Mockingjay Pt2 Countdown - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

And we're back counting down to the release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. This week we pick up right where Chapter 20 left off.

To recap, Peeta had pushed Mitchell off him and into a trap that killed him, and he declared that the next step for them was to kill him. Chapter 21 continues right after he says that, and the entire Star Squad refuses. The  conversation reminds Katniss of a verse of The Hanging Tree, which further emphasizes the symbolism in the song. While it's unlikely this connection will be made so explicitly in the movie, it would be great hear a couple of notes from The Hanging Tree somewhere in this scene.

The squad finds some canned goods, and when they're rifling through them, Peeta hands Katniss a can of lamb stew. Cue: feels overload.

Not that we have to remind you, but lamb stew is Katniss's favorite Capitol food throughout the books, and this triggers in Katniss a realization that Peeta must remember that. Because lamb stew isn't really a thing in the movies, it's highly unlikely this will be in the movie, but it's such an emotional moment of the books that I must mention it.

You can make your own lamb stew with this recipe from FictionalFood.net
Doesn't it look delicious?

As they eat, Snow comes on the viewing screen to announce that Katniss and her squad are dead. The rebels interrupt the broadcast and Coin comes on to eulogize Katniss and rally the rebellion around her supposed death. It would be great to see this in the movie, since it would keep Coin and Snow in the story.

After the broadcast, they decide to move through the city underground. Peeta again wishes to be left behind or killed, insisting that it would be dangerous for him to be with them. When he eventually resigns himself to going with them, he refuses to have them uncuff him, and Katniss asks for the key. In the trailers, it appears that Peeta is still handcuffed when they go through the sewers, so it's very likely this will make it some form or another into the movie.

Castor explains that his brother Pollux worked underground for five years, and Peeta makes a comment about Pollux being their most valuable asset. Aside from him being completely right, Katniss also reflects on how she's seeing bits of the old Peeta in that comment. The movie will need to keep and maybe add in more moments like this to show Peeta's recovery, especially since Katniss won't be vocalizing these thoughts.

With Pollux's help, he leads them through the underground tunnels, and eventually they choose to rest. When Katniss is on watch, she notices Peeta is awake. After giving him a can of food to eat, she talks to him about him being able to tell which memories are real. She tells him to go to sleep, and she comfortingly touches Peeta's forehead. It's the first time she's touched him since his hijacking. This prompts Peeta to ask a "real or not real":

“You’re still trying to protect me. Real or not real,” he whispers. “Real,” I answer. It seems to require more explanation. “Because that’s what you and I do. Protect each other.”

Cue a million tears. Also, I'll be very surprised if this moment doesn't make it in the movie. It's a huge fan favorite.

Finally, the chapter ends with the scariest, most ominous moment possibly of the entire book. As she wakes the rest of the squad so they can get moving, she hears her name being hissed in the tunnels. It isn't clear from the trailers whether or not the lizard mutts will hiss Katniss's name, but it would make for a really creepy movie moment.

Join us again next week for Chapter 22!

Mockingjay Pt2 Countdown - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

So in this chapter we finally get to see President Coin's real plan for Katniss (thanks to Boggs): She does not 100% support Coin who wants to make sure she keeps her position after the war, so the only thing left for Katniss to do is die in the war because it'll look good and motivate the rebels. Which is where Peeta comes in. It's a great sort of evil mastermind plan, actually. Showing Peeta fighting with the rebels after being captured and tortured by the Capitol does make for great propos, so no one can really question Coin's decision to send him to the Capitol as the newest member of Squad 451. More importantly, Peeta has been hijacked by Snow to, essentially, kill Katniss. He was doing well enough to do Finnick and Annie's wedding cake, and to go through basic training with the rest of the soldiers, but he's still unstable. Thankfully, the Squad actually cares about Katniss, so they take shifts watching Peeta.

Katniss is not the only one they care about, either. They care about Peeta, whether it's because they knew him from before or because he helped save District 13 from the Capitol's attacks. Peeta is having trouble distinguishing between his real memories and those that were hijacked and corrupted. So Jackson starts the game that brings us all the feels:

You guessed it, it's Real or Not Real. Peeta tells them about a memory, whether or not it's him getting District 12 set on fire (Not Real) or watching an Avox getting tortured to punish him (Real). They all take shifts watching Peeta and helping him figure out who he really was before he was taken.

The chapter ends with the them filming Propos which gets cut off when a blast literally takes out Bogg's legs. Ouch. Josh Hutcherson did a great job portraying hijacked Peeta at the end of the last movie (and by great I mean terrifying) and I'm sure he'll do this version of Peeta justice as well. Part of me is looking forward to it while another part is already crying at the thought of seeing Katniss and Peeta's stunted but super emotional discussions over what seem to be mundane things like their favorite colors. I honestly don't think I can ever be emotionally prepared enough for these scenes, but I'm excited for them nonetheless!