Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!"

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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?

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