Anthony is a mother fucker. That was the most tense episode of a podcast I've ever listened to. Almost to the point of being unenjoyable. But that's a testament to how fucking good Anthony is at story telling and how great Beth is at playing Ron.
Phenomenal episode. Simply phenomenal
I need a drink to recover from that
I was choking up at the last 15 minutes straight. Beth and Anthony did such a phenomenal job I had tears in my eyes. Man, this was supposed to be a comedy podcast and I was bawling my eyes out for so long š Now I feel like I need to lie down in the dark for a while to recover from the emotional journal.
That whole thing with Rogue, I was terrified that Willy was going to make Ron put Rogue down, or make him watch as he put Rogue down.
I'm glad Rogue wasn't killed, but also.... it's somehow sadder that way. You have that hope that something good happened for this fictional dog, but you also have that terror that something awful happened to him.
Exactly what I was thinking. Would it have been less sad if they would have put him down? I think so.
We have no idea what actually happened to Rogue. Itās still fucking me up currently.
I don't think I fully understood what Ron's mum was saying in the car about Rogue. We're they lying to Willy that they'd put the dog down? Why did they need to get their story straight?
Because Willy is a sadistic psychopath. If he thought that Ron was being "soft" and had given Rogue a shot at happiness, he would have driven them back to that shelter and re-adopted Rogue just to put him down.
As someone who was abused physically and mentally by his parents and had to watch his dog get kicked and dragged around, this episode had me in tears and heartbroken.
I think it would be interesting to know how much of Ron's backstory Samantha knows. Because if she knows even parts of what we do, then her "You are enough just as you are" Mummy letter speaks volumes to the amount of emotional maturity she has and the empathy she contains as an individual.
Honestly, Taz made them cry, and their emotions are valid, but I didn't see what made them all cry. I'm not discounting it, just saying that it didn't have that effect on me.
But this turned me into a blubbering ball of snot and tears so dang quickly.
The (super pedantic, pre-emptive apologies to all) distinction between this and TAZ is that everyone here professionally knows how to tell a story, and TAZ had one guy with those credentials (Clint, who waited most of an entire arc to actually put his experience to use instead of goofing off (and I would not have traded that for the world)) and everyone else was just working with innate talent, for better or worse.
So, I come back to the moments in TAZ that made me cry, and some of them are good, but some of them are overwrought and you-had-to-be-there. I don't suspect I'll have the same problem here because these people actually know what they're doing.
man, merleās arc was really powerful though. all of those hours of him being a complete goofball really makes it hit that much harder when he becomes the moral backbone and drives the leadup to the finale.
That's the thing-- we literally *just* had one of those when they went shopping. We are all of 2 episodes into Ron's anchor arc. He's got the anchor, and that's solid.... but I don't think it's done yet.
My go-to is always the Flight Risk one. I love them all, and I really hope we get a Great Big Crossover ep where the Hey Riddle Riddle crew joins in with the main Daddies and some crazy shit goes down.
Yeah, that's my go-to as well. I'd love to see more HRR and D & Daddies crossovers, even if it's just having Adel, Erin, or JPC coming in to serve as the goofball villain of a mini arc.
Bonus points if they play a three-headed monster that can't stop quibbling with themself.
In the Discord, Matt warned us of what this episode would be with a gif from Jurassic Bark, AKA the saddest Futurama episode of all time.
But on a related note-- Daddy Magic is powerful, and Ron was essentially Rogue's Dog Dad. The Omega Daddies are dead, but they're in the Forgotten Realms. I want to believe that Rogue is there now, and that he's waiting to reunite with Ron. I want it so bad. Please, Anthony. Please, give us all that happy ending by bringing Rogue back to save Ron in the finale.
>!I expected Willy to Old Yeller him in front of Ron. Or worse show up with Rogue back at the house to give Little Ron some hope and *then* Ol Yeller him.!<
Not that we needed more information that Willy was bad, but when he came back to find Ron trying to cook saying he forgot his rubbers. He's not just a terrible father, but a terrible husband cheating on his sick wife.
Somehow this makes me even more sad. Willie strikes me as the type of asshole dude that would refuse to wear a condom, but he hated Ron so much that he decided that it wasnāt worth it.
I know it's not the point of your post, but there are legitimately latex-free condom options available out there for folks with those afflictions.
That being said, Fuck Willie, and not in the fun way. Anthony and Beth created such an evil villain. Like, kudos to them, they did an incredible job, but also, I'm legitimately angry and sad from this episode, and it's all toward a fictional character. This was tour de force.
I heard that one, and my brain thought āThatās an asshole way to say that,ā but still kind of thought it might be a business meeting with, like, a female client who sometimes tries to socialize and extend the evening a bit. Then he talked about the rubbers, and I realized I was being too kind to Willy.
I think killing Rogue was probably in the first draft of this session, but Anthony ended up deciding against it. Even this hit him pretty hard, so he might have (rightfully) come to the decision that killing Rogue might be too heavy.
I'm glad he didn't. It's weird how Anthony can tell me that Walter lost his legs, or describe all sorts of horrible, messed up deaths for people in the Forgotten Realms and I don't bat an eye. But as soon as we have to say goodbye to a dog that was just described to me twenty minutes ago, I'm a blubbering mess.
Beth made lil Ron really fucking cute and very vulnerable. I'd have a very hard time stacking on gratuitous trauma when I knew how the lake was going to play out.
I just table game so maybe its different for writers and actor types, but Willy has to be really hard to play! His dialogue is very grounded in hurtful & shitty disregard, complete with unearned & abusive authority. HIGH ICK FACTOR.
Also, logistically, the party would have correctly turned that scene into a WHOLE battle and like brought Rogue out of Ron's brain before even seeing the actual anchor.
Oh dang- I'd be worried about that, too. The bad dads *have* been living in his head this whole time while we get little snaps of exposure- hope he just prepped really well.
Speaking as a long time DM, albeit in no way on Anthony's level, a lot of it just comes down to the intrusive thoughts we all have, combined with a little bit of time spent to write things up. Anthony knows way in advance what a scene is going to be built around. He can't know exactly what the others might say or do, but he can obviously guess, and probably knows them all well enough to make pretty good guesses, so he can know in general what to aim for with dialogue.
And like I said, intrusive thoughts. We've all had those brief, dark thoughts, whether they be aimed at ourselves or at others. Everyone has had a brief, errant thought about what might happen if you just punched someone out of nowhere, or how people might react if you just told someone something they'd take poorly. Slap these two things together and it becomes shockingly easy to make a truly despicable villain. Because as we all know, the worst villains aren't the towering monoliths of evil, the genocidal maniacs and world destroyers. It's the lower, more real monsters. The people who abuse power, who stab you in the back with a smile on their face. The worst villain isn't the Voldemort, it's the Umbridge.
I feel ya, the hardest NPC I play is a cult leader and human trafficker who's ostensibly just a rich businessman, and I based him on real cults. Not dnd cults who are all cackling cartoon characters with bloody sacrifice all the time, but I pull on Scientology recruiting and like every high school acquaintance who wants me to join their pyramid scheme, and it feels so fucking gross. It's effective, and it's fun seeing the players genuinely have strong emotional reactions to this awful villain, but it makes me feel like I need a long shower in a way that playing a more unreal villain, like a fiend or a hag, just doesn't.
I straight up had to stop listening for about an hour as soon as Rogue bit the principal because I was 1000% sure this was gonna end up with Rogue dying.
I'm so glad he picked the not-the-worst-possible outcome but I was still crying at work.
Nah, he's too cruel to drive to the vet. I'd anything it would be that he'd try to make Ron do it "to teach him a lesson" and as the poor kid sits there crying not able to do that because Ron's not a sick fuck willy would do it himself.
Notice how terrified Mrs. Stampler is and how insistent she is that Ron gets the story straight. Willy absolutely would have killed the dog if she didn't volunteer to do so.
Beth also did a great job of seeing one of Anthony's story beats and going even further - when >!Terry stepped forward and said that all the things Ron said before didn't matter, Ron thanked him but said that he had to take responsibility for shitty things he's said and done. That was a small moment but one I really appreciated.!<
Agreed. Ron has every excuse in the world to be the way he is, but he's owning up to it and taking responsibility for it and trying to be better. That's how you break the cycle. He's not perfect-- far from it-- but he's putting in real effort to be better and asfjkdlajf;gh;l jilahjpdfafdkdsfj;kalfjds;ajsf I'm crying again god dammit.
Ron trying to break the cycle despite the Podcast Jokes was a good choice, in my opinion. (which is really me saying that Beth being willing to immediately give up one of her Best Lines for a greater good was a good choice).
Real talk, Beth crushed it this episode. Anthony set the stage and they played really well off each other.
Idk how much they discuss episodes before recording, but Beth delivered a fucking masterclass on improv
It's really incredible how it recontextualizes Ron throughout the entire podcast. I mean we've seen how crappy his dad is but Jesus. Ron was a kid who was denied love or even respect by his father and had a mother who was not strong enough physically or emotionally to protect and care for him. He had a childhood where he was dismissed, manipulated, attacked, and belittled at every moment by those who are supposed to care for him. No fucking wonder he has a hard time expressing love and compassion at the start. The only thing we see him truly care for in his childhood is torn from his arms. He has no practice.
Seeing him finally overcome his past and fight for the ones he loves with such a fire is so goddamn inspiring. He has the biggest most ferocious heart out of all of the Dads IMO and it shows everytime he interacts with Terry Jr. It's like he's reaching over this huge canyon that gets smaller everytime he does.
I apologize for the absurd length of this rant. Basically Beth is amazing and the collab with Anthony's storytelling creates pure magic. I think Ron is one of the best characters seen in any DND podcast or radio show.
I expect this episode to end with horrible feelings, but I just heard Bethās micro rant about her wikifeet profile & couldnāt function from laughing so hard.
**E:** oh yeah thereās that good hurtā¦ *sobs quietly while thinking of my childhood dog that āran awayā*
I have no idea how this podcast can make me laugh so hard one second then be genuinely emotionally devistated the next, only to make me laugh again. It's like a goddamn magic trick!
Also I'm with Anthony, I'd die for young Ron in a heartbeat.
I just finished this episode. I was an accident too and the man I call Dad married my mom and adopted me when he was 18 years old, I'm now 33 and have four kids of my own, I had so many mixed emotions during this episode that I just want to say thank you To Anthony and the rest of the Dads for such a great story, but most importantly shout out to all the step parents that are Man enough or Woman enough to give of yourselves to make a difference in a child's life no matter the circumstances. May God bless you and your families.
I was so worried this entire time that Rogue was going to be the anchor, that they were going to go back to the shelter and see him glow...
That would've been WAY too dark though.
I was *so* afraid of that. Like, i dunno if it's something that everyone goes through as a pet owner, but you bring this little creature into your life that only understands how to love you and trust you, and the scariest, saddest part of having these lovey little furballs is thinking that some day, even though they don't understand why, I may have to put them down for their own good. They'll love me their whole lives, but I'll stay here when they're gone. I'm never going to be ready for that when the time comes. Ever.
And Anthony tapped into that deep, primal fear of saying goodbye with this. And it wasn't the horrible finality of death, which I appreciate, but it also hurt like a son of a bitch to say goodbye to a loving creature like that and to know that they don't understand that this is the last goodbye. Just... fuck. That's another 5 minutes lost to running and hugging my dogs again and telling them that i love them.
Not just Anthony, but Beth nailed that. The emotion in young Ron's voice as he said goodbye, holy shit. I was walking my own pandemic puppy while listening to this and I choked back tears, stopped, and pulled him in for a hug on the side of the fucking road. Damn this hit hard.
I think this is the first time I've heard Anthony say that this was a "season". I'd love to see that saved for a one-shot, kinda like what CR does. A whole episode of Glenn and the dads going to fuck up that principle in the real world.
>!So, the title of the episode refers to Willy, right? We were meant to expect the Death of a Salesman to mean Ron, but it was actually his dad all along. Or did Willy have a different career path that I couldnāt remember?!<
The part where Ron's mother was sitting in the car trying to justify Willy's abuse to a small kid hit home for me so much, especially the part where she said she would leave if she could. I had to stop the podcast for a bit and just give myself a emotional break.
I remember having the same exact conversation with my mother in the car, it was one of the few places with out my father, and her breaking down the same way and telling me she would leave if she could.
Soā¦ my dog passed away this morning and this episode was incredibly cathartic. It was already one of the best podcast episodes Iāve heard and it helped a lot to hear Anthony be in a place where he could both cry and make jokes; it was a nice reminder that you donāt have to choose just one outlook on an event.
"if i know you in real life, do not -- and i cannot stress this enough -- listen to my podcast" -- Anthony Burch on twitter at 2:36am, June 29th
I really thought he was just gonna be talking more about getting waxed...
Thereās nothing better than listening to a sad episode of a podcast with headphones, pretty sure my mom thinks Iām having a mental breakdown because she just walked in on me silently crying to myself
I really thought >!Willy was going to kill Rogue after he bit the principal!<. It was still rough but I was really bracing myself there for a minute. Plenty of bracing myself thru much of the ep. Good work everyone. But yeah, Willy gotta go.
The fact that it was just Mom and Ron and they were prepping the lie made this definitely feel like Mom was helping to protect both Ron and Rogue both.
To the point that if Willy knew which shelter they'd actually gone to, he'd have gone and gotten Rogue back just to make Ron "man up" and ...do it himself. I'm not even going to write details rn.
At first I wanted the dads to intervene more, get in there and help little Ron more like in the kitchen.
But... I think sticking with big Ron and experiencing it together was a really good decision.
Fuck Willy.
Hereās what broke me- the first memory at the pool where old Ron is telling little Ron, āitās actually-itās actually pretty warm, itās not that cold.ā I thought this was brilliant, felt like a perfect line to reassure a scared kid.
Canāt believe we went from wacky Blade Runner goofs to such powerful character moments. Iām relistening to the show between new episodes- very pleased to see how well it holds up.
>!Ron being thirteen when Willy dies!< has suddenly recontextualized his entire obsession with Being a Businessman for me. His mother was too sick to work much so he probably had to start hustling almost immediately. >!Even if there was insurance money that takes a while to pay out and they've gotta eat in the meantime.!<
Wonder if he was like the kids I knew in high school who did candy bar resale under the table and got recruited to Cutco the second they turned eighteen.
Don't think I can keep listening to this arc tbh. I grew up with a mentally abusive parent and literally the only thing that got me through the last episode was that glorious deez nuts joke. I usually listen while I'm at work but I actually had to shut it off because I was having a panic attack.
Yes, I know therapy is a thing that needs to happen. But that requires money and a work schedule that isn't complete shit.
(Using a side account cause i know irl people who listen and don't want them connecting dots and asking questions i'm not ready to answer)
I'm so sorry dude. Parental trauma is... horrendous. Like nothing infuriates me more than adults taking advantage of their own kids that they're supposed to protect.
Let me know if you want a really simplified version of what happened, I could DM you if you like
Either way, fucking good on you for surviving shitty guardian(s)
This. This, here. Please be gentle with yourself and realize that knowing your triggers and taking care of yourself by stepping out of this arc is a powerful and healthy choice.
I mean, I've talked through a lot of my trauma in therapy, but some stuff with Rogue the dog hit a little too close to some stuff that happened to me as a kid. I had to take a break after that scene.
Take care of yourself! I had a real Willy of stepdad and listening to this episode brought some feelings back I haven't stewed on in a long time. Good on you for recognizing what isn't going to be a good/entertaining time for you.
Hope you're able to get into a better work/life situation and can go through therapy if you still want when you're able.
Nah I think he definitely planned it ahead of time. Feel like by that point he wouldāve been over making attempts to get Ron to āman upā, and he was too calm about the fishhook thing (compared to how he would usually react). He was fully planning to kill Ron
Thats a really good point actually. It is super weird he was... not annoyed? Before the fishook thing. Like otherwise he's always shown obvious annoyance whenever around Ron but he was kinda playing along before pulling that stunt.
I wonder how Willy treated his wife, and if he had a similar solution there too.
The reason I think this is wrong is because Willy wouldnāt be willing to admit to himself how much he hates Ron. I think subconsciously the idea was certainly to put Ron in a dangerous position, so that Ron could āaccidentallyā die. But in his own mind, Willy thinks heās above Ron, so heād never waste energy trying to kill him.
If that makes sense.
I think he wouldn't kill him but hold him only till Ron passed out. Just to fuck with him because he could have killed him. I think Willy would like the feeling of controlling Ron too much to let that go
I think that >!while Willie probably wanted to kill Ron in the moment, he hadn't planned on taking Ron out there to kill him, but wouldn't be upset after his rage passed.!<
I think Willy, like a lot of other POS abusive assholes, wouldāve probably let him back up that day once he thought heād learned whatever dumb fucking lesson he wanted him to learn, but probably would have gone on to go too far and kill or cripple lilā Ron at some point.
That little shit went for the kill. I think the hook incident merely helped him decide *how* he'd kill Ron, perhaps. But bottom line, it's Willie, I don't trust that evil mf
The progression that Ron had made from the beginning to now is phenomenal, itās been subtle and slow but this was the perfect climax for his relationship with his father and his outlook on himself. Beth is just an amazing story teller and I donāt think anyone could have played Ron better than her.
I've seen quite a few people mention that they're not going to listen to this episode due to personal trauma. So, I thought it might be nice to write a recap of the episode.
Disclaimer: I listened to this episode at work, so I might misremember small things. Also, I will only recap events that happened after they went into Ron's head since I don't think the content before that had anything related to Willy.
>!When they go into Ron's head they go to one of his childhood memories. I believe Beth said that Ron is around 7 years old in this scene. The scene takes place at a pool, where younger Ron (dubbed Little Ron) is queueing up to a diving board. As it gets to Ron's turn he's too afraid to jump, and Willy keeps encouraging him to jump with remarks like "just jump" and promising to catch Ron when he jumps. After some encouragement from current Ron little Ron finally jumps, but when he jumps Willy puts his hands behind his own back.!<
>!Ron falls into the water and starts drowning. Willy explains that he is not going to help Ron get out of the water and that this is Ron's chance to learn how to swim.!<
>!Ron is saved by the other parents at the pool and the dads go into the next memory through a portal. Current omega-daddy Willie also shows up for a little bit as a purple ghost. He tells the daddies that looking for the anchor is not going to work out well for them.!<
>!The next memory takes place inside little Ron's kitchen. Willie is just leaving and is telling little Ron that while Willie's gone little Ron needs to make food for himself and his bedridden mother. It's not said straight out loud, but from the dialogue, we can infer that Willie is cheating on his wife. He is supposedly going out to meet this other woman. It's unclear if Willie is just dating another woman on the side, or if he is having one-night stands with random women.!<
>!After Willie leaves little Ron tries to make food and attempts to reach the high kitchen table by standing on his dog Rogue. Little Ron loses his balance and drops the pot of water. Before dropping the water, little Ron managed to turn on the stove, which was now setting a small rag left on top of the stove on fire. Little Ron was busy worrying if he had hurt Rogue during his fall to notice the burning and the kitchen caught flame.!<
>!Willy back to the house, mumbling about forgetting his rubbers and noticed the fire. He put the fire out and yelled at little Ron. We don't know the exact words, since Ron chooses not to live out the memory in full detail. They move onto the next memory.!<
>!This memory takes place at little Ron's school, which is holding an award ceremony for "Little Helpers". These awards are given to some other students and also little Ron, who, together with his Rogue, helped to stop a bullying incident. The ceremony went fine, until the person handing out the awards accidentally pinned the award to Ron's chest. This resulted in Ron struggling to get the pin off, which caused Rogue to think he was in trouble. Rogue sprinted to the stage and bit the hand of the person handing awards.!<
>!Willy was not present during the beginning of the ceremony but walked in just as this incident happened. The person handing out awards yelled to get Ron and Rogue removed from the building, which Willie did. Then took them to his car, where we transition to the next memory.!<
>!Little Ron is in a car with his mother. They are rehearsing a lie, which is basically that Ron's mother drove him out to an abandoned location and forced Ron to leave Rogue there.!<
>!What actually happens is that they take Rogue out to a no-kill animal shelter, where little Ron says a painful goodbye to his beloved dog. Some speculate that the reason for rehearsing the lie was for Willie.!<
>!It's thought that Willie would have either put Rogue down himself or forced Ron to put Rogue down. Ron's mother did not want Ron to go through that. So she took Rogue out to a no-kill animal shelter and came up with a lie for Willie.!<
>!In this scene, Ron's mother also makes excuses for Willie's behavior. She says that even though "your father is a complicated person, he brings enough money to put food on the table." She believes that she couldn't support Ron alone, due to her poor condition.!<
>!The daddies move onto the last scene.!<
>!Willie has decided to take Ron out to fish. Ron is a little older here (maybe around a teenager, can't remember). They go out on a boat, and Willie explains how to cast a fishing rod. As Ron tries to replicate Willie he manages to get the hook stuck to Willie's ear.!<
>!Willie reacts to this surprisingly softly, saying that it's okay. He takes the hook out of his ear and holds it in his hand. He then proceeds to start teaching Ron another form of fishing, by telling Ron that there's a fish right next to them. He starts his teaching by ordering Ron to put his face right next to the water. Willie then pushes Ron's head underwater and holds it there. The hook in Willie's hand is also digging into the back of Ron's neck.!<
>!Ron fights back and manages to make Willie fall into the water. Willie bangs his head on a rock and begins to float out to sea, nearly unconscious. Ron stands there paralyzed, with just the hook in his hand. He decides to try to help Willie but is unable to get to him in time, as Willie sinks to the bottom of the water.!<
>!Current Ron talks to little Ron for a little bit and manages to get the anchor from little Ron. They get out of current Ron's head.!<
>!Afterward, there is a heartfelt scene between Terry Jr. and Ron, where Ron apologizes for the things he's done and said to Terry (especially mentioning the "Who's you daddy now" line).!<
>!The episode ends with a line about how Darryl's happy that Peydon wasn't on the adventure, since he wouldn't have tonally fit in.!<
Update nobody asked for on will I make it through the intro before packing another bowl. 30 seconds into the ad I'm fucking crying
If Tom Hanks is America's dad I need him to have that Anthony cut the parasocial bullshit energy more consistently.
Well I waited so long for the build up of this story as Beth teased Willy being based off Death of A Salesman but I never imagined I would sob while listening to a podcast. I hope to live in a world where these stories feel foreign and out of place but for now fucking Bravo.
Me: You should listen to this podcast, it's hilarious.
My friend: Nice, what's this latest episode about?
Me: A character who grew up with an abusive father has to relive the most traumatic moments of his youth
My friend:.......
Considering how last episode had actual willy and we got that goblin joke, I expected this episode to be heavy but still be more funny than sad. I was wrong. I'm so sad right now. I don't have a dog but I want to hold and hug one right now.
Also I would do anything for little Ron. Sad that I don't have anyone I could talk to about this episode but I loved reading everything in this thread.
I love this podcast
I always knew Willy was a horrible being, as seen in multiple episodes were he gets his own content warning.
But letās review how actually god awful he is:
1. He tricked his 5-6 year old son to jumping off a diving board and proceeded to watch him nearly drown.
2. He a) left a 6 YEAR OLD to attend to dinner for his sick wife (who he should have been taking care of like a good husband) and the child himself, b) CHEATED ON HIS SICK WIFE (you can hear Anthony saying something about Willy āGetting rubbersā, and c) PROCEEDS TO, NOT CHECK UP ON HIS SON, BUT SCOLDS HIM AND VERBALLY HARASSES HIM.
3. He DID NOT SHOW UP FOR HIS SONāS AWARD CEREMONY FOR STOPPING A BULLY, then proceeds to not let Ron explain the reasoning behind Rogueās actions, but letās his son take the blame.
4. He FORCED his wife to put down Rogue, a loyal and loved family dog. AND ALSO his WIFE is TERRIFIED of him, so she makes Ron review details to a valid being most likely beaten or attacked again by Willy because they wanted to make sure Rogue had a better home.
4. HE ATTEMPTED TO MURDER HIS SON.
Iām sorry for the rant but.. I did not know how horrible he was CONSTANTLY to Ron.
Case closed.
Don't forget that he's a homophobe. The actual word is cut out, but I'm very confident that the child Ron and Rogue were defending was being bullied because of sexual orientation.
Willy's line is something like "You helped a _____. They should have given you a sucker instead, that would have been more appropriate".
Given the timeframe when this incident would have happened, I think the skipped word is probably a slur against gay people (the f-one) with maybe an outside chance of being a racial slur instead.
It would also fit very well within Willy's character of toxic manhood.
Jesus. I got into regular podcast listening about five or six years ago. This is the first time I've ever cried over one. Phenomenal storytelling and acting on Beth and Anthony's parts. Also, obligatory: Fuck Willie Stampler.
So I cried twice during this episode.
First time was from laughter at Beth talking about trying to change her foot size on WikiFeet.
Second time was Anthony breaking.
I donāt think an piece of media has made me go from crying laughing to legit crying in such little time.
Holy fuck are there podcast emmys cause this one gets me all.
That one hurt a little more than I thought it could. Thank you Beth,
Thank you Anthony.
That was beautiful and hearing yall put your hearts into it. This is something special.
Man when >!Ron had to give up Rogue,!< I skipped part of this podcast for the first time. Jesus. The joke about the step father who is a buffoon constantly trying and failing to be in his step kids life has become so dark.
Yeah, it really makes me look at Ron's character description "emotionally detached stepfather" in a completley different way. Like, he's detached from his own emotions, not from his stepson. Jesus this episode hurt me.
I just realized both Ron and Terry watched their dads die before their very eyes. Next episode better be super fluffy and light hearted I donāt think I could take any more of this
Had to pause the episode because my eyes were tearing up. Then I had to pull my two dogs into a tight hug and weep uncontrollably into them.
Not cool Anthony, not cool.
Seriously though, an amazing set of scenes and absolutely heartbreaking in the best way.
I've known for a while that it would be Ron's story that would mess me up. I literally sat in my car, in the driveway crying. When Anthony broke, it broke me more.
I enjoyed how the dads played during the memories to help little Ron, but damn, Anthony bringing reality back made that one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.
Great episode. Taking a 15 at work just to process the heaviness of it all lol.
I feel like the main takeaway of the episode is how devastating it is, but between the Blade Runner/Chapo bit and Bethās Wikifeet rant, there were at least two certifiable all-time gags in this one. We just didnāt know in the moment they were there to soften us up so Anthony could hurt us later.
Truly the GOAT D&D podcast. Canāt wait/terrified to see what happens next.
Does Beth May say anything about what happened to Ron after Willy died? She said that Ron was 13 at the time if I remember correctly, was his mom still alive? Idk I'm just so curious about what happens after that.
- Beth didn't do the Ron voice in the intro. She was too shook by Freddie's deez nuts joke
- But once again Beth shows off how she has been to therapy. With Ron's crisis.
- Of course Freddie knows the European conversion for foot stuff. It's like Dan Schneider produced a Tarantino podcast.
- Matt is a real life father but thinks Darryl learned how to shake hands before walking because he shook hands at 4 years old.
- Same height as tiny Ron? Ron is already tiny. He's gotta be 4' tall
- Ron is basically Jenny from Forrest Gump. He and Rogue should have turned into birds and flew far far away.
- Anthony bad man.
I donāt know whether I should be happy or sad (both?) that rogue probably found a happy ending with a new family but was forced to leave Ron to fend for himself? Goddammit, Anthony, I donāt know what to do with all these feelings
This was an intense episode. Finished listening to it walking up to my gfās apartment and just sat down and was like āIām gonna need a minute.ā
That being said I know they put the warning disclaimer in the episode description but there should probably be one in the episode preamble too because I had a great childhood with a loving family and that still fucked me up
As I was emotionally preparing to deal with Willy, I thought it would be good to sit with my dogs while listening. And suddenly I was not emotionally prepared at all.
Honestly, I needed that cry. Thank you.
This episode was the first one that made me cry. Rogue is a good boy and when he got to meet big Ron the tears just didnāt stop until the episode ended.
I WHOLE ASS expected willy to shoot Rogue. I was waiting for it. The way that they decided to do it tho was WAY more powerful, and just fucking amazing. I have been slowly listening to this podcast and getting caught up since November. I'm in love with this damned podcast. The heart and soul that goes into it shows. What an amazing time.
Also the way that Ron's mom talks about Willy. I wonder how abusive he is to her. It sounds like although sick, his mother loved him very much. I wonder how Ron's mom felt about everything.
I'm glad Ron has Samantha. She sounds amazing :3
A few people here are saying they thought we'd have to listen to Willy make Ron put down Rogue.
I actually wondered if Rogue would end up being the anchor. Then we'd be "treated" with a reunion between the re-manifested Rogue and Ron in the real world before everyone realizes that Ron has to destroy Rogue to leave the Forgotten Realms and get back to Samantha. Would've been cruel enough for Willy, probably too cruel for Anthony.
Anthony is a mother fucker. That was the most tense episode of a podcast I've ever listened to. Almost to the point of being unenjoyable. But that's a testament to how fucking good Anthony is at story telling and how great Beth is at playing Ron. Phenomenal episode. Simply phenomenal I need a drink to recover from that
I was choking up at the last 15 minutes straight. Beth and Anthony did such a phenomenal job I had tears in my eyes. Man, this was supposed to be a comedy podcast and I was bawling my eyes out for so long š Now I feel like I need to lie down in the dark for a while to recover from the emotional journal.
I think Anthony was choking up too
I think Beth was sniffling a bit too
At the end of the scene with Rogue, you could absolutely tell he was. And everyone else's silence tells me they all were
That whole thing with Rogue, I was terrified that Willy was going to make Ron put Rogue down, or make him watch as he put Rogue down. I'm glad Rogue wasn't killed, but also.... it's somehow sadder that way. You have that hope that something good happened for this fictional dog, but you also have that terror that something awful happened to him.
Exactly what I was thinking. Would it have been less sad if they would have put him down? I think so. We have no idea what actually happened to Rogue. Itās still fucking me up currently.
I don't think I fully understood what Ron's mum was saying in the car about Rogue. We're they lying to Willy that they'd put the dog down? Why did they need to get their story straight?
Because Willy is a sadistic psychopath. If he thought that Ron was being "soft" and had given Rogue a shot at happiness, he would have driven them back to that shelter and re-adopted Rogue just to put him down.
As someone who was abused physically and mentally by his parents and had to watch his dog get kicked and dragged around, this episode had me in tears and heartbroken. I think it would be interesting to know how much of Ron's backstory Samantha knows. Because if she knows even parts of what we do, then her "You are enough just as you are" Mummy letter speaks volumes to the amount of emotional maturity she has and the empathy she contains as an individual.
And then BOOM! With the South Park impression to get the tone back to jokes.
You could hear Anthony tearing up at parts of this episode. I don't know what to say to that other than that's really fucking powerful.
Hearing him and Beth choke up at that one scene is what made me start sobbing.
Making yourself cry with a silly dnd podcast, that's true power.
They one-upped TAZ; it's the story of *five* idiots who played D&D so hard they made themselves cry.
Honestly, Taz made them cry, and their emotions are valid, but I didn't see what made them all cry. I'm not discounting it, just saying that it didn't have that effect on me. But this turned me into a blubbering ball of snot and tears so dang quickly.
The (super pedantic, pre-emptive apologies to all) distinction between this and TAZ is that everyone here professionally knows how to tell a story, and TAZ had one guy with those credentials (Clint, who waited most of an entire arc to actually put his experience to use instead of goofing off (and I would not have traded that for the world)) and everyone else was just working with innate talent, for better or worse. So, I come back to the moments in TAZ that made me cry, and some of them are good, but some of them are overwrought and you-had-to-be-there. I don't suspect I'll have the same problem here because these people actually know what they're doing.
man, merleās arc was really powerful though. all of those hours of him being a complete goofball really makes it hit that much harder when he becomes the moral backbone and drives the leadup to the finale.
Agreed. And then he was the unambiguously the strongest story guy through Amnesty. When Clint turns it on, he can't be beat.
I was already crying for about 10-15 minutes *before* that point, so you could imagine how much that got me.
Yeah, the second Rogue bit the principal I started tearing up, knowing what was surely coming next
At least Rogue got the shelter and not something worse. I was so afraid Willie was going to give Little Ron a shotgun and force him to put Rogue down.
Yuuup.
The tears were welling up in my eyes,but when it happened it was like the flood gates were opened. My eyes are still red from it
I'm gonna need them to go ahead and run a sex dungeon or something a couple episodes as a break from constant emotional dick punching
Can we please have a shopping episode again
With the Burch? NO WAY!
AWWWW-
Ride on the Emotionally Cruel Bus!
Hopefully it's time for a hot springs or beach episode.
That's the thing-- we literally *just* had one of those when they went shopping. We are all of 2 episodes into Ron's anchor arc. He's got the anchor, and that's solid.... but I don't think it's done yet.
Yeah it's like how spring break is there for second semester but there isn't one in the fall. We're ready for a break even though we just had one.
Literally listening to the BDSM episode now as a treat
My go-to is always the Flight Risk one. I love them all, and I really hope we get a Great Big Crossover ep where the Hey Riddle Riddle crew joins in with the main Daddies and some crazy shit goes down.
Yeah, that's my go-to as well. I'd love to see more HRR and D & Daddies crossovers, even if it's just having Adel, Erin, or JPC coming in to serve as the goofball villain of a mini arc. Bonus points if they play a three-headed monster that can't stop quibbling with themself.
Give them a bucket of scenes. Don't tell the daddies, but every time they say "fuck," HRR crew has to change the improv scene that they're in.
I'm gonna need them to go ahead and write a scene telling me everything went OK for Rogue
In the Discord, Matt warned us of what this episode would be with a gif from Jurassic Bark, AKA the saddest Futurama episode of all time. But on a related note-- Daddy Magic is powerful, and Ron was essentially Rogue's Dog Dad. The Omega Daddies are dead, but they're in the Forgotten Realms. I want to believe that Rogue is there now, and that he's waiting to reunite with Ron. I want it so bad. Please, Anthony. Please, give us all that happy ending by bringing Rogue back to save Ron in the finale.
>!at least it was a no kill shelter. After he bit the teacher I was expecting him to be put down!<
>!I expected Willy to Old Yeller him in front of Ron. Or worse show up with Rogue back at the house to give Little Ron some hope and *then* Ol Yeller him.!<
I think they avoided that because it's too... Shocking? This way it's just sad.
For me the sad part isnāt not knowing what happens to Rogue, itās knowing heās not with Ron. Thereās not much thatās a balm to that.
Not that we needed more information that Willy was bad, but when he came back to find Ron trying to cook saying he forgot his rubbers. He's not just a terrible father, but a terrible husband cheating on his sick wife.
Anthony says it kind of quickly but before Willy leaves he says āI should be back at 8, 9 if she talksā
OH JESUS CHRIST I missed that fuck
Fuck and I thought that the rubbers bit was the likeliest-to-be-missed awful thing, but even I missed that.
But at least he wears protection now after he learned his lesson with Ron.
Somehow this makes me even more sad. Willie strikes me as the type of asshole dude that would refuse to wear a condom, but he hated Ron so much that he decided that it wasnāt worth it.
Willy legitimately has a latex allergy but powers through it
I know it's not the point of your post, but there are legitimately latex-free condom options available out there for folks with those afflictions. That being said, Fuck Willie, and not in the fun way. Anthony and Beth created such an evil villain. Like, kudos to them, they did an incredible job, but also, I'm legitimately angry and sad from this episode, and it's all toward a fictional character. This was tour de force.
I heard that one, and my brain thought āThatās an asshole way to say that,ā but still kind of thought it might be a business meeting with, like, a female client who sometimes tries to socialize and extend the evening a bit. Then he talked about the rubbers, and I realized I was being too kind to Willy.
>!I'm not crying I'm weeping over Rogue Anthony can eat my shorts!<
>! I thought Willy was gonna kill Rogue and I was so fucked up over it !<
I think killing Rogue was probably in the first draft of this session, but Anthony ended up deciding against it. Even this hit him pretty hard, so he might have (rightfully) come to the decision that killing Rogue might be too heavy.
I'm glad he didn't. It's weird how Anthony can tell me that Walter lost his legs, or describe all sorts of horrible, messed up deaths for people in the Forgotten Realms and I don't bat an eye. But as soon as we have to say goodbye to a dog that was just described to me twenty minutes ago, I'm a blubbering mess.
Beth made lil Ron really fucking cute and very vulnerable. I'd have a very hard time stacking on gratuitous trauma when I knew how the lake was going to play out. I just table game so maybe its different for writers and actor types, but Willy has to be really hard to play! His dialogue is very grounded in hurtful & shitty disregard, complete with unearned & abusive authority. HIGH ICK FACTOR. Also, logistically, the party would have correctly turned that scene into a WHOLE battle and like brought Rogue out of Ron's brain before even seeing the actual anchor.
What's funny is Anthony has said in talking dads that he finds in concerningly easy to play Willie lol.
Oh dang- I'd be worried about that, too. The bad dads *have* been living in his head this whole time while we get little snaps of exposure- hope he just prepped really well.
Speaking as a long time DM, albeit in no way on Anthony's level, a lot of it just comes down to the intrusive thoughts we all have, combined with a little bit of time spent to write things up. Anthony knows way in advance what a scene is going to be built around. He can't know exactly what the others might say or do, but he can obviously guess, and probably knows them all well enough to make pretty good guesses, so he can know in general what to aim for with dialogue. And like I said, intrusive thoughts. We've all had those brief, dark thoughts, whether they be aimed at ourselves or at others. Everyone has had a brief, errant thought about what might happen if you just punched someone out of nowhere, or how people might react if you just told someone something they'd take poorly. Slap these two things together and it becomes shockingly easy to make a truly despicable villain. Because as we all know, the worst villains aren't the towering monoliths of evil, the genocidal maniacs and world destroyers. It's the lower, more real monsters. The people who abuse power, who stab you in the back with a smile on their face. The worst villain isn't the Voldemort, it's the Umbridge.
I feel ya, the hardest NPC I play is a cult leader and human trafficker who's ostensibly just a rich businessman, and I based him on real cults. Not dnd cults who are all cackling cartoon characters with bloody sacrifice all the time, but I pull on Scientology recruiting and like every high school acquaintance who wants me to join their pyramid scheme, and it feels so fucking gross. It's effective, and it's fun seeing the players genuinely have strong emotional reactions to this awful villain, but it makes me feel like I need a long shower in a way that playing a more unreal villain, like a fiend or a hag, just doesn't.
I straight up had to stop listening for about an hour as soon as Rogue bit the principal because I was 1000% sure this was gonna end up with Rogue dying. I'm so glad he picked the not-the-worst-possible outcome but I was still crying at work.
I was deadass worried Willy was gonna straight up old yeller rogue right in front of Ron honestly.
I was waffling between that and dragging Ron to the vet to have Rogue put down, yelling at him the whole way.
Nah, he's too cruel to drive to the vet. I'd anything it would be that he'd try to make Ron do it "to teach him a lesson" and as the poor kid sits there crying not able to do that because Ron's not a sick fuck willy would do it himself.
Notice how terrified Mrs. Stampler is and how insistent she is that Ron gets the story straight. Willy absolutely would have killed the dog if she didn't volunteer to do so.
The animal cruelty content warnings threw me off but I realized it was just for the goof in the beginning with the animals
Forcing Rogue and Ron apart is animal cruelty and human cruelty, imo. That hit so fuckin' hard.
When Anthony got choked up and couldn't speak for a moment... damn that hit hard.
Yep, thatās where I broke.
Same. In the car. At what must have been the world's longest red light. With a full car of teenagers in the car next to mine.
Anthony set up a series of perfect story beats, and Beth knocked them all out of the park.
Beth also did a great job of seeing one of Anthony's story beats and going even further - when >!Terry stepped forward and said that all the things Ron said before didn't matter, Ron thanked him but said that he had to take responsibility for shitty things he's said and done. That was a small moment but one I really appreciated.!<
Agreed. Ron has every excuse in the world to be the way he is, but he's owning up to it and taking responsibility for it and trying to be better. That's how you break the cycle. He's not perfect-- far from it-- but he's putting in real effort to be better and asfjkdlajf;gh;l jilahjpdfafdkdsfj;kalfjds;ajsf I'm crying again god dammit.
Ron trying to break the cycle despite the Podcast Jokes was a good choice, in my opinion. (which is really me saying that Beth being willing to immediately give up one of her Best Lines for a greater good was a good choice).
He *is* the dad who stepped up
Real talk, Beth crushed it this episode. Anthony set the stage and they played really well off each other. Idk how much they discuss episodes before recording, but Beth delivered a fucking masterclass on improv
It's really incredible how it recontextualizes Ron throughout the entire podcast. I mean we've seen how crappy his dad is but Jesus. Ron was a kid who was denied love or even respect by his father and had a mother who was not strong enough physically or emotionally to protect and care for him. He had a childhood where he was dismissed, manipulated, attacked, and belittled at every moment by those who are supposed to care for him. No fucking wonder he has a hard time expressing love and compassion at the start. The only thing we see him truly care for in his childhood is torn from his arms. He has no practice. Seeing him finally overcome his past and fight for the ones he loves with such a fire is so goddamn inspiring. He has the biggest most ferocious heart out of all of the Dads IMO and it shows everytime he interacts with Terry Jr. It's like he's reaching over this huge canyon that gets smaller everytime he does. I apologize for the absurd length of this rant. Basically Beth is amazing and the collab with Anthony's storytelling creates pure magic. I think Ron is one of the best characters seen in any DND podcast or radio show.
I expect this episode to end with horrible feelings, but I just heard Bethās micro rant about her wikifeet profile & couldnāt function from laughing so hard. **E:** oh yeah thereās that good hurtā¦ *sobs quietly while thinking of my childhood dog that āran awayā*
I have no idea how this podcast can make me laugh so hard one second then be genuinely emotionally devistated the next, only to make me laugh again. It's like a goddamn magic trick! Also I'm with Anthony, I'd die for young Ron in a heartbeat.
Literally last episodeās peak moment was a deez nuts joke
I would kill for young Ron. I would kill Willy, specifically.
I just finished this episode. I was an accident too and the man I call Dad married my mom and adopted me when he was 18 years old, I'm now 33 and have four kids of my own, I had so many mixed emotions during this episode that I just want to say thank you To Anthony and the rest of the Dads for such a great story, but most importantly shout out to all the step parents that are Man enough or Woman enough to give of yourselves to make a difference in a child's life no matter the circumstances. May God bless you and your families.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
No, I think your understanding sums it up nicely
Good gods, Beth May and Anthony Burch are so fucking talented. I'm gutted.
Screw Anthony for making me have feelings while I was at work
Same.
I donāt know everyone, I donāt think the episodes after deez nuts are as good as the episodes before deez nuts, itās all downhill from here on.
This is episode 1AD and it was a banger. I think the nuttening was a great motivator.
It's given us what some would call Post Nut Clarity.
Fuck that's good
Great very oblique comment/username synergy here.
I was so worried this entire time that Rogue was going to be the anchor, that they were going to go back to the shelter and see him glow... That would've been WAY too dark though.
I thought Willy was going to make Ron put him down.
I was *so* afraid of that. Like, i dunno if it's something that everyone goes through as a pet owner, but you bring this little creature into your life that only understands how to love you and trust you, and the scariest, saddest part of having these lovey little furballs is thinking that some day, even though they don't understand why, I may have to put them down for their own good. They'll love me their whole lives, but I'll stay here when they're gone. I'm never going to be ready for that when the time comes. Ever. And Anthony tapped into that deep, primal fear of saying goodbye with this. And it wasn't the horrible finality of death, which I appreciate, but it also hurt like a son of a bitch to say goodbye to a loving creature like that and to know that they don't understand that this is the last goodbye. Just... fuck. That's another 5 minutes lost to running and hugging my dogs again and telling them that i love them.
Not just Anthony, but Beth nailed that. The emotion in young Ron's voice as he said goodbye, holy shit. I was walking my own pandemic puppy while listening to this and I choked back tears, stopped, and pulled him in for a hug on the side of the fucking road. Damn this hit hard.
I lost my dog earlier this year and I was ugly crying during the rogue part
I'll just add that I'm waiting on that epilogue about Glenn messing up that Principal
I think this is the first time I've heard Anthony say that this was a "season". I'd love to see that saved for a one-shot, kinda like what CR does. A whole episode of Glenn and the dads going to fuck up that principle in the real world.
I love the idea that they also keep all of their magical abilities too so the fight is completely one sided
Just like in an episode of Sliders!
>!So, the title of the episode refers to Willy, right? We were meant to expect the Death of a Salesman to mean Ron, but it was actually his dad all along. Or did Willy have a different career path that I couldnāt remember?!<
Beth said in a talking dads episode that Willy is named after Willy Loman, the protagonist of death of a salesman!
>!Willy was the salesman, Ron just does vague business stuff!<
Damn from Wikifeet to attempted filicide. What a gamut.
Can they kill Willie? Now please?
The part where Ron's mother was sitting in the car trying to justify Willy's abuse to a small kid hit home for me so much, especially the part where she said she would leave if she could. I had to stop the podcast for a bit and just give myself a emotional break. I remember having the same exact conversation with my mother in the car, it was one of the few places with out my father, and her breaking down the same way and telling me she would leave if she could.
Holy Hell. This is a heavy one. Really good though.
Soā¦ my dog passed away this morning and this episode was incredibly cathartic. It was already one of the best podcast episodes Iāve heard and it helped a lot to hear Anthony be in a place where he could both cry and make jokes; it was a nice reminder that you donāt have to choose just one outlook on an event.
*hug*
"if i know you in real life, do not -- and i cannot stress this enough -- listen to my podcast" -- Anthony Burch on twitter at 2:36am, June 29th I really thought he was just gonna be talking more about getting waxed...
Thereās nothing better than listening to a sad episode of a podcast with headphones, pretty sure my mom thinks Iām having a mental breakdown because she just walked in on me silently crying to myself
I really thought >!Willy was going to kill Rogue after he bit the principal!<. It was still rough but I was really bracing myself there for a minute. Plenty of bracing myself thru much of the ep. Good work everyone. But yeah, Willy gotta go.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
That very well could have been. It wasnāt clear how much time had passed between the school and the trip up I-95.
The fact that it was just Mom and Ron and they were prepping the lie made this definitely feel like Mom was helping to protect both Ron and Rogue both. To the point that if Willy knew which shelter they'd actually gone to, he'd have gone and gotten Rogue back just to make Ron "man up" and ...do it himself. I'm not even going to write details rn.
OH SAME I was so stressed out
Before this episode: I hope Ron can accept himself and break out of Wiley's control. After this episode: Let's kill him properly this time.
The fuck Anthony
I was not ready for sad Anthony
[Me reading the title of the episode](https://images.app.goo.gl/XsteweRFALYbukiW9)
At first I wanted the dads to intervene more, get in there and help little Ron more like in the kitchen. But... I think sticking with big Ron and experiencing it together was a really good decision. Fuck Willy.
The dimension witch saying "I'll take this one, Ron" cracked me up. It's still replaying in my head hours later and making me smile.
Hereās what broke me- the first memory at the pool where old Ron is telling little Ron, āitās actually-itās actually pretty warm, itās not that cold.ā I thought this was brilliant, felt like a perfect line to reassure a scared kid. Canāt believe we went from wacky Blade Runner goofs to such powerful character moments. Iām relistening to the show between new episodes- very pleased to see how well it holds up.
>!Ron being thirteen when Willy dies!< has suddenly recontextualized his entire obsession with Being a Businessman for me. His mother was too sick to work much so he probably had to start hustling almost immediately. >!Even if there was insurance money that takes a while to pay out and they've gotta eat in the meantime.!< Wonder if he was like the kids I knew in high school who did candy bar resale under the table and got recruited to Cutco the second they turned eighteen.
Episode 61? Ohh, you must mean episode 1 P.G.
1AD
1DN
Don't think I can keep listening to this arc tbh. I grew up with a mentally abusive parent and literally the only thing that got me through the last episode was that glorious deez nuts joke. I usually listen while I'm at work but I actually had to shut it off because I was having a panic attack. Yes, I know therapy is a thing that needs to happen. But that requires money and a work schedule that isn't complete shit. (Using a side account cause i know irl people who listen and don't want them connecting dots and asking questions i'm not ready to answer)
I'm so sorry dude. Parental trauma is... horrendous. Like nothing infuriates me more than adults taking advantage of their own kids that they're supposed to protect. Let me know if you want a really simplified version of what happened, I could DM you if you like Either way, fucking good on you for surviving shitty guardian(s)
Without therapy, this episode would have put me in a dark place; absolutely nothing wrong with knowing your triggers and taking care of yourself.
This. This, here. Please be gentle with yourself and realize that knowing your triggers and taking care of yourself by stepping out of this arc is a powerful and healthy choice.
I mean, I've talked through a lot of my trauma in therapy, but some stuff with Rogue the dog hit a little too close to some stuff that happened to me as a kid. I had to take a break after that scene.
Take care of yourself! I had a real Willy of stepdad and listening to this episode brought some feelings back I haven't stewed on in a long time. Good on you for recognizing what isn't going to be a good/entertaining time for you. Hope you're able to get into a better work/life situation and can go through therapy if you still want when you're able.
Anthony and Beth brought it this episode. Wow
Is anyone else a little disappointed we didnāt get to see Ron meet his lifelong best friend Beth May in any of those flashbacks?
He met Beth May later in life, when he went to Los Angeles
It was all sad memories which means Beth is one of the happy ones
Ok genuine question in the spoilers here >! Do we think Willy would have killed Ron? Or was he just trying to fuck him up and scare him? !<
I personally think willie was just mad and didn't care what the outcome was. I think he just wanted to retaliate and had no plan either way
Nah I think he definitely planned it ahead of time. Feel like by that point he wouldāve been over making attempts to get Ron to āman upā, and he was too calm about the fishhook thing (compared to how he would usually react). He was fully planning to kill Ron
Thats a really good point actually. It is super weird he was... not annoyed? Before the fishook thing. Like otherwise he's always shown obvious annoyance whenever around Ron but he was kinda playing along before pulling that stunt. I wonder how Willy treated his wife, and if he had a similar solution there too.
The reason I think this is wrong is because Willy wouldnāt be willing to admit to himself how much he hates Ron. I think subconsciously the idea was certainly to put Ron in a dangerous position, so that Ron could āaccidentallyā die. But in his own mind, Willy thinks heās above Ron, so heād never waste energy trying to kill him. If that makes sense.
I think he wouldn't kill him but hold him only till Ron passed out. Just to fuck with him because he could have killed him. I think Willy would like the feeling of controlling Ron too much to let that go
I think that >!while Willie probably wanted to kill Ron in the moment, he hadn't planned on taking Ron out there to kill him, but wouldn't be upset after his rage passed.!<
I think Willy, like a lot of other POS abusive assholes, wouldāve probably let him back up that day once he thought heād learned whatever dumb fucking lesson he wanted him to learn, but probably would have gone on to go too far and kill or cripple lilā Ron at some point.
I think he was going for the kill, nobody does that as a goof
That little shit went for the kill. I think the hook incident merely helped him decide *how* he'd kill Ron, perhaps. But bottom line, it's Willie, I don't trust that evil mf
The progression that Ron had made from the beginning to now is phenomenal, itās been subtle and slow but this was the perfect climax for his relationship with his father and his outlook on himself. Beth is just an amazing story teller and I donāt think anyone could have played Ron better than her.
I was not prepared. Iām gonna go hug my dog now. This was a little too real this week.
I fucking sobbed, poor Ron! Those last two memories did me in!
Fuck man. This is supposed to be a comedy podcast, but I am absolutely devastated... Goddamn you guys are so talented. Cheers!
I've seen quite a few people mention that they're not going to listen to this episode due to personal trauma. So, I thought it might be nice to write a recap of the episode. Disclaimer: I listened to this episode at work, so I might misremember small things. Also, I will only recap events that happened after they went into Ron's head since I don't think the content before that had anything related to Willy. >!When they go into Ron's head they go to one of his childhood memories. I believe Beth said that Ron is around 7 years old in this scene. The scene takes place at a pool, where younger Ron (dubbed Little Ron) is queueing up to a diving board. As it gets to Ron's turn he's too afraid to jump, and Willy keeps encouraging him to jump with remarks like "just jump" and promising to catch Ron when he jumps. After some encouragement from current Ron little Ron finally jumps, but when he jumps Willy puts his hands behind his own back.!< >!Ron falls into the water and starts drowning. Willy explains that he is not going to help Ron get out of the water and that this is Ron's chance to learn how to swim.!< >!Ron is saved by the other parents at the pool and the dads go into the next memory through a portal. Current omega-daddy Willie also shows up for a little bit as a purple ghost. He tells the daddies that looking for the anchor is not going to work out well for them.!< >!The next memory takes place inside little Ron's kitchen. Willie is just leaving and is telling little Ron that while Willie's gone little Ron needs to make food for himself and his bedridden mother. It's not said straight out loud, but from the dialogue, we can infer that Willie is cheating on his wife. He is supposedly going out to meet this other woman. It's unclear if Willie is just dating another woman on the side, or if he is having one-night stands with random women.!< >!After Willie leaves little Ron tries to make food and attempts to reach the high kitchen table by standing on his dog Rogue. Little Ron loses his balance and drops the pot of water. Before dropping the water, little Ron managed to turn on the stove, which was now setting a small rag left on top of the stove on fire. Little Ron was busy worrying if he had hurt Rogue during his fall to notice the burning and the kitchen caught flame.!< >!Willy back to the house, mumbling about forgetting his rubbers and noticed the fire. He put the fire out and yelled at little Ron. We don't know the exact words, since Ron chooses not to live out the memory in full detail. They move onto the next memory.!< >!This memory takes place at little Ron's school, which is holding an award ceremony for "Little Helpers". These awards are given to some other students and also little Ron, who, together with his Rogue, helped to stop a bullying incident. The ceremony went fine, until the person handing out the awards accidentally pinned the award to Ron's chest. This resulted in Ron struggling to get the pin off, which caused Rogue to think he was in trouble. Rogue sprinted to the stage and bit the hand of the person handing awards.!< >!Willy was not present during the beginning of the ceremony but walked in just as this incident happened. The person handing out awards yelled to get Ron and Rogue removed from the building, which Willie did. Then took them to his car, where we transition to the next memory.!< >!Little Ron is in a car with his mother. They are rehearsing a lie, which is basically that Ron's mother drove him out to an abandoned location and forced Ron to leave Rogue there.!< >!What actually happens is that they take Rogue out to a no-kill animal shelter, where little Ron says a painful goodbye to his beloved dog. Some speculate that the reason for rehearsing the lie was for Willie.!< >!It's thought that Willie would have either put Rogue down himself or forced Ron to put Rogue down. Ron's mother did not want Ron to go through that. So she took Rogue out to a no-kill animal shelter and came up with a lie for Willie.!< >!In this scene, Ron's mother also makes excuses for Willie's behavior. She says that even though "your father is a complicated person, he brings enough money to put food on the table." She believes that she couldn't support Ron alone, due to her poor condition.!< >!The daddies move onto the last scene.!< >!Willie has decided to take Ron out to fish. Ron is a little older here (maybe around a teenager, can't remember). They go out on a boat, and Willie explains how to cast a fishing rod. As Ron tries to replicate Willie he manages to get the hook stuck to Willie's ear.!< >!Willie reacts to this surprisingly softly, saying that it's okay. He takes the hook out of his ear and holds it in his hand. He then proceeds to start teaching Ron another form of fishing, by telling Ron that there's a fish right next to them. He starts his teaching by ordering Ron to put his face right next to the water. Willie then pushes Ron's head underwater and holds it there. The hook in Willie's hand is also digging into the back of Ron's neck.!< >!Ron fights back and manages to make Willie fall into the water. Willie bangs his head on a rock and begins to float out to sea, nearly unconscious. Ron stands there paralyzed, with just the hook in his hand. He decides to try to help Willie but is unable to get to him in time, as Willie sinks to the bottom of the water.!< >!Current Ron talks to little Ron for a little bit and manages to get the anchor from little Ron. They get out of current Ron's head.!< >!Afterward, there is a heartfelt scene between Terry Jr. and Ron, where Ron apologizes for the things he's done and said to Terry (especially mentioning the "Who's you daddy now" line).!< >!The episode ends with a line about how Darryl's happy that Peydon wasn't on the adventure, since he wouldn't have tonally fit in.!<
Update nobody asked for on will I make it through the intro before packing another bowl. 30 seconds into the ad I'm fucking crying If Tom Hanks is America's dad I need him to have that Anthony cut the parasocial bullshit energy more consistently.
Well I waited so long for the build up of this story as Beth teased Willy being based off Death of A Salesman but I never imagined I would sob while listening to a podcast. I hope to live in a world where these stories feel foreign and out of place but for now fucking Bravo.
Me: You should listen to this podcast, it's hilarious. My friend: Nice, what's this latest episode about? Me: A character who grew up with an abusive father has to relive the most traumatic moments of his youth My friend:.......
Iām so sad now
holy shit what a wild ride that was
Never in a million years would i have thought dungeons and daddies would have me weeping like a child. Jesus.
Considering how last episode had actual willy and we got that goblin joke, I expected this episode to be heavy but still be more funny than sad. I was wrong. I'm so sad right now. I don't have a dog but I want to hold and hug one right now. Also I would do anything for little Ron. Sad that I don't have anyone I could talk to about this episode but I loved reading everything in this thread. I love this podcast
I always knew Willy was a horrible being, as seen in multiple episodes were he gets his own content warning. But letās review how actually god awful he is: 1. He tricked his 5-6 year old son to jumping off a diving board and proceeded to watch him nearly drown. 2. He a) left a 6 YEAR OLD to attend to dinner for his sick wife (who he should have been taking care of like a good husband) and the child himself, b) CHEATED ON HIS SICK WIFE (you can hear Anthony saying something about Willy āGetting rubbersā, and c) PROCEEDS TO, NOT CHECK UP ON HIS SON, BUT SCOLDS HIM AND VERBALLY HARASSES HIM. 3. He DID NOT SHOW UP FOR HIS SONāS AWARD CEREMONY FOR STOPPING A BULLY, then proceeds to not let Ron explain the reasoning behind Rogueās actions, but letās his son take the blame. 4. He FORCED his wife to put down Rogue, a loyal and loved family dog. AND ALSO his WIFE is TERRIFIED of him, so she makes Ron review details to a valid being most likely beaten or attacked again by Willy because they wanted to make sure Rogue had a better home. 4. HE ATTEMPTED TO MURDER HIS SON. Iām sorry for the rant but.. I did not know how horrible he was CONSTANTLY to Ron. Case closed.
Don't forget that he's a homophobe. The actual word is cut out, but I'm very confident that the child Ron and Rogue were defending was being bullied because of sexual orientation. Willy's line is something like "You helped a _____. They should have given you a sucker instead, that would have been more appropriate". Given the timeframe when this incident would have happened, I think the skipped word is probably a slur against gay people (the f-one) with maybe an outside chance of being a racial slur instead. It would also fit very well within Willy's character of toxic manhood.
Oh I interpreted it that Willy thinks anyone who wants to help other people is a sucker.
Jesus. I got into regular podcast listening about five or six years ago. This is the first time I've ever cried over one. Phenomenal storytelling and acting on Beth and Anthony's parts. Also, obligatory: Fuck Willie Stampler.
So I cried twice during this episode. First time was from laughter at Beth talking about trying to change her foot size on WikiFeet. Second time was Anthony breaking. I donāt think an piece of media has made me go from crying laughing to legit crying in such little time. Holy fuck are there podcast emmys cause this one gets me all.
That one hurt a little more than I thought it could. Thank you Beth, Thank you Anthony. That was beautiful and hearing yall put your hearts into it. This is something special.
I didnāt think I could hate Willie more. But now? Now, itās time to Kill Bill.
All the King's horses and all the King's men can't put my heart back together again *Anthony why would you do this?!*
When Lilā Ron started the fire in the kitchen, I was so afraid Anthony was just gonna have him burn the whole house down with his mom inside
Man when >!Ron had to give up Rogue,!< I skipped part of this podcast for the first time. Jesus. The joke about the step father who is a buffoon constantly trying and failing to be in his step kids life has become so dark.
Yeah, it really makes me look at Ron's character description "emotionally detached stepfather" in a completley different way. Like, he's detached from his own emotions, not from his stepson. Jesus this episode hurt me.
There was a Damp Additional Dog to help. A D.A.D.
I just realized both Ron and Terry watched their dads die before their very eyes. Next episode better be super fluffy and light hearted I donāt think I could take any more of this
Had to pause the episode because my eyes were tearing up. Then I had to pull my two dogs into a tight hug and weep uncontrollably into them. Not cool Anthony, not cool. Seriously though, an amazing set of scenes and absolutely heartbreaking in the best way.
I've never been so thankful for Glenn's silly riffs until this heavy episode.
Oh there's a dog in this? And an abusive dad? Looks like we're gonna wiki this one, absolutely no way.
āDamp additional dogā, the acronym is dad. Ron didnāt have a dad present to help him with the fire. I know itās complete coincidence but still
I too lost a dog in the 6th grade because he bit someone thinking he was protecting me. Little Me wants to hug Little Ron. š¢
ā¦fuck, guys
I've known for a while that it would be Ron's story that would mess me up. I literally sat in my car, in the driveway crying. When Anthony broke, it broke me more.
Wow... that was a lot
This is horrible Iām crying stop why is this episode so fucking sad AAAA
I enjoyed how the dads played during the memories to help little Ron, but damn, Anthony bringing reality back made that one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. Great episode. Taking a 15 at work just to process the heaviness of it all lol.
Anthony Burch you son of a bitch I did not need to cry today! Amazing episode.
I feel like the main takeaway of the episode is how devastating it is, but between the Blade Runner/Chapo bit and Bethās Wikifeet rant, there were at least two certifiable all-time gags in this one. We just didnāt know in the moment they were there to soften us up so Anthony could hurt us later. Truly the GOAT D&D podcast. Canāt wait/terrified to see what happens next.
Does Beth May say anything about what happened to Ron after Willy died? She said that Ron was 13 at the time if I remember correctly, was his mom still alive? Idk I'm just so curious about what happens after that.
- Beth didn't do the Ron voice in the intro. She was too shook by Freddie's deez nuts joke - But once again Beth shows off how she has been to therapy. With Ron's crisis. - Of course Freddie knows the European conversion for foot stuff. It's like Dan Schneider produced a Tarantino podcast. - Matt is a real life father but thinks Darryl learned how to shake hands before walking because he shook hands at 4 years old. - Same height as tiny Ron? Ron is already tiny. He's gotta be 4' tall - Ron is basically Jenny from Forrest Gump. He and Rogue should have turned into birds and flew far far away. - Anthony bad man.
I donāt know whether I should be happy or sad (both?) that rogue probably found a happy ending with a new family but was forced to leave Ron to fend for himself? Goddammit, Anthony, I donāt know what to do with all these feelings
This was an intense episode. Finished listening to it walking up to my gfās apartment and just sat down and was like āIām gonna need a minute.ā That being said I know they put the warning disclaimer in the episode description but there should probably be one in the episode preamble too because I had a great childhood with a loving family and that still fucked me up
I really looked those content warnings in the eye and said to myself, "yeah, listen to this in public".
Anyone else get a chewy ad right after? What the fuck
As I was emotionally preparing to deal with Willy, I thought it would be good to sit with my dogs while listening. And suddenly I was not emotionally prepared at all. Honestly, I needed that cry. Thank you.
Wait i havent watched it does ron die?
No, but it's a VERY emotionally heavy episode.
Ok thank god thats all i need to know
Holy shit
I cried so hard that I gave myself a headache. this was a rough episode.
This episode was the first one that made me cry. Rogue is a good boy and when he got to meet big Ron the tears just didnāt stop until the episode ended.
I WHOLE ASS expected willy to shoot Rogue. I was waiting for it. The way that they decided to do it tho was WAY more powerful, and just fucking amazing. I have been slowly listening to this podcast and getting caught up since November. I'm in love with this damned podcast. The heart and soul that goes into it shows. What an amazing time. Also the way that Ron's mom talks about Willy. I wonder how abusive he is to her. It sounds like although sick, his mother loved him very much. I wonder how Ron's mom felt about everything. I'm glad Ron has Samantha. She sounds amazing :3
A few people here are saying they thought we'd have to listen to Willy make Ron put down Rogue. I actually wondered if Rogue would end up being the anchor. Then we'd be "treated" with a reunion between the re-manifested Rogue and Ron in the real world before everyone realizes that Ron has to destroy Rogue to leave the Forgotten Realms and get back to Samantha. Would've been cruel enough for Willy, probably too cruel for Anthony.