Samuel Bailey

''"There's no place for ghost stories and close encounters in this investigation, or any other." - Sam Bailey, "The Worlds, Perhaps, of Spirits"''

Samuel Isaac "Sam" Bailey is a police detective currently employed by the Oslow County Police Department. Previous a member of the Agate Shore Police Department, he was moved to the county following a series of murders in Agate Shore (HOTC 01). A cynical and anti-social character, he continually isolates himself from the rest of the department, despite the best efforts of fellow officer Bill Tyler.

Currently under investigation by the Oslow County commission board regarding his involvement in the events in Agate Shore (TST 01/05), he was assigned to Anna Sheridan's case on April 1, 2019. Despite initially thinking it was just a way to keep him busy, Sam quickly found himself dr awn in by the tapes and begins to investigate more thoroughly.

History
What would you do to save yourself... from Spoilers!

This section contains Spoilers! Sam Bailey grew up in Agate Shore. Before the lake dried up him and his parents would visit it frequently, sometimes three or four times a week if it was the warm season. Around the age of 5 or 6, Sam attempted to swim in the deeper end of the lake while his parents were preoccupied. He made it out 20 yards before the cold caused his muscles to seize up. He began to sink. As he was drowning he heard a voice call out to him asking "What would you do to save yourself?" Sam replied "Anything." it then asked "What would you give to save yourself?" and Sam replied "Anything." It then asked "Who would you give to save yourself?" He replied "Anyone." He later woke up in the hospital. A few months later his parents drowned in the lake. After his parents deaths he was raised by his paternal grandmother in Arrowhead. His childhood was rough as he was bullied and ostracized by his peers. After his grandmother passed away from cancer his sophomore year of High School he started seeing a therapist. He eventually went to school in Los Angeles where he studied Criminology and took some classes in Architecture.

Agate Shore
Years later after completing college, Sam returned to Agate Shore and began working for the Agate Shore Police Department.

During his time there, a series of strange murders occurred in the town in which individuals turned up in the dried up lake bed drowned in salt water despite there being no discernible source. After a local cop and Sam's boyfriend, Allen, turned up dead. People began to abandon the town. A total of 11 individuals died during this time. After a local bartender named Jim died, the last of the citizens left the town, leaving Sam as it's final occupant. During this time Sam almost fell victim to the strange phenomena but was saved by his dog Russell.

After the town was fully abandoned Sam, based on a note in one of the victims pockets that he found, decided to destroy the dam to refill the lake hoping it would put a stop to the deaths.

He succeeded though was injured. He was found unconscious by Bill Tyler. He was in a coma for a bit then upon waking up he was assigned to the Oslow County Police Department and assigned Anna's case.

Physical Description
Not much is known about Sam's physical description though it has been commented that he "looks like hell" and often goes days without sleep.

The Echo refers to him as a "sneaky little man" though whether this is metaphorical or a literal reference to his height/size is up for interpretation.

According to Bill Tyler he wears "the most boring ties".

After the 6 month time skip between seasons one and two, Sam states he has given up on cutting his hair. He refers to himself as looking "shaggy" in “The Fire in Which we Burn” and Trevor has said he now has a beard (though that aspect could be up to personal interpretation).

Personality
Sam is cynical and anti-social. He prefers to be alone and often rebukes invitations to social outings by his co-worker Bill Tyler. A workaholic - Sam often prefers to loose himself in his work and has been shown working at odd hours of the day for extended periods of time. Sam has shown to have a sense of humor when by himself. Sam is shown to be irritable and volatile at times. He struggles with anger issues to the point where he has damaged his apartment in the past in fits of rage and a mood disorder he has to take medication for. He also suffers from Anxiety and PTSD from his time at Agate Shore.

He is scared of the rain and storms.

Sam enjoys solitary activities such as reading or puzzles. He enjoys pursuits that involves critical thinking, gaining knowledge and problem solving. When driving he listens to NPR much to Bill's dismay. When asked to sing Karaoke he chose to sing an old drinking song his parents used to sing.

His favorite movie is "The Prestige".

Sam is Biromantic/Grey-Asexual. He need's a strong emotional connection to experience physical/romantic attraction. He explains in "Pour Death and Defeat Upon Them" that "he doesn't see people like that most of the time."

Powers and Abilities
Since Sam is "not completely human" he appears to have some supernatural capabilities. While these abilities are not clear he appears to have rapid healing, as he was able to completely recover from a broken leg in a matter of days, he also may have enhanced strength and the ability to see in the dark.

He has a connection to the Lake at Agate Shore and was able to use its power to defeat the Echo. The Lake was also able to save him from the dimension that hosted the fire entity from Episode 3 and Episode 16. He is able to project himself in to different worlds by focusing on his connection to the Lake and the "Waves".

Relationships
Bill Tyler: Bill is Sam's coworker and friend (maybe - Bill tries. Bill is the one who found Sam after Sam passed out from his injuries after blowing up the Arrowhead Dam. Bill often tries to get Sam to socialize and get out of his shell.  He seems to be invested in Sam's wellbeing despite Sam's best efforts to keep him at arms length.

Maria Sol: Maria Sol teams up with Sam after his interview with her. She initially came to Oslow to hunt the Echo and take it down once and for all, though begrudgingly joined Sam in his investigation efforts. Her and Sam have a rocky relationship. She distrusts him and feel's he has intruded on Anna's life by listening to her tapes.

Allen Gott: Allen was an Agate Shore police officer and Sam's lover. According to Sam he was "the only man who ever loved me the way I loved him." Allen confessed his feelings for Sam on New Years Day in 2015. Though Sam at the time was unsure if he reciprocated, Allen assured him that if he didn't it was fine and he'd still be Sam's friend and that he would be more than happy to wait for Sam no matter how long it took. They continued their friendship and grew closer. Around thanksgiving Sam realized he was in love with Allen and then a little over a week later confessed his feelings to him. Less then a month after this they moved in together, Allen bringing his newly adopted bulldog - Russell with him. The two had several happy years together. In 2018 Allen died during the Agate Shore murders - one of the victims taken by the Entity that Sam made a deal with as a child to save his life.

Trivia

 * Sam enjoys reading on his spare time. He is particularly fond of mystery/pulp novels.
 * Sam speaks French, unfortunately.
 * Due to him unfortunately speaking French - his favorite musical is Les Miserables.
 * If Sam had the option to travel anywhere in the world, he'd travel to"Somewhere in the arctic, possibly Svalbard".
 * If Sam was a Pokemon trainer his Pokemon would be a Gyarados.
 * Sam's Starbucks order is a "tall black coffee" and according to Trevor it is "miserable".
 * Sam does not drink alcohol ( TST Ep.16 ) Trevor has stated in an AMA this was due to himself not drinking and he hadn't really put thought into it. Though in "Times Imperious Voice" (TST Ep. 25) he is heard drinking - or at least accepting a beer from Jerry.
 * Sam plays guitar and as a teenager was in a band called “Nevada State of Mind", though according to Trevor - he is out of practice and "not terribly good".
 * If Sam was an animal he'd be a "malnourished coyote".
 * According to Jesse Haugen the show’s composer, if Sam was an instrument he would be “Old rusty but still resonant and warm acoustic guitar.”