Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Tuesdays: thoughts & theories about art (movies, games, comics, shows, etc.) Fridays: chapter-by-chapter fantasy discussions (current project: A Game of Thrones)

The ‘House of Cards’ Never Fell 05/02/2025

The ‘House of Cards’ Never Fell Rewatching House of Cards in 2025 is a fascinating and uneven experience — because the titular house never seems to fall. This episode traces the Watergate-like ‘Underwood Exposé’ that simmers just below the surface for seventy-three episodes, but never arrives. It’s a reflection on implicit promises to the audience, shifting focus, and botched endings (with some Richard III sprinkled on top). LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/36341790

When Did House of Cards Become The West Wing? 04/29/2025

When Did House of Cards Become The West Wing? Despite their wildly different tones, House of Cards and The West Wing are shockingly similar. We run through ten eerie similarities between the two shows before opening up the discussion to figure out when and why House of Cards became an accidental remake of The West Wing. We then analyze the attitudes and eras that shaped each show and consider them as deeply intertwined, transitional period pieces. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/36341540

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 74 [Retrospective] 04/25/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 74 [Retrospective] This grand finale of our chapter-by-chapter coverage of the first A Song of Ice and Fire novel is a deep-dive retrospective of all the major thoughts, theories, and literary analysis we’ve brought to the world of Westeros. We work together to cover each and every POV character and our most fruitful overarching umbrella theories. Grab a crust of bread and horn of ale – and dig in – there’s a lot to get to! LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/36029435

Sinners 04/22/2025

Sinners Sinners is a fantastic drama, a killer horror movie, and a great vampire story - but it's something else too. Cam argues that the film feels almost like a blues biopic, going beyond Sammie's story to chart the story of the genre itself. Using plot analysis and personal anecdotes, we investigate the magic and myth of Ryan Coogler's latest masterpiece. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/36250185

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 73 [Daenerys X] 04/18/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 73 [Daenerys X] A Game of Thrones ends with a massive curveball that threatens to totally upend the philosophy of life and death we’ve been tracking for 73 chapters. We work together to unravel these cycles of life, death, and rebirth and ultimately recalibrate the binary conflict at the center of this series. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/36021220

Destiny 2: The Final Shape 04/15/2025

Destiny 2: The Final Shape After hundreds of hours, ups, downs, delights, and disappointments, The Light & Darkness saga of Destiny 2 is finally done. Cam is happy to report that The Final Shape is not only a great expansion, but also a great ending to this epic, sweeping, and messy story. Join us for a discussion of character-focused gameplay, staggering art direction, and the overwhelming, emotional, 12-player finale mission, ‘Excision’. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35709870

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 72 [Catelyn XI] 04/11/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 72 [Catelyn XI] So many chapters of this book have felt like ghost stories, but this is something else entirely. Cam argues that Catelyn’s final chapter brutally resolves the central conflict between the living and the dead. Maggie questions Catelyn’s capacity to adapt in a rapidly changing world. Littlefinger’s tongue makes an unwelcome appearance. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/36005770

The Woman in the Yard 04/08/2025

The Woman in the Yard The Woman in the Yard is the best Blumhouse movie since Insidious. Why? Its relentless and bold family drama, unflinching negotiation of tough topics, and scrappy, indie spirit that only ever makes it feel more creative and inspired. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/36021135

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 71 [Jon IX] 04/04/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 71 [Jon IX] The final Jon chapter poses a challenging question about his direwolf, Ghost: is he a loyal dog, an attentive wolf, or a superior reasoning intellect on the level of Tolkien’s dragons? Cam chases down these provocations while Maggie considers Jon’s larger breaking point as he considers desertion. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35925295

Sunrise on the Reaping 04/01/2025

Sunrise on the Reaping Does a book have to be “necessary” to be worth reading? Maggie explores this idea in our spoiler-free discussion of the latest installment in the Hunger Games series, Sunrise on the Reaping. Topics include fan service, recurring narrative structures, the age of legacy prequels, and the trappings of continuity. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35951395

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 70 [Tyrion IX] 03/28/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 70 [Tyrion IX] The final Tyrion chapter reads like both a reversal of fortunes and a funeral procession. Cam is tracking five of these eerie coincidences, while Maggie is comparing the inverse mythologies and realities of Robb Stark and Tywin Lannister. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35880160

The Rule of Jenny Pen 03/25/2025

The Rule of Jenny Pen Everyone’s afraid of something, and nothing scares Cam more than freaky old people. The Rule of Jenny Pen introduces us to a brand-new subgenre: nursing home horror. John Lithgow is more terrifying than any slasher villain you can think of, and this movie might have more to say about mortality than any film in recent memory. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35638800

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 69 [Daenerys IX] 03/21/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 69 [Daenerys IX] This chapter features the richest dream sequence of the book so far, and some of the most provocative fodder for our philosophy of death discussions. Maggie explores the mantras emanating out of these kaleidoscopic dreams. Cam considers the three belabored deaths that have defined this novel – Robert, Ned, and now Khal Drogo – for all of their uncomfortable similarities and damning implications. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35709690

In the Lost Lands 03/18/2025

In the Lost Lands We love Game of Thrones, we love The Witcher, we love The Lord of the Rings – but fantasy can be many things, including super silly stylized schlock. In the Lost Lands is the most fun you’ll have with a fantasy film this year. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35638285

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 68 [Sansa VI] 03/14/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 68 [Sansa VI] What is the effect of the near constant mirage of George R. R. Martin killing off his protagonist? In this episode we examine this question from both the readers’ and the characters’ perspectives. Maggie zooms into Sansa’s disillusionment and disassociation to find her skills of adaptation developing in the margins. Cam realizes that all the heads on spikes are a violent cherry on top of this novel’s endless meditations on Macbeth. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35638520

Horror Comedies Are Time Machines 03/11/2025

Horror Comedies Are Time Machines February’s onslaught of new horror comedies got us thinking about the trickiest and most rewarding subgenre of horror. Despite their modern sensibilities, they all feel like throwbacks or reactions to earlier eras. Are horror comedies always riffing on established tropes and aesthetics? Are there any non-referential modern horror comedies? What is the identity of original horror comedies in the 2020s? LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35517005

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 67 [Bran VII] 03/07/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 67 [Bran VII] This chapter has a little something for both of us. Maggie gets to talk about dreams and Cam gets to lose himself in the endless rabbit warren of philosophy. But it all comes down to this: is it really the dearly departed Ned Stark who visits his kids in their dreams? What would this spiritual confirmation mean for the supernatural aspect of this world? Souls, the afterlife, ghosts – it’s all up for grabs now. And what’s all this suddenly about the children of the forest? Are they a way for Bran to process his grief, or a tease of what’s to come in his long and winding journey? LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35515765

Heretics of Dune 03/04/2025

Heretics of Dune The fifth Dune novel feels like a master of the craft finishing his central story and then just continuing to explore the world he created. This is another swirling, violent meditation on inescapable cycles of history, with an ever greater focus on the concept of manufactured immortality. Heretics of Dune is both the least essential and the most impassioned book in the series. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35438470

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 66 [Arya V] 02/28/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 66 [Arya V] Spoiler alert: Ned Stark is finally dead. The chapter we've all been waiting for and dreading is finally here, and this episode tackles the one question that we're both consumed by. Why does he die in an Arya chapter, instead of a Sansa chapter, or - you know - an Eddard chapter. Lighting our way towards an answer is a whole cavalcade of thoughts, theories, and literary analysis. Let's dig in! LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35433435

Billions 02/25/2025

Billions Billions is the best show you haven’t seen — and that’s either because it aired on Showtime or because you assumed it was a Succession clone. Our mission in this episode is to correct these impressions, because not only is Billions nothing like Succession, it is also the hidden gem of prestige television dramas. Topics include: episodic storytelling, rewatchability, signature dialogue styles, scope vs. scale, and revised comparisons to Mad Men / The Sopranos. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35409695

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 65 [Daenerys VIII] 02/21/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 65 [Daenerys VIII] As we race towards the finale of A Game of Thrones, the supernatural elements are coming out to play. This chapter alone gives us blood magic, fatal prophecies, and dancing witches. Cam follows these threads to finally uncover what might be the root of this novel's constant Macbeth echoes. Maggie takes a look at the curious role that fear plays in this chapter, as it variously induces Dany's labor and separates her from everyone around her. We also consider the continued specter of Jon Snow across these pages. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35314725

Diablo IV [Season of Witchcraft] 02/18/2025

Diablo IV [Season of Witchcraft] Season of Witchcraft is all about ‘fun factor,’ from the campy purple aesthetic to the loot piñata gameplay. The classes are better than ever too, as Maggie rolls her third Rogue and Cam makes his triumphant, dreaded return to the Barbarian. But there’s a tension underlying this season that complicates our experience: the constant, escalating grind through Headhunts. This latest installment of our ongoing Diablo IV coverage zooms out to consider the state of the game, the committed casual experience, and how the game could continue to improve! LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35146640

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 64 [Catelyn X] 02/14/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 64 [Catelyn X] Another week, another battle, another curveball! Cam’s analyzing the subversive, pointedly indirect way that GRRM stages his battles. Maggie takes a look at the ongoing bad luck of the Starks for its historical and religious implications. Are they actually cursed? Have they been forsaken by the Old Gods? LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35203300

Challengers 02/11/2025

Challengers Happy Valentine’s Day, it’s time to discuss the messiest love triangle of the decade! Cam argues that Challengers is an intricate restaging of Shakespeare’s Macbeth — where no one is allowed to die. This wrinkle presents fresh insights about both works of art, and some creative character mapping reveals an unexpected, revelatory Lady Macbeth hiding in plain sight. Maggie analyzes the strategic deployment of color through the film, as it both clarifies and complicates the relationships between our three characters. She also takes a close look at the film’s music and sound design, arguing that they act as a stand-in for absent characters and unrequited passions. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35212365

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 63 [Tyrion VIII] 02/07/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 63 [Tyrion VIII] Despite winning the battle, the big loser of this chapter is Tywin Lannister. His money, power, and more “civilized” brand of evil undercut his wins and guarantee his family’s losses. Our discussion catalogues these failures and the seeds of mistrust that have broken the house that should easily dominate the Seven Kingdoms. In the chaos of battle, last week’s Dothraki horrors are quietly displaced from Tyrion’s mountain men into his innermost circle. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35136620

Red Rooms 02/04/2025

Red Rooms Strap in folks, this might be the most disturbing, fascinating, and unforgettable horror movies we’ve ever covered on the show. Our discussion of Red Rooms starts with comparisons to Funny Games before spiraling through audience complicity, weaponized curiosity, the joy of impossible questions, a celebration of uncomfortable art, and Maggie’s personal history with the true crime genre that this film is skewering. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35130835

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 62 [Daenerys VII] 01/31/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 62 [Daenerys VII] The fire and ice cross pollination continues this week. Daenerys gets her first Macbeth theory, we reconsider the rules of Targaryen checkpoints, and an uncomfortable but unmistakable line from The Lord of the Rings leads us to entirely reevaluate Dany. Stay after the credits for an old school classic “Second Breakfast” segment, where we discuss our experience at the Candlelight Rings & Dragons concert. LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35030820

Path of Exile 2 [Early Access] 01/28/2025

Path of Exile 2 [Early Access] Move over Diablo IV, there’s a new sheriff in town. Cam has been marathoning Path of Exile 2 since it launched into Early Access, and we’ve got so much to talk about! Massive quality of life changes from the first game (and Diablo), overhauled leveling systems, electrifying boss fights, fantastically tuned difficulty, stunning graphics, and a full breakdown of all six (!) excellent classes await! As John Lennon once sang, “imagine actually being able to pause a game in 2025!” LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/35028720

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 61 [Jon VIII] 01/24/2025

A Game of Thrones, Vol. 61 [Jon VIII] The story of A Song of Ice and Fire is perfectly encapsulated in the character of Jon Snow. The conflict, coexistence, and intertwining of these two opposing forces are essential to Jon and his story. This chapter is full of symbols that encourage us to contemplate this struggle of identity within Jon: Maggie examines the contrast between the fiery burns of Jon’s right hand and the shaky but honor-bound duties of his left, while Cam reconsiders the direwolf as the Stark’s mascot, and suggests that the raven might serve as a more truthful sigil. Maester Aemon remains ever-present in the backdrop of this chapter (and throughout Jon’s story) – but as an example, or a warning? LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/34943770

Nosferatu Reexamined 01/21/2025

Nosferatu Reexamined True to our name, we decided to give Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu a second chance. While we emerged from our first viewing fairly united in our opinions, this second viewing brought us to vastly different places, and this episode is our chance to unpack those together. For Cam, the film felt much more vibrant, both in its visuals (thanks, digital projection!) and in its continuation of Eggers’ favorite themes, including temptation, lust, Faustian contracts, messy relationships, animal omens, and commitment to period. For Maggie, this second viewing seemed to double down on her frustrations with the film. The hollowness that we identified in our first episode creeps in again here, but this time we understand it a little better: through Ellen’s fraught relationship with Orlok, and the way the film directs us to experience it. Our discussion concludes in a fixation on a central question: does Ellen love Orlok? LINKS: , , , Feedback & Theories: /episode/index/show/secondbreakfastpod/id/34928190

Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

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