness towards Al.

Originally Posted by bluedana

No worries, Snish. Nine times out of ten I can find an in-episode reason for Sam acting the way he does (like in Leap Home, Part I, he's kind of a selfish brat, but I get why). But PHB? For some reason, that one just makes me want to punch him in his beautiful face.

Al irritates the crap out of me much more often.

[Snish]

Originally Posted by bluedana

Al irritates the crap out of me much more often.

Oh well, if I took this show really seriously, I would have to dislike Al! (Imagine that!) Too often, his behavior is just flat-out wrong. Why does he leave Sam hanging with only half the story? Why does he come and go so randomly? Why does he appear in Sam's face, distract him when he's talking to someone else, etc. etc.? But I see him as a bit of a caricature, not meant to be taken too literally. He's meant to be funny, a little larger than life. A real person who acts like Al would be a bit ... much. But then he turns around and suddenly he's totally believable and genuine, and I find it so effective. Behind this big shtick there's a really caring person who will go to the wall for Sam.

I suppose we could start a separate thread--"Did Al ever tick you off?" I would have to point to the time when he peeped at a young bride's lingerie party in "Kamikaze Kid." I could strangle him for that one. (I rationalize that one by saying that he was still drinking at the time. Even if you're not drunk on the job, if you're drinking heavily in your off hours, it will skew your judgment.)

[ohboy]

Originally Posted by Snish

Oh well, if I took this show really seriously, I would have to dislike Al! (Imagine that!) Too often, his behavior is just flat-out wrong.

Really? I always thought of Al as the comic relief of the show. You are right in saying that if the show were a serious drama, then Al's behavior is not acceptable.

However, if the show were taken seriously, then one can also say that Al's problems could root back to the fact that he was put in an orphanage as a child, and his wife, thinking he was dead, married another man. Chances are, his behavior towards Sam is simply a physical manifestation of his subconceious feelings of abandonment and powerlessness. He cares for Sam, but probably does things to Sam because he can, and has the power in the relationship (you know what I mean...). He takes the insults from Sam probably because, like his last five (six?) wives, if he fights back (verbally), he fears being alone again. He is a womanizer at this point, because he can't have a deep rooted relationship with anyone for fear of them leaving him.

That's why I like Al, and while I see him mostly as a humorous character to offset Sam's behavior, I also don't get angry with him because of the above reasons. How's that for taking a show seriously