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[No Ads] Ep. 61 - Death of a Salesman (Patreon)

Published:
2021-06-29 16:00:06
Edited:
2024-03-25 16:48:26
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Downloads

Content

The dads dig deep into Ron's mind to retrieve his anchor.

This episode contains profanity, violence, sexual content, emotional abuse, violence towards children, animal cruelty, and body horror.

Files

Comments

twilexis

Been re-listening at work and I had to wait until I got home to listen to this. Don't wanna have to explain why I'm sobbing at my desk.

William Weigand

Listening again and the reaction to "How Ron?" is amazing

Edgar Allan Hoes

Relistening to this episode, and "I promise on the life of my son" really just- yeah, that's the whole post-

Maia Li

THIS EPISODE WAS NOT SAFE FOR WORK IM SOBBING!!!

Charles O'Leary

I've relisted to this season like 4 times but this one always makes me cry. It's so sad and heartfelt 😭 Massive props to Beth and Anthony for doing such a great job with character building and creating a story arch for this. It's just so good!

zStazz

As a pet owner this was such a sad episode.

BigDaddySloth420

This episode is just brutal every single time.

Ryan Thomson

As someone who had a father just like Willy Stampler, this episode hits hard, but also helps me to heal a lot. As much as this podcast is fun and jolly, it's really helped me to get past some of the abuse I grew up with, and relate to Ron Stampler on a level I did not expect to going into all of this x

Olivia Beauchamp

Omg this episode is incredible for obvious reasons… BUT my partner and I quote this version of the blade runner speech all the time. It’s so damn funny

ChunkyZebra

I've loved this entire series and have listened to it 2 or three times within the last 6 months or so. This episode broke me. I actually had to stop it multiple times while I was listening to it at work. You guys all have a wild range and are able to pull my heart strings to both ends of the edge (extreme joy and laughter as well as the depths of sadness)

Anne Buzzelli

The heart wrenching sadness in this episode is a fair price to pay for all the laughs… but wow it was high!

Pyro “Pepto” Pete

2nd time thru. Thank you to this amazing cast of talented actors/players! I can’t believe the range of emotions that I have experienced while listening to this podcast. As an added bonus, I listen while driving and the number of people who must think that I’m losing it as I ride along with the team during this emotional roller coaster that I experience every episode, laughing and crying as I drive seemingly alone in my car. I’m definitely not alone as I travel the forgotten realms with the Dungeons & Daddies crew. :-) Thank You All!

Benchad02

Just got asked if I was okay at work cos I was openly crying while working thanks to this episode. The ability of this cast to change the vibe episode to episode is something to behold I thank you all for this masterpiece

Ashley Wilson 🏳️‍⚧️

Even if I relisten to this episode a million times, the scene where Rogue is taken to the shelter will always make me cry.

Laeticia

skip skip skip the sad parts:)

Brandon Curtis

No joke here, this cast has range. You would never predict that Ron would have a moment that would make cry when listening at the outset of the show

jenna dolan

Ron is my favourite and this is my third time listening to this season and I SOB every time. I love his character and I wish he got treated better

Aislinn

Every time Anthony’s voice breaks I just start bawling

Daniel

This is my fourth time listening to s1 and this episode still makes me SOB. Anthony’s voice break gets me every damn time 😔

frisedel

Out of all the episodes in this and every season, including stretch goals and such, this is the one to warrant a trigger warning.

Bearonavirus

In regards to Darryl's gluttony fact, imagine telling someone one of the worst days of your life, how you just indulged to cope, knowing you ate WAY too much, but like as you go on for a minute or two, then the person your talking to just interrupts to say, "Bro, you had 42 THOUSAND calories that day!" Even worse feeling

Drodree

I'm sending you good vibes ❤️

Drodree

Freddy making a ref, then saying am I right??? I feel him so much dbdjjd

Robert

Wow! Great story, such a tough listen! 😢

Daniel

Reminder that Ron is wearing thigh high cat socks this entire episode you’re welcome

Claire Anderson

The beginning of this episode is so funny but it gets overshadowed (deservedly) by the rest

Martin Flores

S2 spoilers !! But the fact that this is the first time Willy gets peed on motioning how he ends in S2 muah perfect

NaxuPazu

The shake in Anthony's voice still fucks me up

Chris Adam

Freddy Wong, king of comedy

Silent H

does the Thatched Roof Cottages remind anyone else of Trogdor?

patrick adelman

I was in need of a good cry so I jumped to this episode

BakedPotato212

MY HEART DIDN'T NEED THIS CRY!...again

Ryan Frederick

i don't think that's what they were saying at all and it wasn't 42,000 he said one full box was 5,600 and they didn't think it was THAT bad but he said that wasn't the only thing he ate that day

Bearonavirus

I'm talking about a hypothetical, not what happened in the podcast

Fern

I have a feeling that when Glen said he would never die was heavy foreshadowing for later in the podcast and I'm not ready to loose one of the main dads like Glen is my favorite

Caleb Crawford

Not the only one! I do all my relistens on Patreon, but I still listen to the new ones on my regular podcast app with ads because they make me chuckle.

Caleb Crawford

I completely missed that the first time listening, only caught it on my relisten! Crazy!

River Scott

"No, how do we leave Ron's brain, smartass!" Made me laugh out loud at work. You could hear that it was half Henry's and half Will's frustration!

Loz

i’ve lowkey been avoiding this episode on all my re-listen binges because it’s straight up emotionally devastating but it’s been about a year and a half since i first heard it and somehow it’s like cathartic and therapeutic, to finally re-listen and process it again and remember that yeah it was devastating but it’s now possibly one of my favourites

Katherine Zhang

Death of a Salesman you will always be famous.

gotta teach em all

amazing episode but i’ll never be able to unhear anthony saying “the ravel and the grocks” at 1:16:10

Morgan D

Rogue IS and will always be a good boy

Anna Lausman

Genuinely the hardest episode to relisten too :( I'm on my 7th relisten and damn, it still brings me back to the first time i listened to it (and makes me cry like a big ole baby). Love yall!

Jon Stadil

I’ve counted calories on one of my ‘worst’ days of overeating and when I got to around 18.000 I stopped counting and ordered a pizza

DjTravioli

I can't even say how many times I've gone through this season and yeah... this one is or emotional damage.

Jacob Rogers

I’ve probably commented this before, but this episode kills me every time. As soon as Ron calls Rogue downstairs I break and it’s just waterworks from there.

Julia & Piney

Oh wow...as an abuse/neglect survivor with CPTSD, this episode pretty much wrecked me. (I held it together until the dog part; a similar thing happened to me as a kid with my cats...). But its also an awesome podcast. Im amazed at how vulnerable the actors are willing to be, to show that emotion, which lets us listeners become invested.

Dylan Miles

This is probably my 7th time listening through the Daddies Canon and this episode has brought me to tears every single time. As someone who grew up as a Lil Ron in a world of Willy Stampler’s I don’t think there will ever be a piece of media that feels as important to me as this. Thank you Daddies, for never shying away from the truth of your characters and making something truly special.

Broden Orr

I made a mistake listening to this episode at work.. Makes me cry every single time. Best episode of daddies by far

Trenton Clover

The first time I listened to this episode, I had been trying on fancy clothes to see if they still fit, I ended up sobbing pantless and wearing a formal shirt and vest....just the way Ron would have

Andrew Davidson

I LOVE the work you guys do. Keep it up. I started listening during covid. Never looked back.

corundum liqueur

This episode should come with a discount for a therapy session

LN

BRB gonna go cry while hugging my dog

sneebo

I picture Rogue as the dog I dog sit for, cause he’s a mutt Shepherdy Pitt mix and he’s so good and I think about him doing what Rouge did and it makes my cry more now on my 20-something time listening than ever before lol

sneebo

Sidebar, Ron is the neurodivergent experience for a lot of kids, and as someone diagnosed at 31, it’s so much harder to look back at things as a kid. It’s painful but provides context that reinforces how fucked everything was lol

Eoin Warne

This is a true MASTERPIECE of media. The love and trust people have to have to perform something like this is astounding.

Kindly Giant

What’s with the highbrow episode titles?

Mark Connor

Oh my gosh. Someone’s gonna die.

Bob McCoog

Oooooh God I'm gonna cry

Grayson

I'm already heartbroken for Ron, and it's just the intro.

CJ

Don't say that... positive vibes only

Boxxy Darkheart

I don't know if I'm ready after Anthony's tweet last night.

Roburrito

Seriously, at least go with Death of a Salesdad or something similarly stupid.

jay

this comment is cracking me up after last week's title being........GOBLIN

Michael Connolly

i saw the title and said “uh oh!” out loud so lets see how this goes!

Min

After reading your comment I had to check. And now I'm scared. 😭

Joshua Morales

Well Actually "Adventures Through Inner Space" was a ride where guest get shrunk down and go inside a snowflake and see the processes of how its formed. What you were probably thinking of was either "Body Wars" or "Cranium Command".

Grayson

I've just met Little Ron and Rogue, but if anything happens to these beautiful boys I would be heartbroken.

BoS1997

I actually sobbed

Robert Reid

Thanks, now I’m crying

Marvin

I didn't take Anthony's tweet seriously and fucking cried. This will be the one episode I probably won't re-listen to.

Riley Wesson

Absolutely brutal. Also shoutout to Anthony for the tiny details that make his characters even more fleshed out like Willy muttering, “I forgot rubbers” when he came back during the kitchen scene.

Daddy Swiezy

I hate the title to this. Scared to listen.

Nick Bidaurreta

A little more info about why Ron hates seaweed snacks?

Ben Klein

Beth May is literally Joe Rogan in the intro!! lmao

millenniumhooha

Well Actually?? But you're supposed to be dead!!

Asher Meyer

Best episode by far. Beautifully done, guys. Absolutely incredible.

Christopher Pete

Yeah. Willie. Who is already dead. His character is modeled after Death of a Salesman

Christopher Pete

Okay, I know that there are so many more worthwhile things to discuss, but also-- Will just pulled out Cube 2: Hypercube, which is easily the most niche reference I've ever gotten on this podcast. Usually they're like, "mmm, yes, and this Buster Keaton silent movie era comedy inspired this bit," but this one was the friggin' SciFi channel-quality C-grade horror movie that I grew up on! (The original is still better imo, but this one was fun, too)

William Ivancic

I had to bite my tongue at work to keep from audibly sobbing

Soguwe

Holy fuck

Rj

This hit so hard. You guys are amazing.

Jonzalez

Holy heck! My goodness, this my friends is top notch! Excellent everything all around! While it's all worth the patron but this. This episode really seals it. If you cried or teared up I'm with you. So Excellent! Beth my goodness if you ever feel bad listen to this episode to remind yourself that you an awesome/amazing artist. All of you. Thank you for letting me be part of this adventure and I look forward to continuing to adventure with you. Man so awesome. Anthony, Will, Matt and Freddie you know you are part of this. Excellent. If I teared up, can't imagine being there for it. You guys are so awesome. While it's rare for me to do I have some fan art on the way!!!!!!!

Jonzalez

Same reaction

Aubrey Wunschel

Y'all got me crying in the middle of a target

Anthony Mertson

“HE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND” -Beth That stabbed

Trint Schenk

Yeah this one had me crying in the middle of work, beautiful storytelling this week

JayForce

The nerve of Anthony to make me cry at the gym... you jerk

Kayla S. Pingree

Oh my God. I am a mess. Been walking around my house with my mouth hanging open for half an hour. I cannot WAIT for the talking dads about this episode!

Matt Glynn

I need the talking dad. I need a debrief. This was wayy more than I was ready for. Very well done everyone

Kiera Conrad

When Anthony started crying I hd to go cuddle my dog for the rest of the episode… 😭😭😭

Ashley Smith

this is not the first and will most likely not be the last time I've cried over d&dads. thanks for the amazing work, folks!!

vivienne Lambert

Really love how much Freddie’s into milfs right now

rev chauncey

Oh man, I haven't wept this much from a podcast since the Mummy episode. Honestly, pure gold!

Kam Str

Am i the only one who has access to add free episodes and doesn't use it because the adds are so funny.

Zoe Benza

Not fair I'm at work and had to look at pictures of my dogs while I cried.

Soguwe

There are versions with ads?

Sean Davis

Just started relistening to the whole series, prooooobably going to be skipping this one in the future when I get back to it. That was almost too much for me

Michelle

I wasnt ready. T^T I was like "oh yay DnDaddies ep!" and now I'm sad. Hug your dogs and hug your dads!

Andrew Davidson

Holy shit. This was such a great episode.

jinx

the worst thing you can take away from this is that willy never hit baby!ron because he know rogue would come after his ass 🥲 (even tho its not confirmed or denied that willy had ever physically abused ron)

Kris ✌️

Glenn is into Milfs now, getting a wife and a kid 2 for 1 special

Elizabeth S

Just sobbing, so many tears Beautifully made episode Thank you for the beautifully made art!

Kait O’Mara

Did we all cry at the dog part??? ….cuz I definitely didn’t 🥲

VeraChimaera

this got me fucked up! absolutely loved it!

Nick Schmidt

Damn this episode really got me crying at work. 😭

Chorale Getchell

I was so not ready for this... A beautiful episode, it hits hard on a lot of levels.... Just wow.

Carter Lance

Oh my god, fuck right off I was excited for laughs and now I'm crying at work. For real though y'all are amazing and so is this episode

Sharity Galyean

The transition from the last episode to this one DID NOT prepare me to cry my eyes out. Little Ron is the most precious thing in both worlds. I hope Terry Jr gets a dog in the future and names him Rogue Jr 💗

Jess Houwen

Wow. That was amazing. Having gone through inner child work during my counseling appointments, this hit hard. Especially when little Ron hugged adult Ron. Gosh I hate Willy.

Kait O’Mara

Oh well I should of waited til the ending to comment…

Richard Morales

Was not prepared for this. Started crying and it was the first time my little girls saw me cry and they both ran to give me a hug. That just made me cry more.

Ben (Phloios) Sayer.

I can honestly say this is the only D&D podcast that has made me weep manly tears of sadness.

Bradley

Guess I'm crying at work today

Lara Bryant

I wasn't prepared to go on a feels trip today.

Tom!

Oh my god none of them have any idea how competent and large 7 year olds are

Camila Neyra

When Anthony's voice broke I broke. Damn what an episode

Emily pratt

Beth hit it out of the park. I sobbed. Good job.

LANDEN REMBE

I got so close to crying at the Rogue's departure. I could feel the sting in my eyes even as Anthony's voice broke. That is why I have to say well done. I cared about that dog more in 20 minutes than I have any character in recent memory. You are amazing at this Anthony.

Tinyhumanbrain76

This episode goes hard !! Seriously oh my god, it was brutal! Amazing to listen too!

Kristopher Brooks

Now Freddie AND Anthony have something else in common 🤣🤣

Ryan Flueger

That was a tough episode. Like. Sweet mother of mercy that was moving. Powerful

Baba

I was confused on why I should care for the dog. Was it brought up earlier in the series? It was just confusing for me on what was happening

Capri Sanders

Holy crap. Don't listen to this around people or you get stared at and asked if you are ok. This was such a wonderful and heartbreaking episode. You can feel the love that both the dad's and the players have for eachother. Anthony and Beth crying broke my heart.

Cove

i literally sobbed for an hour straight this is possibly the saddest podcast episode ever you are evil

Haley Borden

Oh god fuck no just crying at Rogue's scene

Camille Lintner

Which came first - the handshake or the dimensional witch?

Cheese Kat

Holy what the fuck! This was an intense episode. Fuck Willy. Rogue is the best boy. Ron is a lotus flower.

kiarra burd

This is on a whole other level. Anthony always talks shit about their "DnD" play-style but I wouldn't have changed anything about this episode. What a narrative feat to tell this intense of a story in podcast format, and big claps all around for everyone's performance and energy this episode 👏

Wayward McCoy

Just walking around the back kitchen at work crying after this episode.. Powerful storytelling.

DJOE

Yeah so I sobbed in my car on the way home thanks guys

Logan Marcum

Wow…you guys brought me to actual tears. I want to give you all hugs now

Nick

Ding! Wasn’t Terry Senior decapitated inside of Erin’s house? Ron rolled a 1 and Terry jr have him permission to enter the house then y’all one shot’d him. Haha in all seriousness great episode guys!

Emmie

Oh my god you guys. I thought the Rogue part was gonna be the worst bit but fuuuuck. Anthony you are a monster and a genius. I have to go self-soothe for a bit

rory zouch

Holy shit that was intense! Hit me right in the feels! Anthony, Beth, Will, Matt and Freddie, I hope you’re all feeling alright after that roller coaster! ❤️

Keegathan

Holy shit. This was a rough episode. I read the comments and see this one is hitting different levels of hard for everyone, so I wanna just say that I hope YOU all (especially Anthony) are doing okay after this one.

Trystn Brown

So good, you all are so talented. Crying in the car! Next episode's cold open should totally be an Eternal Sunshine parody - Ron's tapes talking about his memories of his father

JayForce

This episode is a straight up masterpiece. Anthony should win an award for this

Joshua Saldana

Normally I don't like leaving comments. I always figure "no one's going to read this" and "my opinion doesn't matter". But, after listening to this episode, I really felt compelled to write something. Beth - you did such a fantastic job. Holy crap. But, y'all were able to perfectly balance humor and tragedy on this episode. These episodes with Willie have been really tough. As someone that came from an abusive and manipulative household, this really resonates with me. But, honestly, I am glad y'all are dealing with this topic with such grace. It's really quite cathartic. I also genuinely appreciate Freddie keeping the part where Anthony got choked-up. I'm - paradoxically - looking forward to the uncut version because I have a feeling there was a lot more that occurred around that scene. Anyway, I'm starting to ramble and have kind of lost the train of thought. But, I just wanted to say "thank you".

The Captain

Hey thanks for fucking me up, that was fun.

The Overthinker

This is the classic case of a band that does one kind of music (rock for example) doing a different kind (a slow song) and it hits harder for the contrast. Amazing work guys, this is your Good Riddance (Time of your life).

Arthur Williams

Bruh, I take back everything I said about Ron. To know it went that far, my heart goes out to him.

Daniel Devain

Holy heartbreak Batman! That was a full blown assault on the feels. I feel like I did an abnormal amount of sobbing for a comedy podcast... Beth and Anthony absolutely crushed it! Well done!!!

Glen Goldsbury

I managed to hold it together until Matt’s zinger at the end and then I laugh-cried until the podcast finished

Gadi Welfeld

WTF this episode was so heartbreaking, I'm holding back tears

Eve

I wonder if there's supposed to be a parallel of the first memory they go to being Terry Jr. seeing his dad die in front of him, and that being very emotional even tho the guy was just someone who wanted to use him and didn't want the best for him, and the final memory.

Reece Page

“Can’t say anything about that, it’s the 80’s” made me spit take!!!!

Mod

Think of the acronym for Damp Additional Dog.

Panpan

I can’t be the only on who sobbed when little Ron had to say goodbye to Rogue

Hannah

Holy moly there was a lot of talking over Beth at the beginning of this episode. It usually doesn’t bother me this much, but if there was an episode to cut it out -this would be it.

Zombie Milhouse

Beth and Anthony absolutely smashed this episode out of the park. Thank you for how you handled this tough but vital arc. I feel emotionally exhausted now, which is testament to the writing and performances in this episode.

millenniumhooha

Yeah he was, I think Anthony meant to say Erin's house and just got confused because they often refer to that arc as the tower of Terry?

Mystic Sybil

I was releived for a second when the next memory was the fishing trip because we knew thatd be the last one and I was afraid for a second there they'd have to walk through the memory of Ron's moms funeral....

Mystic Sybil

And then of course immediately after that all releif vanished because "hey that bad thing we all knew happened? Guess what it was WORSE THAN YOU THOUGHT~"

Shamoo

We can all agree we are emotionally attached to the emotionally detached step-father 😭😭

Conor Davis

Ron has been my favorite dad since the start and this hurt extra hard to hear some y’all having actual tears going.

Matt Jaworowski

Has Rogue the dog been Ron's base character the whole time? Darryl- Coach Dad= Barbarian, Henry- Nature Granola Dad= Druid, Glenn- Rock n Roll Dad= Bard, but Ron- Business Step Dad does not equate to a rogue. Ron's weirdness to normal everyday things makes complete sense from the perspective of a dog. Hiding in pants equates to tail between legs when scarred, being a dog in the DnD V1 episode, easily trusting others combined with the need for positive reinforcement, getting jealous of others receiving attention, saying exactly what is on his mind without regard for social norms, meeting Samantha on a dog website. If planned, which I believe it is, that is the greatest long con character building I have ever seen!

Sydney Kilgore

me starting DnDads three months ago: this is hilarious, but it’ll never ALSO make me cry/get emotional like taz balance did! this episode: (jk I first cried at episode 25)

Dawn

Amazing episode all. Goddamned amazing episode.

millenniumhooha

Honestly I've listened to this episode twice and I have no idea what you're talking about. Do you mean in the intro? I hardly heard them talk over Beth at all Like Anthony was talked over quite a bit, and Matt at one point but that's all I heard

millenniumhooha

Fair, but have you met Ron? I doubt he was an average sized 7 year old considering how he's short in canon, and also he still doesn't know how to make pasta so ofc his 7 year old self wouldn't, you know?

Tom!

True, and I thought it was good Beth mentioned Ron still didn’t know how to make pasta for that reason! But it was still pretty funny how they described a 7 year old like he was 3 and everyone just went with it.

KellBell

So glad I'm not the only one who clocked this x)

Harlie Fiordiliso

Y’all almost had me crying in Target during my set this morning. Absolutely fantastic episode

Jake the Bard

After two back-to-back episodes featuring Willy and mentioning people's wills, I'm surprised there hasn't been an episode named 'Last Willy and Testiment'

Samantha Winter

Great episode. It hit hard. I actually have a dog named Rogue (X Man related) in real life, so that made me sob.

Awumpa

If you have your podcast app set to skip silence turn it off for this one

wes

really happy DnDads didnt make it to the list of movies/stories that the dog dies, really thought that willy would do it once again episode fire 🔥

Caleb Bridwell

You know, I think my childhood may have been a little messed up. I thought for sure that Willie was going to make Ron shoot his dog himself, to toughen him up and teach a lesson. That's what my dad did, but there is a lot of overlap between my dad and Willie so far. I was weeping during the episode, just so certain that was going to happen.

Jason Melton

I'd say my seven year old isn't particular competent

russellrd

Thank goodness for Matt's closer!

Reece Page

You weren’t. At all. Even Anthony got in on it. Absolutely killer

GM

Is this the last season? Cause this was emotional. And I don't want it all to end yet!

Elisha Daniel

I feel for Ron, but I really feel for his mom too. She knew her husband was an abusive piece of shit. That line that Ron and his mom love each other and "that's enough, that's has to be enough." That broke me more than losing his dog. I thought for sure willy was gonna shoot it, but his mom stepped in even though she's so sick. I really thought his mom just bailed or didn't care either. But it makes me so happy that Ron did have some semblance of love in his life.

Solidified Honey

This was both the funniest and the saddest episode yet! I love you guys. And yes Scam Likely is still my ringtone...mostly because he's usually the one calling.

Amy Irving

Listen, y'all did a fantastic job on this episode. It is gut wrenching and feels very real, but omg I'll never listen to it again. 😭😭😭 The emotional weight of this episode is crushing. Great job y'all

Malissa

"This famous linguist once said that of all the phrases in the English language, of all the endless combinations of words in all of history, 'Little Ron' is the most beautiful."

Caro

i’m actually sobbing. this episode was so beautifully done

Ellie Wise

Literally thinking the exact same thing! I relisten to this podcast all the time, but I'mma have to skip this episode. 😭😭😭😭

dungeons and daddies

Omgggggg when Anthonys voice broke I lost my shit. This episode man. It was so powerful. So well done.

James Donaldson

Words cannot explain how amazing this episode was, I broke down and sobbed and it was the most cathartic sob I've had in a while. As someone who came from an abusive fam Ron's growth and journey has provided me comfort as I heal on my own. Proud fan of this podcast, you guys are doing great and thank you for making a podcast so awesome!

Allison Davis

I was listening to this while working from home. My fiancé also listens but is and episode or so behind. My face definitely told him that he was in for some horrible stuff soon.

Bunitj Miles

What the fuck happened to my rowdy horny goofy podcast that made the best Dezz Nuts joke of all time? I'm not crying, your crying.

Terrence Jackson

Literally I’m working right now and crying

Chelsey

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who cried. That was amazing!!

Alyssa Hollingsworth

So good. I was struck by the pool scene, which eerily mirrors something I did when I was 6--learning how to swim and decided to test myself by jumping into the deep end through one of those donut-shaped floatie. Went straight through the middle and sank. Managed to get to the surface enough to squeak, "Help!" It was a crowded pool and my dad was on the other end, but heard and out-swam everyone to get me. Horrible to see the same beats in reverse.

Noelle Bartley

Complete Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vibes, God what a great episode

Gabriel Rossman

Gonna dissent from the consensus here. I hit pause 3/4 through when it became obvious it was just one thing after another of "here's a shitty childhood scenario." Your comments are making me feel safe that I can just skip the rest entirely. If I want serious I listen to audiobooks, and if I want pathos I'll listen to Lana, but I'm here for D&D as a loose framework for dick jokes. No matter how brutal the scenario Anthony comes up with or how emotionally Beth May responds to it, I'm still not interested. Similarly I gave up on TAZ Balance half way through "Suffering Game." One thing I love about Freddie is that he never forgets it's a comedy podcast and when Anthony prompts him with something like "and what does that feel like to Glen, don't be afraid to dig deep" Freddie just comes back with "🤘 it feels like I'm out there kicking ass at malls across the country 🤘" Anyway, feel it's important to dissent on this as it would be nice if the podcast was funny again or at least if it was funny again without Anthony getting annoyed that his players have the gall to make a comedy podcast funny.

Jared Fisher

This was one of the funniest episodes to date?

legly

ACTING!

FreshPrinceOfBenHare

Fantastic Episode, I’m not tracking why they dropped Erin in the shit after all she has done for them and when she has their kids, but I’m sure she will forgive them right? … right?

Allie S

I mean it's one episode, and it's not like they've given up on the comedy of the show; possibly one of the funniest (if dumb) jokes in the entire podcast was made literally an episode ago. Anthony can get exasperated but at the end of the day all of them know that it's a D&D game and they're just trying to incorporate an interesting story. If it was all jokes all the time the show probably wouldn't be as good as it is either. You don't have to enjoy every episode of a show for it to still be a good show, and not every episode has to be exactly as funny as the last. Imo everybody seems to be doing a really good job of keeping the balance, and I for one am glad we're getting into Ron's psyche because it's something I've been interested in for a long time. Enjoy what you want obviously but I really don't think it's worth dissenting from the consensus just to say "this episode that they *said* was going to be sad is sad and I don't like that." They warned everybody multiple times that Ron's part in this arc wasn't going to be light-hearted.

Gabriel Rossman

@brendan looks like I can't reply to a reply but I see your POV. I'm not complaining Anthony didn't warn us that the episode would be like this. It didn't traumatize me, I was just bored by it. I've seen it happen before that a very funny D&D podcast gets ruined by getting too into drama, often encouraged by outspoken fans who like that sort of thing. The main thing I disagree with you on is that it's just one episode. Over the run of the series Anthony has increasingly tried to turn up the pathos in the mix. See also the wives in the Universal Studios Mummy ride. He was obviously disappointed and annoyed that Freddie made the Glen spotlight time in the prison story arc hilariously on brand instead of the "boo hoo hoo, I really am a bad dad" stuff he was hoping for. Even in the (very funny) recap-as-parody at the top of this episode, Anthony's tone was "I was annoyed that you spoiled my tearjerker Willie scene last time by being hilarious but I begrudgingly admit it was hilarious." Btw, not saying Anthony isn't funny -- Anthony is frequently hilarious. I'd laugh my ass off hearing Paedan or Walter read the phone book. I just lose interest when he goes out of his way to do something other than the comedy that drew us all to the podcast in the first place and which is what he and the players are really excellent at.

Alyson Crawford

I think it’s been very clear from the beginning that they are here to create a story with friends. They’re writers before they are comics. This show has been pretty fucking funny, but it’s the lows of a story that make the highs even better. You’re not obligated to like it, but this episode was a long time coming and I think it fits with the overall narrative very well.

Gabriel Rossman

That's fair. I think "you need the pathos for contrast against the comedy" is the strongest possible case for it. (Aside of course from just "I prefer pathos over comedy" which is like, de gustibus). I'm not 100% convinced but it's a reasonable argument.

CaesarVulpes

This episode hit pretty hard as, let’s just say, someone who can empathize with Ron. I kind of wish I could do this, be able to share without having to talk about it. Just show people. I love how the boys are kind and supportive and it’s clear that they’re helping but they’re not like, magically fixing Ron’s issues.

Allie S

That's fair. I think Anthony is concerned with telling a compelling story and I definitely see the parallels with TAZ (from what I know of/have listened to from it) and the ramping up of character drama. He's ultimately willing to cede control to the group but I understand his apprehension towards doing so, especially when standard story structure (which D&D does not *have* to follow but many DMs *want* it to) demands a pivotal dramatic scene/climax/arc; Griffin McElroy is, in my humble opinion, much worse in this regard and is why I stopped listening pretty fast after I started. I'm sure all DMs struggle to an extent with this, and I totally get frustration with it from a listening standpoint. This episode definitely wasn't my personal favorite or anything. But also, in a long-form narrative podcast, the listeners don't have the luxury of interacting with the game, so we need either the comedy or narrative aspects to be good enough to carry it, and Anthony seems to be trying to make it relatively satisfying for us while also not being too much of a bummer if the group (and by group I mean Freddie) gets in the way of his plans during the game. It runs the risk of being boring or melodramatic and there are other examples throughout the show but I definitely don't think it's ever been at risk of being ruined by this tone. I really liked and was moved by the mummy episode and while I appreciate Freddie's commitment to comedy I find the prison segment to be kind of unsatisfying because Glenn still hasn't really changed much as a character. If others did or didn't like those parts that's fine, but I've never felt that any episode was such a drag that I wanted to stop listening, even the five-footers and melodramatic ones. I was drawn in partially because of the comedy, yeah, but I also wanted to know what kind of story a room full of accomplished writers was going to tell. PLUS, Anthony has shown with his other writing (most notably Borderlands 2) that he enjoys juggling comedy and drama; some of it just comes down to his style. I dunno, it's late and I'm scatterbrained so I hope all that comes to the point I'm trying to communicate. Edit: this was all written before I read the two comments after I posted so uh I guess just take it as elaboration on my previous point. Alyson Crawford basically just said it all much more concisely than I did

Peter James Guilford

Episode shoulda been called eternal sonshine of the Popless mind

Bob McCoog

I must love being punched in the gut emotionally on a daily basis ... currently on listen through number 8 and it still hits so damn hard. Kudos y'all

allyearbreakfast

I held in my tears for the longest time, but I broke down the moment Terry replied that 'I love you too'. Just realized I really needed to cry a little. Life is still messed up in my country, we're still under lockdown and the pandemic is still bad, and I'm glad this helped me cry. I know this probably doesn't make much sense, but thank you, in a weird way.

Roger Douglass

That episode almost made me cry. As funny as "deez nuts" was, this episode was equally sad. Anthony and Beth played their roles beautifully and totally believable. I see depth to Beth's character and really respect her talent at portraying Ron. I came for the laughter but went away understanding Ron.

Dalton Whitworth

33 minutes into this one Beth May took my soul and I’m still waiting to get it back.

Serpentine

It gives "You are enough, just as you are" another sheen, too.

Serpentine

Hm... That's one of the higher tiers, isn't it? I'm not normally interested in the uncut versions but that might be worth upgrading just for this one...

Sam Mansour

Hey, That's incredible traumatic. I'm sorry you went through that. I had to take breaks from the episode to sit quietly and sob. This episode connected to me on an incredibly deep level, in different parts. Thank you for sharing your experience. Sharing experiences with others who are capable of seeing you, providing you a safe place to feel it - work through it, that's where the recovery comes in.

Sam Mansour

Hi there. As someone who connects to many of the scenes during this episode, I feel you. I had to pause the episode many times to sit in silence and feel the sorrow as a mirror was held to me. What you seek can be found, it's out there. It just takes getting uncomfortable, beginning to trust, finding safe supportive people, and opening up. If you've not considered it, therapy was vital to my healing. The relationship I had with my therapist allowed me to build a safe secure connection to another person (typically something a child receives from a parent or family of origin). Using this connection to my therapist, I was able to safely 'explore/navigate' the world, feel free to fall, fail and feel. I knew that I had a safe 'home' to go to and discuss with someone who was focused only on me. Through that connection I started to let others in. I began going to support groups. I've made truly strong connections. Deep meaningful soul-filling connections. As the boys said 'We see you', I sobbed soo hard. I thought 'this is what I needed when I was a kid... this is what I need now' ... and my mind shifted to my recovery friends. I have that now. The sobs of sadness morphed into sobs of joy. I was able to create that. It is possible for you. You can be seen, you can create what you want. It just takes pain, time, reflection... and most importantly, trust. It is possible... I see you, and thank you for your bravery in opening up.

Bishini

Whewww I sobbed at the dog part. That always gets me.

Levi Hooper

Still haven't heard my name. What is this heresy ;p also phenomenal episode. Kudos to Anthony who I could tell put lots of effort into this and got to see his writing in its fullest without the dads messing it up.

LiliLemon

Terry says he didn't hear Ron but in the original episode he responded.

Leon the Lucid

I shed a tear for Ron and I don't want Ron to die. <3

Xwelldo

It's the 80s!!!

Xwelldo

Idk what this says about my character, but this is my favorite moment of the series. And speaking of which, Blade Runner!!

Vandalcast

Probably the best episode. Probably not going to listen to it ever again.

Imogen B

I’ve been binging episodes for the last few hours and my face hurt from smiling up till this episode and now it’s just all of my emotions that hurt instead, so thanks!

captainR2

I just finished this episode and, at one point, was crying in the Wendy's drive thru. My heart...

Rasheed Mitchell

I’m listening now, and I keep tearing up. Fuck this is emotional.

Taylor Cole

This was so intense! Excellent job guys!

Emily

I don’t want Ron to die

Koral

I WILL DIE FOR LIL RON!!!

Jesse Meiring

I was crying at this episode. This story was very cathartic for me ri listen to and it made me feel seen. Thank you dads.

Sata Prescott

Wheee, time to listen to my funtime comedy podcast... (1 hour later...) And now my spouse and I are hugging each other while sniffling and crying. Affecting stuff, folks.

Sonicshadow32

WHY WAS THIS THE EPISODE I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO ON THE REWATCH WHEN I KNEW IT WOULD MAKE ME BAWL AGAIN

Nikki

Relistening this episode. I knew what this was about but even still could only get as far as the swimming pool one before needing a break. I’m already bawling. Still wouldn’t change this episode for anything.

Jake Siefers

To this day this is one of the most devastating things I've ever experienced and I do not know if I feel tremendous hate or love for this episode but it was executed amazingly well.

Rachel MacArthur

Gratified to know I wasn't the only person to bawl like a baby during this episode. I think that the thing that affected me more than anything was Anthony's reaction to that one particular part of the story... damn empathy!

Hannah Rocha

Currently crying in a Fazoli’s

Cryptid Winkler

Listening to this fucked me up so hard. some of these scenes are almost EXACT memories of mine. (I'm not getting any deeper than that because idk the guidelines of Patreon also its too personal for public platforms) This episode made me realize a lot of things so I'm finally getting ready to move out to get away from my irl Willy. Thank you, dads.

Lilyannifer

I teach middle school and most of my students would absolutely accidentally set a towel on fire trying to make pasta.

Sil

The way they’ve developed and got us so emotionally involved…

Nathalie Axelsson

Gets me every time. This one and "Mommy issues" gets the waterwork going.

Michael Valdivia

As someone who grow up in the hood and seen shit the dog part always gets me. Like why do we humans have such an emotional connection with animals it's crazy

PlanetaryMars

Relisting to the entire season again and this episode and mommy issues murder my feels everytime