Kate and Carter show some sort of affection towards each other throughtout the film. For example:
- Carter is the first person who friendly converses with Kate on the helicopter ride to the Antarctica base.
- During the celebration of the discovery of the Thing, Carter sits opposite Kate. When she dislikes the taste of the shot she takes, he asks Griggs to get a beer for her to drink instead.
- Carter and Kate are seen chatting and smiling by the pool table seconds before Derek runs in to warn everyone that the Thing has broken loose.
- There is a deleted scene where Carter comforts Kate, after she has been underestimated by Sander. He is nervous about the Thing being toted on his chopper. She smiles and assures him that what she found was real and is safe for travel if needed.
- Before leaving for the chopper to fly Olav to the nearest medical center, Carter implies to Kate that he's leaving and he assures her that he'll be back. As soon as he walks off from her to exit the base, she glances at him in a worried and affectionate way.
- After realizing that someone on the chopper is the Thing, Kate runs outside and begins shouting Carter's name and signals down the chopper. After seeing Kate, Carter proceeds to land, but is then distracted by the Griggs-Thing and crashes miles away.
- Kate is a bit traumatized after Carter's assumed loss and is desperate to prevent it from happening to anyone else after that experience.
- When Carter and Derek arrive back at the base, Lars is prepared to torch them as Kate panics and quickly stops him.
- After Lars locks Carter and Derek up, Kate implies that she needs a blood test before she can let them go. Carter stares at her and is disappointed when she won't believe it is truly him. Carter races up and is threatened by Lars as Kate quickly stops Lars from torching him. She then slowly proceeds out of the room saying to Carter, "This is all I can offer you right now..."
- After Carter and Derek escape their lockdown, Derek shoots and kills Peder and as Carter keeps the others, including Kate, gathered under his control, Kate tells him, "Not all of us are human...". He glances at her with an aware look of approval.
- After battling the undefeated Split Face, Derek has died from its impalement. Carter tells Kate to burn him as he walks out of the room. She glances at him in a sorrowful look and burns Derek in Carter's wishes.
- After meeting back up in the hallway, Kate asks Carter if he's alright as he returns the same question to her.
- After being chased by the Split Face, Carter is cornered by it in the kitchen. As it charges towards him. Kate immediately appears and torches in, sending it crashing through the wall, into the open. As Kate uncontrollably continues to burn it in rage, Carter touches her arm and implies that it's enough.
- After seeing Sander drive off in the SnowCat, Kate explains to Carter that if Sander isn't stopped, the virus could be spread to another region. Kate and Carter chase after him in another SnowCat. While Carter is driving, Kate just glares at him. He glances back at her; confused as to why she is blankly staring at him. She asks him about Lars and he assures her that he is alive.
- As the pair proceed through the underground cave, they make their way across the layer of the ship. In doing so, the vents of the ship open up. They both proceed to sprint to the other side but the last vent trips Kate, leaving her hanging onto it. She pleads for Carter's help. As he rushes towards her. She slips and falls into it. He shouts her name in fear but then proceeds to search for her by using a safer method of going down into the ship.
- As Kate awakes from her short concussion, she explores the ship. She's then attacked by the Sander-Thing but then destroys it with a grenade as Carter suddenly appears and they both escape.
- After leaving the cave, Carter sits and takes a rest. Kate glares at him for awhile and asks him what should they do. He claims that there is a Russian base not too far from where they are. As he stands up, she glances at him carefully and he touches her arm, telling her that they will both make it out. They then proceeds to the SnowCat. Carter prepares the gears of the mobile as Kate examines him once again and says that she needs to put the flamethrower in the back. As she climbs out, she stands there and asks Carter if he knows the reason she knew it was really him when he returned to base. He asks her why as she tells him it was his earring. Confused, he tugs on his right ear. She slightly shakes her head and says in sadness "It was your other ear." It is now revealed that Carter was assimilated by a Thing in the cave when they were separated. The Carter-Thing pleads and begs her to not kill him. While it continues to protest, her eyes are visibly swelled with tears. She hesitates to kill him/it, since it is in the form of Carter, someone she had newly gained affection and care for. Kate eventually burns it and climbs into Sanders' Snowcat, and stares blankly into the night; traumatized and possibly guilty for what she did.
- Kate and Carter are the only two at the base, who have interacted the most.