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Episode 6: Bright Side of the Moon ends Season 1 not with a bang, nor a whimper, but more of a mild hurrah. It's funny, it's tough, and it makes you want to do the whole thing over again.

Sad to say, Sam & Max: Season 1 is now drawn to a close.  Episode 6, Bright Side of the Moon, has our dynamic duo finally getting to the bottom of all this hypnosis business, by tracing it back to the source: the Moon!  More specifically, a certain someone on the moon, but you'll have to discover that for yourself.

A big question for me before I started playing was whether this episode could be better than the last.  Unfortunately it isn't, but it is a very close second.  Episode 6 feels oddly like a clip show or a rerun, probably because it contains someone or something from pretty much every previous episode.  Except for the Soda Poppers, for once (I hope nobody's disappointed).

The puzzles are fairly challenging, overall.  I was stumped more than once, meaning it beats Abe Lincoln Must Die for the category of toughest episode.  There are some pretty nifty objects with creative uses, so be prepared to *magical voice* use your imaginations!

Max plays an even bigger role than usual this time; in fact, he eventually becomes a series of puzzles, instead of simply hanging around providing witty and/or psychotic counterpoint to Sam's wry observations.  That's not to say he doesn't provide some great one-liners; there are some unicorn jokes that I can hardly believe were left in. 

Continuing the positive trend, the writers took the now-standard plot elements and really ran with them.  Sybil has the best new job ever this time around; of course I could be biased since I'm, well, I suppose I'm one of her loyal subjects.  You'll see what I mean, eh?  Also, if you're normally one to skip the "Have you got..." bit with Bosco, don't!  Max has great fun with Bosco, who's dressed up as (*censored*).  Hah, you didn't actually think I'd tell, did you?

The writers even found the time to poke fun at critics, and what they said about previous Sam & Max episodes (myself included).  I have the feeling there were some things they needed to get off their chests, and this was their last chance.  That is, unless there's a second season, which I sincerely hope happens.  I also hope that they release it on the Wii and/or Xbox Live Arcade, as they've been hinting for a while now.  Until that day comes, though, Sam & Max will still be available on Gametap, or directly from Telltale.  If you've been waiting to see how it all turned out, rest assured that Season 1, as a whole, is well worth the price of admission!