Episode 493 – Finales and Failures: Aliens, Dark Wolfs & Tron MCPs

The Return of the Show

This week on the podcast, Brian and Darryl are talking about the finales of Alien: Earth and The Terminal List: Dark Wolf (remember those shows?). Then delve into a baby pool of Gen V season 2. Finally… Tron: Ares.

Episode Index

Intro: 0:07 Tron: Ares: 5:26 The Terminal List: 14:33 Alien Earth: 28:18

Tron: Ares (2025)

Tron: Ares Release date: October 10, 2025 (theatrical) Director: Joachim Rønning Screenwriter: Jesse Wigutow (story also by Wigutow) Producers: Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Justin Springer, Jared Leto, Emma Ludbrook, Steven Lisberger Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures Music: Score composed by Nine Inch Nails. Runtime: ~1h 59m (119 minutes) Genre: Sci-fi / action / adventure

Cast Jared Leto as Ares (Program) Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, Gillian Anderson Jeff Bridges returns as Kevin Flynn (classic role)

Plot Summary (Premise / What We Know) Premise: A sophisticated Program, named Ares, is sent from the digital Grid into the real world on a “dangerous mission,” marking humanity’s first direct encounter with sentient A.I. Conflict: Ares is deployed to retrieve Kevin Flynn’s permanence code (or a code enabling A.I. extension) from a rival tech CEO, Eve Kim. Ares gradually develops emotions, shifting the mission’s stakes. Visuals & Style: Heavy neon, digital effects, light cycles, digital-real world blending. One trailer labels it “Filmed for IMAX.” Music / Sound: The score by Nine Inch Nails. They released a track “As Alive As You Need Me To Be.” Reception (early): Mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, ~55% Tomatometer, but high audience score (~87%). Production notes: Filming took place in Vancouver, wrapped ~May 2024.

Considerations The premise is intriguing (bringing a sentient A.I. into our world), but early reviews note that while the visuals are strong, the plot is sometimes thin or formulaic. Because Tron has a cult legacy and visual identity, expectations are high; missteps in character or plot substance tend to stand out. The Nine Inch Nails score is a bold choice (replacing Daft Punk’s iconic Legacy sound) and could either elevate or distance fans depending on taste. The bridging between digital reality and human reality is always a tricky balance — the narrative will need to ground its sci-fi concepts in human stakes (emotions, morality) to avoid feeling hollow.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf (Amazon Prime)

Series origin: A prequel to The Terminal List, based on the Jack Carr novel and characters. Creators: Jack Carr & David DiGilio

Finale / Plot Summary In the finale, Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch) and James Reece rejoin forces to expose and dismantle a deep conspiracy that’s been manipulating events behind the scenes. In one key sequence, Ben lures Iranian forces into what they think is a trap (a cabin in the mountains outside Tehran) — but it’s a reverse ambush. Using hidden defenses, he turns the tide. When the soldiers breach the cabin, Ben’s counterattack ignites, intercut with a Pink Floyd “Brain Damage” cue (a stylized flourish) After the finale, Ben’s surviving allies spread out across Istanbul, Tehran, and Virginia to address the remaining threads and avenge fallen comrades.

Reception / Notes The finale leans hard into action, retribution, and vengeance, with less room for emotional reflection. Some praised its boldness, others saw it as standard action fare wrapped in swagger. Because Dark Wolf is tied to The Terminal List universe, many viewers also weigh how it sets up or reframes earlier entries.

Ratings Series Finale Out of 5, Truthful Conclusions Daryl: 4.5/5 Brian: 4.49/5

Series Out of 10, You Don’t Take a Man’s Wings Darryl: 8.3/10 Brian: 7.89/10

Alien: Earth (FX)

Series creator / showrunner: Noah Hawley Episode title: “The Real Monsters” Writers: Noah Hawley & Migizi Pensoneau Director: Dana Gonzales Original air date: September 23, 2025 Runtime: ~47 minutes Franchise placement: It’s the first TV series in the Alien franchise, set ~2 years before the original Alien film (so circa 2120) Season & Finale Summary Over the season, Wendy (a hybrid human-robot) and her brother Hermit (aka Joe) have been navigating a crash of the spaceship Maginot on Earth, corporate machinations (Prodigy vs Weyland-Yutani), and the threat of Xenomorphs. In the finale, several factions converge at Neverland (the Prodigy research facility). Arthur (a hybrid) gives birth to a second Xenomorph before dying, and the “adult” Xenomorph attacks. Meanwhile, Wendy and the Lost Boys forcibly take control of the facility, locking up Boy Kavalier, Dame Sylvia, Kirsh, Morrow, and Atom Eins in a cell. Wendy summons a Xenomorph to guard them. Joe is nearly fed to a single-eyed creature (“ocellus”) but survives; the ocellus ends up at Arthur’s corpse on the beach, potentially taking h