Introduction
The Walking Dead is an episodic graphic adventure game series developed and published by Telltale Games. The game follows Lee Everett, a convicted criminal who finds himself released from prison at the onset of a zombie apocalypse. Lee bands together with other survivors including Clementine, an orphaned young girl. The player controls Lee and has to make difficult choices and protect the other survivors while also teaching Clementine survival skills.
The game takes place in the same fictional universe as the comic book series The Walking Dead. It focuses on developing characters and narrative over traditional gameplay elements. The choices the player makes have consequences and shape the overall story. The game was praised for its emotionally driven story and Clementine became one of gaming’s most beloved characters.
Meet Clementine and the Dog
In the opening scenes of The Walking Dead video game, we are introduced to the main protagonist Clementine, an 8-year old girl surviving alone in her treehouse at the start of the zombie apocalypse. After meeting Lee Everett, another survivor who becomes Clementine’s guardian, they stumble upon an abandoned campsite near the motel where other survivors have gathered.
At this campsite, Clementine discovers a small dog tucked away in a cardboard box. She immediately bonds with the dog, naming him Sam, and wants to take him with them for protection and companionship. Though wary of having another mouth to feed, Lee allows Clementine to keep Sam as they make their way to the motel where the survivors have set up a base.
Bonding with Clementine and the Dog
In Episode 1 of Telltale’s The Walking Dead game, the player character Lee Everett finds an abandoned 8-year-old girl named Clementine hiding in her treehouse. Lee takes it upon himself to protect Clementine, and the two start developing a father-daughter type of bond as Lee teaches Clementine survival skills for the zombie apocalypse.
Later in the episode, Lee and Clementine meet a dog outside the motel where their group is staying. Clementine immediately bonds with the dog, naming him Sam. She is overjoyed to have a new friend. Lee has the option to pet and play with the dog, strengthening the trio’s relationship. As Lee gets to know Clementine better through taking care of the dog together, it becomes clear how lonely and in need of companionship Clementine is. The player can choose dialogue options expressing Lee’s dedication to keeping Clementine safe and not abandoning her like others have.
This early bonding experience with the dog Sam lays the foundation for the future close relationship between Clementine and her protector Lee as they learn to rely on each other in the dangerous apocalypse world. Sadly, their time with the dog will be short-lived.
Defending the Motel
In Episode 3 of The Walking Dead video game, the survivors staying at the motel come under attack by a large group of walkers. Lee Everett, the protagonist, works to protect Clementine and the dog while fighting off the invading walkers.
After an alarm draws walkers to the motel, Lee rushes to find Clementine and her dog. He discovers them near one of the motel rooms, with walkers approaching. Lee helps barricade them inside a room to keep them safe during the attack.
As Lee battles walkers outside, he periodically checks on Clementine and the dog through the room’s barricaded window. At one point, a walker breaks through the motel room door, and Lee has to rush inside to kill it before it harms Clementine or the dog.
With Lee’s help, Clementine and her dog manage to survive the motel attack unscathed. Lee succeeds in protecting them from the walkers long enough for the group to escape in their vehicles. However, they are forced to abandon the motel as walkers overrun it.
Source: https://walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Motel_Survivors_(Telltale)
Escaping the Motel
After the motel is overrun by walkers, Lee and the group try to escape in Kenny’s RV. As they prepare to drive away, Clementine realizes her zombie-bitten dog is missing. She begs Lee to help find her pet before they leave.
Lee races back into the motel, dodging walkers to try and locate the dog. He finds the dog still chained up outside, now turned into a zombie from its bite. Lee manages to grab the dog and carry it back towards the RV, but walkers surround them before they can reach safety.
With no choice, Lee has to drop the zombie dog and continue fighting his way back to the group. Clementine watches in despair from the RV as they drive away, forced to leave her zombified pet behind at the overrun motel. She is heartbroken over abandoning her beloved dog.
Losing the Dog
After escaping the motel, Clementine, Lee, and the group realize that the dog Sam has been left behind in the chaos. This is a very sad moment, as Clementine had bonded with the dog and did not want to abandon him. As we see in this steam community discussion, the dog’s fate is fixed in the game – he will always be left behind no matter what choices the player makes: Did I have to kill the dog? :: The Walking Dead: Season …
On reddit, many players found this to be an emotional moment, as the bond between Clementine and the dog had been established: [Season 2 Spoiler] The dog was too much. Having to abandon Sam was a sad consequence of the chaotic escape from the motel.
Explaining Death to Clementine
After the chaotic events at the motel, Lee sits Clementine down to explain that the dog did not survive. Clementine is devastated, as she had bonded closely with the dog. Lee consoles Clementine by explaining that sometimes bad things happen, but the dog’s memory will live on through her. Though sad, this is an important moment where Lee helps Clementine understand the reality of death in the walker apocalypse. Their conversation provides an emotional core amidst the chaos.
As one Reddit user discusses, “Clementine was technically the reason Lee died, but it isn’t something I would necessarily hold against her. She was like, 9 years old.” (Source)
Clementine’s Grief
Clementine is devastated by the loss of her dog. She had formed a strong emotional bond with the dog during their short time together, seeing it as a source of comfort and protection in the chaotic world of the zombie apocalypse. When Lee Everett has to kill the dog to prevent it from turning into a walker after being bitten, Clementine is heartbroken.
She sobs inconsolably over the dog’s body, despite Lee’s attempts to explain why he had to kill it. As David Means explores in his essay “Clementine, Carmelita, Dog,” the grief a dog experiences over loss is innate to their species. Clementine feels this grief acutely, having lost one of the few sources of unconditional love she had left.
For days afterward, Clementine remains in a state of deep mourning over her dog. She becomes withdrawn and refuses to speak. Her sorrow acts as a metaphor for the profound psychological toll this dystopian world takes on a young child. While Clementine is resilient and perseveres, the dog’s death hardens her outlook and forces her to confront mortality at a young age.
Throughout the rest of the game, Clementine continues to mourn her dog. As the player guides Clementine through the game, they are reminded of her profound sense of loss. When she sees other dogs, she recalls her beloved pet. The dog’s death remains a pivotal moment that shaped Clementine’s arc and added emotional complexity.
Later References to the Dog
The dog’s death continues to have an impact on Clementine even after she leaves the motel. In later seasons of the game, there are a few subtle references to the dog that show it still holds significance for Clementine.
In Season 2, Episode 2, Clementine finds a can of beans and says “I used to eat these with my friend. And his dog.” This is a direct reference to her time with Lee and the dog back at the motel in Season 1.
In Season 4, Episode 3, Clementine tells AJ about the “first dog she knew.” She tells him how the dog got bitten protecting her and Lee, and how Lee taught her that sometimes you have to do difficult things to protect yourself and loved ones. This story helps teach AJ an important lesson about survival.
While the references are brief, they demonstrate that losing the dog was a formative experience for Clementine. The dog’s sacrifice clearly stuck with her, even years later, as she continued surviving in the brutal world of The Walking Dead.
Conclusion
The scene with the dog’s brutal death in The Walking Dead Season 1 episode 3 stands out as one of the most emotionally impactful moments in the game. The player, as Lee, has bonded with Clementine and her new canine companion Sam over the past episodes. Sam’s violent death at the hands of walkers shockingly underscores the dark dangers facing Clementine and Lee in this post-apocalyptic world.
Though painful, Sam’s death serves as an important lesson for Clementine. No one is safe in this new reality, even those you care for most. Lee helps Clementine begin to understand the fragility of life, and the need to appreciate each moment you have with loved ones. This moment also strengthens the father-daughter like bond between Lee and Clementine, as he comforts her through the grieving process.
While difficult to experience as a player, Sam’s fate highlights the emotionally resonant storytelling that makes The Walking Dead game so impactful. His shocking death reminds both Clementine and the player just how high the stakes are in this grim world.