A Clash of Kings, Vol. 10 [Sansa 2 / Arya 5]
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
Release Date: 06/19/2026
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A Clash of Kings, Vol. 12 [Catelyn 2 / Jon 3]
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
We have argued for a number of months now that A Clash of Kings was written in thematic couplets, and that has never been more true than it is in this discussion, which juxtaposes Jon and Catelyn to reveal their striking similarities. GRRM also uses the repeated structure of these two chapters to draw out some shocking implications: equating Stannis with the White Walkers and interrogating Catelyn’s treatment of Jon. Maggie investigates the endless blame game that stretches across these pages alongside a worryingly widespread trend of deferred responsibility. Cam revisits our “living...
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Evil Dead Burn
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
Evil Dead Burn is one of the best directed horror movies of the year. It’s gnarly, it’s fast, and it feels like it has something to prove. In this episode, we’re exploring every aspect of the gloriously mean-spirited hunger at the heart of this movie, as well as some problems with runtime, fear factor, and creature design. We also work through some unorthodox comparisons, ranging all the way from Krampus to Succession, before forming some theories about “half deadites” and then zooming out to consider the past and future of this beloved franchise. LINKS: , , , ...
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Diablo IV [Season of Death Awakening]
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
Live service games are finicky and inconsistent, almost by definition. Unfortunately, this fourteenth season of Diablo IV is a major disappointment that feels consistently underbaked. In this episode, we’re doing our full “State of the Game” check-in covering everything from fun factor to the reliquary system, discussing the Helltide-heavy and narrative-light seasonal campaign, revisiting the Barbarian and Spiritborn classes, and then spitballing some ways that Diablo 4 could improve its topsy turvy seasonal model. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: 00:00...
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Evil Dead
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
At one point during this episode, Maggie calls Evil Dead (2013) a miracle. It’s a remake of one of the best and most influential horror movies of all time that has somehow itself become one of the best and most influential horror movies of this century. Topics include: the film’s reverential remixes of the source material, the art of ninety minute horror movies, what makes gore memorable / effective, the best creature design since The Exorcist, provocative comparisons to a few modern classics, and some tricky theories about cursed families and talking metaphors....
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A Clash of Kings, Vol. 11 [Tyrion 5, Bran 3]
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
Wildfire is the central, most consequential plot device of A Clash of Kings, a book that is primarily about death. Does that mean that wildfire is death incarnate? In this episode, we are continuing to evolve our running theories about the “God of Death” in Westeros, the ongoing riddles about real and metaphorical Stark werewolves, and the increasingly conflicted affection that we feel for Tyrion Lannister. Maggie takes a closer look at Howland Reed and discovers some long-buried secrets. Cam investigates the wild contrast between these chapters and uncovers some striking similarities. We...
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The House That Jack Built
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
The House That Jack Built is — by a country mile — the most messed up movie we’ve ever seen. Oddly, it might also be the funniest. In this long-gestating episode, we’re finally doing a deep dive investigation into one of the trickiest, densest, and most provocative movies ever made. It’s a crime thriller. It’s a black comedy. It’s an unbearably grisly horror movie. But then again, you could also argue that it’s the foremost (albeit nontraditional) adaptation of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Topics include: the rudest needle drop of all time, an uncomfortably apt comparison to...
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The Death of Robin Hood
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
The Death of Robin Hood is a stunning, hypnotic, and gruesome collage of some of our favorite works of art ever made. In this episode, we’re exploring in depth comparisons between Michael Sarnoski’s latest film and the work of Robert Eggers, From Software’s Elden Ring, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III, and Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: 00:00 Pattern Recognition 04:48 Impressions 06:42 Robert Eggers 21:04 Elden Ring 34:28 The Godfather: Part 3 38:26 The Witcher 47:14 Closing Thoughts
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Zodiac
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
David Fincher’s Zodiac is a masterpiece, but it’s not that simple. This is more than just a perfect true crime movie. It’s also a horror movie that relentlessly denies the viewer any sense of closure or narrative satisfaction. As we argue in today’s episode, Zodiac is a spiraling mystery in conversation with everything from slashers and possession movies to journalism stories and the complicated idea of “the great American novel”. We also explore the film’s unorthodox creature design (handwriting analysis!), its place within the larger David Fincher canon, and the question of...
info_outline![A Clash of Kings, Vol. 10 [Sansa 2 / Arya 5] show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/content/202981365?height=50&width=50)
A Clash of Kings, Vol. 10 [Sansa 2 / Arya 5]
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
What do we say to the god of death? Well, we say that there’s a whole book about him, and that book is A Clash of Kings. In this episode, we are finally able to crystalize all our ideas about ghosts and gods into one simple, overarching theory. Maggie also brings us back to the wide world of bird analysis with a spirited discussion of black swans, and we work together to question the narrative intention behind this book’s increasingly rigorous couplet structure. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: 00:00 House of the Dragon 03:39 Recap of Chapters 12:40...
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Paranormal Activity
Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie
Summerween continues with an in-depth discussion of the very first Paranormal Activity. How did this landmark horror movie advance so many subgenres at the same time, from found footage to haunted house and horror romance? How does it weaponize almost every single seemingly innocent element of the setting and performances into becoming part of its creature design? And HOW does a movie that we’ve been watching and rewatching for almost twenty years still keep us up at night? Comparisons include: The Blair Witch Project, Midsommar, Tolkien’s fractal introduction of Shelob, The White Stripes...
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What do we say to the god of death? Well, we say that there’s a whole book about him, and that book is A Clash of Kings. In this episode, we are finally able to crystalize all our ideas about ghosts and gods into one simple, overarching theory. Maggie also brings us back to the wide world of bird analysis with a spirited discussion of black swans, and we work together to question the narrative intention behind this book’s increasingly rigorous couplet structure.
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00:00 House of the Dragon
03:39 Recap of Chapters
12:40 Mythological Couplets
19:17 Weirwolf Theory
24:14 Maggie’s Bird Corner
32:00 Living Ghosts
37:33 The God of Death
44:04 Closing Thoughts