The Thing end scene. What are your theories?

[RedFoxOne]

Ok but I think the point is still the same. Carpenter might not have had the same thing Lancaster had in mind. So imo Lancaster's thoughts on his scripts ending, isn't necessarily the definitive answer on whether or not 1 or both of them (Childs & Macready) were infected in the version we see.

I'll agree that Lancaster's take is not the definitive take.

But if fits in line with Carpenter's narrative structure of the film. The ending's nature wasn't to question MacReady/Childs, that's a byproduct of the ending. Carpenter and company themselves didn't fully understand the assimilation concept, and there are conflicting tidbits of information during the film that add a layer of confusion to the narrative. This actually helps the film in a weird way.

The ending highlights the futile nature of their efforts and their shortcomings. The Thing doesn't assimilate them in the end, but they're no better off, because of their inability to trust one another. They're both going to die. That's the depressing nature of the ending.

 

[Kick Strickland]

Well first off I think it's common sense. For a shape-shifting race to even exist you'd need to have some way to identify one another when posing as an entirely different species.

And secondly, I think that line of dialogue I quoted supports that they would know each other and would work together if they had the opportunity.

Mac's right, he'd be toast if everyone else was a thing. They'd just kill him on the spot.

Them both being things at the end makes the least amount of sense by far.

Mac's only right IF the things can spot each other. We never see 2 things helping each other throughout the entire movie. Not once.

And the dialogue in the end scene still works if they're both things (and they do recognize each other as a thing). "lets wait awhile and see what happens" might mean that both of them are going dormant until another living animal/human comes upon them. And when Macready says that, Childs just sort of agrees. Seems odd that if they're just human, they'd opt not to at least try to fix the radio equipment and radio for help. Or do something to try to survive at all.

"Fires got the temperature up all over camp. Won't last long though."
"Neither will we."

"How will we make it?"
"Maybe we shouldn't"

How will we make it might mean how will we survive. Might also mean how will we make it to civilization. Might also mean how will we make another UFO, since the one Blair built got blown up. Could also mean I'm overthinking this, lol. idk.

 

[Kick Strickland]

I'll agree that Lancaster's take is not the definitive take.

But if fits in line with Carpenter's narrative structure of the film. The ending's nature wasn't to question MacReady/Childs, that's a byproduct of the ending. Carpenter and company themselves didn't fully understand the assimilation concept, and there are conflicting tidbits of information during the film that add a layer of confusion to the narrative. This actually helps the film in a weird way.

The ending highlights the futile nature of their efforts and their shortcomings. The Thing doesn't assimilate them in the end, but they're no better off, because of their inability to trust one another. They're both going to die. That's the depressing nature of the ending.

Yeah I do like that the audience never knows any more about the thing than the characters do. That does help the film a lot.

And your last paragraph could be completely right. And it's poetic at the same time. You might be right.

 

[Dizzy]

Mac's only right about being toast if everyone else is the thing, IF the things can spot each other. We never see 2 things helping each other throughout the entire movie. Not once.

And the dialogue in the end scene that works if they're both things. "lets wait awhile and see what happens" might mean that both of them are going dormanant until another living animal/human comes upon them. And when Macready says that, Childs just sort of agrees. Seems odd that if they're just human, they'd opt not to at least try to fix the radio equipment and radio for help. Or do something to try to survive at all.

"Fires got the temperature up all over camp. Won't last long though."
"Neither will we."

"How will we make it?"
"Maybe we shouldn't"

Who will we make it might mean how will we survive. Might also mean how will we make it to civilization. Might also mean how will we make another UFO, since the one Blair built got blown up. Could also mean I'm overthinking this, lol. idk.

Completely disagree. That conversation makes no sense if they're both things.

The place was blown to shit, arctic temperatures are now throughout the station. The point that they're alone and can't reach anyone on the radio is driven home over and over again throughout the movie. They have no choice but to freeze to death at that point.

There is absolutely no way that both are things. Nothing points to that at all.

 

[Kick Strickland]

Completely disagree. That conversation makes no sense if they're both things.

The place was blown to shit, arctic temperatures are now throughout the station. The point that they're alone and can't reach anyone on the radio is driven home over and over again throughout the movie. They have no choice but to freeze to death at that point.

There is absolutely no way that both are things. Nothing points to that at all.

Macready's shack is still standing at the end.

 

[Scerpi]

I don't really know... but

that f'ing beard is epic....

 

[Kick Strickland]

I don't really know... but

that f'ing beard is epic....

I didn't want Jim Morrisson to freeze at the end

 

[chrisss]

I didn't want Jim Morrisson to freeze at the end

If it was jim Morrison, he'd be on a lot of acid.

Serious mind fuck right there.

 

[Kick Strickland]

If it was jim Morrison, he'd be on a lot of acid.

Serious mind fuck right there.

That makes the movie make a lot more sense, really

Jim Morrison took the blue acid. Saw monsters. Flipped out. Killed everybody. Drank whiskey in the snow.

 

[Dizzy]

Macready's shack is still standing at the end.

And what are they going to do in there with no radio, no transportation, and soon to be no heat? Nothing.

They're as good as dead.

Mac's demeanor never appears to change. We spend a ton of time with him and he's consistent until the very end which is why I speculate that he's at least human. He's still thinking logically but Childs is just kind of going along with everything which makes me think he's doing exactly what we've seen it do. He's following Mac's lead which to me either means that he's the thing and just waiting for his time to strike or he knows they're both as good as dead as well and accepts his fate.

I like both thoughts but they're not both things. I don't see anything that supports it.

 

[Primitivo]

There was a link in the comments of the video in the OP.

The Things

— by PETER WATTS —

I am being Blair. I escape out the back as the world comes in through the front.

I am being Copper. I am rising from the dead.

I am being Childs. I am guarding the main entrance.

The names don't matter. They are placeholders, nothing more; all biomass is interchangeable. What matters is that these are all that is left of me. The world has burned everything else.

I see myself through the window, loping through the storm, wearing Blair. MacReady has told me to burn Blair if he comes back alone, but MacReady still thinks I am one of him. I am not: I am being Blair, and I am at the door. I am being Childs, and I let myself in. I take brief communion, tendrils writhing forth from my faces, intertwining: I am BlairChilds, exchanging news of the world.

http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts_01_10/

 

[Kick Strickland]

And what are they going to do in there with no radio, no transportation, and soon to be no heat? Nothing.

They're as good as dead.

Mac's demeanor never appears to change. We spend a ton of time with him and he's consistent until the very end which is why I speculate that he's at least human. He's still thinking logically but Childs is just kind of going along with everything which makes me think he's doing exactly what we've seen it do. He's following Mac's lead which to me either means that he's the thing and just waiting for his time to strike or he knows they're both as good as dead as well and accepts his fate.

I like both thoughts but they're not both things. I don't see anything that supports it.

My opinion is it still works if they're both things. But it probably is a little more likely that only 1 of them is. You're right about Childs just kind of going along with whatever Macready proposes, and that wasn't like Childs at all.

 

[Dizzy]

Also, if they're both things and somehow don't know it and don't do anything because they're paranoid then what's going to happen to them? Absolutely nothing.

They're both going to freeze and survive until they both get thawed out. The end.

That just seems like the lamest possible way to end a movie.

 

[RedFoxOne]

The one mistake Carpenter made was reintroducing Blair at the end. If he holds off and kills Garry in a different manner, it changes the way we view Childs' leaving the compound and his reappearance, especially when he says, "I thought I saw Blair."

It would have added one more layer of mystery to the whole movie.

We see Blair in the generator room, so it's likely that Childs is telling the truth when he's speaking to MacReady. But if we never saw Blair at the end, Mac kills/blows up The Thing and Childs suddenly reappears at the end.......

 

[Kick Strickland]

Also, if they're both things and somehow don't know it and don't do anything because they're paranoid then what's going to happen to them? Absolutely nothing.

They're both going to freeze and survive until they both get thawed out. The end.

That just seems like the lamest possible way to end a movie.

I don't think it would be lame. It would mean that The Thing won (survived), and would eventually wipe out humanity or even all of life on Earth. And since this is the first of Carpenters apocalypse trilogy, it fits.

 

[caliboi74lv]

Well yeah it was obviously left open intentionally. What I'm saying is I wonder if they realized that each theory for the end has almost the same amount of evidence as the other theories. It's like each theory has about 2 pieces of supporting evidence. So that each theory doesn't stand above the others. That's what I was wondering was intentional or not.

- Macready is the thing
- Childs is the thing
- Both are human
- both are things

each theory has it's own merits and counter arguments, and none of them stand out as being more likely than the others imo.

I don't know..there are 2 other endings. Other Capenter movies have clear endings. If it was intentional, it fits with the whole movie, being untrustworthy of others. It actually was psychological.

 

[Dizzy]

I don't think it would be lame. It would mean that The Thing won (survived), and would eventually wipe out humanity or even all of life on Earth. And since this is the first of Carpenters apocalypse trilogy, it fits.

You initially said that they became infected by paranoia themselves but it doesn't hold any weight because there are no consequences for that.

And it wouldn't take both of them to put the world in danger. One surviving could potentially doom planet earth by itself.

While not impossible, it's just so unlikely that they're both things at the end. You really have to stretch to come to that one.

 

[caliboi74lv]

I didn't want Jim Morrisson to freeze at the end

the lizard king can do anything..

 

[Chesten_Hesten]

There are a lot of theories and a lot of evidence for each theory. What do you think was happening there?

I just re-watched that clip; my take:

It's an updated version of a classic Howard Hawks Old Time Hollywood ending with a twist.



They gave it their best shot, played their last cards, probably killed it but are now going to freeze to death.

The chuckling is resignation to that fact, simple as that.

In lieu of the Fact Carpenter probably couldn't answer the ending because the Studio didn't like his ending, this was the compromise.

It's a great question mark ending.

 

[caliboi74lv]

I just re-watched that clip; my take:

It's an updated version of a classic Howard Hawks Old Time Hollywood ending with a twist.



They gave it their best shot, played their last cards, probably killed it but are now going to freeze to death.

The chuckling is resignation to that fact, simple as that.

In lieu of the Fact Carpenter probably couldn't answer the ending because the Studio didn't like his ending, this was the compromise.

It's a great question mark ending.

i forgot about the 50's movie..never saw it, tho. my friend knows one of the actors and was actually talkin about it a couple weeks ago.
I will say you could be right on that Macready knows they're both gonna die.