The Adventure Zone: Dadlands 4: Don’t Cry Uncle

Summary of The Adventure Zone: Dadlands 4: Don’t Cry Uncle

by The McElroys

1h 41m•January 8, 2026
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Overview of The Adventure Zone: Dadlands Part 4 — “Don’t Cry Uncle”

This live Dadlands episode (McElroys + guest GM Brennan Lee Mulligan) continues the surreal, post‑apocalyptic comedy-adventure in which four archetypal “dads” (Grill, Car, Sports, Disney) travel through conceptual space—“the avuncularity”/the unclear—fighting villainous “uncles” and chasing a mysterious treasure beyond an ear‑shaped singularity. The episode mixes improvised comedy, RPG mechanics (chips and cornhole tosses), recurring gags, guest performance (Aabria Iyengar), and a cliffhanger ending where one dad goes full deadbeat.

Key plot beats / recap

  • Recap of Ep. 1–3: Four dads (Brickhead Huggins/Briquette, Guy Ferrari, Coach Red Ruffinsore, Chip Hugginsby) retrieved a remote, navigated the tower of a science dad, and took a cornhole‑powered trip through the first cornhole into conceptual space aboard a VW bus.
  • Enter the avuncularity (ear‑shaped singularity): Walton Goggins appears and summons four “ultimate uncles” formed of conceptual space:
    • Uncle Scrooge (ghosts/Time)
    • Uncle Sam (eagle/gargoyle)
    • Uncle Drosselmeyer (Nutcracker magician)
    • Uncle Arthritis/Poseidon (god of the sea)
  • Major battles and beats:
    • Chip shoots Walton; Chokey (smoke/prosciutto familiar) appears; Ground Keith (ground beef familiar) is created and then betrayed/cooked—later becomes the Keysburger (patty with cheese).
    • Walton summons the four uncles to defeat the dads; the VW bus and dad crew fall through a funnel/toilet into a conceptual landscape.
    • Coach Red creates a ball pit and uses chronomancy to rewind a critical moment—gives one of the uncles a pep talk and three cornhole throws that change an uncle’s life (he decides to sell his stash of porn on eBay and become honorable).
    • Antimatter (Aabria Iyengar) / “aunt” mecha-ant is summoned to fight Uncle Sam; stomps and cornhole throws are used to damage the uncles.
    • Poseidon is wounded/destroyed after Red lands multiple “order” chips with trident attacks; the Lordly/divine bits escalate into “God the Dad.”
    • Drosselmeyer is defeated by a George Foreman grill (played for nutcracker gag), and Chip absorbs some of his magic (forbidden meat).
  • Cliffhanger: Walton Goggins begins to unravel; Briquette (Brickhead) chooses revenge and kills Walton—fireworks bring back dead uncles; Guy Ferrari goes full deadbeat, revs a motorcycle, and rides toward the unclear/evuncularity seeking the treasure. The unclear opens, revealing the entrance to Ever Everland (the land of children), and the episode ends on that cliffhanger.

Characters & notable NPCs

  • The four player dads:
    • Brickhead Huggins / Briquette Huggins (grill dad; Griffin)
    • Guy Ferrari (car dad; Justin) — becomes deadbeat, rides off
    • Coach Red Ruffinsore (sports dad; Clint) — chronomancer pep talks, trident takedowns
    • Chip Hugginsby (Disney dad; Travis) — Disney dad with a gun, stabs Poseidon by accident/choice
  • Major antagonists / uncles:
    • Walton Goggins (villainous figure; vampire undertones), summoner of the uncles
    • Uncle Scrooge (Dickensian landlord/ghosts)
    • Uncle Sam (stars-and-stripes gargoyle/eagle)
    • Uncle Drosselmeyer (Nutcracker magician)
    • Poseidon / Uncle Arthritis (sea god)
  • Recurring surreal allies/familiars:
    • Chokey (smoke & prosciutto familiar)
    • Ground Keith → Keysburger (ground beef familiar turned burger)
    • Antimatter / mecha‑ant (played by guest Aabria Iyengar)

Game mechanics and running gags explained

  • Order/Chaos chips:
    • Tokens in each dad’s fanny pack: green = order, red = chaos (originally blue/green but changed on stage)
    • Players draw tokens to resolve risks; mixed results mean they must discard one token and face a complication.
  • Cornhole throws:
    • Used as skill checks. Different lines = different difficulties (near line = easier; farther = “mortal blow”/instant kill).
    • Players can toss any object (beanbags, balls, even improvised items). Success/failure drives narrative moments.
  • Mixed success: leads to partial win + complications (typical indie TTRPG-style “success with cost” play).
  • Recurring gags / mechanics: “I love you, son” line used before long shot; “whipping shitties” (donuts) for visual comedy; “Weave” call (a show gag).

Memorable lines, moments & imagery

  • Ground Keith → Keysburger: the mournful ground‑beef familiar dynamic that turns into a cheeseburger is both grotesque and comic.
  • “Whipping shitties” (donuts) while evading Uncle Sam—audience favorite phrase.
  • “I love you, son” as the power‑throw cornhole line.
  • “God the Dad” — the episode leans into dadly divinity, culminating with an ironically patriotic/universal God line destroying Uncle Sam.
  • The Grilmarillion / George Foreman grill used as a book/grimoire: crunchy, absurd visual.
  • Aabria Iyengar’s Antimatter/aunt mecha reveal—big audience cheer.

Themes & tone

  • High surrealist comedy: the episode combines darkly absurd imagery (cooking people, sentient ground beef) with tender familial beats.
  • Playful riff on fatherhood archetypes: every conflict framed as dad vs. uncle, order vs. chaos.
  • Friendship/family and what “dadness” means: several scenes emphasize bonds, loyalty, and the recurring ridiculousness of male pride.
  • Improvisation-forward storytelling: players and GM lean into weird throwaway lines that become canonical (e.g., Keysburger).

Production notes, guests & announcements

  • Guest GM: Brennan Lee Mulligan continues as GM; Aabria Iyengar appears as Antimatter (aunt mecha).
  • Sponsors / announcements in episode:
    • Rocket Money (personal finance app)
    • Squarespace (website builder)
    • Candle Nights VOD / merch announcement (benefiting Harmony House)
    • MaxFun Drive donation mention (Transgender Law Center)
    • Merch/campaigns: Paul Seborn Memorial Camp Food Drive, Faye Day poster artist shoutout.

Main takeaways for listeners who want the essentials

  • Walton Goggins is the big recurring antagonist who summons four conceptual uncles to test/defeat the dads.
  • The episode uses the show’s unique mechanics (chips + cornhole) to adjudicate surreal conflicts; mixed successes create complications.
  • The dads win many fights but pay costs: Briquette kills Walton in a revenge beat, fireworks resurrect lost uncles, and Guy Ferrari becomes a full deadbeat and rides off toward the unclear—ending on a cliffhanger as the unclear opens to Ever Everland.
  • The episode is heavy on improvisational comedy, bizarre visuals, and emotional dad beats—listen if you like wild, absurd RPG theatre with lots of callbacks to earlier Dadlands episodes.

Recommendations / next steps

  • If you want context: listen to Dadlands Episodes 1–3 first (they set up the remote, the cornholes, the avuncularity).
  • Listen for: the mechanics (chips/colors), the cornhole rules, and recurring character arcs (particularly Walton Goggins and Brickhead/Guy Ferrari).
  • Fans who liked Aabria’s cameo should check other Dimension 20/Actual plays featuring her for similar improvisational energy.
  • Keep an ear out for the next episode to resolve the cliffhanger and explore Ever Everland.

Credits: The McElroys (hosts/players), Brennan Lee Mulligan (GM), Aabria Iyengar (guest), plus sponsors and MaxFun mentions included in the live show.