Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Here are the links to watch / listen to Cam's performance of this short story before you tune in to our discussion: YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT5DFzfGxtM    SPOTIFY: https://spoti.fi/3FJKWC1   In just over 400 words, more than a century ago, Mark Twain constructed the perfect fable for our current moment. With a handful of talking animals and a painting that we never actually see, h...

We're finally talking about the Saw franchise, and trying to answer the question, what makes a great Saw film? Actors, aesthetics, melodrama, creativity – there's a secret sauce to these movies that's surprisingly difficult to pin down. Our discussion covers all 9 films. Here's a little recap for anyone who's a little rusty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7gvPFnej8w   Subscribe to our Substack h...

Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 2 Yeehaw! We're back in the saddle with The Witcher again. This chapter is a perfect cocktail of dwarves, casualties of war, and old man Geralt. With war waging all around our characters, Geralt's cold non-intervention is suddenly everywhere. It's an on-the-ground navigation of the problem of evil that gives us unparalleled insight into his character. We also...

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 10: "The Black Queen" Happy 200th episode to us! And to celebrate, HBO has kindly coordinated the season finale of House of the Dragon for this week. It's our tenth episode, which also means it's the tenth pilot episode. We walk through all the echoes and bookends with the series premiere – crownings, miscarriages, and a rogue Daemon. We debate...

Indie success stories are the best stories, and Terrifier 2 is a certified, blood-splattered, runaway hit, dethroning Top Gun: Maverick  and breaking box office records in its second week in theaters. But there's more to this story.  Damien Leone's signature creation, Art the Clown, is not just an inventive modern horror icon and a glorious, singular creative vision - he is a beacon of artistic ex...

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 9: "The Green Council" What do you do when your big shocking twist becomes expected? Every season of Game of Thrones faced the titanic expectations and pressures of 'the big ninth episode,' and House of the Dragon is no different. We start with some surprising parallels with lesser known GOT Episode 9s. We also discuss the latest format shift fo...

Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 1 The world of The Witcher doesn't have phones, or the internet, or mail, or even owls. So instead, this chapter follows the game of telephone that twists and tangles every new development throughout this war. Dijkstra gets promoted from spymaster to chess grandmaster, surpassing even Varys and Littlefinger. Ciri is viewed from a distance as a shadow of Geral...

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 8: "The Lord of the Tides" Remember when we were worried that Viserys had been narratively demoted and we weren't going to see much of him anymore? lol. Well, if Paddy Considine doesn't win an Emmy for this episode, then none of the Seven Gods are real. We explore this episode as a variation on grief art and discuss the much more harrowing repre...

What is canon, and does it matter? Join us for a wide-ranging discussion of adaptations, sequels, retcons, and franchises. We consider 3 possible definitions of "canon" and a bevy of messy, complicated examples, including Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman, Steven King, The West Wing, Winnie the Pooh, and the wide world of Tolkien-related properties. No homework required, this one's...

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 7: "Driftmark" This week's episode of Macbeth is a glorious remix of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth killing King Duncan (with a dagger, while she emasculates him, in a safe fortress, etc.). Don't worry, Cam explains the connection in passionate detail. As we approach the final time jump the hosts discuss pacing and its effect on our expectations. We a...

Discussion of The Time of Contempt, Chapter 7 We're closing out another Witcher novel today, with another curveball – no magic, no mentors, and no help on the way. Maggie tracks Ciri's evolving identity as she adopts a new name taken from the Elder Speech. Cam looks for the continued shadow of Yennefer and comes up empty, before realizing that this chapter is a biting meditation on Geralt. We resp...

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 6: "The Princess and the Queen" After a 10-year time jump, we're viewing this episode as a second pilot of House of the Dragon. Cam takes us through a laundry list of echoes to the actual pilot of the show, including grisly childbirths, another set of important deaths, and the merits of short but potent character arcs. We discuss Daemon's new ki...

Discussion of The Time of Contempt, Chapter 6 Welcome back to Maggie's Mythology Corner! On today's episode we're talking about unicorns, which it turns out were not invented by Disney or Harry Potter. We're parsing prophecy this week, and a sudden deluge of Tolkien echoes and reversals. Cam continues to develop his narrativity theory, and we analyze Ciri's split future and the growing importance...

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 5: "We Light the Way" A new wedding in Westeros means a new color that makes us wince. We start with a discussion of Criston Cole: his downfall, his ethics, and his future. We continue last week's discussion about Daemon's impotence with some help from a listener. Cam caps off his Macbeth comparison with the appearance of Banquo's ghost. We cele...

Discussion of The Time of Contempt, Chapter 5 After last week's cataclysmic conclave, you'd think Sapkowski might slow down for a chapter, maybe coast for a few pages. NOPE. We've got a spiraling smoothie of spellbinding storytelling structures, brilliantly combining short story efficiency with cinematic montages and television editing. We've got a deep dive into Emhyr var Emreis that pointedly ec...

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 4: "The King of the Narrow Sea" Tristan is back this week for a whole hour of our long-running segment, Incest Watch! Some great listener feedback starts a discussion about sexual agency and shifting power dynamics. Maggie wonders if Daemon set up Rhaenyra vis-à-vis Otto's spies. We debate Alicent's loyalties and future in the wake of her father...

Discussion of The Time of Contempt, Chapter 4 So how 'bout that magical conclave, huh? We thought this would be the straightforward centerpiece of this book – the Council of Elrond in the Witcher world. But luckily for us, Sapkowski is a lot more creative than that. Shit hits the fan, and every single subplot of the book erupts into a cataclysmic kaleidoscope. Vilgefortz ascends to the top of our...

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 3: "Second of His Name" Mythology, Arthurian legend, and pivotal Game of Thrones moments all flavor this week's episode. The symbolism is heavy and provocative in this one, which makes for fascinating discussion. The white hart and the boar provide both questions and answers about our characters and their eventual fates. We debate Daemon's motiv...

Discussion of The Time of Contempt, Chapter 3 Throw on you party dresses and chug some enchanted wine – it's time for some palace intrigue! This devious dinner party is a showcase for Sapkowski's multi-layered dialogue, which reveals a wealth of information about dozens of characters. Old friends and rivals appear, a new villain is introduced, and Yennefer and Geralt's relationship goes to the nex...

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 2: "The Rogue Prince" This might be the best hour of fantasy we've gotten in years. Join us (and Tristan!) for a winding discussion of this great episode of TV. We take a long look at King Viserys in particular, and try to determine if he's dishonest, cowardly, or relatable – or all of the above. We analyze Rhaenyra as a predecessor/improvement...

Discussion of The Time of Contempt, Chapter 2 After what feels like years of teasing, the Wild Hunt has finally made its appearance! And boy is she scary. Sapkowski has managed yet again to take traditional Tolkien-y tropes and flip them on their heads – the Nazgûl, armies of the undead, and weather-controlling wizards to name a few. Our central characters are finally reunited, and primed to move...

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 1: "The Heirs of the Dragon"   HOLY MOTHER OF DRAGONS. We were absolutely blown away by this pilot episode for the new Game of Thrones spinoff series. Friend of the show (and the Podcast of Life) Tristan joins us for our first full discussion of House of the Dragon. We discuss first impressions, standout moments and characters, echoes and parall...

The Time of Contempt, Chapter 1   Book 2 of The Witcher series started out with a bang (or is it really Book 4?? Don't ask us). Sapkowski pulled out all the stops by using every tool in his short-story-structure utility belt, while keeping us informed and invested in the larger threads of his story. We get quite a few new characters – including the fantasy version of Saul Goodman. This chapter is...

For the final episode of Summerween 2022, we're going back 100 years to examine a horror classic. We discuss the charming imperfections of scrappy 1920s production, coupled with the problems of unauthorized adaptation. It turns out this film exists in multiple versions – and we dig deeper into the implications and lasting effects of centuries-long games of artistic telephone. Speaking of adaption...

Blood of Elves, Chapter 7 FIRST THINGS FIRST: Our Substack is live! We've put together a new platform that will allow us to analyze more works of art and better interact with the Second Breakfast community. Subscribe for free, or become a premium member for $5/month: https://secondbreakfastpod.substack.com/ GIVEAWAY: All listeners who sign up for the paid Substack subscription within the first wee...