I didn't think they'd do it.The Mist · 2007 — Chapter 10 of 11 · 4'20" · B2
The Arrowhead Project Revealed, Explained: point the finger
The survivors finally learn what the military was doing at the Arrowhead Project, and the answer is worse than the mist. As one voice insists "we are being punished," the crowd stops searching for a way out and starts searching for someone to blame. The truth does not calm them; it gives the panic a target.
What happens
Trapped in the supermarket, the survivors demand answers, and the truth about the Arrowhead Project finally comes out: the military tore a hole into another dimension, and something came through. Instead of giving them a plan, the revelation gives the frightened crowd a culprit. Talk turns to punishment, and David watches a room decide it needs someone to pay.
Listen for
all alongthe half of itpoint the fingerstring up
00:00 / 04:20Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
point the finger
to blame someone else
卡莫迪太太说那个士兵不认错，反而把责任推给别人，骂他是犹大。
Stop pointing the finger and fix the problem.
Also in this scene
- all along
from the beginning until now
- the half of it
only a small part of the whole story
- string up
to hang someone, especially by a mob
Everything marked in this scene
41 notes across 87 lines
They said they would do it.ellipsis after auxiliary
I just didn't think they would.It's some kind of... what, military fuck up?It's some kind of... what, military fuck up?It's some kind of... what, military fuck up?What were you guys messing with up there, huh?We got you now, you sorry son of a bitch.We got you now, you sorry son of a bitch.Those two peckerwoods that he's been with this whole time, they hung themselves in the back because they knew.from the beginning until now
They knew it all along.Get on your knees.Stay out of it, Drayton.liaison
Stay out of it, Drayton.I'm stationed out there. I'm not responsible. Bullshit.Hell, I'm a local. Most of you people know me. Stop your chicken shit whining.Or I will cut your puling tongue out.I heard stuff.Like how they thought that there were other dimensions.You know, so they could look through and see what's on the other side.Well, maybe your window turned out to be a door, didn't it?turn out to be
Well, maybe your window turned out to be a door, didn't it?They must've ripped a hole open by accident. This other world came spilling through to ours.They must've ripped a hole open by accident. This other world came spilling through to ours.must have for past deduction
They must've ripped a hole open by accident. This other world came spilling through to ours.liaison
They must've ripped a hole open by accident. This other world came spilling through to ours.only a small part of the whole story
I didn't understand the half of it.It ain't my fault.to blame someone else
He points the finger. This Judas in our midst.He points the finger. This Judas in our midst.Don't you know by now? Don't you know the truth?For going against his forbidden rules of old.Walking on the moon. Yes, yes. Or splitting his atoms.Or stem cells and abortions. And destroying the secrets of life.that only God above has any right to.The judgment is being brought down upon us.The fiends of hell, you see, they are let loose. And star Wormwood blazes.They spit in the eye of the almighty.String him up.liaison
String him up.Feed him to the beast.The Arrowhead Project Revealed, explained
What's really going on
The mist was always a mystery, but the truth is more dangerous than the mystery, because it names a cause. Once people hear what the military did, the question stops being how do we survive and becomes whose fault is this. That is the turn the chapter is built around. One voice insists "They spit in the eye of the almighty", making the disaster a punishment; another just shrugs that nothing is ever anybody's fault. Both moves hand the problem to someone else. The trouble with that thinking is that knowing the cause solves nothing — the survivors still need supplies, shelter, and a way out. What the revelation actually does is give a frightened group permission to "point the finger" at its own members, which is far more frightening than the creatures outside.
Theme
GuiltThe truth turns fear into blame, and the crowd needs a sinner more than it needs a solution.
FaithMrs. Carmody reads the disaster as divine punishment, and her certainty gives the panic a shape.
What you'll learn
- Notice how "messing with" changes the exchange.
- Listen for the attitude carried by "messing with".
- Try the phrase in a comparable conversation.
Listen for
- Stay out of it — liaison
- ripped a hole open — liaison
- String him up — liaison
Well maybe your window turned out to be a door didn t itA jab at someone who was sure the threat at the window was harmless: the small opening he dismissed turned out to be a way in.
Ain t nothing ever anybody s faultA cynical line about a world where no one will own up to anything; here it mocks how people dodge blame even in a disaster.
We are being punished For whatOne voice declares the disaster a divine punishment, and another immediately asks what crime could possibly deserve it.
They spit in the eye of the almightyThe preacher's charge: humanity mocked God with its experiments, and the mist is the answer.
Questions about this scene
Why does the crowd turn on its own people after learning the truth?
Because the truth gives them a target. A cause they can name is easier to act on than an enemy they cannot see, even if the target is innocent.
What was the Arrowhead Project actually doing?
It was a military experiment that opened a doorway into another dimension. The soldiers did not understand what they were dealing with, and the mist is what came through.
What does it mean that someone should be strung up?
It means a lynching without trial. The phrase captures how fast the crowd moves from fear to a demand for blood, skipping any question of guilt.
Is Mrs. Carmody's punishment theory ever confirmed?
The film never confirms it. What it shows is that the theory works as a tool: it explains nothing, but it hands a frightened crowd someone to punish.
The Mist · 11 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 11wait and seeDavid Promises Billy He'll Never Leave
Chapter 1the end of daysThe Mist Reaches the Store
Chapter 2sense of proportionDavid Argues With His Neighbor
Chapter 3at stakeDavid Argues the Mist Is Real
Chapter 4meet one's makerMrs. Carmody Preaches the End
Chapter 5tightly woundThe Group Debates Seeking Rescue
Chapter 6for the bestAftermath at the Grocery Store
Chapter 7cut and runThe Crowd Turns on David
Chapter 8leave well enough aloneCarmody Blocks the Pharmacy Run
Chapter 9at bayDavid Plans His Escape
Watching · Chapter 10point the fingerThe Arrowhead Project Revealed
Chapter 11wait and seeDavid Promises Billy He'll Never LeaveChapter 10 of 11 · about 6 min to go