The Thing

Having seen The Thing once before, this time around I was able to concentrate on and enjoy some of the film's finer aspects, such as MacReady's bad-assery and Childs' cool demeanor in the face of danger. When you take a closer look at each of these main characters, it's no wonder that they're the last ones standing at the end of the movie. But what's more interesting is the intense paranoia that exists between them. Throughout various points in the movie they are both equally convinced that the other is "the thing", and even after the epic blood-testing charade the tension remains. Underneath this paranoia and skepticism is a competitive battle for leadership of the research crew. MacReady is the team's natural leader, but Childs seems to question MacReady's abilities from the start. What ensues is a battle to prove one's machismo in a remote Alaskan research center (How in Hell are these two even scientists?).

In the movie's closing scene, Childs approaches a fatigued MacReady and asks, with an overt sense of disappointment, "You the only one who made it?" This remark triggers the usual circular paranoia argument, to which MacReady responds, "If we've got any surprises for each other, I don't think we're in much shape to do anything about it." The two then continue their ongoing pissing contest for a few moments before finally accepting mutual defeat. Queue theme song.