Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

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The Tortured Poets Department isn't "about" anyone. This episode is an interrogation of that painfully wrong-headed way we talk about the biggest artist in the world. It represents an incurious tabloid toxicity and a strange rejection of creativity. An artist's experience CAN inspire their work, but that observation should be the tip of the analytical iceberg, not the entirety of our public discourse. This is an episode about artist's intent and unknowability, the beautiful mystery of imagination, and the humility required to discuss and interpret a work of art.

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Ned just made it to King's Landing, and it's already a disaster. Maggie investigates Ned's first day as Hand of the King, wondering how out of his depth he truly is, and if he has the capacity to learn. Cam leads a close reading that compares the series-long arcs of the Stark clan and the white walkers, illuminates the ice and fire imagery we keep noticing, and reveals the beating heart of the Lord of Winterfell.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Let's keep it brief: this season is as bad as the last season was good. On the menu we have ugly robots, boring traps, and a surprisingly long commute. As always, we're not just here to mindlessly praise or bash this game; we love the series and believe this discussion is both constructive and fun. We discuss the state of the game, the seasonal campaign, some class updates (boo sorcerer), and close with some wrap-up questions looking ahead to the future of this consistently inconsistent live game.

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Since Jon doesn't like the 'Lord Snow' nickname, let's just call him the Direwolf of Wall Street instead. Jon's arrival to Castle Black brings with it three subtle narrative interventions. Cam leads us through the quiet parade of second chances given to Jon, some unwelcome Sansa echoes, and a few ghostly glimpses of the White Walkers. Maggie examines the ice and fire dichotomy as it relates to Jon's dual identities. Finally, we trade dueling couplet echoes to help make sense of last week's Catelyn discussion.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! "The entire universe with all of its Time is within me." The third Dune novel is not messing around. Herbert dives fearlessly into the further reaches of his creation and consecrates his central critique. The dehumanizing effect of absolute power is made literal. Monsters and gods take the places of previous meddlers. Recurring plot beats speak to an inevitable cycle of power and corruption. All of the time jumps finally pay off as idealistic returning characters move up the generational ladder, only to entrench themselves in a self-serving aristocracy. Finally, Herbert's fascination with ghosts and echoes and gholas reaches horrifying new heights.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! If there's any justice in the world, Monkey Man will be the next big thing in action movies. Dev Patel's directorial debut is an unflinching, crunchy, gnarly, creative step forward for a genre still largely living in the shadows of John Wick, Jason Bourne, and Tom Cruise. In this episode we explore that lineage and celebrate the innovations that Monkey Man brings to the table.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Next stop, King's Landing! George R. R. Martin's most curious and contradictory character returns as an appropriate guide through the lions' den. Cam takes look at Catelyn's larger role in the story, tracing all the echoes of her previous chapters and the ways that they shape her dual Tully and Stark identities. Maggie questions Catelyn's instincts. We return to last week's anthropomorphized crow, closing the couplet with a theory about in absentia spymasters and unknowable power.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! We got to watch the extended editions of all three Lord of the Rings movies in theaters after not touching the franchise for years (since we finished our chapter-by-chapter readthrough). 12 hours later, after a lot of tears and popcorn, we have thoughts. Cam thinks he spotted a clue supporting his long-standing theory that Gandalf the White is a reanimated corpse. Maggie's relationship with Rohan (and Two Towers) has completely changed, and we have an extended discussion about courage, hesitation, and hope in the battle sequences across this story. We didn't expect to return to Middle Earth, but we're so glad we did.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! It's Maggie's time to shine: this entire chapter is a dream sequence, and in the grand tradition of True Detective, time truly is a flat circle, and everything we see has happened and will happen again. Cam chimes in to this dream discussion with a note on prophecy that ropes in our old pal Paul Atreides as a point of contrast. Is Bran doomed to become a dead-eyed robot god emperor? We compare Paul's subjective prophecies with the objective truths that Bran is being exposed to, to examine Bran's overall arc. Just three chapters in, his individualism and humanity may already be slipping away. We close with a discussion of possible identities of the star of this dream: the crow.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Another Dune book discussion means another joyful Shakespeare recalibration. This time, Cam is delighted to find Frank Herbert swerving into Julius Caesar mode, with a renewed focus on history that extends beyond Shakespeare into the modern era. We consider the scope of these points of reference and their effect on Herbert's larger critique within the series. Without spoiling anything, Cam considers the idea of the ghola as an escalation of our long-standing echoes and ghosts theories into a walking and talking thought experiment. We close with a deep dive into prophecy, free will, religious justification, and messianic culpability – and we ponder the future of our Dune coverage.

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