Darla Gugenheek, also known as The Geek, is a supporting character in the animated series The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police. She is Sam and Max's personal 12-year-old scientist, laboratory technician, and assistant. Despite being a preteen, she is a scientific genius and often provides the pair with updated gadgets and inventions to help them on their missions. She lives in the Sub-Basement of Solitude.
Sam and Max first met the Geek at a science fair while being pulled into a black hole-like portal. Amused by her dangerous project, they ask her to be their assistant/daughter/protege/something-or-other, which she accepted with nonchalance.
Appearance
The Geek's age is 12. She has short red hair and black eyes. She wears a yellow shirt, green vest, red skirt, white socks and green shoes.
Personality
Her personality is a bit on the sarcastic side with an air of confidence, with Sam and Max generally exasperating her with their destructive interest and childish antics. Even though she treats Sam and Max with a laissez-faire attitude, there are occasional times where she worries about Sam and Max's well-being and safety. In truth, it's not hard to suspect that she cares about them more deeply than she lets on. Her concerns are generally unnecessary since they handle themselves well, despite how terrible a situation is. Secretly, she enjoys their company.
Relationships
Sam
Along with Max, Sam serves as a questionable and/or vague father/mentor-like role to the Geek. They seem to get along quite well, oftentimes with The Geek being the more responsible of the two. The Geek seems to care about both Sam and Max quite a lot for taking her in, despite having to clean up after them almost constantly.
Max
Max serves the same questionable and/or vague father/mentor-like role to the Geek as Sam does. They seem to get along quite well, oftentimes with The Geek being the more responsible of the two. The Geek seems to care about both Sam and Max quite a lot for taking her in, despite having to clean up after them almost constantly.
The Geek's Traits
Likes
- Sam and Max ("Tolerates" might be a more appropriate description)
- Making inventions
- Helping with them
- Cold soda
Dislikes
- Her full name
- Someone making her lab collapse (mostly Sam and Max)
- John the Alligator
- When something bad happens to Sam and Max
Concepts
Early in the Geek's creation, she was originally a boy. It was after a push from the Canadian television network to have a prominent female character in the show, the Geek was redrawn to be Darla.
Trivia
- It is unknown what happened to her original parents. It's stated that she could be abandoned or orphaned.