[ryannumber1gamer]

Originally Posted by Tora Newton Y.

I'd rank the Season 3 episodes...
Beyond the Alley of the Dolls > The Tomb of Sammun-Mak > The City That Dares Not Sleep > The Penal Zone > They Stole Max's Brain

Now, I love ALL the Season 3 episodes, but I think 303 is the weakest solely because of the second half. Noir Sam is amazing and mucking around Papierwaite's Museum is awesome, but the Sammun-Mak reality is ungodly annoying. The only positive thing I have to say about it is the puzzle where you have use the clues you get from future vision to determine how to win the bets on the wrestling matches was extremely clever.
Oh, and FINISH HIM. That was good too.

301 is interesting because it's actually kind of misleading. With the story and how it plays, it gives you the initial feeling The Devil's Playhouse is gonna be a lot like the previous seasons, just improved - a silly, loosely connected adventure with the duo stopping a bunch of kooky bad guys, just with an overall B-Movie/Twilight Zone motif and Max having psychic powers to incorporate new puzzle elements.
What TDP actually is a very connected, highly plot-driven epic story that's incredibly well-written, full of fantastic twists and turns, hilarious as it is heartwrenching, and by the end you realize it's almost shockingly thoughtful and deep.
But I think the fact The Penal Zone is so familiar and doesn't prepare you at ALL for this before the season shifts into "S#!% JUST GOT REAL" mode is part of the whole experience and works in the season's overall favor. Kinda like how the first Harry Potter book is almost an entirely innocent little magical adventure, but by the time you hit Book 7, you're sobbing since you're so emotionally invested in it and the characters and story because this isn't your little brother's kid wizard tale anymore.

Why does nobody seem to like 305? I totally love it. The puzzles are balanced and it's an amazingly well-written episode and finale to the season and story. The twist/reveal with who/what The Narrator truly is is mind-blowing and you'll be crying by the end.
Is it really just over the alternate timeline Max thing? Honestly I think that's a really stupid reason to hate the episode. Then again I'm on the "The ending was fine, get over it already" side of the fence :P

I enjoyed episode 5 but it's not just because of the different timeline Max (Where's Doc & Marty when you need them -_-) but it is one of the factors of why i think some people hate it because the Max who was with us during all of seasons 1-3 and then after a sad ending which i liked (i throught the ending with Sam walking down the street while passing by people from the last 2 seasons (the maintron and the director from season 1 episode 2) was a good way to remember Sam & Max's adventures) but another reason while some people hate this episode is because they think this season could have ended at episode 4. i disagree i think the season ended well but i hate the new timeline Max.