"Wait. Who did he play?" Palmer wants to narrow down some possibilities, though he won't breathe a word of this conversation to anybody on his team. Especially since the person named didn't exist in his world.

Maybe MacReady was this person's equivalent in Palmer's world? It would make some sense.

"You live in a lodge? Interestin'." Palmer figures he'll explain a bit about himself. "I'm from sunny California. Long way from Antarctica, I know."