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    Diablo III Retrospective

    enJune 02, 2023
    What was the main topic of the podcast episode?
    Summarise the key points discussed in the episode?
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    Were any current events or trending topics addressed in the episode?

    About this Episode

    Diablo III is one of the most successful works of fantasy ever made, having sold more than 65 million copies worldwide. Between the three of us — Cam, Maggie, and Tristan — we have spent a startling amount of time in the world of Sanctuary battling demons and tinkering with our skill trees. It’s been eleven years since the game released, and with this somehow being our 250th (!) episode, it felt like it was finally time to sit down and talk about this masterpiece. We’re getting into everything — story, environmental design, art direction, all seven classes, buildcrafting, replayability, and legacy. All hail the Skeleton King!

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    Recent Episodes from Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

    Dune [Book Three]

    Dune [Book Three]
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    Cam read Book 3 of Dune in one sitting. This episode is a passionate, spoiler-free whirlwind of reactions, theories, and questions. Our Shakespeare conversation has evolved drastically, moving past Henry IV to welcome back our friends Macbeth, Hamlet, and Richard III. Because of all these pesky prophecies and religious rhetoric, Cam also gets to shoehorn some Problem of Evil into the discussion. But we’re also asking questions with the benefit of hindsight: about Frank Herbert’s dialogue focus at the expense of traditional set pieces, and about Dune’s paradoxical status as both a complete trilogy and the first of six novels. We close with a bit of reflection on the escalating challenge nested within Herbert’s decision to make Paul both narratively irresistible and ethically irredeemable. 

    LINKS: PatreonYouTubeSpotifyInstagramCam’s stories

    Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

    Catelyn III [A Game of Thrones]

    Catelyn III [A Game of Thrones]
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    This chapter is 8 pages long, but it somehow manages to move almost all the pieces on the chessboard and quietly advance every major storyline since the last Targaryen checkpoint – while also being a one-act medieval hospital drama. Echoes abound through this efficient chapter, ranging from the assassins and meddling witches of Macbeth to the hollow dread of The Godfather. Cam takes us on a detour about the expanded role of the direwolves and their apparent narrative interventions. Maggie draws comparisons between Catelyn and Ned, identifying the ways in which they speak up or remain silent in their respective circumstances – and it’s not looking good for our boy Ned!

    LINKS: PatreonYouTubeSpotifyInstagramCam’s stories

    Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

    Dune: Part Two

    Dune: Part Two
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    Dune: Part Two was an overwhelming work of art. The visuals are relentless and innovative, the script is efficient and reverential – but there are downsides for any overstuffed turkey. Vital character arcs (and entire characters themselves) have to be cut, and even some of our returning favorites have lost some of their intoxicating texture. This extra long discussion investigates the world of Dune with one eye to this adaptation and another to its source material, spiraling through temptation, revenge, color theory, Shakespeare, religion, and the corrosive unknowability of prophecy.
     
    00:00 - The IMAX Experience
    03:50 - Overwhelmed & Underwhelmed
    07:42 - Oversimplified Returning Characters
    22:44 - Herbert's Revolving Door
    26:56 - Dazzling Images & Reinventions
    35:07 - Color Theory: Harkonnen vs. Fremen
    40:21 - When Does Paul Turn?
    52:58 - Prophecy as Forbidden Knowledge
    58:43 - Adaptation Roundup!
    01:05:22 - The Quiet Corruption of Leto Atreides
    01:13:14 - Tangible Time & Dramatic Pacing
    01:21:46 - Dune Messiah & Closing Questions

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    Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

    Tyrion II [A Game of Thrones]

    Tyrion II [A Game of Thrones]
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    “A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.” Our favorite dwarf is back, and brings with him centuries of history, paragraphs of wisdom, and lots of Targaryen foreshadowing. Cam examines Tyrion and Jon’s growing relationship in this chapter, particularly as a model of true male friendship. We both spotted some exciting Dany parallels, and Maggie breaks down a prophetic line in Tyrion’s memory of the dragon skulls in the crypt at King’s Landing: leading us to ask ourselves who the “last of the Targaryen dragons” truly are. We examine Tyrion’s place in the narrative, where Cam positions the dwarf as a kind of “bridge”: between characters, histories, places, and future generations. 

    LINKS: PatreonYouTubeSpotifyInstagramCam’s stories

    Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

    Dune [Book Two]

    Dune [Book Two]
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    When we tell you that the first book was about sand worms and this book was about water, and that this one was somehow more interesting - you gotta believe us. This episode continues our crash course through Frank Herbert’s Dune. We discuss the evolution of dialogue-first genre fiction into a wold of fractal observations and stolen glances, the dreadful shadow that’s falling over Paul, and the effect of Herbert’s compounding Shakespearean feints. 

    LINKS: PatreonYouTubeSpotifyInstagramCam’s stories

    Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

    Eddard II [A Game of Thrones]

    Eddard II [A Game of Thrones]
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    We’ve officially left Winterfell, and the road to King’s Landing is full of key character moments. Maggie breaks down a new literary device that encourages a deeper look at the relationship between Ned and Robert. Cam sparks a discussion about change, prophecy, and defining character moments that take place in adolescence. We move to a conversation about the gods, inevitability, and the harshness of GRRM’s world. Cam also makes an important connection across the Narrow Sea between Ned and Dany – and we’re left pondering the fates of both. 

    LINKS: PatreonYouTubeSpotifyInstagramCam’s stories

    Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

    Dune [Book One]

    Dune [Book One]
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    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. 

    LINKS: PatreonYouTubeSpotifyInstagramCam’s stories

    Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

    Daenerys II [A Game of Thrones]

    Daenerys II [A Game of Thrones]
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    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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    Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

    Breakfast Buffet, Vol. 5 [TEASER]

    Breakfast Buffet, Vol. 5 [TEASER]

    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.

    To hear the full episode, subscribe to our Patreon HERE.

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    Jon II [A Game of Thrones]

    Jon II [A Game of Thrones]
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    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.  

    LINKS: PatreonYouTubeSpotifyInstagramCam’s stories

    Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com