Why did the thing allow it's blood to be tested?
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scochs-1 — 9 years ago(September 28, 2016 08:29 AM)
If we are to believe that the Thing is a perfect imitation of Palmer, then the Thing would have the same level of skepticism as Palmer, and indeed, most everyone else in the room as too the validity of the test - will it work, won't it?
Also, your question also plays in to other issues that people have brought up. What I'm referring too, is that once a part of the Thing's biomass is separated, is it still part of the whole? Palmer/Thing knew the gig was up once "his" blood reacted to the hot needle. Palmer was busted and reacted out of self defense. But not every "Thing" was affected or needed to react the way Palmer did. (Or did it? Is that when Blair broke out of his confines in Mac's shack? We don't know exactly what happened in Mac's shack at that moment. Hmm <-just occurred to me? Would all Things "blow up" into all aggressive mode, once found out?)
Now that you bring it up though, considering how Norris reacted to the Defibrillator, why would Palmer/Thing allow himself to get blood extracted in as crude a fashion, as with the knife?
IMDB - Because some Trolls need more than just a bridge -
RynoII — 9 years ago(October 02, 2016 05:49 PM)
Well it seems to me that Palmer would have reacted before allowing himself to be tied up. Why would the thing allow himself to be tied up? Why not just attack everyone before, the y could tie him up and do the blood test?
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stranglewood — 9 years ago(October 04, 2016 02:01 AM)
Because it's a perfect imitation; Palmer is not aware, consciously, that he's the Thing - he even expresses anger at having to tie up two dead comrades, which is unusual because his character is usually laconic.
Subconsciously, however, it's a different story; his character is the one that seems most invested in the test. His anger is also a subconscious expression of his apprehension about the test. Remember, Mac doesn't explain the test until most of the men are tied up, a brilliant move by Macready. -
RynoII — 9 years ago(October 04, 2016 04:36 PM)
Yes I know that Palmer isn't aware that he is The Thing. But why does the Thing, which is inside him not care about being tested? Why doesn't The Thing think to itself "Hey, if these humans tie me up to test my blood, and they discover that my blood is different in any way, then they will know I am not human and I will be tied up so I better attack the humans now, before they can tie me up, test me, and likely discover I am not one of them".
Why didn't The thing, think that to itself? -
stranglewood — 9 years ago(October 04, 2016 05:06 PM)
Because the Thing is a principle, and not really a conscious being. It gains consciousness through what it imitates.
Remember, the Thing technically can't lose, so it really wouldn't know fear, not as we know it. There aren't really many situations where it's disadvantaged. Although it's tied up, it escapes and causes havoc pretty easily in that scene.
However, the one disadvantage it does have is when it's transforming; during that process it's vulnerable, hence it's better if it attacks one on one. With Palmer not consciously knowing that he was the Thing, and with the Thing, which is really just a principle, aware that it faces a disadvantage when it's caught in the process of imitating someone, Palmer does what everyone else does, which is to be tied up. Palmer, as a perfect imitation, also does not want to be shot or blown up by Macready, which is what Mac threatens to those who don't comply. -
RynoII — 9 years ago(October 04, 2016 05:32 PM)
Oh okay, but the human characters make several points about how The Thing wants to make it's way to more populated areas, and about how The Thing is trying to build an aircraft, and fly out of there. They say this like The Thing has an agenda, or goal in mind.
If The Thing is just a principle, then how can it have this goal? -
stranglewood — 9 years ago(October 04, 2016 06:04 PM)
The Thing is most likely a single cell organism, and it's goal on the most fundamental level is to imitate. Is it conscious? I'd say no, but that's debatable.
However, even when it imitates, it may not possess a mind as we know it. It BUILDS minds as it sees fit, based on the millions of creatures or organisms its imitated. It likely exists in a dream state, even in the beings it imitates, forever beneath the surface.
My point to you is, it's drive to imitate may not necessarily be wedded to consciousness, it's just what it does. I may be wrong though. -
stranglewood — 9 years ago(October 04, 2016 08:43 PM)
The Blair imitation that built the ship, was in fact not Blair, but the Thing manufacturing the proper Alien consciousness that would be intelligent enough to build such a vehicle.
The Thing has an infinite amount of consciousnesses stored within it, from all of the creatures it has imitated. It can call these creatures up at will, and construct a brain able to control these creatures at will. These souls are trapped in limbo, forever a part of creature that has no conscious. This is the particular horror of the Thing. -
stranglewood — 9 years ago(October 04, 2016 09:10 PM)
No, it used Blair's nervous system, and an alien brain. Blair wouldn't have the ability to build the ship, so it shunted aside Blair's consciousness, and replaced it with an alien consciousness capable of constructing the ship. This is what being an imitation means; the victim is still alive, but not able to discern that they've been imitated. The Thing is the uncertainty, the literal thing in the back of the victims mind, and the source of their subconscious unease. This is why it behaves more like a principle, or a singularly.
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stranglewood — 9 years ago(October 05, 2016 12:21 PM)
It used an alien being's consciousness to build the ship, not Blair's. The imitated Palmer's consciousness guided Palmer to do what he would have normally done in that situation, which is to be tied up. Palmer was imitated PERFECTLY - anything less would be noticed as such. So, in that situation, with Macready threatening to kill him if he didn't comply( a threat to thing as well, but beneath the
surface),Palmer did what he would have done normally, which is to be tied up.
Blair is another example. Blair -
stranglewood — 9 years ago(October 05, 2016 12:26 PM)
Blair is another example. Blair did not know he was imitation either, and could not think of a test ( the Thing wouldn't let him), so he came to the conclusion that there was no way to test, and decided to isolate the camp. When alone, the Thing pushed aside his consciousness and replaced it with a being that could build a ship so it could escape. It was Blair in appearance, but not Blair's brain. Blair is walking around in below zero temperature with no coat on, he's clearly not Blair anymore.
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Globalcharmer — 9 years ago(December 30, 2016 12:36 AM)
Read the original story. The Things knew that they were Things, not human.
https://archive.org/stream/WhoGoesThere_414/WhoGoesThere.txt