Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Rachel Cain's ‘Somnium' is a triumph of indie horror filmmaking and sheer creative willpower, but it's also the most provocative and fascinating exploration of dreams that we've ever seen from the genre. In this episode, we're deep diving into metaphorical dreams, literal dreams, and all the nightmarish ways in which they interact. We're talking symbolic monsters, ambiguous endings, and class consciousness — with just a touch of Faustus thrown in for good measure. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! The Conjuring: Last Rites is a long goodbye; it presents a medley of curtain calls, family drama, beautiful directing, and uninspired scares. In this episode we examine the final Ed & Lorraine Conjuring movie from three different perspectives: as a character study, as a horror movie, and as the ending of a beloved horror franchise. Our discussion concludes with a reflection on subjectivity, and its centrality to our discussions about art on the show. Plus, Maggie forgets the word “spin-off” about 17 times. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! The Toxic Avenger is unrated, unhinged, and full of heart. In this episode, we're exploring the explosive color work of unrated horror, Toxie's fantastic creature design that harkens back to the body horror roots of the genre, the restlessness of successful on-screen comedy, and the film's folkloric catharsis in the face of cartoonish corruption and cruelty. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Of all the horror franchises, Hell House LLC might have the boldest and most terrifying sequels. In this episode, we're discussing them all, while tracking the unique ways in which they complicate and deepen the franchise's ten-year Faustus meditation. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! The fifth and ‘final' Hell House LLC film is out now in theaters, and causing quite a stir. We both loved this movie, and in this episode we are responding to the four most prominent criticisms that have torn through the fandom. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Like most horror movies, The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a mixed bag — in this case, an uneven combination of mockumentary interviews and shaky found footage scares. But Cam's got a wild theory that this movie is actually one of the most vicious and biting satires ever made of the true crime industrial complex and its relationship with the horror genre. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Jimmy and Stiggs is what you get when you throw Evil Dead and Saw in a blender, open the top, splatter it all over a laser tag arena, and then shoot the whole thing into space. This is the most gonzo, full throttle, colorful, and splatter crunch crazy movie we have ever covered on the show. It's an absolutely stunning thrill ride, and a genuinely inspiring monument to indie filmmaking. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! It's time to do a little check-in about the future of the show. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! In a true ‘bucket list' moment, we got to see My Chemical Romance perform the entirety of their masterpiece “The Black Parade” album live on stage. For this marathon episode, we're breaking down all new iconography of the band's “Draag” era, unearthing some provocative connections to The Black Parade, discussing each and every song in the time-traveling setlist, and reflecting on this transcendent, life-affirming artistic experience. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Eddington is a bold, fascinating, ambitious satire, but it's also the film that cements certain patterns within Ari Aster's way of telling stories. In this episode, we're creating a list of four ironclad ‘rules' that appear in each of his movies by revisiting Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid — before finally discussing Eddington. This is a celebration of recurring themes and conceptual escalation across one of the most exciting and restless filmographies of our time. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's — a sudden influx of life-affirming summer blockbusters? In this episode, we're taking a look at both Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, to find out why Cam was holding back tears throughout these movies. Topics include: a dozen pointed similarities between these films, our wildly different perspectives & expectations, a bit of backseat editing, comparisons to past inspiring superhero films, the endless importance of romance in storytelling, and a look towards the future of this new trend. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! The Pitt isn't just one of the best shows of the last ten years, it is an astonishing work of horror — an urgent, unflinching, life-affirming tapestry of hope, loss, life, and death. In this episode, we're exploring the story's central ‘real-time' conceit from four distinct angles: passing time, compounding time, lost time, and impending time. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! When Diablo IV is good, it's really good. We've been dungeon-crawling and monster-slaying nonstop for the last month, and thought it was time to take another look at what we're affectionately calling “Season of the Dungeon”. Maggie has blasted through the whole campaign with a super-powered Rogue, and Cam is deeper into the endgame than either of us have ever gone before. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! "Oh, Hi!" is not really an homage to Stephen King's "Misery" - it's a companion piece, that dives much deeper into the insecurities and obsession of its characters. Pointedly, this film is also a funny, aching exploration of the female psyche that somehow remains grounded amidst multiple felonies and attempts at witchcraft. This isn't a horror movie. This isn't a rip-off. It's a rigorous, open-ended character study that embraces the messiest and most absurd parts of human nature. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! We're celebrating Ozzy Osbourne by doing a close reading of the very first Black Sabbath song — which just so happens to be one of the best “Doctor Faustus” adaptations of the past 400 years. In six minutes and only three verses, Ozzy stages all of the play's essential events and even manages to capture some of Marlowe's most daring and subversive subtext. The song also happens to feature the most potent rendition of Hell in any artistic medium, and the best adaptation ever done of Marlowe's layered, knife-twisting epilogue. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! The thing you really notice about Pennywise during a rewatch is the startling, impressive amount of DROOL he's got going on in every scene. In this episode, we're revisiting both movies (and the book) to discuss the intangible magic of creature design, the original sin of adaptation, and more than anything — the controversial topic of bad endings. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Imagine if The Lord of The Rings ended with Frodo deciding to keep the Ring for himself — and the film presented that as a happy ending! That's more or less what happens in the latest Mission: Impossible film. Let's explore every side of this strange ending, play devil's advocate, and once again ponder whether or not a bad ending can ruin a great movie. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! The original Friday the 13th is not only the blueprint for the slasher genre, it might just be the best execution of that tried and true formula. This episode is a critical reevaluation of the classic film and the massive influence it has had on the genre for more than 45 years. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! This might be the Frenchest movie ever made. To describe it at all is to spoil it, but the thrust of this episode is about Titane's relationship to one of our favorite melancholy body horror freakouts: Rosemary's Baby. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Diablo IV is nothing if not inconsistent, and Season 9 is yet another moment of whiplash for the game. In our State of the Game segment, we discuss seasonal powers, the evolving reliquary system, bugs and crashes, difficulty balancing, the latest gear system, and fun factor. Moving onto the Seasonal Campaign, we celebrate the revitalization of Nightmare Dungeons and a narrative that returns to the lingering threads of the base game. In our Class Update, Cam returns to the Necromancer for a brand new shadow / minion build and finds unexpected build synergies. Finally, we close the discussion with a cautiously hopeful look at Diablo IV's always uncertain future. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Beneath the roar of the engines, F1 is hiding an intense study of human nature — a pointedly Faustian story of obsession that feels equally cautionary and aspirational. The film asks a simple question about Marlowe's classic story: how does the infamous ‘bargain' change Faustus? What does it enable and break within him? Come for the vroom vroom, stay for the rigorous examination of Elizabethan theater! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! This goofy, earnest indie horror movie left us with one big question — why isn't Frendo scary? Our discussion trails through the pantheon of scary clowns and masked killers into the abstract alchemy of creature design. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Materialists is our favorite film of the year, and not just because we love Dakota Johnson. Celine Song has basically created The Jane Austen Singularity, remixing and weaving in the best parts of Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, and Emma into a totally fresh modern classic. We laughed, we cried, we theorized — let's get into it! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! This is a bucket list episode for us, as we finally discuss one of the boldest, gnarliest, most affecting works of female body horror ever made. As a longtime fan, Cam reflects on this film's formative role in his love of provocative art and the timeless power of a great ending. Maggie analyzes her first viewing of the film and its blisteringly novel representation of female adolescence, with all the attendant horrors and delights. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Does a sequel know that it is a sequel? What about a spinoff? How about a successor series? These are the identity crises swirling in the background of the latest delightfully entertaining film "From the World of John Wick: Ballerina" -- let's break it all down! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Once we escaped the boundless oceans that are Cillian Murphy's eyes, a few things occurred to us about 28 Days Later — namely, all of the fascinatingly direct plot parallels with The Walking Dead. We also zoom out to analyze the titanic differences in theme and metaphor between fast zombies and slow zombies. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! This might be the most fully realized “Faust Fable” we've ever discussed on the show. Wes Anderson not only successfully reverses the Faustus / Mephistopheles dynamic, he also inverts the ending and explores the play's often overlooked supporting cast, implied backstory, and deep sense of yearning. What a picture! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! In a twist that might be even more shocking than this terrifying film, this latest Faust Fable discussion is actually built around one of Maggie's theories — not Cam's — as she deep dives into that perennial horror question: why don't they just run away from the scary monsters? The answer is a wild journey of muffled fragments and out-of-focus breadcrumbs through this found footage Faustian masterpiece! Cam sprinkles in some Macbeth for good measure. All hail found footage! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Hell House, LLC. is one of the most terrifying films ever made. We have wanted to discuss it for years now, and that day has finally come. In this first of two breakdown episodes, Cam offers a theory about the painstaking way the film presents all those devastating creature designs to game the audience's memory and so savagely weaponize the power of suggestion. Maggie sprinkles in some Blair Witch comparisons for good measure. All hail found footage! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Dangerous Animals is a summer horror movie with big scary sharks, but we think it has MUCH more in common with our beloved Saw than it does with Jaws. In this episode, we run through the six essential elements that could make Bruce Tucker the next Jigsaw. Happy Summerween! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Bring Her Back builds to an almost unbearable fever pitch that evokes both Jordan Peele and Alfred Hitchcock. This episode chases down those comparisons to explore the film's fractal, fascinating riffs on the theatrical tradition of “doubling” up actors to play multiple roles within the same production. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! We have been itching to do this episode FOREVER, and it's finally here! Is the Big Mac a work of art? We explore this provocative question and the million questions that follow. In the same way that a painting exists in a museum, and a movie in a theater, where does the Big Mac exist? When is it a work of art — when it's being made, when it was designed, or when you're actually eating it? Things get even more tricky from there: who made the Big Mac, both literally and functionally? Has this one immaculate burger transcended the bounds of trademark and copyright to occupy the same cultural space as the American flag or the Statue of Liberty? Join us for this bucket list breakdown of that most special of burgers, all the way from the special sauce to the sesame seed bun, on this very special episode of Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Season Eight finds Diablo IV in a pretty rough place. This episode is a frank discussion of live service grind, difficulty balancing, aggressive monetization, and the limits of class design. In every way, ‘Belial Rising' is more and less Diablo IV, and it might just be time to get off the hamster wheel. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Prepping the notes for this episode was unusually difficult. Cam said that he's never felt this conflicted about a game before. Doom: The Dark Ages lives in the shadow of multiple, inescapable influences — from Halo to Gears of War to God of War and even the other modern Doom sequels — but it's also a great standalone game. After discussing all the unfavorable comparisons that those influences invite, we zoom out to analyze Doom: The Dark Ages on its own terms. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! How has it taken us five years to do an episode on an Elder Scrolls game? Luckily, the new Oblivion Remaster has arrived to fix all that. Cam reflects on the heroic fantasy ideal, Bethesda's charming jank, the pitfalls of modern gaming, accidental vampirism, and the collaborative wonder of a game that makes the audience feel like they're simultaneously playing, creating, and living the ultimate expression of the fantasy genre. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! We're diving back into the MCU to analyze Thunderbolts* as an allegorical pandemic-era period piece. This is an unusually personal discussion of mental health, lost time, and the unironic power of friendship. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! What's this? A polarizing story about art and excess starring the Weeknd that is equally self-indulgent and self-loathing? That's right, as the world's foremost defenders of The Idol, we're back to discuss Hurry Up Tomorrow. In this episode, Cam wrestles with Abel's self-sabotaging self-promotion, toys with that ambiguous ending, unpacks an avalanche of influences, and breaks down the uncomfortable, familiar sense of embarrassment he felt while watching this film. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! What's the best Doom game? Well, that might be a trick question. In this episode, Cam argues that ‘The Ancient Gods' — the overlooked two-part expansion to Doom Eternal — might just be the best entry in the franchise. With massive story implications, fascinating gameplay evolutions, and a running length that rivals all the modern mainline entries, The Ancient Gods is a stealth sequel in the proud tradition of Halo: ODST and Gears 5: Hivebusters. Rip, tear, and spread the word! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Five years after the wildly divisive ‘Doom Eternal' was released, Cam has given the game a second chance — and fallen in love with it. This discussion charts his history with the franchise, the frustrations of that first playthrough, and the unique combat rhythm that turned a simple demon killing formula into a wildly addictive white knuckle chess match. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Don't believe the marketing, this body horror remix of Cinderella has a lot more in common with our favorite Jane Austen adaptations than it does with The Substance. Our discussion of The Ugly Stepsister centers around the tragic, almost universal sympathy that the film imbues within the central cast. How does this character focus affect the film's body horror? How is empathy twisted and weaponized throughout the story? How accurate is all of this surreal brutality to the reality of the female experience? LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Revenge of the Sith is not just the most climactic and sweeping and melodramatic Star Wars film, it's also perhaps the most tragic entry — and that's where we come in. We analyze the film by tracing it's roots through three giants in the field, starting with Lord of the Rings and an avalanche of Gollum / Anakin parallels, moving on to Macbeth and the realization that the Jedi masters are the three witches, and finishing with a Doctor Faustus framing that almost redeems Anakin as a lone Faustus in an endless sea of Mephistopheles. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Rewatching House of Cards in 2025 is a fascinating and uneven experience — because the titular house never seems to fall. This episode traces the Watergate-like ‘Underwood Exposé' that simmers just below the surface for seventy-three episodes, but never arrives. It's a reflection on implicit promises to the audience, shifting focus, and botched endings (with some Richard III sprinkled on top). LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Despite their wildly different tones, House of Cards and The West Wing are shockingly similar. We run through ten eerie similarities between the two shows before opening up the discussion to figure out when and why House of Cards became an accidental remake of The West Wing. We then analyze the attitudes and eras that shaped each show and consider them as deeply intertwined, transitional period pieces. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! This grand finale of our chapter-by-chapter coverage of the first A Song of Ice and Fire novel is a deep-dive retrospective of all the major thoughts, theories, and literary analysis we've brought to the world of Westeros. We work together to cover each and every POV character and our most fruitful overarching umbrella theories. Grab a crust of bread and horn of ale – and dig in – there's a lot to get to! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Sinners is a fantastic drama, a killer horror movie, and a great vampire story - but it's something else too. Cam argues that the film feels almost like a blues biopic, going beyond Sammie's story to chart the story of the genre itself. Using plot analysis and personal anecdotes, we investigate the magic and myth of Ryan Coogler's latest masterpiece. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! A Game of Thrones ends with a massive curveball that threatens to totally upend the philosophy of life and death we've been tracking for 73 chapters. We work together to unravel these cycles of life, death, and rebirth and ultimately recalibrate the binary conflict at the center of this series. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! After hundreds of hours, ups, downs, delights, and disappointments, The Light & Darkness saga of Destiny 2 is finally done. Cam is happy to report that The Final Shape is not only a great expansion, but also a great ending to this epic, sweeping, and messy story. Join us for a discussion of character-focused gameplay, staggering art direction, and the overwhelming, emotional, 12-player finale mission, ‘Excision'. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! So many chapters of this book have felt like ghost stories, but this is something else entirely. Cam argues that Catelyn's final chapter brutally resolves the central conflict between the living and the dead. Maggie questions Catelyn's capacity to adapt in a rapidly changing world. Littlefinger's tongue makes an unwelcome appearance. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! The Woman in the Yard is the best Blumhouse movie since Insidious. Why? Its relentless and bold family drama, unflinching negotiation of tough topics, and scrappy, indie spirit that only ever makes it feel more creative and inspired. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! The final Jon chapter poses a challenging question about his direwolf, Ghost: is he a loyal dog, an attentive wolf, or a superior reasoning intellect on the level of Tolkien's dragons? Cam chases down these provocations while Maggie considers Jon's larger breaking point as he considers desertion. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Does a book have to be “necessary” to be worth reading? Maggie explores this idea in our spoiler-free discussion of the latest installment in the Hunger Games series, Sunrise on the Reaping. Topics include fan service, recurring narrative structures, the age of legacy prequels, and the trappings of continuity. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com