Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Remember when we were trying to decide if we were going to read Game of Thrones or Dune? Welcome to our healthy compromise! This discussion covers the first third of Frank Herbert's Dune, which is, paradoxically, also called Dune. We've got lots to discuss as we settle into our new home of Arrakis, including: the Lovecraftian grandeur of the sandworms, the dialogue-first approach to epic storytelling, the irresistible framework of Shakespeare's Henry IV, and the strange, scandalized feeling of discovering 1965's Dune long after 1977's "revolutionary" Star Wars.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Our second Targaryen checkpoint gives us fascinating insight into the past and future of this story. Maggie explores Dany's prophetic multilayered dream, and Cam tracks the unexpected echoes between this wedding ceremony and our previous POV characters. We come together for another discussion of age, courage, and resilience, and close with a theory about an unexpected spell-caster.

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Volume 5 of the Breakfast Buffet brings us four fascinatingly different works of art. We begin with The Zone of Interest and a discussion of disturbing restraint. Next up we have All of Us Strangers, a beautifully intimate indie drama that reinvents the genre with some high concepts and Dickensian surrealism. Then we move on to Anyone But You, the delightful and Shakespeare-indebted romcom that inspires a conversation about comedic set pieces and the lineage of beloved plot structures. Last (but certainly not least) we have The Beekeeper, with its relentless, absurdist escalation and undying dedication to its titular theme.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Hi I'm Guy (Jon) Fieri and we're roooollin out (of Winterfell)! Maggie's got a theory about Dany chapters acting as structural checkpoints that makes this chapter something of a "season finale". Some of our long-standing theories are getting wrapped up with a bow, including death and prophecy, seen and unseen, and the remixed Macbeth. We also take a moment to discuss the tragic ages of so many of these characters and the respect that George R. R. Martin shows them even in the worst moments.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! There's a proud lineage of deceptive, murderous, homoerotic schemers that goes all the way back through Shakespeare to the best Greek drama. Saltburn reinvigorated this type of story, and today we're looking at another fabulous incarnation from 1999. The Talented Mr. Ripley is a fascinating point of reference for our favorite movie of 2023. In this episode, we chart the remixes, influences, recalibrations, and callbacks connecting these two thrilling works of art.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Join us in the Winterfell library this week – Tyrion's here to distill some echoes, complicate some theories, and spark a whole new wave of Macbeth analysis. Shout out to Peregrine and Brother Sameron for their fantastic contributions to this episode. We come together to make sense of this ultimate gargoyle's long-awaited introduction, and by the end of it, find ourselves wondering if he's got some vulture in him too. Batman Gargoyle reference: https://www.fascinationst.com/artwork/sku26832

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! What makes a work of art 'good' or 'bad'? Is it possible to define these terms? Are they purely subjective preferences or is there some objective standard for art? In this episode, we dive into all these questions and more, considering and challenging the answers that crop up so frequently in our modern discourse. Related: Cam offers a spirited defense of the Fifty Shades of Grey.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! We've been dreading this chapter. It's the most memorable, shocking, and tone-setting twist in modern fantasy. As it turns out, it's also the culmination of our ongoing discussions about animal prophecies, seen & unseen, and gargoyle characters. The whole world is being turned upside down in these pages, and we're left with a new, revealing perspective. Consider this the unofficial return of Maggie's Bird Corner.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Heading out to the Blood Harvest, do you need anything? Season 2 of Diablo 4 is not only the best the game has ever been, but it's up there with our favorite experiences from our beloved Diablo 3. The story campaign is great, the challenges keep us engaged, and the end game is thrilling. Oh and it's all free! But the real headline here is that we finally took Tristan's recommendation and tried out the exhilarating rogue class. The game's never been in a better spot, and we're thrilled to be able to celebrate that in this episode.

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Get bonus episodes on Patreon! This chapter is a cacophony of distillation echoes. In this episode, we're tracking the reverberations of Jon, Ned, Tyrion, and Catelyn across Arya's unfolding journey. We've got quiet couplets, structural secrets, unanswered prayers, and unwanted bastards. Our discussion of prophecy continues to evolve into the cultural / sociological realm, and Cam makes his very first contribution to Maggie's landmark 'seen and unseen' theory.

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