Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Oh look, even more evidence that Jon is the Prince That Was Promised. Maggie’s got a blockbuster theory that unites all of our outstanding prophecies around Jon Snow in an avalanche of fire and blood imagery. Cam examines this chapter as a complex restaging of the Prologue that elevates the series’ preoccupation with death to new heights. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! The apt comparison when discussing the first expansion of Diablo IV has to be the first expansion for Diablo III, and let's just say this -- Vessel of Hatred is no Reaper of Souls. In this episode, we'll break down this comparison in terms of aesthetic and plot before diving into the new class offered by each expansion. We also discuss some unfortunate technical bugs, the game's sudden hostility to couch co-op, and the more general state of the game in October 2024. Finally, we close with a meditation on the 'fun factor' of this disappointing release, and consider the future of Diablo IV. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected] 00:00 Introduction / Outline 01:20 The Shadow of Reaper of Souls 02:42 Aesthetic (VOH / ROS) 10:21 Plots (VOH / ROS) 17:36 New Class (VOH / ROS) 25:03 Theory: Choice Paralysis 30:43 Is Spiritborn a New Experience? 35:42 Updated Class Ranking 37:17 Technical Bugs 42:38 State of the Game 46:34 Fun Factor / Closing Thoughts

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Happy Halloween! This chapter is a ghost story. Cam analyzes the death of King Robert in concert with Viserys Targaryen’s death in the last chapter. What sets apart these two failed conquerors who died without an heir? We build to a broader discussion of what defines a character in this series – their memorable deaths or their fateful decisions? Maggie deepens the analysis with a discussion on Ned’s haunted dreams and the many ‘promises’ weighing him down. We close with the next phase of our ‘Prince That Was Promised’ theory crafting. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Cam revisits one of his very favorite works of science fiction, Halo: Combat Evolved, only to find that the game has changed. This is a conversation about rose-tinted nostalgia, art direction, the heresy of video game remasters, and the enduring magic of Master Chief. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! The fifth Targaryen checkpoint is a cornucopia of prophetic symbolism. The Macbeth allusions of the Winterfell era cross-pollinate into Dany’s story. The seeds are planted for a golden Lannister coup. More than one fateful prince is introduced. None of these things are what they seem – and if you ask Cam, somehow all of it is about Dune. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! This is cause for celebration: indie darling Art the Clown has the #1 movie in America, with an unrated, unhinged, and unbelievably great Christmas slasher. After our first impressions, we break down the franchise thesis statement that is the movie’s opening scene, Art’s ever evolving slapstick physical comedy, the overwhelming heart and humanity of this story, and all the wry, innovative nods to classic horror along the way. Cam takes a moment to discuss the fact that Art is officially a demon and do some Faustus analysis. We close by looking ahead to the future of the franchise and theorizing about conspicuously absent characters, suspicious deaths, and Art’s endgame. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! If Ned Stark is playing checkers, this chapter finally shows us who’s been beating him at chess. Cersei Lannister arrives on the scene, but she’s not quite the character we grew to love on HBO. By trying to read this character introduction with fresh eyes, we see her in a whole new light, like a lost Targaryen conqueror falling from the pages of Fire & Blood. Cam revisits the ghost of Ned Stark and the grey soup of immorality he drowned in. Maggie completes her seen & unseen analysis as the omens of good and ill rage in the sky. Also, someone in the book finally looks at the camera and says the title. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! French puppet vampires – if that's not enough to sell you on a horror movie, then I don't know what is! The Vourdalak is equally unnerving and delightful, and this discussion covers our first impressions of the film, the kaleidoscope of influences that it seems to pull from (Sleepy Hollow, Barry Lyndon, The VVitch, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and a deep dive into the miraculous puppetry / creature design. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Ned’s pseudo-afterlife continues to unsettle us. George R. R. Martin seems to overlap Ned’s virtuous right-and-wrong morality system with Sansa’s (understandably) naïve moral binaries. Is this comparison a rebuke of the doomed Ned Stark or a validation of his idealism? In this episode, we’re teasing out hypotheticals, parsing moral frameworks, examining distillation echoes, and working together to lift the veil of metaphor and objectively interpret dreams. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! The Substance is an incredible surprise, a thrilling, ruthless, unflinching body horror satire that gave us the best theatrical experience of 2024. We start things off with a spoiler-free reflection / recommendation before diving into the grotesque smoothie of influences that shape this story. These include: The Picture of Dorian Gray, Cinderella, Black Swan, Tusk, Frankenstein, and -- most notably -- Cam's beloved Doctor Faustus. After that, we dissect all the delightful, inverted Kubrick echoes, from The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, and a full-scale mirror image of 2001: A Space Odyssey. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Bittersweet doesn’t even begin to describe this brief moment of seeing Ned Stark on the Iron Throne. Maggie tracks the omens and bloody motifs nipping at Ned’s heels, while Cam tries to understand Ned’s principled defiance as a singular act of sacrificial heroism comparable to the finale of The Witcher series, and the Pilgrim’s ascension to Heaven in Dante’s Divine Comedy. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! What is Star Wars? This question lies at the heart of our discussion, and we think at the heart of every Star Wars project in any medium. Cam has a novel (and possible stupid) new answer to this question, and this episode tracks the cascade of epiphanies about the Star Wars franchise that were sparked by his recent playthrough of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. We’re talking about identity crises and some light color theory, and westerns and space fantasy, but more importantly, there’s a character in the game named Turgle who kinda looks like Maggie. Look it up.  LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! The friendship between Tyrion and Bronn is a fan favorite. In this episode we explore the roots of this relationship: Cam points to the transactional nature of every plot point in this chapter, exposing the bitter corruption and self-interest that plagues Westeros (and especially Bronn and Tyrion); while Maggie returns to her “court fool” theory from a few chapters back, arguing that Tyrion may not be the only fool in this story. Tolkien and Sapkowski come into the mix here, as do shadowcats, the problem of evil, and curious choices of meat. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon!   Final Fantasy XVI gave us something that we've been missing from modern fantasy -- sweeping, romantic, breathtaking heroism. In this episode, we start by introducing the Final Fantasy series and our history with fantasy games before drilling down on the elusive, magical parts of this world that really spoke to us. Topics include: a la carte storytelling, heroic scale, aspirational heroism, role playing, flow states, difficulty modifiers, and our evolving relationship with the fantasy genre. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! After just five chapters, Jon Snow has left a profound impression on us. His story is told differently than any other POV character, and in this episode we make the case that GRRM's sporadic, snapshot rendering of Jon gives him a heroic theatricality. Cam revisits the previous Jon chapters to analyze the character's escalating, revolving door of roles and companions. Is Jon meant to be a character we can believe in, or just another cautionary tale? Maggie elevates the discussion with some pointed Tolkien echoes and we work together to make sense of the relationship between Jon and Ghost as veiled hunters. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon!   Diablo IV is officially great. Last season overhauled the core systems and solidified the game's fun factor, but this season makes some equally vital investments in endgame content and class balancing. Barbarian is finally good! The art direction continues to be top tier! Gold finally matters! Discussion segments include: state of the game, campaign impressions, class update, wrap-up questions, and a reflective, bittersweet post-mortem of Destiny 2. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Here it is, the long-awaited trial by combat chapter! The fight itself inspires a conversation about whether or not 'justice' exists in the world of Westeros. Maggie also dives into the many mysteries of the Weeping Woman (or is there more than one?) Cam reframes our despised Robert Arryn as a kaleidoscopic political cartoon of the monarchy, and we examine the glorious, destabilizing suspicion that GRRM creates as he unravels his inciting incident halfway through the book! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! The best movies are the ones that surprise you. Strange Darling was not at all what we expected, and we couldn’t be happier about it. Our spoiler-filled discussion dives deep into everything that made this movie fantastic, from stylized imagery and playful structure to deliciously subverted expectations and wonderfully robust characters. And the parallels to classics like Texas Chainsaw Massacre were delectable cherries on top. This movie feels like a watershed moment for arthouse horror, one whose influence will be felt for decades. Let’s get into it! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! In six ruthlessly efficient pages, George R. R. Martin epitomizes his distinct brand of medieval fantasy. Ned Stark’s turning point becomes a breaking point as the ghosts of his past and horrors of his present force him to confront his bleak future. We break down this purgatorial distillation echo to make the case that Ned has become one of the ghosts in his dreams. We close by reviewing four more Wizard of Ozstyle man-behind-the-curtain reveals that see the author shattering the romantic archetypes of fantasy.  LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Sing Sing dramatizes the real life story of a theater troupe in a maximum security prison. Not only did the movie absolutely floor us, but it evoked one of the most formative, powerful, life changing movies we've ever seen: Dead Poets Society. This episode explores those remixes and archetypes. We also reflect on the film's powerful, universal message about the power of art. This is a celebration of the best movie of the year. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Tyrion’s treacherous journey through the Eyrie pulls us in wildly different directions. Maggie is inspired to do a deep dive on court jesters and fools, the overlooked and underestimated wild cards of royal life. Cam base jumps into Greek mythology and the myth of Sisyphus, where he finds an eerie number of tragic parallels, not just to Tyrion, but to all the Lannisters. Together, we work to question and decode these theories and better understand the future Hand of the King. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Alien: Romulus isn't just a great horror movie or a great sci-fi movie, it's a fantastic Alien movie, and probably the best sixth sequel ever made. We discuss the film within this specific and storied context, making comparisons to Saw, Star Wars, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Halloween. Then we zoom in to look at the elements of Romulus that feel so wonderfully authentic, and almost make the film feel like a period piece. Topics include production design, practical effects & CGI, old Hollywood scores, and script posture. Fede Álvarez has done the impossible, again. What an experience! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Bran and Dany have always been the two most prophesied characters in this story, but this chapter draws the connections more explicitly than ever before. Their journeys could not be more different, but time and time again these two idealistic survivors keep ending up in the same place. The other major presence in this chapter is Ned Stark, as Bran inherits his father’s ghostly spirituality and existential freefall, while George R. R. Martin zooms out just enough to show us all the tragic cycles and patterns that they’re both trapped in. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Jack White's No Name is officially out in the world, and we're back with another deep dive analysis of this fascinating album. This time, we're exploring symbolism and color theory, dissecting the lineage and tension between the covers of all six Jack White solo albums to ultimately reach a fuller understanding of the provocative, enigmatic No Name. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Our fourth ‘Targaryen Checkpoint’ is an endless barrage of beautiful and tragic omens. We discuss these eulogies of decay as heralds of what’s to come – for Ned, for King’s Landing, for Winterfell, and for Dany herself. Then we take a closer look at all these Targaryen naming conventions: we’ve got “the dragon”, “the true dragon”, “the blood of the dragon”. What does it all mean? (Spoiler: this whole plotline is a cautionary tale about the entitled evils of monarchy). We close with a discussion of Dany’s defiant and doomed idealism. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! House of the Dragon’s second season has come to an end, and we’re back to investigate the finale for all its strange fascinations and inconsistencies. The elephant in the room here is Game of Thrones Season Eight, but we also dive into this episode’s steadfast resistance to character agency, and all those loose threads that have transformed into mysteries. We close by reacting to the news that HOTD will end with Season Four. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected] TIME CODES: 00:00 What worked for you? 10:24 Returning Issues 11:33 Worse than Season Eight? 23:04 The Uncanny Valley 25:34 Storytelling Craft 28:28 Setup or Letdown? 31:04 Character Agency in Peril 40:08 Daemon's Vision Disaster 50:11 Struggling with Halaena 53:21 All About the Writing 56:44 12 Abandoned Plot Threads 01:05:51 Two More Seasons 01:14:54 Successor Shows 01:20:12 Pitch: Aegon's Conquest

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Here's our thesis for this episode: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is about vampires, Grandpa is Dracula, and the rest of the Sawyer family are different shades of Renfield. Oh and the hippies are all Quincey Morris. After we finish mapping Bram Stoker's cast onto Tobe Hooper's masterpiece, we track the unusual role of blood throughout the film to uncover all sorts of vampiric undertones and barbecue bombshells! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! This chapter feels like the mirror image of last week’s Catelyn adventure. Cam starts us off with eight provocative similarities and differences from our new perspective on the Stark/Lannister rivalry. We then work together to evolve last week’s shadowy nature analysis to include a torrential downpouring of rain and bad omens. Gotta cherish our time with Ned before it’s gone! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! This one is fascinating -- Jack White surprise released a new album with no title, only on vinyl, and gave it away for free, for one day. Since then, it has blossomed underground, spreading like wildfire through the music community with the energy of a undiscovered bootleg recording. Oh and it might just be the best work of his career. Our discussion explores the album's exhilarating, non-commercial release strategy, that paradoxically perfect title, and all those glorious throwbacks to the electric early days of The White Stripes -- from lyrical motifs to guitar tones to fearless showmanship and iconic, genre-hopping zeal.  Check out the album here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiMvJylbX3Q LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Seven Episodes into Season Two, Cam has finally seen the matrix — and identified the reason why even this fantastic episode feels so different from Season One. This episode starts with a celebration of David Hancock’s fantastic writing, ranging from GRRM-level one-liners to characterizations so powerful that they feel like full reintroductions. From there, we discuss Rhaenyra’s deliciously slow turn to the dark side and Daemon’s ever-faster descent into madness. We start to close things out with a big ole chat about dragons: how many reptiles would it take to beat Vhagar in a fight? Do riders ever really have control over their dragons? And finally, we revisit Shakespeare to take another look at Alicent / Ophelia. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! George R. R. Martin hits another grand slam home run in this bonanza of literary allusions. Cam charts Catelyn’s treacherous journey to the Eyrie through the lens of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Maggie dissects the many shades and shadows of Tolkienian anthropomorphism in this chapter. And for good measure, we throw in some Sapkowski to make sense of the two characters who feel like narrative preoccupations on every page: Jon Snow and Lady Stoneheart. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Let's not waste any time here: Oddity scared the bejeezus out of Cam, and this episode is his attempt to figure out why exactly his palms were sweating for ninety minutes. There's an alchemy to this film, a strategic evocation of some of our very favorite (and most terrifying) works of horror. Join us as we work through three of those wicked, masterful elements that make Oddity such a tour de force: The Conjuring, The Haunting of Hill House, and Hell House, LLC. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected] 00:00 First Impressions 02:10 Longlegs Tangent 03:49 Discussion Framework 05:07 The Conjuring 06:18 The Haunting of Hill House 09:01 Hell House, LLC. 11:45 Closing Thoughts

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! This season’s giving us whiplash! “Smallfolk” is a fantastic episode, but there’s something creaking under these floorboards. How much does inconsistency affect audience investment / long term payoffs? From there, we look at the ever evolving role that dragons play in this story, before settling in for another thorough analysis of Daemon and the (possible) grand finale of his dreamy side quest. Cam poses a treacherous, lore-breaking question about Alicent’s future — and we close things out with a discussion about Rhaenyra & Mysaria. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! This chapter sits at squarely the dramatic intersection of philosophy and politics. Cam chases down George R. R. Martin’s shockingly unvarnished critique of power. As a thought experiment, we call King Robert’s bluff and imagine how the series would have ended if this plot against Daenerys Targaryen had been successful. Cam steps out of his comfort zone and into Maggie’s, and we try to compose a Renaissance-esque painting of this chapter’s heroic deconstruction. Maggie examines Robert’s and Ned’s relationship through the lens of control and choices, and aims to understand the point at which Ned’s failure becomes inevitable. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Cam's swooping in with another mid-week bonus episode! We saw 'Longlegs' again and all of those Doctor Faustus puzzle pieces finally fell into place. He tracks the continuous demotion that sees the seemingly mythical Longlegs character humbled into the traditional Mephistopheles role, before unpacking the film's greatest twist, which splinters and innovates upon the traditional Faustus framework -- which Cam continues to believe is the bedrock of all worthwhile storytelling done in the past 400 years. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Silence is the pervading theme of this episode. Throughout ‘Regent,’ most of our lead characters are ignored, passed over, or lost for words. Our discussion looks at the many shades and colors of this strategic silence to uncover the subtle, insidious shifts happening as we shift into the back half of the season. Then we break out the Freud to unspool whatever the hell is happening inside Daemon’s head and once again manifest our grand vision for a Viserys cameo. Finally, we examine a sharp, unexpected parallel between Rhaenyra and Aegon — and carefully consider Criston Cole’s dire declaration about the future of the war. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! The hype around Longlegs has been some of the most intense we’ve seen for a horror movie in recent years. And for the first time in a long time, this movie lives up to that hype. After our first impressions, this is an enthusiastic, spoiler-filled discussion that traces the origins and influences of Longlegs – from some of the more obvious comparisons like Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, and Zodiac, to more unexpected classics like Dracula and A Clockwork Orange. Longlegs perfectly remixes these titans of horror into its own, twisted mess, until it becomes a new, terrifying monster. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! We’ve got some peak fantasy in this chapter: dragon skulls, prophetic dreams, climbing through a scary castle – it’s got it all. Maggie starts us off by unspooling Arya’s frightening dreams about the Red Keep, to examine past and future references and ramifications for her character. Cam chases down another curveball Tolkien reference, searching in vain for wizards and Rings that feel conspicuously absent. We close with the kaleidoscopic mystery of Arya’s overheard conspirators. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! House of the Dragon’s mid-season finale certainly delivered the goods. But beneath all the screeching, high-flying dragon combat is a bounty of rich character work and a whole spiderweb of echoes from the long legacy of battle episodes across this franchise. This discussion examines the Battle of Rook’s Rest both within that wider context to find out who really won the conflict, what all those pointed references and inversions mean, and why Cam can’t stop thinking about Stannis Baratheon. We also work together to better understand Daemon’s increasingly surreal side quest and the emerging supernatural element within House of the Dragon! LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Our first full-on adventure chapter delivers unexpected heroes, brutal lessons, and deviously ambiguous echoes. Cam examines the sudden Tolkien riffs within Tyrion’s evolution. Yes he’s wielding an axe, but does that mean GRRM wants us to see him as Gimli, or is something more tricky happening between the lines? Maggie takes a look at the newly introduced shadowcats – as omens, as talismans, as embodiments of the grim realities of heroism in this world. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! I swear we’re not trying to be hyperbolic here, but this was the best House of the Dragon episode yet. The show comes roaring back after last week’s stumble, with some of the most gorgeous fantasy storytelling we’ve ever seen, and more rich & compelling character work than you could shake a Valyrian steel sword at. Discussion topics include: Geeta Vasant Patel’s stunning visual revolution of Westeros, the power of suggestion in character interiority, the grand return of the supernatural via Daemon’s vision, and the show’s greatest / most seamless effort yet to dramatize Fire & Blood. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! For a character who’s so often described as “simple”, Ned is proving time and again to be one of the most rewarding to unpack. We start this discussion with different perspectives on Ned’s current position in the titular “game,” and both walk away with a deeper understanding of him. Is Eddard Stark a stubborn Northman who refuses to play the game? Is he a floundering outsider, desperately clinging to any sense of control he can? Or is he playing his cards close to his chest, learning as he goes and cleverly identifying the right allies? We contemplate these questions and more, through the lens of character echoes, clever word choice, and the harsh irony of this world’s political system. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! House of the Dragon is not Game of Thrones, but neither is it the same show that it was in Season One. This uneasy evolution has continued to haunt our discussions, and more than anything, this episode — “Rhaenyra the Cruel” — is a collection of growing pains. In addition to our beloved audience polls (conducted every week on Instagram), discussion topics include: abandoning the Team Black / Team Green framing, reevaluating Blood and Cheese, seasonal / episodic pacing, the Rhaenyra / Daemon duality, and the intricate work of dramatization. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]   Time Codes: 00:00 Reevaluating Blood & Cheese 06:09 Propaganda Redemption 15:56 Adding Rhaenyra to the Cargyll Duel 29:24 The Purpose of the Duel 36:05 Rhaenyra Out of Character 41:43 Rhaenyra vs. Daemon: Dialogue Dilemmas 44:58 Rhaenyra vs. Daemon: Victimhood & Duality 53:38 The Problem with Team Black / Team Green 59:57 The Shadow of Game of Thrones 01:04:18 Pacing Problems & Procedural Structure 01:13:16 Make This Into Two Episodes 01:16:44 Expectations & Optimism

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Is emotional vulnerability a fatal mistake or a saving grace? Sansa attempts to perform he way through this chapter as a hundred classical fantasy archetypes explode and bleed out all around her. We track the possible futures that branch off from this moment of enlightenment, following the black-out indulgence of King Robert and the aggrieved nihilism of the Hound. Cam catches a real-time distillation echo, and Maggie pulls back the veil of Sansa’s willful ignorance. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon!   House of the Dragon is BACK, and we couldn’t be more excited to dive into this world again. Friend of the show Tristan is here to partake in our rousing discussion of the Season 2 premiere. The infamous Blood & Cheese incident steals the show, and we debate the impact of what should have been a monumental moment for our characters. Maggie does a full deep dive into the show’s new intro sequence, comparing it to the medieval Bayeux Tapestry and analyzing the implications of this real-life connection. We examine the looming presence of grief and guilt in this episode, particularly as it affects our two female leads. We do a breakdown of some key characters and their performances, including King Aegon, Larys Strong, and Helaena Targaryen. Our episode ends with a round-up of listener feedback, and we ponder where the show will go from here.   Check out the Bayeux Tapestry: https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/ LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]   00:00 Welcome Back 01:00 Blood & Cheese: Devastating or Disappointing? 17:25 That Crafty New Intro Sequence 23:37 The Bayeux Tapestry Connection 29:31 Helaena the Secret Narrator  35:08 Compounding Horrors: Guilt & Grief 40:07 Alicent's Isolation & Larys' Elevation 53:24 Reconsidering King Aegon II 01:00:38 Season or Sequel? 01:06:29 Audience Poll Results

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! Catelyn Stark might just be the most complex and rewarding characters in A Game of Thrones. This chapter is a cascade of memories and breadcrumbs that simultaneously resurrects the past and animates the future -- of House Stark, House Tully, and even Catelyn herself. Expect full books spoilers: We're going deep on Lady Stoneheart, generational echoes, poisoned nostalgia, and problem of evil folktales. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon!   Maggie’s biggest gripe with modern games has always been how inaccessible, unapproachable, and challenging they can feel to newcomers. Many games are designed with the assumption that players have already had experience with similar games, and as a person who didn’t grow up playing anything beyond the original Super Mario or games on DisneyChannel.com, she often finds it difficult to get into games that are more “complex” than your basic side-scroller. Hogwarts Legacy completely changed that. This episode is a love letter to the approachability and welcoming nature of Hogwarts Legacy – how it greets players from a wide range of abilities and experiences, how it provides a vast number of adjustable settings and features, and how it constantly aims to reward the player who is passionate about the Wizarding World. This game opened a huge door for Maggie – we hope you enjoy our conversation. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Get bonus episodes on Patreon! In the space of a single chapter, Ned Stark has gone from a bumbling amateur detective to Batman -- or has he? In this episode, we look at Ned's unsteady relationship with honesty in a world of liars. Maggie returns to the themes of femininity and unseen power that have complicated our Fire & Blood episodes over on Patreon, this time to examine the relationship between 'whores' and 'bastards'. Cam wonders if parts of Westeros are actually cursed by an overexposure to the problem of evil, and tries to dig deeper into the claim that GRRM's style of fantasy is 'historical'. We work through cycles of history, repeated mistakes, self-sabotage, and the important difference between corruption and the much sneakier, ever-present temptation. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam’s stories Feedback & Theories: [email protected]