History YMMV / SamAndMax

** Sam's reaction to [[spoiler: Dr. Mama Bosco's cloning machine failing to revive Max. There's a brief moment where it looks like he's about to snap and go Noir again but then he raises his head all the way and just ''[[HeroicBSOD breaks.]]'' None of his allies can look him in the eye and he just wanders off into the city aimlessly, too heartbroken to even feel rage, ignoring even crimes in progress he would have relished busting with Max until he finally comes to a stop looking over the bay at the Statue of Liberty, the last place he and Max were ever together. He takes off his hat in mourning, looking more lost than the player could imagine, before putting it back on. The only thing stopping the whole season, and the franchise thus far at the time, on the mother of all {{Downer Ending}}s [[MoodWhiplash is the Alternate Max arriving in the Time Elevator because he lost ''his'' Sam.]] Thanks to the animated series establishing Max as a Multiversal Hive-Mind, this also means it's not a case of ReplacementGoldfish too.]]

* TheScrappy: The Soda Poppers. [[spoiler: [[TakeThatScrappy Recognized in canon]] as the Scrappies when they turn out to be not only a central part of Sam's personal hell, but the very final bosses who, it turns out, had been controlling Satan and been the secret rulers of hell all along.]] Ironically, it was recently revealed that Telltale [[BlatantLies actually thought that]] [[spoiler: [[BlatantLies the Soda Poppers were popular and, by making them the BigBadTriumvirate, they were making the game]] DarkerAndEdgier.]]

* LGBTFanbase: A massive one sprung up during the late 2010s and early 2020s when many new fans took notice of how AmbiguouslyGay Sam and Max are. This led to a big NewbieBoom in response, particularly when the Save the World remaster was released.

** After Donald Trump's... [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement divisive]] term as President of the United States (which included him being the first president to be impeached ''twice'', with debatable legality on the second occasion), some fans found it harder to laugh at the jokes about the chaos Max causes after being elected president in "Abe Lincoln Must Die!", which leads to ''multiple'' attempts to impeach him.

** "Abe Lincoln Must Die" was released in 2007, and it thus has a ''very 2007'' portrayal of the President Of The United States: He's portrayed as having a thick southern accent and somewhat passive demeanor, clearly spoofing how both UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush and his predecessor UsefulNotes/BillClinton were full-breaded southerners. This trend was broken two years later, when the Hawaiian UsefulNotes/BarackObama took office.

** "Abe Lincoln Must Die" has a very 2007 portrayal of the President Of The United States: He's portrayed as having a thick southern accent and somewhat passive demeanor, clearly spoofing how both UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush and his predecessor UsefulNotes/BillClinton were full-breaded southerners. This trend was broken two years later, when the Hawaiian UsefulNotes/BarackObama took office.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: One of the questionable ingredients in Cooking without Looking is MSG, the health concerns of which have since been shown to be the result of poor testing.

** When Papierwaite tells Sam that [[spoiler: Max's tumor became infected with dark matter and they won't be able to operate normally]], instead of stepping back from the problem and trying to think of a solution like he normally would, he weakly, almost childishly, asks if Papierwaite can "make it better." This being Sam & Max, he obviously immediately follows with another hilarious quip; but he sounds so defeated when he says this, it cranks Sam's [[TheWoobie woobie]] factor UpToEleven.

** Some fans were mad about the bowdlerization of the 2020 remaster of ''Sam and Max Save the World'', pointing out Skunkape Games promised not to cut any dialogue and skirted around the issue for a while. Other fans thought the edited jokes has aged particularly badly and weren't sorry to see them go.

** The depiction of hell in 205, What's New Beelzebub was based on [[Creator/TelltaleGames Tell Tale Games's]] own office made for some nice [[Main/SelfDeprecation Self-Deprecation]]. Jump to September 2018, in wake of [[Creator/TelltaleGames Telltale Games's]] closure and how the workers were treated however made into what the conditions were like working there.

** One of the dialogues of ''Ice Station Santa'' talks about Max wanting a [[MyLittlePony "My Semi-Attractive Pony" ]] doll, with an optional extra dialogue of both Sam and Him sincerely discussing their favorite pony. While these games did not predate MyLittlePony as a franchise, it did predate the surprise popularity of the MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic series, and the resulting Brony fandom.
** In ''Videogame/DayOfTheTentacle'' in one hallway of the Colonial Edison mansion along the wall of historial presidential figures is Max in colonial clothing. [[note]] at the time Lucasarts had a running gag of inserting Max cameos in as many games as they could [[/note]] Here he is yet again associated with Presidents.

** Also Sal. Over the course of three episodes he is fired from his job [[spoiler:at Stinky’s kitchen]], gets repeatedly beaten by space gorillas and clones of Sam, [[spoiler: swallowed whole by Giant Max, and then finally killed by radiation poisoning during the GrandFinale.]] Please note that [[{{DesignatedHero}} Sam and Max]] are the ones responsible for most of the aforementioned events happening to him.

-->'''Bob:''' [[ExtyYearsFromNow The year is 2048]]. In a [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic]] galaxy run by [[MegaCorp giant corporations]], you are a [[{{Cyberpunk}} cybernetically]] enhanced {{space marine}} with [[AmnesiacHero no memory of his past]]. Are you {{the chosen one}} foretold by [[TheProphecy prophecy]]? Do you have the strength to survive[[DramaticPause ...]]

* TheWoobie: Everything that's happened to Max by the end of 305. [[spoiler: First of all, he's forced to electrocute himself by his own best friend - you can actually hear him ''screaming in pain'' while it's happening. Second, the electrocution leaves him with severe brain damage, which means he loses most of his memory and is made even more simple than before - so he's left doing nothing but happily grinning and mumbling for the rest of the episode, even as Sam struggles to restore it. Third...and this is the real TearJerker...at the very end, his head really ''does'' catch fire, and when the last Maimtron hits, you realize he's actually on the verge of genuinely exploding, [[FunnyAneurysmMoment just as he's been warned about from the very beginning.]] Again, you can hear him crying out in pain; the absolutely heartbreaking expression on his face makes it clear that he's suddenly realized what's happening. The very last you see of him is a small wave goodbye to Sam before he teleports off to spare the city.]]

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: In the comic book, when Max wonders what it's like to die, Sam murders Max, played for comedy. Then come Season 3, [[spoiler: Max is killed, not played for comedy]].
** In Episode 204, Chariots For the Dogs, Sam mentions that Max has hung up his halo...
** Episode 305 creates just creates a ''lot'' of these in general.
** The parallels between "Fools Die On Friday" of the animated series and the 9/11 attacks are so eerie that when Gametap streamed the series, this was the only episode that wasn't made available.
** The depiction of hell in 205, What's New Beelzebub was based on [[Creator/TelltaleGames Tell Tale Games's]] own office made for some nice [[Main/SelfDeprecation Self-Deprecation]]. Jump to September 2018, in wake of [[Creator/TelltaleGames Telltale Games's]] closure and how the workers were treated however made into what the conditions were like working there.
** After Donald Trump's... [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement divisive]] term as President of the United States (which included him being the first president to be impeached ''twice'', with debatable legality on the second occasion), some fans found it harder to laugh at the jokes about the chaos Max causes after being elected president in "Abe Lincoln Must Die!", which leads to ''multiple'' attempts to impeach him.

* HarsherInHindsight: In the animated series episode ''They Came From Down There'', Mack Salmon tries to take Max's brain to make him a slave, it fails. Fast forward to ''The Devil's Playhouse'' episode 3, ''They Stole Max's Brain!'', and we see the [[NightmareFuel frightening effect]] of what could have happened if Mack had succeeded.

** Sal might also count, if only because he's so gosh-darn lovable despite being a six-foot tall cockroach.

* MagnificentBastard: Sam is the more rational member of the Freelance Police duo. Armed with little more than his gun, Sam alongside Max regularly take advantage of anything in the area to overcome adversaries, often using their own resources to outwit or kill them. Despite being motivated to stop crime, Sam is perfectly willing to harm innocents in his pursuit of justice, such as manipulating his friend Sybil into causing a political scandal to ruin their opponents' reputation, causing the young Timmy Two-Teeth to be sent to Hell in order to sabotage the operations of {{Satan}}, or having Sal abducted and eaten by a monstrous Max to have him help cure Max from inside. Always having a trick or quip up his sleeve, Sam will go through any trial to save the day, even if it means creating some chaos of his own.

** Max's overblown parody of dramatic death scenes in the third episode of ''Save the Earth'' becomes a little hard to watch after [[spoiler: he actually dies in the final episode of ''The Devil's Playhouse.'']]

* EsotericHappyEnding: Season 3. Maybe timing is everything, but it comes 10 minutes too late for a GainaxEnding and 1 minute too soon for a complete DownerEnding.

* HoYay: Sam and Max' relationship is practically oozing this a lot of times. Max is repeatedly stated to "not even like girls", which he always confirms and in every incarnation of the series he's shown to be very interested in a lot of the male characters, Sam included. Then there's the fact that he often jumps Sam, claiming it to be how he shows his affection and that he flat-out calls him "damn tasty" at one point. Sam meanwhile is shown to care a whole lot for Max, to the point where him getting hurt, captured or put in any kind of danger is one of his [[BerserkButton Berserk Buttons]]. He also considers himself "off the market" relationship-wise and since all the female characters in the series are either not interested, way too young for him or taken, one could interpret that line as him talking about Max. When Steve Purcell was asked if Sam and Max were in love, he responded they were like, "Butch and Sundance".

** The voices, since each series has a different set, though its not unexpected given how long-running the franchise is, and its also become a sort of RunningGag in the fandom itself.

** The "BANANG!!!" running gag is loved for it's pure weirdness and being out of nowhere, even for a series like this.

* NightmareFuel:
** "Sleep... SLEEP..." Er, no thank you, I think I'll stay awake all night... for the next four months...
** Max's last Future Vision that can be used on Sam in Beyond the Alley of the Dolls.
** Towards the end of season 3, [[spoiler:Max transforms from a cute little bunny, to a Franchise/{{Godzilla}} sized Cthulhu bunny]].
** When Max develops psychic powers and uses them to teleport in Season 3, everyone gets to see [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T27uOQU-GII just a taste of what goes on in his mind.]]
-->'''Sam:''' Note to self: When traveling through Max's brain, keep your eyes shut.
*** "Enjoying the ride, Sam? AH-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
** Demon Peepers. Just about all the Personal Hells have a small element of NightmareFuel in it, if just in the demons.
** The entire finale of 106.
--> '''[[spoiler: Hugh Bliss:]]''' Saw us, Sam! WE DARE YOU.
** Considering how Sam [[StraightMan normally acts]], him completely [[BewareTheNiceOnes blowing his top]] at the beginning of "They Stole Max's Brain!" can be a little jarring. Think about it...one minute, you're just minding your own business, the next minute, there's a six-foot [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge pissed-off anthropomorphic dog]] literally [[BewareOfViciousDog snarling]] at anyone he sees, snapping at you, [[JerkAss hitting you]], and perhaps even ''pointing his'' ''[[HandCannon extra-large gun]]'' ''[[OhCrap right in your face]]''.
--> '''Sam:''' You want a lawyer?! Here's an attorney from Smith and Wesson!!
** Similar to the above, there's a brief moment in the beginning of ''The Friend for Life''. After the Mad Thespian nearly smashes Max with a large weight, Sam [[LetsGetDangerous immediately drops his comical demeanor]] and, after easily overpowering him, decides to give the Mad Thespian a DisneyVillainDeath. Sure, the police were at the bottom, and caught the villain, but it's still chilling to see what Sam is like if his little buddy is threatened.
-->'''Sam:''' [[PreMortemOneLiner Nice play, Shakespeare, but you're taking the fall!]]
** Owing to the two entries above, Sam in general is rather frightening in hindsight when you consider that [[AxeCrazy Max]] is '''his''' morality chain, not the other way around. BigFriendlyDog he is not, without Max to keep him in check.
** Sam and Max's gruesome deaths at the end of the episode "The Invaders" [[spoiler: though it turns out it's actually a VR program and the "aliens" are the real Sam and Max playing.]] Lampshaded by Sam when he hopes most kids won't be traumatized by the scene of them dying a few seconds ago.
** In episode 106 when Max's [[spoiler: psychotic trigger happy side becomes it's own being]] you have to decapitate it's hand, to restore [[spoiler: it back to Max]] anyway, once you do, right before he disappears in a puff of smoke, he has a [[OhCrap look of complete horror on it's face]] the look of one just realizing he only has seconds to live.
** Also [[spoiler: Max's gluttonous side]] devouring you. *Cue close up of his mouth opening and filling the screen, and Sam and Max inside his stomach in the next scene* of course you can [[ResetButton escape each time]] but when you realize that he is an [[spoiler: aspect of Max]] this seems to imply that [[spoiler: Max can eat things much much larger than himself whole if he wanted, the only reason he doesn't is because he normally has restrain, something this pure aspect of hunger lacks]].
** A glitch in the ending credits to Season 1 [[note]] This only seems to happen on certain computers, and even then most likely only with the GOG version [[/note]] has several [=NPCs=] growing really tall and skinny and their fingers becoming massively long. It is outright terrifying.

-->If you're looking for the [=YMMV=] of the [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSamAndMaxFreelancePolice TV show]] click [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/TheAdventuresOfSamAndMaxFreelancePolice here]].

-->’‘‘Max:’‘‘ I never dreamed we could have so much fun and still be suitable for young viewers.

* HoYay: Sam and Max' relationship is practically oozing this a lot of times. Max is repeatedly stated to "not even like girls", which he always confirms and in every incarnation of the series he's shown to be very interested in a lot of the male characters, Sam included. Then there's the fact that he often jumps Sam, claiming it to be how he shows his affection and that he flat-out calls him "damn tasty" at one point. Sam meanwhile is shown to care a whole lot for Max, to the point where him getting hurt, captured or put in any kind of danger is one of his [[BerserkButton Berserk Buttons]]. He also considers himself "off the market" relationship-wise and since all the female characters in the series are either not interested, way too young for him or taken, one could interpret that line as him talking about Max.

*** Owing to the two entries above, Sam in general is rather frightening in hindsight when you consider that [[AxeCrazy Max]] is '''his''' morality chain, not the other way around. BigFriendlyDog he is not, without Max to keep him in check.

** BANANG!!!