Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Discussion of Crossroads of Ravens, Ch. 1-8 Surprise! We're returning to the wonderful world of chapter-by-chapter fantasy discussions with the latest Witcher novel, Crossroads of Ravens. In this episode, we're exploring the narrative paradox of introducing a character like Preston Holt in the ninth book of the series, young Geralt's illluminating / overlapping Faustian bargains, Sapkowski's tricky relationship with giving his characters "thesis statements," and the strange reputation inflation that happens when a franchise gets too successful. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! The grand finale of our 2025 Advent Calendar is finally here, so we thought we'd finally talk about something festive! For this episode, we watched the modern holiday horror classic "Krampus". Topics include: practical / digital creature design, the x-factor of onscreen family dynamics, key cinematic influences, and the existential, dread-inducing, high-pressure shadow of rewatchability that hangs over all holiday films. Merry Christmas! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! In this episode, we're doing some very serious analytical work — creating the definitive tier list of all the worst breaches of theater etiquette we've ever witnessed firsthand. The vibes are frantic, the complaints are petty, and spirits are high. Happy Festivus! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! After the recent disappointment of Black Ops 7, Cam went back to 2017's Call of Duty: WWII in the hopes of finding a simple, competently made FPS campaign. Instead, he found the most impressive, immersive, and profound game in the franchise — a largely overlooked modern classic that feels like a minor miracle in the current gaming landscape. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! We try to mention "fun factor" in all of our gaming episodes. It's a mercurial, tricky concept that is too often overlooked in critical analysis. In this episode, we're celebrating an absolute masterpiece of fun — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. Topics include: arcade difficulty, colorful combat, and mechanical variety. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! This episode is a post-mortem of the shockingly unenjoyable Terrifier game. We're trying to figure out where it all went wrong, and that question will take us through combat expression, enemy variety, core understanding of the source material, and a brief digression into the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Somehow, this French indie movie is both the best James Bond movie and best Batman / Catwoman movie ever made. In this episode, we're investigating the endless, delirious style of Reflection of a Dead Diamond. Topics include: the art of rug pull revelations, how to balance realism and surrealism, and the enduring cultural influence of Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Diablo's latest season is like a box of crayons that has one gloriously beautiful crayon inside of it — but the rest is empty. Functionally, this is a season without a story, and as much as we are adoring the new Paladin class, this episode is ultimately about how alarmed we are by the narrative precedent established by this Season of Divine Intervention. Topics include: difficulty curve, constant bugs, fun factor, the new seasonal powers, underlying systems reworks, the seasonal campaign, a class update about the delightful Paladin, and some existential wrap up questions. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! In this episode, we're exploring the calming, focusing, and meditative power of Powerwash Simulator 2, a game that Cam accidentally dumped fifty hours into — and found some measure of inner peace along the way. Topics include: the immortal attraction of color, what makes a great iterative sequel, and the thrill Maggie gets from pretending to farm. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Wake Up Dead Man is far and away the best Knives Out movie, somehow managing to be both a great screwball comedy and an earnest drama about faith. In this episode, we're exploring that dichotomy, and Maggie's hunch that this feels like two movies stitched together. Topics include: the boundless talent of Josh O'Connor, the narrative demotion of Benoit Blanc, and the difficulty of ancillary political satire. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Maggie's journey as a gamer stretches from Baldur's Gate 3 on the PS5 all the way back to clicking away at 'homework games' on the family computer. In this retrospective episode, she's taking us through the top ten titles that define her as a gamer — fascinatingly presented in chronological order. Come for the Barbie shoutouts, stay for the evolution into an ARPG sicko. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! In an act of pure self-loathing, Cam attempted to create a list of the ten games that define him as a lifelong gamer. The first draft of that list had a hundred entries. In this episode, we're discussing his final, winnowed-down top ten. Somehow, none of the Halo games made the list, but don't worry, he found a way to fit in almost a dozen honorable mentions. Come for the obligatory Destiny 2 hand-wringing, stay for the wistful memories of Kirby Squeak Squad. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Man Finds Tape is a delightful, dread-inducing puzzlebox that deftly combines the found footage and faux-documentary subgenres of indie horror. In this episode, we explore the film's equally impressive high concepts and lo-fi effects by making enthusiastic comparisons to Hell House, LLC., Smile, and The Poughkeepsie Tapes. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Sisu: Road to Revenge is more than the sum of its parts — and those parts are pretty incredible. This episode is a celebration of what is at once the best John Wick, Mad Max, and Die Hard descendant we've ever seen. Topics include: impossible origin stories, the importance of runtimes, and the marriage of slapstick comedy and deeply sincere drama. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Forget Diablo, forget Path of Exile — Last Epoch might just be the best ARPG on the market. In this episode, we're diving into this nine (!) act campaign to discuss difficulty, art direction, skill trees, quest structure, class variety, fun factor, meta progression, and endgame activities. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Besides being a perfect movie in its own right, Hamnet is also almost a one-to-one restaging of Robert Eggers' The Witch — one of our favorite movies of all time. In this episode, we're running through all the similarities and echoes we noticed, from a shared interest in female folk horror to pivotal exorcisms of oldest sons and impossible, undead finales. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! This one's a real head scratcher. Keeper evokes so many of our favorite horror movies — The Witch, Barbarian, The Invitation, The Black Phone — and we love the creative team behind it, but the film just didn't work for us at all. In this episode, we're taking a closer look at the plot, performances, direction, and editing to figure out why. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! In this episode, we make the case that Stranger Things is the American Harry Potter — and more specifically, that Stranger Things 5 Volume 1 is strikingly similar to Deathly Hallows Part 1. Echoes include: victorious villains, dramatic camping, the death of innocence, hive mind lieutenants, and pirate radio broadcasts. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Popcorn movies. Fun movies. Entertaining movies. These are the types of films that we take for granted. They're not the types of films that we usually give awards to, but that doesn't mean that they're easy to make. Predator: Badlands is masterfully engaging and relentlessly creative. In this episode, we're exploring the concept of a "fun factor" to find out what made this experience such a hooting, hollering good time. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Does biting satire have to have a nihilistic ending? Do heroic victories undercut commentary about fascism? In this episode, we're taking a look at Edgar Wright's The Running Man, through the lenses of the following films: The Hunger Games, The Long Walk, One Battle After Another, Eddington, Gladiator II, and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com