And making me totally crazy!!! Because, for maybe the first time in my life, outside of dance parties, I AGREE WITH HENRI.
More under the cut! Remember, we are discussing spoilers for chapters 1 through 5 ONLY. Please do not reply with information after chapter 5 to this post. (We will be coming at you all week with this, unfolding this book like a flower. Or an onion, depending on how much Collins makes us cry.)
District 13.
WHAT THE WHAT? These people are ASSHOLES. I am so, so glad that Suzanne Collins didn’t wuss out and make District 13 some sort of happy fairyland where ice cream mountains melt into milkshake rivers, but, frankly, I HATE THESE JERKS SO MUCH.
First of all, there’s the crazy uber-discipline. Do we really want these guys to be the winner? So, what, we can have our schedules tattoed on our arms, with only half an hour for Cat Adoration? That is, if we’re ALLOWED to have a pet, and if they don’t kick the cat out for missing its curfew. A cat curfew! What is that?
And not to mention how they treated our favorite dumb Capitol idiots, the prep team. Chained to the wall? Having to do their business down their leg, hoping it will all drain into the grate? What the hell did the prep team ever do to you, District 13? Complain about your leg hair?
But, I think the thing that gets my goat more than anything is that for 75 years, these people have been watching the children of other Districts get carted off to the games. And they’ve done NOTHING about it. I did the math. By my calculations, 1731 children have died in the Hunger Games while District 13 was sitting underground, worrying about how many pieces of bread a person is allowed to have. ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE. And so now they’re interested in fighting back??
But, all that said, how cool was the reveal that, actually, they’d just struck a deal with the Capitol and had been living in relative pox-ridden peace all this time?
The Great Distric 12 Migration
It’s awesome that Gale saved so many District 12ers. It really is. But, he managed to single-handedly destroy the relationship I was actually rooting for the most. And that’s Gale and Madge.
Don’t laugh! I’ve been wanting those two crazy kids to get together ever since he was a dick to her about how many times her name was in the Reaping pile. They’d just be so cute together! He could hunt and bring her dad strawberries; she could make sure his table manners weren’t apalling! Gale! HOW COULD YOU NOT SAVE MADGE??
Peeta’s Interview
So, what do you guys think about Peeta’s interview? Is he playing the crowd? Being tortured? Trying to impart secret messages to the rebel forces by blinking in Morse Code? I don’t know, but I do know this: no way is my Peeta Mellark a turncoat. That boy is up to something good; I can just tell.
In continuation of Henri’s math, I’d like to offer some more:
District 13:
+25 for actually staying alive all this time
-42 for being dicks about the cat
+21 for recognizing the awesomeness of Greasy Sae and offering her a position in the cafeteria
Join us later as Henri and I delve EVER DEEPER* into Mockingjay! A review of the next ten chapters is forthcoming! I predict that Henri will use the phrase “Erin, I was totally wrong; Peeta is wonderful” at least twice. I won’t gloat. MUCH.
*You guys, it is seriously killing us to maintain our journalistic integrity and read at this pace. BUT WE’RE GONNA DO IT.
(P.S. Please excuse my general face in this picture. We had just had the Quarter Quells and I had consumed several Effies – which turned out to be QUITE STRONG – on an empty stomach.)
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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
See, I was kind of hoping Peeta would end up with Madge leaving Gale for Katniss. I know that just reinforces the class distinctions of former District 12, but can’t you just see Madge’s ringlets in Peeta’s bakery? In my head she has Shirley Temple ringlets, but it’s been a while since I’ve read the other two books. Regardless, I wish Gale had saved her too! She was great! And Katniss could really use a friend who isn’t in love with her (Gale), dealing with too many of his own issues to be of help (Finnick), or, you know, detoxing (Haymitch).
So, so with you on this.
I was wondering about peeta’s leg jiggling in the first promo, thinking it was code, but I don’t know.
I’m still holding out hope that Madge is alive!
Me too! I was trying to remember if he knew morse code or something.
yeah, i think there’s still a change that madge is alive, cos katniss seems to think they got carted off by the capitol before the bombing?
Kinda of spoiler alert not really?
Just want to say that the Buttercup-Flashlight-Peeta analogy in Ch. 11 is 238472979402x better than the Edward-Jacob-Magnets analogy.
Karen that is so funny that you posted this comment because I was thinking exactly the same thing when I read it. But then again, the only thing worse than the Edward-Jacob-Magnets thing is the Bella-You’re-My-Kind-of-Heroin thing. But that’s a whole different conversation.
Seriously, you did the math on the dead tributes? That’s all kinds of awesome and also makes my head hurt.
I was actually kind of pissed to find out 13 had made the deal with the Capitol, first because it makes the Capitol a lot less scary (they just let them go, contrary to what they told everyone; once that truth gets out, it might be hard to side with the Capitol) and secondly, because 13 obviously didn’t care about anyone else. Way to be a team player, guys.
I’m new to all this fabo-ness of 4ya but Erin? I’m with you on the Gale + Madge. I thought the same thing when they interacted.
First of all, I’m Teem Peeta forevs. Also, SERIOUSLY DISTRICT 13 IS MESSED UP. Am I reading 1984? Or Brave New World?
And, Karen, as a cat-owner, I did really love that part. Just proves that Katniss is Team Peeta too – I mean, did you SEE how she reacts to Peeta’s TV stints? I mean, she’s totes in love with the dude. Give up, Gale.
AHHHHH I CAN’T EVEN TAKE IT AHHHHHH!
Erin! You have to post first next round. I want to give my comments to YOU, not that Gale-lovin’ Henri.
Ha! Too late!
Will any amount of begging get you to finish faster? Because I’m curled up in a ball, shaking, and desperately needing someone to detox with. SERIOUS TEABS.
RIGHT?!?
I woke up three times last night, staring at the ceiling and unable to get back to sleep. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME, SUZANNE COLLINS?!
I can barely take it!!! They need to hurry up and finish! I don’t even know what to do with myself now…
Yes 13 sucks, but I’m not so sure they could do much with such a decimated population, to save anyone when they were busy saving themselves, well that’s their story and they are sticking to it.
But they are a big ol bunch of buttheads for having no sympathies for the capitalists, and their inability to understand, 13′s rules and realities, and the shortness of officially sanctioned cat adoration time.
Gale for Madge and Peeta for Katnis, and please oh please let Cinna survive!
AGHAK! Read faster! I need an outlet with not-so-young adults to talk about this book!
(And um, yes, I agree completely with everything about 13, but I love that Collins doesn’t have any perfect heroes.)
Please finish soon. DESPERATE here.
AMEN on yr district 13 math. i love/hate what collins did to district 13. and i still fully stand by my prediction that peeta is playing the capitol, and the rebels are too dumb to realize it so VERY BAD THINGS will happen as a result.
Oh totally!! I don’t understand why people (in and out of the book) write him off so easily and think he is mindless and kind of dumb. Yes, he is in love but he is smart and knows how to work people. And once he slowly explains his plan to the rebels we will see the lightbulb come on over their heads with a big old “OHHH! DUH!!!” word bubble.
just hopefully not too late! like, the big old word bubble over peeta’s crushed and dying body would be MAJOR SUCKAGE.
MEGHAN TAKE IT BACK TAKE IT BACK TAKE IT BACK.
ok ok ok ok, but only as long as cinna’s still alive, too!
i finished mockingjay and cried its soooooooo sad!!!!!!!!!!
Also, I forgot to say BUTTERCUP!!!!!!!!
Gale + Madge 4EVA!