Libsyn Directory

Doom: The Ancient Gods

Release Date: 05/15/2025

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

This might be the most fully realized “Faust Fable” we’ve ever discussed on the show. Wes Anderson not only successfully reverses the Faustus / Mephistopheles dynamic, he also inverts the ending and explores the play’s often overlooked supporting cast, implied backstory, and deep sense of yearning. What a picture! LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories:

Hell House, LLC. [Part Two]

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

In a twist that might be even more shocking than this terrifying film, this latest Faust Fable discussion is actually built around one of Maggie’s theories — not Cam’s — as she deep dives into that perennial horror question: why don’t they just run away from the scary monsters? The answer is a wild journey of muffled fragments and out-of-focus breadcrumbs through this found footage Faustian masterpiece! Cam sprinkles in some Macbeth for good measure. All hail found footage! LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories:

Hell House, LLC. [Part One]

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Hell House, LLC. is one of the most terrifying films ever made. We have wanted to discuss it for years now, and that day has finally come. In this first of two breakdown episodes, Cam offers a theory about the painstaking way the film presents all those devastating creature designs to game the audience’s memory and so savagely weaponize the power of suggestion. Maggie sprinkles in some Blair Witch comparisons for good measure. All hail found footage! LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories:

Dangerous Animals

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Dangerous Animals is a summer horror movie with big scary sharks, but we think it has MUCH more in common with our beloved Saw than it does with Jaws. In this episode, we run through the six essential elements that could make Bruce Tucker the next Jigsaw. Happy Summerween! LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories:

Bring Her Back

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Bring Her Back builds to an almost unbearable fever pitch that evokes both Jordan Peele and Alfred Hitchcock. This episode chases down those comparisons to explore the film’s fractal, fascinating riffs on the theatrical tradition of “doubling” up actors to play multiple roles within the same production. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories:

Is the Big Mac a Work of Art?

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

We have been itching to do this episode FOREVER, and it’s finally here! Is the Big Mac a work of art? We explore this provocative question and the million questions that follow. In the same way that a painting exists in a museum, and a movie in a theater, where does the Big Mac exist? When is it a work of art — when it’s being made, when it was designed, or when you’re actually eating it? Things get even more tricky from there: who made the Big Mac, both literally and functionally? Has this one immaculate burger transcended the bounds of trademark and copyright to occupy the same...

Diablo IV [Belial Rising]

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Season Eight finds Diablo IV in a pretty rough place. This episode is a frank discussion of live service grind, difficulty balancing, aggressive monetization, and the limits of class design. In every way, ‘Belial Rising’ is more and less Diablo IV, and it might just be time to get off the hamster wheel. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories:

Doom: The Dark Ages

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Prepping the notes for this episode was unusually difficult. Cam said that he’s never felt this conflicted about a game before. Doom: The Dark Ages lives in the shadow of multiple, inescapable influences — from Halo to Gears of War to God of War and even the other modern Doom sequels — but it’s also a great standalone game. After discussing all the unfavorable comparisons that those influences invite, we zoom out to analyze Doom: The Dark Ages on its own terms. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories:

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

How has it taken us five years to do an episode on an Elder Scrolls game? Luckily, the new Oblivion Remaster has arrived to fix all that. Cam reflects on the heroic fantasy ideal, Bethesda’s charming jank, the pitfalls of modern gaming, accidental vampirism, and the collaborative wonder of a game that makes the audience feel like they’re simultaneously playing, creating, and living the ultimate expression of the fantasy genre. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories:

Thunderbolts*

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

We’re diving back into the MCU to analyze Thunderbolts* as an allegorical pandemic-era period piece. This is an unusually personal discussion of mental health, lost time, and the unironic power of friendship. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories:

More Episodes

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

What’s the best Doom game? Well, that might be a trick question. In this episode, Cam argues that ‘The Ancient Gods’ — the overlooked two-part expansion to Doom Eternal — might just be the best entry in the franchise. With massive story implications, fascinating gameplay evolutions, and a running length that rivals all the modern mainline entries, The Ancient Gods is a stealth sequel in the proud tradition of Halo: ODST and Gears 5: Hivebusters. Rip, tear, and spread the word!

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