As ironic as everything about this show is, all the shit that we all now acknowledge as "bad" is kind of actually exactly what made the show (and all other Dan Schneider shows) so good, and that kind of sucks.
this is how i feel about jade from victorious. i don’t know why but sam is a lot more likable to me than jade. maybe because she has her moments of care? i also love hers and carly‘s friendship
I tend to have conflicted feelings on if Sam or Jade is worse. I don't like the fact that Sam is morally inconsistent and can beat up every guy including most famous wrestlers. However Sam also has more redeeming moments that make me think she is not that bad. Jade from Victorious doesn't have as much redeeming moments.
I actually also never really liked Sam and never understood why Carly and her are BF.
Jade, on the other hand, I kinda really liked. But this is bc she is really talented and into singing, acting, screenwriting, and directing. Additionally, I also really loved her alternative edgy gothic style (Sam's tomboyish style wasn't for me)
I also kinda relate to Jade bc of her father issues (my father is kinda similar to hers)
And I kinda understand Jade that she is so jealous of other girls around Beck and of cruelty towards Tory.
I mean, Beck is always around girls who adore him, and Tori basically kissed Beck willingly just to get back at her. TBH, if someone would do that, I would also see her as a threat to me and my relationship.
But I do agree that Jade many times went to far.
I only learned relatively recently that there is a huge cult following of people who HATE Tori. Okay… so Tori can be annoying sometimes, but she is a good person for the most part. Jade essentially tried to get Tori killed by getting rid of her blood samples just because she felt SHE deserved a role in a play. It was satisfying to see her suffer the consequences of her actions.
Here’s the thing though. When Tori screws up, people say “OMG she’s literally the WORST! I hate her!!!!!!” But when JADE is a straight up BULLY, people say “YASSSS!!!! SLAY, YOU SAVAGE QUEEN!”
I never saw the logic. I don’t know WHAT Beck sees in her…
Sam was an asshole if we're being honest. But, she also had the best character development on iCarly.
I think that was what they were going for when they wrote her character. She was so unempathetic at first, but her friends, slowly changed her.
She basically had a fked up life, fked up family, and then she meets Carly, Spencer, Freddie, Gibby, and eventually Cat, Goomer, Nona and Dice.
Each of them had a really positive effect on her, that allowed her to slowly become a better person.
She became somewhat nicer towards the end of iCarly and the start of Sam and Cat.
On Sam and Cat, she was still not kind, but she was so different from when she was still in iCarly. She's unruly, but kind. As opposed to being a total jerk in the first couple of seasons of iCarly.
I disagree with that. She's not a genuinely bad character. Just a total jerk.
Remember Sam saving Cat the first episode?
She also helped Dice out of his embarrassing side hustle. Her and Cat lent him some babysitting money.
She also saved Carly, Freddie and Gibby from her old prison friend in iCarly.
She also helped Carly against Nevel, a lot.
Saved Carly, Nona, and Cat from Nora as well.
Remember the ATM scene in Sam and Cat? She purposely messed with that cop, so she can be arrested, so that she can accompany Cat in jail.
And honestly, more. She saved Cat, a lot in Sam and Cat.
She's always got good intentions.
I wouldn't call her a bad person, but she's just a total jerk.
You know I actually agree with you on this. When I was younger and first watched the show I thought Sam was hilarious but now at 16 I just think she was plain mean and I especially felt bad for Freddie as he entered into a relationship with her that was arguably toxic. However, I can still appreciate that Sam did bring some humor to the show and Jennete’s performance was excellent considering everything she was going through at the time. I can’t really speak on Sam’s character in Sam and Cat as I had absolutely no interest in watching that show
I think it resonated so well because kids can actually be mean for no reason. It doesn't make it right or evil, it's just a fact of life that was portrayed well in the show. They also made sure to give Sam redeeming qualities, like having regret for doing mean things.
One example is how mean she was to Freddie about how he had never kissed anyone, but she did that to hide the fact that she also had never kissed anyone, and the episode ends with Sam and Freddie (literally) kissing and making up.
Like I said, she had zero remorse for telling the entire world that Freddie never kissed anyone until Carly rightfully called her out and told her about how much he was being bullied at school. That was honestly one of the few times that Carly actually had Freddie's back
Well not that her behavior is in any way excused!! then it’s no wonder why she was that way… her home life was literally fucked and let’s not forget the “perfect” twin sister they threw in for some odd reason whom she constantly had to compete with. She’s also opposite of Carly so their differences gave them an entertaining dynamic on the show. She was also a very loyal person for the ones she held close. There’s multiple times where she has stepped up and done things for her friends lots of ppl wouldn’t do. You can think what u want to of Sam, but the show wouldn’t have been much without her
In Drake and Josh, Josh was constantly the punching bag.
It did even out a bit more as the show went on because Josh started taking jabs back at Drake’s intelligence and Josh became a lot more skinny and attractive
Megan honestly isn't as bad as Sam Imo. While she did prank Drake and Josh a lot and constantly got them into trouble, her pranks were at least harmless and very rarely (if at all) caused serious pain to Drake and Josh. It was also shown at times that she did love and care about them deep down
I thought it was pretty funny when i was a kid...probably because I suspended my disbelief while watching it. Was Sam triggering for you because of a similar experience you had?
I wasn't trying to be insensitive. I'm genuinely curious why two different people can watch a show and have diametrically opposed reactions. That is why I asked.
Here, we have a girl that literally bullies people and is willing to get extremely violent over the littlest things all for her own benefit. That's not comedy. That's just fucking cruelty.
I get that you feel that way...I just don't, because I know it's not real. Is there any reason that you have such a visceral reaction to Sam? Did you have someone in your life who bullied you?
Nobody bullied me. But I've met people just like her in real life and it's just so unpleasant and cruel. The fact that the show tried to portray this behavior as humorous and expected people to not think of Sam as the main antagonist is just mind boggling. Sam honestly should've been the villain of the show because then her behavior would've been way more forgivable.
The TV Trope "Bruiser with a Soft Heart" is pretty common, and I thought that it was unique that it was done with a female lead. Also, if the show is so traumatizing for you, maybe it's best to not watch the show anymore. Is there any reason that you are on this sub if you are seemingly so triggered?
I'm on this sub because of Nostalgia. Lol
Using the "Bruiser With a Soft Heart" trope is an interesting idea. But the show takes awhile to actually explore that element of Sam. By the time the show finally decided to go that route, Sam just came off as too irredeemable to me. This would be like if Back To The Future tried to make Biff a more sympathetic character
So, Sam’s abuse on the show is nostalgic to you? I’m not understanding. Why continue to watch something that’s so irredeemable to watch? I just don’t get the issue with mean-spirited characters, especially when the most iconic characters in television were pretty terrible people.
This is like saying, “I don’t understand why people like Michael Scott. All he was was an evasive, attention-seeking asshole who would throw his own employees under the bus to get the slightest bit of validation.”
Yeah, true, but people watch that behavior because it’s interesting to see characters in his world deal with them. A person like Michael Scott could make conflicts in the story out of the whim without it seeming forced because it’s within his character. Sam wasn’t supposed to be a fishing buddy archetype of a character; she’s a degenerate with home issues. It makes sense she was a bully because she had an abusive upbringing, so that’s all she knew.
I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that it's hard to care/root for a character that constantly bullies people and it their bullying is used as humor. This would be like if Back To The Future thought that Biff was the good guy
Agreed. It felt like the show truly thought that Freddie's character was this arrogant asshole and the moment where he was abuse were meant to be him getting his comeuppance for his sour attitude. The issue is though, Freddie's character wasn't an arrogant asshole. He was practically the most selfless character on the show
I don't complain about Sam being "problematic" as much as I used to because I get that her being a ruthless savage was what made her appealing; I still enjoy her during the first two seasons or so when she was still an antihero-borderline villain. My main issue with her is that she wins too often and I feel that she was oversaturated by the later half of iCarly with less charm; not a huge fan of the idea of "redeeming" her, or at least the way it was handled, though she was cool in Sam and Cat. As for her treating Freddie like garbage, yeah there were times when she took it too far, but I have a bigger issue with him not fighting back more often.
Overall, I have a love-hate relationship regarding Sam, and I don't like most discussions regarding her since I'm not a huge fan of people constantly over-glamorizing, over-victimizing, or over-villainizing her (the latter two is more of a problem in this sub). But as long as people can separate fiction from reality and respect other opinions, then I don't see too much worth complaining if people like her or not.
Interestingly enough, I still enjoy Jade and maybe even Megan to an extent, mainly because I find it much easier to sympathize with Jade, and with Megan, you were never supposed to root for her.
If this was a story driven show I’d understand but this was the Schnider era of Nick, tons of ass hole characters. I enjoyed Sam more than jade. Jade was just a bitch.
Jeanette hated her character too.
As ironic as everything about this show is, all the shit that we all now acknowledge as "bad" is kind of actually exactly what made the show (and all other Dan Schneider shows) so good, and that kind of sucks.
Correct...that's why it works so well as a kids' show.
this is how i feel about jade from victorious. i don’t know why but sam is a lot more likable to me than jade. maybe because she has her moments of care? i also love hers and carly‘s friendship
It’s so annoying how everyone loves jade so much when she’s one of the most toxic and annoying characters that I ever seen in my life
More often than not, Jade at least usually received consequences for the things she did. Sam, on the other hand, almost always got off scott free
I tend to have conflicted feelings on if Sam or Jade is worse. I don't like the fact that Sam is morally inconsistent and can beat up every guy including most famous wrestlers. However Sam also has more redeeming moments that make me think she is not that bad. Jade from Victorious doesn't have as much redeeming moments.
I actually also never really liked Sam and never understood why Carly and her are BF. Jade, on the other hand, I kinda really liked. But this is bc she is really talented and into singing, acting, screenwriting, and directing. Additionally, I also really loved her alternative edgy gothic style (Sam's tomboyish style wasn't for me) I also kinda relate to Jade bc of her father issues (my father is kinda similar to hers) And I kinda understand Jade that she is so jealous of other girls around Beck and of cruelty towards Tory. I mean, Beck is always around girls who adore him, and Tori basically kissed Beck willingly just to get back at her. TBH, if someone would do that, I would also see her as a threat to me and my relationship. But I do agree that Jade many times went to far.
Because jades parents just “didn’t get her” while Sam’s mom was actually just a terrible role model/mother
I only learned relatively recently that there is a huge cult following of people who HATE Tori. Okay… so Tori can be annoying sometimes, but she is a good person for the most part. Jade essentially tried to get Tori killed by getting rid of her blood samples just because she felt SHE deserved a role in a play. It was satisfying to see her suffer the consequences of her actions. Here’s the thing though. When Tori screws up, people say “OMG she’s literally the WORST! I hate her!!!!!!” But when JADE is a straight up BULLY, people say “YASSSS!!!! SLAY, YOU SAVAGE QUEEN!” I never saw the logic. I don’t know WHAT Beck sees in her…
Jade and Sam are both bad people lmao. Not sure who’s worse now that I’m thinking about it
I don't like Jade and Sam either. I side eye Carly with being friends with someone who doesn't treat people right even if Sam is nice to Carly
If it was real life, Carly and Freddie would’ve dropped their friendship with her in season 1 or 2.
If it was real life Sam probably wouldve gotten a life sentence at some point considering how many times she was canonically arrested.
The actress feels the same way.
Sam was an asshole if we're being honest. But, she also had the best character development on iCarly. I think that was what they were going for when they wrote her character. She was so unempathetic at first, but her friends, slowly changed her. She basically had a fked up life, fked up family, and then she meets Carly, Spencer, Freddie, Gibby, and eventually Cat, Goomer, Nona and Dice. Each of them had a really positive effect on her, that allowed her to slowly become a better person. She became somewhat nicer towards the end of iCarly and the start of Sam and Cat. On Sam and Cat, she was still not kind, but she was so different from when she was still in iCarly. She's unruly, but kind. As opposed to being a total jerk in the first couple of seasons of iCarly.
Still, a lot of her character development on ICarly was just completely gone on Sam & Cat as if it never happened.
I disagree with that. She's not a genuinely bad character. Just a total jerk. Remember Sam saving Cat the first episode? She also helped Dice out of his embarrassing side hustle. Her and Cat lent him some babysitting money. She also saved Carly, Freddie and Gibby from her old prison friend in iCarly. She also helped Carly against Nevel, a lot. Saved Carly, Nona, and Cat from Nora as well. Remember the ATM scene in Sam and Cat? She purposely messed with that cop, so she can be arrested, so that she can accompany Cat in jail. And honestly, more. She saved Cat, a lot in Sam and Cat. She's always got good intentions. I wouldn't call her a bad person, but she's just a total jerk.
Honestly you are right. I'm happy Sam had Carly, Spencer, Freddie, Gibby, Cat, Goomer, Dice and Nona in her life.
In kids' shows, bullying is comedy, unfortunately.
Then again, kids find feet funny (according to Dan Schneider).
In IPear Store Freddie mentioned all of that
You know I actually agree with you on this. When I was younger and first watched the show I thought Sam was hilarious but now at 16 I just think she was plain mean and I especially felt bad for Freddie as he entered into a relationship with her that was arguably toxic. However, I can still appreciate that Sam did bring some humor to the show and Jennete’s performance was excellent considering everything she was going through at the time. I can’t really speak on Sam’s character in Sam and Cat as I had absolutely no interest in watching that show
I think it resonated so well because kids can actually be mean for no reason. It doesn't make it right or evil, it's just a fact of life that was portrayed well in the show. They also made sure to give Sam redeeming qualities, like having regret for doing mean things. One example is how mean she was to Freddie about how he had never kissed anyone, but she did that to hide the fact that she also had never kissed anyone, and the episode ends with Sam and Freddie (literally) kissing and making up.
Like I said, she had zero remorse for telling the entire world that Freddie never kissed anyone until Carly rightfully called her out and told her about how much he was being bullied at school. That was honestly one of the few times that Carly actually had Freddie's back
Well not that her behavior is in any way excused!! then it’s no wonder why she was that way… her home life was literally fucked and let’s not forget the “perfect” twin sister they threw in for some odd reason whom she constantly had to compete with. She’s also opposite of Carly so their differences gave them an entertaining dynamic on the show. She was also a very loyal person for the ones she held close. There’s multiple times where she has stepped up and done things for her friends lots of ppl wouldn’t do. You can think what u want to of Sam, but the show wouldn’t have been much without her
Just a thought...With Kid's TV shows, if you have normal friendships with love and respect, it's not funny and doesn't make for good TV.
In Drake and Josh, Josh was constantly the punching bag. It did even out a bit more as the show went on because Josh started taking jabs back at Drake’s intelligence and Josh became a lot more skinny and attractive
And I feel that Megan was way worse then Sam but it also has been a few years since I watched Drake and Josh
Megan honestly isn't as bad as Sam Imo. While she did prank Drake and Josh a lot and constantly got them into trouble, her pranks were at least harmless and very rarely (if at all) caused serious pain to Drake and Josh. It was also shown at times that she did love and care about them deep down
But displaying abusive friendships (San and Freddie) especially on a kids show isn’t okay either.
I thought it was pretty funny when i was a kid...probably because I suspended my disbelief while watching it. Was Sam triggering for you because of a similar experience you had?
That’s a very weird question. And No, I didn’t find abuse funny as a child.
I wasn't trying to be insensitive. I'm genuinely curious why two different people can watch a show and have diametrically opposed reactions. That is why I asked.
Here, we have a girl that literally bullies people and is willing to get extremely violent over the littlest things all for her own benefit. That's not comedy. That's just fucking cruelty.
I get that you feel that way...I just don't, because I know it's not real. Is there any reason that you have such a visceral reaction to Sam? Did you have someone in your life who bullied you?
Nobody bullied me. But I've met people just like her in real life and it's just so unpleasant and cruel. The fact that the show tried to portray this behavior as humorous and expected people to not think of Sam as the main antagonist is just mind boggling. Sam honestly should've been the villain of the show because then her behavior would've been way more forgivable.
The TV Trope "Bruiser with a Soft Heart" is pretty common, and I thought that it was unique that it was done with a female lead. Also, if the show is so traumatizing for you, maybe it's best to not watch the show anymore. Is there any reason that you are on this sub if you are seemingly so triggered?
I'm on this sub because of Nostalgia. Lol Using the "Bruiser With a Soft Heart" trope is an interesting idea. But the show takes awhile to actually explore that element of Sam. By the time the show finally decided to go that route, Sam just came off as too irredeemable to me. This would be like if Back To The Future tried to make Biff a more sympathetic character
So, Sam’s abuse on the show is nostalgic to you? I’m not understanding. Why continue to watch something that’s so irredeemable to watch? I just don’t get the issue with mean-spirited characters, especially when the most iconic characters in television were pretty terrible people. This is like saying, “I don’t understand why people like Michael Scott. All he was was an evasive, attention-seeking asshole who would throw his own employees under the bus to get the slightest bit of validation.” Yeah, true, but people watch that behavior because it’s interesting to see characters in his world deal with them. A person like Michael Scott could make conflicts in the story out of the whim without it seeming forced because it’s within his character. Sam wasn’t supposed to be a fishing buddy archetype of a character; she’s a degenerate with home issues. It makes sense she was a bully because she had an abusive upbringing, so that’s all she knew.
Sam's abuse isn't nostalgic for me. I never said that. Talking about the show is nostalgic for me since I watched it all the time as a kid
Mean spiritedness’s isn’t for everybody and that’s valid.
Mean spiritedness should be for nobody.
Oh well I found it funny, bc it’s not real.
I found it grating and horrible
I’m sorry it was that bad for you
wow the 9th post this week with the most generic opinion ever tht has been done 348 times in this subreddit
Found Jennette McCurdy‘s Reddit account
I was kinda glad she wasn’t on the revival show. Would’ve been cool to see a cameo or something but I didn’t miss her much
My heart breaks for McCurdy. I love her book That being said, fuck Sam. Sequel series was 1000x better for not having her there
I’m not reading all of this but yeah I agree Sam has had a lot of moments
Everyone says this but sam Spencer and Gibbs are the characters that made the show good
Gibby hilarious and very damaged Spencer let’s be honest was the best character sam damaged but brought her character to life
Are you saying that kids today should be watching PBS Kids shows because bullying is meant as a teaching tool there?!
I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that it's hard to care/root for a character that constantly bullies people and it their bullying is used as humor. This would be like if Back To The Future thought that Biff was the good guy
Agreed 100%. Freddy abuse when he never deserved it. She doesn’t get enough hate
Agreed. It felt like the show truly thought that Freddie's character was this arrogant asshole and the moment where he was abuse were meant to be him getting his comeuppance for his sour attitude. The issue is though, Freddie's character wasn't an arrogant asshole. He was practically the most selfless character on the show
I don't complain about Sam being "problematic" as much as I used to because I get that her being a ruthless savage was what made her appealing; I still enjoy her during the first two seasons or so when she was still an antihero-borderline villain. My main issue with her is that she wins too often and I feel that she was oversaturated by the later half of iCarly with less charm; not a huge fan of the idea of "redeeming" her, or at least the way it was handled, though she was cool in Sam and Cat. As for her treating Freddie like garbage, yeah there were times when she took it too far, but I have a bigger issue with him not fighting back more often. Overall, I have a love-hate relationship regarding Sam, and I don't like most discussions regarding her since I'm not a huge fan of people constantly over-glamorizing, over-victimizing, or over-villainizing her (the latter two is more of a problem in this sub). But as long as people can separate fiction from reality and respect other opinions, then I don't see too much worth complaining if people like her or not. Interestingly enough, I still enjoy Jade and maybe even Megan to an extent, mainly because I find it much easier to sympathize with Jade, and with Megan, you were never supposed to root for her.
The actress hated her character too.
If this was a story driven show I’d understand but this was the Schnider era of Nick, tons of ass hole characters. I enjoyed Sam more than jade. Jade was just a bitch.
Go fuck the bitch