About this episode
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
