Re: Sam's failure to communicate with Annie, it seems that it may have to do with the conflict between his head and his heart; he's only human and he's alone and has been for some time -- he yearns for simple human contact nd kindness. And yet he still knows (or believes) intellectually that he's in a coma, that he needs to "get back" to his real life that, as you point out, is feeling increasingly distant. And then there's his les than stellar introspection; he's NOT putting it all together. He thinks, and he feels, but he doesn't necessarily integrate.

I quoted this in full because I absolutely LOVE this insight. YESSSSS!!! It's like Sam knows on one level that he wants/needs Annie's companionship, but he only allows himself to try and connect emotionally with 2006 (and Heather-in-2006) because he's convinced it's reality and 1973 isn't. So there's this colossal ambivalence, because Sam thinky-thinks that Annie's not real, and he can't quite bring himself to reach out to her — even though, underneath it all, that's what he really wants.

And I'm sure that Sam hasn't even articulated this to himself, because introspection? Not one of his superpowers.

Oh, Sam ♥ ♥ ♥ You're one confused puppy. *hugs him tightly*

Thank you so much for the enthusiastic comment and the fantastic insight!