Jess, Jenn and Corey come together this week to discuss the final book of The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The trio talks through their own emotional wounds as well as the characters and make predictions about the upcoming film Mockingjay Part 1.

Check out our previous THG podcasts: The Hunger Games (Book) (Movie), Catching Fire (Book) (Movie), Mockingjay (First Movie)

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For a similar discussions, check out our episodes on The Maze Runner, The Giver, Divergent, and The Host.

SHOW NOTES:

Music by DropVox

Shout-outs

MockingjayBrandybuck on tumblr: “Yeah! So looking forward to this. My favorite part is watching Peeta’s rehabilitation. It’s painful to see, but very compelling.  My least favorite part – Finnick 😦  From the trailers it looks to be a very faithful adaptation.  My only concern is that it will be too faithful. I really hope that Francis introduces some lighter moments to break up the 2.5 hour depression (or I guess that’s 5 hours of depression).”

issacharmastersdp18 on tumblr (on the first two films and what they are looking forward to in Mockingjay): “1.It doesn’t match perfectly, but then what does? It’s as perfect as an adaption from a book gets. 2.PRESIDENT SNOW!!!!!”

anonymous on tumblr (on where they will split the films): “I’m pretty sure they’re going to end Mockingjay part 1 with Prim’s death.”

Main Discussion

Mockingjay

-By Suzanne Collins

-Published in 2010

-Third and final in the series

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1

-Written by Danny Strong and Peter Craig

-Directed by Francis Lawrence

-Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Jena Malone, Sam Claflin and Natalie Dormer

Notes

First reactions
-how did this book compare to the first two? (i know a lot of ppl really don’t like it)
-was it a satisfying ending?

Format
–the timeline is so different to what we are used to: the games were only a couple weeks, real war now

Characters: Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, Effie, Coin, Plutarch, Caesar, Snow, Finnick, Johanna, Prim, Boggs, Cressida
-Gale: Since Kendyl’s not there to give him the benefit of the doubt, can someone?
-Sober Haymitch: he’s always been smart, but I feel like he really becomes the character we love in this book (maybe bc he and Katniss are actually on the same side/page?)
-Prim: really grows up, “pure” in a way similar to Peeta, representative of the possibilities/hope (becoming the doctor she couldn’t in 12), until…

Plot
-what do we think of District 13? 14 year olds in the military, “breeding stock”, prep team punishment
-if Peeta and Katniss were switched (she ended up in the Capitol) would she have done the same? how scripted was his interview? do we understand his motivations or is Gale’s annoyance justified? Katniss is doing the same thing, but for the side we “like”
-Propos: “If we burn, you burn with us.” “Fire is catching” “We remember…” Finnick spills secrets.
-Peeta’s hijacked: (nearly) the worst person they could do this to, he’s the best of them, pure
-District 2/The Nut: closer to the Capitol but still just victims of the system
-do you think Katniss made the right decision in killing Coin?

Themes/issues:
(from book 1: -government/brainwashing/consumerism -survival/hunger -romance (in that it’s not), family)
(from book 2: all of above plus -intelligence/worth, -communication)
-control (pawn versus player)
-the effects of war/the choices

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