#(because I spend waaay too much time reading comments of Sam and Max videos

[heloflor]

So, making that post about how I love the vibe of the Telltale characters making the main duo blend in rather than stand out and the fact that it’s a world with continuity made me think about how those games also have what I see as my favorite version of Sam and Max’s characters for a handful of reasons that I’m going to explain here.

Little disclaimer first : Note that I am in NO WAY trying to defend the bad and offensive parts of the Telltale games, neither in this post nor in my previous one. While this trilogy + Poker Night are my favorite entries of this franchise, it doesn’t change the fact that this trilogy has its issues and I can absolutely understand people disliking or even hating those games because of it.

Now, onto the things I like about this interpretation of the characters:

- First of all, out of all the versions of this duo, I really appreciate how morally gray this version is, and how they managed to balance “they’re sociopaths who only care about themselves and each other” with “they’re good people whose work is to help others”.

I mean, in the comics, the vr game and “Hit the Road”, Sam and Max are a lot more on the “trigger-happy” side, doing their jobs for the money and the free violence. In the cartoon, they’re much softer and have a more “mature” vibe to them, being more on the “do-gooder” side (while still retaining their love for violence obviously).

But in the Telltale games, it feels like they managed to mix a bit of both in their characters. Like you have Sam playing nice to pretty much everyone even if he doesn’t particularly like them (or being a troll with a smile with those he doesn’t like) or Max being able to form friendships (Sybil, Mama Bosco, Superball) despite how judgmental he can be. Sometimes, like in most of S2, they get involved in stuff because they’re curious about what’s happening regardless of what others want, and end up doing the right thing by the end.

Basically, Telltale Sam and Max are douchebags who do the right thing. They can be assholes towards some people while having friends, they sometimes save the world by accident or because they were fucking around in the right place at the right time. They’re good people, but they’re not great. And by the end of the day, they’ll always prioritize each other over everything else, with the best example being 305. Sam should be at his most selfless in order to save the city, and yet he’s at his most selfish because he cares more about Max than anything else.

- Still something regarding both (TRIGGER WARNING for mention of depression and suicidal thoughts) : while the execution in the games was meh at best and horrendous at worst, I really like the concepts of Sam dealing with body image issues and Max being hinted at having depression. In a way, I think it makes them feel more “flawed” and human by showing that, despite always smiling and acting like nothing matters/never taking anything seriously, they actually do suffer from personal struggles and are both insecure about some parts of themselves.

Tbh I find it a bit sad that no other iteration of those characters really showcases it (yes in the cartoon Sam is shown eating a lot and Max shuts down whenever he and Sam are apart, but in the cartoon Sam has no issues with his looks and Max’s situation isn’t really talked about. There’s also the vr game with one line about Sam being insecure, the “it’s either Sam or the afterlife and I’m good with either one !” line from Max, and Sam in the last fight telling Max to “go into your happy place”. And while that’s definitely a bit more by making them have those issues, it’s still glossed over quickly).

Though, again, the execution was very bad. Sam’s body issues are always played out as a joke with other people calling him fat and him getting offended, while Max’s depression is called laziness in 106 (even if they didn’t intend for it to be depression, the fact that they consider the vice acting like that to be laziness is fucked up) on top of it not being directly addressed in 305, nevermind the fact that Max is shown to be literally suicidal in 305 or at the very least hates himself and is self-destructive since the Superego is part of him !!!

The worst is that there was actual potential here ! Like, in 304, Sam is shown to be uncomfortable around the clones and there’s especially that one cutscene if you find one of the clones’ underwear. Meanwhile, Max spends the whole chapter showing interest in said clones, thus proving Sam that he’s getting worried over nothing. Heck, even Mama Bosco is into the clones ! And yet they never take that opportunity to delve into Sam’s insecurities !

Same for 305. There was a lot of potential to talk about Max’s issues instead of just saying he has them but never dwelling on them. For example, have Sam comment to the Superego on how he knew Max wasn’t alright but never realized it was so severe, or have a few sentences about it from Sam to the rest of the main cast, or even have Sam ask alternate!Max if he’s okay. Or maybe even simply have the episode be more focused on Max suffering. After all, when you think about it, 305 is all about trying to prevent Max from committing suicide, and yet it’s completely glossed over by making the Superego some kind of villain that needs to be stopped !

And yes, I know the franchise is a comedy, but S3 got into some dark stuff nonetheless !

So yeah, the execution in the trilogy was very bad. Still, I love the concept itself of Sam and Max dealing with such personal problems.

- Last thing regarding both before I get more specific : while it’s definitely helped by the 30+ hours length, the trilogy is the instance in which Sam is the most explicitly bi, especially regarding his attraction to men (one line with one of the zombies in 203, Peppers in 205, Flint Paper, that one “Max is looking pretty buff” line from 305, Max in general tbh, two-three lines towards Ash and Brock in Poker Night 2), while Max is the most explicitly gay (not only with the “doesn’t even like girls” joke but also due to his regular flirting with men).

Which leads to another thing : if I had to describe the evolution of Sam and Max’s relationship, I’d say that, basically, Sam and Max love each other in the comics, “Hit the Road” and the vr game, but they are in love with each other in the cartoon and the Telltale games. So that’s another bonus this version of the characters has in my shipper eyes (bonus that the cartoon has as well).

Overall, it’s just very sweet to see not only their usual shenanigans and complicity but also to have a few small moments like the “I love you”s, the way they would always prioritize each other in the face of danger, the little touches like Max jumping on Sam’s back, him fixing Sam’s tie in 204, or the way Sam smiles whenever Max is being a dork. It’s all very good and cute stuff (and the writers of the vr game are cowards for reverting their dynamic back to their “Hit the Road” selves. Heck, even in this game, there were some cute moments like Max’s excitement to go into the tunnel of love or Sam asking the 8-ball if he and Max will stay together forever !).

- Regarding Sam himself, first of all I absolutely adore the “uncool 40 years-old dad” energy he gives off at times ! Like him dancing in 203, the “boom ! More science !” line from 301 or even the “that’s how we do things downtown homie !” from Poker Night 2. This man is just so goddamn cringe while being the biggest dork and I adore every second of it !

Secondly, my favorite thing about Sam overall (aka in the whole franchise) is how overprotective he can get, the best examples being in the cartoon with him losing his shit everytime Max is in danger. But even in the Telltale trilogy, we get plenty of those instances.

What’s more, on top of his usual overprotective self, we also have moments where he just gets worried because of the situation, like in 301 and 304 where you can ask Max in a few rooms how he’s doing with his new powers (btw I love how Max is clearly a bit annoyed by Sam’s worries but at the same time seems to understand why he feels that way and doesn’t try to invalidate them). Idk I just really love this side of Sam and I’m glad we get plenty of this here.

Also, not really related to him being protective but I kinda love how much of a petty bitch Sam is towards Hugh Bliss just because he’s jealous of the way Max drools when around the guy. I mean, usually Sam smiles when interacting to people, including when he’s being an asshole to those he dislikes (with some exceptions like him going noir or being in a desperate situation or provocated etc). But with Hugh Bliss, Sam is uncharacteristically angry and provocative the whole way through, even way before knowing the guy’s evil. And the only thing Hugh “has” that other characters don’t is Max being into him, which really makes it look like Sam is jelly (tbf Max is also really into Flint Paper but Sam likes the guy so it’s no surprise he doesn’t get mad about it).

Special mention to his anger in 205 with the “bend over provocatively” line. Like Sam, buddy, Hugh Bliss is dead. He won’t steal your man so stop feeling so threatened.)

Finally, I love how bad Telltale Sam is with kids, especially with how it contrasts with Max’s baby fever. Like, in 305, Sam straight-up thinks the point of having kids is to pay less taxes ! Also he adopts a cockroach, accidentally eats it as a roomba and goes “welp, no son of mine will die from that !” This dude is such a fucking disaster with kids and I love every second of it (yes I know he’s not that bad with kids but I like to headcanon that he is because it’s funny).

Just imagine a scenario of Sybil asking Sam to babysit her kid, afraid to ask Max for obvious reasons, but then it turns out Sam called Max less than 5 minutes in because he just has no idea what to do and Max is much better with kids than he is.

- For Max, first of all I love how much this guy adores his body in those games. Like, there are several instances of him calling himself hot and I really like it. I think what I love about this is that 1. it contrasts with Sam’s body issues, which is always interesting to see and 2. Max himself has a bit of a stomach, so it’s really sweet to see someone with a bit of a chub going around calling themselves hot and shaking their booty around. It’s just really sweet to see this kind of positivity. Because yeah, I do believe that Max is sincere when complimenting his own body. It doesn’t feel like him pretending to like himself or trying to compensate for his low self-esteem, at least in my opinion.

Secondly, I like how flirty Max is in those games. It’s pretty funny actually to see how different Max’s sexuality is shown throughout the franchise. In the comics and the vr game, they just never talk about romance. In “Hit the Road”, he’s not really interested in it. In the cartoon, he’s straight-up afraid of “mushy” romance (and if you imagine each iteration of those characters to be their own dimension/timeline, I’d argue that Cartoon Max is more likely to be aromantic homosexual, since despite his fear/hatred of romance there are a few sex jokes hinting that he sleeps with Sam + he’s low-key into Mack Salmond and it could be sexual attraction).

But in the Telltale games ? Dude’s a raging homosexual and I love it. I especially like how much this sorta pairs-up with him having a good opinion of his body, like him loving himself is giving him the confidence to be more obvious about his attraction for men and act more flirty with them.

Lastly, my favorite thing about Max is his baby fever and how much he adores kids and wants to start a family with Sam, and those games have a lot of moments showcasing this side of him. I think what I love most about it is that 1. it’s cute as hell and 2. it completely contrasts with Max’s usual destructive self. Although, just like for Sam’s overprotectiveness, this is something we also get to see in the cartoon (and speaking of which I feel like we don’t talk enough about the giant robot episode and how quickly Max melts at the view of the giant baby. Also can we talk about Max calling himself “daddy” when hurting the kid and then calling himself “mommy” when acting like a parent ? No because if there’s any proof that Max has daddy issues, it’s this !)

So yeah, all this to say that the Telltale games are my favorite version of Sam and Max as characters.

And for those who expected me to talk about the voice-acting, honestly I don’t particularly have a favorite voice-actor for those characters. Each entry in the franchise has a few differences in how this duo is portrayed, and I feel like each voice-actor fits perfectly with each version they’re dubbing. So while I could say I’m more familiar with the Telltale/vr and the cartoon versions of the voices, it doesn’t mean that I find them better than the “Hit the Road” ones.

That being said, if I had to praise the Telltale voice actors, I would give huge kudos to Sam’s voice actor for the emotions he’s capable to bring into the character, especially in S3. As for Max, I really admire the fact that he had three voice actor and each new one managed to sound like the previous one, thus keeping Max’s voice consistent throughout the trilogy.

On that note, being someone who adores angst, I didn’t mention the whole “S3 is the angst seasons and there can be many repercussions from 305” because it has less to do with the characters and more to do with the story itself. Like don’t get me wrong, S3 absolutely tests the limits of Sam and Max, but “Sam and Max love each other more than anything else and would give anything for each other” is something we already knew.

So in my eyes, “S3 has a more angsty story and some character development” has less to do with “why I love this version of the characters” and more to do with “why I love the story of the Telltale trilogy and the fact that there’s continuity”.

Also, regarding the repercussions of 305 and how it can play onto the characters, it’s again not something the trilogy itself dwells in. Instead, it’s something the fandom itself likes to play with and interpret (and I absolutely adore that).

Oh yeah, and one last thing : obviously there are a lot more things about Sam and Max’s characters that I love. What I pointed out in this post are things that are exclusive or almost-exclusive to the Telltale games. Just pointing it out in case I didn't made it explicit enough at the beginning. 😅