Episode 488 – Disney and the Alien Queen Problem

Disney Turned All Their Boy Brands Into Girl Brands and Doesn’t Know How To Fix Them

This week on the podcast, Alien: Earth episode 3, and how Disney got rid of half the audience of their acquired brands (Marvel and Star Wars).

Episode Index

Intro: 0:07 K-Pop Demon Hunters: 3:00 Disney’s Boy Problems: 9:00 Alien Earth: 40:36

Disney’s Boy Trouble: Studio Seeks Original IP to Win Back Gen-Z Men Amid Marvel, Lucasfilm Struggles

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/disney-marvel-lucasfilm-gen-z-1236494681/

Leadership at Walt Disney Studios has been pressing Hollywood creatives in recent months, multiple sources tell Variety, for movies that will bring young men back to the brand in a meaningful way. “Young men” is defined here by sources as ages 13-28, aka Gen Z.

Alien: Earth (FX/Hulu)

Episode 3 – “Metamorphosis”

Summary: Nibs questions Curly about why the hybrids are all named after Peter Pan characters and why Marcy gets to be Wendy. Kavalier orders the specimens be brought to Neverland Island for study, despite objections from Kirsh and Dame Sylvia. Morrow finds Smee and Slightly guarding the Xenomorph eggs and interrogates them, suspicious of their childlike behavior. He downloads the specimen data from the Maginot and plants a device on Slightly before escaping. Meanwhile, Wendy and Hermit fight the Xenomorph with a meat hook, and Wendy kills it, although both sustain serious injuries. Returning to the island, Hermit undergoes surgery, and the Sylvias tend to Wendy. Kavalier inspects the specimens until Kirsh removes him for his own protection. Atom Eins questions Smee and Slightly about their encounter with Morrow. Having escaped into New Siam, Morrow calls Yutani and insists on retrieving the specimens despite being ordered to return home. Curly confronts Kavalier about his favoritism towards Wendy, believing herself to be the best hybrid. Morrow contacts Slightly via the embedded device, convincing him to be his friend. Kirsh, Tootles, and Curly dissect a facehugger and introduce its larvae to Hermit’s lung, removed during surgery. Wendy awakens, seemingly intercepting signals from the Xenomorph eggs, which cause her pain. She ultimately collapses in the laboratory containing the eggs.

Writer(s) / Director / Release Info: Written by Noah Hawley and co-creator Bob DeLaurentis, directed by Dana Gonzales. Aired August 19, 2025, on FX and FX on Hulu.

Cast Highlights: Features guest appearances by Sandra Yi Sencindiver (Yutani), Kit Young (Tootles), and others central to ongoing intrigue.

Rating / Viewership: Drew approximately 0.441 million U.S. households with a 0.10 rating in the 18–49 demo—an increase over Episode 2. Critics widely praised its tension, production, and heavy themes.

Out of 5 Corporate Smiles and Acid Spores: The Future Looks Funs Darryl: 3.1/5 Brian: 3.1/5

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