Afleveringen
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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.
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The final Tyrion chapter reads like both a reversal of fortunes and a funeral procession. Cam is tracking five of these eerie coincidences, while Maggie is comparing the inverse mythologies and realities of Robb Stark and Tywin Lannister.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Everyone’s afraid of something, and nothing scares Cam more than freaky old people. The Rule of Jenny Pen introduces us to a brand-new subgenre: nursing home horror. John Lithgow is more terrifying than any slasher villain you can think of, and this movie might have more to say about mortality than any film in recent memory.
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This chapter features the richest dream sequence of the book so far, and some of the most provocative fodder for our philosophy of death discussions. Maggie explores the mantras emanating out of these kaleidoscopic dreams. Cam considers the three belabored deaths that have defined this novel – Robert, Ned, and now Khal Drogo – for all of their uncomfortable similarities and damning implications.
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We love Game of Thrones, we love The Witcher, we love The Lord of the Rings – but fantasy can be many things, including super silly stylized schlock. In the Lost Lands is the most fun you’ll have with a fantasy film this year.
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What is the effect of the near constant mirage of George R. R. Martin killing off his protagonist? In this episode we examine this question from both the readers’ and the characters’ perspectives. Maggie zooms into Sansa’s disillusionment and disassociation to find her skills of adaptation developing in the margins. Cam realizes that all the heads on spikes are a violent cherry on top of this novel’s endless meditations on Macbeth.
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February’s onslaught of new horror comedies got us thinking about the trickiest and most rewarding subgenre of horror. Despite their modern sensibilities, they all feel like throwbacks or reactions to earlier eras. Are horror comedies always riffing on established tropes and aesthetics? Are there any non-referential modern horror comedies? What is the identity of original horror comedies in the 2020s?
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This chapter has a little something for both of us. Maggie gets to talk about dreams and Cam gets to lose himself in the endless rabbit warren of philosophy. But it all comes down to this: is it really the dearly departed Ned Stark who visits his kids in their dreams? What would this spiritual confirmation mean for the supernatural aspect of this world? Souls, the afterlife, ghosts – it’s all up for grabs now. And what’s all this suddenly about the children of the forest? Are they a way for Bran to process his grief, or a tease of what’s to come in his long and winding journey?
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The fifth Dune novel feels like a master of the craft finishing his central story and then just continuing to explore the world he created. This is another swirling, violent meditation on inescapable cycles of history, with an ever greater focus on the concept of manufactured immortality. Heretics of Dune is both the least essential and the most impassioned book in the series.
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Spoiler alert: Ned Stark is finally dead. The chapter we've all been waiting for and dreading is finally here, and this episode tackles the one question that we're both consumed by. Why does he die in an Arya chapter, instead of a Sansa chapter, or - you know - an Eddard chapter. Lighting our way towards an answer is a whole cavalcade of thoughts, theories, and literary analysis. Let's dig in!
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Billions is the best show you haven’t seen — and that’s either because it aired on Showtime or because you assumed it was a Succession clone. Our mission in this episode is to correct these impressions, because not only is Billions nothing like Succession, it is also the hidden gem of prestige television dramas. Topics include: episodic storytelling, rewatchability, signature dialogue styles, scope vs. scale, and revised comparisons to Mad Men / The Sopranos.
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As we race towards the finale of A Game of Thrones, the supernatural elements are coming out to play. This chapter alone gives us blood magic, fatal prophecies, and dancing witches. Cam follows these threads to finally uncover what might be the root of this novel's constant Macbeth echoes. Maggie takes a look at the curious role that fear plays in this chapter, as it variously induces Dany's labor and separates her from everyone around her. We also consider the continued specter of Jon Snow across these pages.
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Season of Witchcraft is all about ‘fun factor,’ from the campy purple aesthetic to the loot piñata gameplay. The classes are better than ever too, as Maggie rolls her third Rogue and Cam makes his triumphant, dreaded return to the Barbarian. But there’s a tension underlying this season that complicates our experience: the constant, escalating grind through Headhunts. This latest installment of our ongoing Diablo IV coverage zooms out to consider the state of the game, the committed casual experience, and how the game could continue to improve!
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Another week, another battle, another curveball! Cam’s analyzing the subversive, pointedly indirect way that GRRM stages his battles. Maggie takes a look at the ongoing bad luck of the Starks for its historical and religious implications. Are they actually cursed? Have they been forsaken by the Old Gods?
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Happy Valentine’s Day, it’s time to discuss the messiest love triangle of the decade! Cam argues that Challengers is an intricate restaging of Shakespeare’s Macbeth — where no one is allowed to die. This wrinkle presents fresh insights about both works of art, and some creative character mapping reveals an unexpected, revelatory Lady Macbeth hiding in plain sight. Maggie analyzes the strategic deployment of color through the film, as it both clarifies and complicates the relationships between our three characters. She also takes a close look at the film’s music and sound design, arguing that they act as a stand-in for absent characters and unrequited passions.
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Despite winning the battle, the big loser of this chapter is Tywin Lannister. His money, power, and more “civilized” brand of evil undercut his wins and guarantee his family’s losses. Our discussion catalogues these failures and the seeds of mistrust that have broken the house that should easily dominate the Seven Kingdoms. In the chaos of battle, last week’s Dothraki horrors are quietly displaced from Tyrion’s mountain men into his innermost circle.
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Strap in folks, this might be the most disturbing, fascinating, and unforgettable horror movies we’ve ever covered on the show. Our discussion of Red Rooms starts with comparisons to Funny Games before spiraling through audience complicity, weaponized curiosity, the joy of impossible questions, a celebration of uncomfortable art, and Maggie’s personal history with the true crime genre that this film is skewering.
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The fire and ice cross pollination continues this week. Daenerys gets her first Macbeth theory, we reconsider the rules of Targaryen checkpoints, and an uncomfortable but unmistakable line from The Lord of the Rings leads us to entirely reevaluate Dany. Stay after the credits for an old school classic “Second Breakfast” segment, where we discuss our experience at the Candlelight Rings & Dragons concert.
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Move over Diablo IV, there’s a new sheriff in town. Cam has been marathoning Path of Exile 2 since it launched into Early Access, and we’ve got so much to talk about! Massive quality of life changes from the first game (and Diablo), overhauled leveling systems, electrifying boss fights, fantastically tuned difficulty, stunning graphics, and a full breakdown of all six (!) excellent classes await! As John Lennon once sang, “imagine actually being able to pause a game in 2025!”
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The story of A Song of Ice and Fire is perfectly encapsulated in the character of Jon Snow. The conflict, coexistence, and intertwining of these two opposing forces are essential to Jon and his story. This chapter is full of symbols that encourage us to contemplate this struggle of identity within Jon: Maggie examines the contrast between the fiery burns of Jon’s right hand and the shaky but honor-bound duties of his left, while Cam reconsiders the direwolf as the Stark’s mascot, and suggests that the raven might serve as a more truthful sigil. Maester Aemon remains ever-present in the backdrop of this chapter (and throughout Jon’s story) – but as an example, or a warning?
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