Episode 022. Looming government shutdown. (08:28) Movie trailer: Tron: Ares. (14:28) AI generated actress Tilly Norwood. (34:29) AI cultural icons; role models. (44:40) Robots taking jobs of human workers.

Episode 021. We’re talking Episode 8 of Alien Earth, focusing on the opening scenes of Arthur’s corpse on the beach and Dame’s visit to Marcy Hermit's grave. We debate the title "The Real Monsters," questioning whether it referred to Boy Kavalier and his cohorts, the Lost Boys, the alien specimens, or all the characters acting as monsters. We analyze the scene where Dame leaves a flower at the grave. Inconsistencies with how firearms affect xenomorphs, with some bouncing off while others penetrate xenomorph armor. We discuss character development and plot progression. We analyze Wendy's character transformation, noting her growing resentment towards humans and her newfound control over technology and the xenomorph. Morrow points out to Joe he is a cyborg now since Joe has a Prodigy lung(s). (12:45) The conversation also touched on the Peter Pan theme and the significance of Wendy growing up, with Curly being representative of the character Jane from the story. We explore how the hybrids, despite being 11-12 years old, could perform complex tasks due to their hybrid nature and ability to download information quickly. The conversation also covered the strength of synthetics in the Alien franchise, noting inconsistencies in their abilities. The group analyzed fight scenes, character motivations, and plot twists, including Adam being Kavalier's synthetic and the use of the Trypanohyncha Ocellus. (28:38) Wendy chooses to play her hand wisely with her timing of unlocking the cell gate to Boy Kavalier. The character of the Hybrids. Wendy fights Adam. “Now we rule.” We discuss the show’s connection to the Alien 1979 film. Kwinn shares a theory about Ash being a Yutani effort to retrieve a xenomorph specimen at any cost, Ruben reinforces the point by citing Director’s notes. (53:04) We conclude by discussing potential storylines for future Season 2 and possibilities with xenomorph mutations. Ted states he would never watch it again.

Episode 020. What’s with the oversized vent ducting from the lab? We analyzed the plot, character development, and inconsistencies in the story. Ted and Ruben agree Curly's character did not have a significant impact on the narrative. Ruben suggests Curly's character might be saved for a potential showdown in the next season. We also debate Wendy's motivations for releasing the xenomorph and discussed the alien's behavior in previous episodes. Xenomorph takes Joe from the eggs and webs him in the Conex box for embryo hosting. (15:57) The graveyard scene. We discuss the philosophical implications of consciousness transfer and cloning in a sci-fi context, focusing on the ambiguity of whether the transferred consciousness is a true transfer or a copy. We analyze the show's portrayal of Wendy and Nibs, considering whether their new synthetic forms contained their original consciousness or were merely copies. The conversation explores the challenges of quantifying whether a transferred consciousness is still the original person, with Kwinn and Ruben debating the technical and philosophical distinctions between transfer and copy. Kavalier’s business practices and the ethical implications of selling consciousness transfer technology. Ruben suggests copying consciousness as data into a robot is not the same as having an actual human brain in a robot, which he considers more plausible for achieving a transfer of consciousness. We debate whether consciousness resides in the brain or if it could be tied to other organs or even cells, with Kwinn mentioning Dr. Andrew Huberman's view the mind is distinct from the brain. (35:55) The dead end mention of mold scrubbers. We discuss the Pi scene in episode 7, Kavalier’s dark intentions and the scene's humor, as well as the visual representation of the sheep's excrement. We discuss the character development of Wendy and the other hybrid children, particularly focusing on their increasingly violent behavior and the transformation of Wendy into an efficient killer. We analyze the strength of the hybrids, with Ted and Ruben debating whether Tootles’ door-ripping scene demonstrated their true power or was an accident. (48:24) The conversation concludes with a discussion about the humans' treatment of the hybrids, with the group agreeing that most humans, including Kirsh, were not acting in the hybrids' best interests, while Joe Hermit emerged as a rare exception. Ted expresses dissatisfaction for the need to kill simply because they’re pointing firearms at you. None of the guards on the dock open fire at the hybrids on the boats.