{"id":208,"date":"2011-02-22T07:00:43","date_gmt":"2011-02-22T15:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=208"},"modified":"2011-02-21T21:31:03","modified_gmt":"2011-02-22T05:31:03","slug":"mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/02\/mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘Mockingjay’: Chapter 18"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the eighteenth chapter of Mockingjay<\/em>, well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.shit is getting REAL interesting, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re intrigued, then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Mockingjay<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I feel safe saying that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never see the arena again. These characters won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to face that again, though there will certainly be horrors to come in the final third of this book. I think it would have been just a bit too <\/em>much if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d found a way to jam it into the story. Instead, I appreciate that she draws a parallel to the Games and gives the victors an advantage over the people who have been trained for (quite possibly) years.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m jumping ahead of myself here, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s yet another small detail that makes me enjoy this book so very much. Chapter eighteen opens with Katniss throwing herself into training, as the group moves towards much more involved and realistic scenarios. They train in a space called the Block and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s meant to imitate missions in the Capitol. At this point, we still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know exactly what<\/em> the rebels will be doing once they reach the Capitol. But we learn that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all being filmed for more propos for the Capitol invasion. Meanwhile, Plutarch is busy being an insensitive asshole:<\/p>\n

They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got footage of Annie getting married and Johanna hitting targets, but all of Panem is wondering about Peeta. They need to see he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fighting for the rebels, not for Snow. And maybe if they could just get a couple of shots of the two of us, not kissing necessarily, just looking happy to be back together\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/p>\n
I walk away from the conversation right then. That is not going to happen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Jesus god up in heaven, Plutarch. What is wrong with you? Oh, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right, YOU DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T CARE ABOUT FEELINGS. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean that dismissively. He seriously doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. At all. He has a goal in mind and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what he intends to achieve and people be damned! I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not surprised. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s from the Capitol. THIS IS WHAT HE DOES.<\/p>\n
Katniss finally gets to her final exam just a few days before troops are meant to leave for the Capitol. Collins skips over the first three parts of the test in one sentence (SERIOUSLY, SHE TOTALLY DOES) and heads straight for the simulation exam on the Block. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where Katniss, while waiting for her turn, learns that each person\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s test is designed with their greatest weakness in mind. Great!<\/p>\n
The thing is (and I agree with Katniss here), as she moves through her test, I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help but think, MAN THIS IS WAY TOO EASY.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m within a couple of\u00c2\u00a0 buildings from my goal when things begin to heat up. A half dozen Peacekeepers come charging around the corner. They will outgun me, but I notice something. A drum of gasoline lying carelessly in the gutter. This is it. My test. To perceive that blowing up the drum will be the only way to achieve my mission.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
So, they want to test if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll kill multiple people at once. Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6she survived the Hunger Games. So\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6really? OF COURSE SHE WILL.<\/p>\n
Just as I step out to do it, my squadron leader, who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been fairly useless up to this point, quickly orders me to hit the ground. Every instinct I have screams for me to ignore the voice, to pull the trigger, to blow the Peacekeepers sky-high. And suddenly, I realize what the military will think my biggest weakness is. From my first moment in the Games, when I ran for that orange backpack, to the firefight in 8, to my impulsive race across the square in 2. I cannot take orders.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Thankfully, Katniss does this time. But now I wonder if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually going to do<\/em> it, right? I mean, she has to be presented with this chance in the future. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think Collins would include this detail and then not deal with it. You know what would be fucked up? If during battle, Katniss is ordered to do something, does it, and then it ends up being a bad decision? DO THAT, OK<\/em>.<\/p>\n
She passes her exam and runs to Command, where Boggs lets her know that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be on the team of sharpshooters with Gale, Finnick, and five other strangers. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m more interested by Plutarch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s explanation of some of the thing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll face in the Capitol.<\/p>\n
Plutarch enters some sort of code on a keyboard, and lights begin to flash. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in an assortment of colors and blink at different speeds. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Each light is called a pod. It represents a different obstacle, the nature of which could be anything from a bomb to a band of mutts. Make no mistake, whatever it contains is designed to either trap or kill you. Some have been in place since the Dark Days, others developed over the years. To be honest, I created a fair number myself. This program, which one of our people absconded with when we left the Capitol, is our most recent information. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know we have it. But even so, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s likely the new pods have been activated in the last few months. This is what you will face.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
TRAPS. BOMBS. MUTTS. And this is why Collins rules: Finnick and Katniss are uniquely tuned to deal with a situation like this. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like another version of the Hunger Games! HOW MUCH BADASSERY ARE WE GOING TO WITNESS? Oh god, HOW EXCITING. And I really love that both Katniss and Finnick recognize that amazing advantage they have over everyone else. You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t train people for lived experience.<\/p>\n
Katniss makes an interesting decision here, though. After the meeting, her and Finnick decide that they aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to tell the people they love what they are doing. Annie, Prim, and Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mom are going to know as little as possible. Katniss initially justifies this to Finnick by saying that the odds aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the same as the Games. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true. As she says it, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Any number of people will survive.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d But it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem so low risk that they won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get hurt. Are they even going to tell them that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re leaving?<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another snag in the plan. Haymitch finds them and tells them that Johanna is in the hospital. They used her greatest weakness against her: water. They flooded the streets of the Block.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how they tortured her in the Capitol. Soaked her and then used electric shocks,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Haymitch. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the Block she had some kind of flashback. Panicked, didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know where she was. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s back under sedition.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Heartbroken. Johanna needs<\/em> to go to the Capitol. She has<\/em> to go. Could you imagine the catharsis that would provide? God, I WANTED TO SEE HER DESTROY LIKE ALL OF THE PEACEKEEPERS.<\/p>\n
After everything that her and Johanna had been through, I really loved that Katniss took the time to leave District 13 to gather the bundle of pine needles to help comfort her. It reminds her of District 7, but more importantly, it was a sign that Katniss really respects and cares for Johanna. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pretty gutted that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not going to be heading for the Capitol, but that means there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a better chance she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be alive by the time I reach the end of the book.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, she has my wrist in an iron grip. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You have to kill him, Katniss.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worry.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I resist the temptation to wrench my arm free.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Swear it. On something you care about,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she hisses.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I swear it. On my life.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d But she doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let go of my arm.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153On your family\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she insists.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153On my family\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I repeat.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Oh man, do you think Katniss will actually go through with it? I VOTE YES. I think that I am probably messed up for wanting Snow\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death, but after all he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done to these people, I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T CARE.<\/p>\n
Squad 451 is an interesting bunch, I have to say. We only get brief flashes of their characters here, but we know that this group is much more talented than most of the soldiers who fight for the rebellion. The Leeg sisters stuck out to me the most, despite that Katniss mentions nothing about their talents.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, it seems like we won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get any chance to see what they are good at. We learn from Plutarch that Squad 451 isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t heading to battle necessarily. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been chosen as the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Squad\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to be mostly on camera.<\/p>\n
Ok. What? Why? Plutarch says that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because there still is value in putting these sort of images on the screen, but I have to wonder about any ulterior motives. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really make sense, does it? Why go through the rigorous training just to stick them far behind the battle lines? I have a feeling that Coin has something to do with it.<\/p>\n
The next morning is when they leave for the Capitol. Katniss takes the time to say goodbye to her family, and I get the sense we won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see them again until the end of the book. I know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cheesy, but I do get a kick out of Prim\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s final line:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Next time we see each other, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be free of him,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Prim firmly. Then she throws her arms around my neck. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Be careful.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really think this is foreshadowing so much as hope. And there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of me that simply wants to believe this. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m positive that people will die and the losses will be severe, but I really do think Katniss will take down Snow and the Capitol.<\/p>\n
I was sad that Katniss didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say anything to Peeta, but I understood it. I believed that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d see Peeta again before the end of the book, maybe through news of something happening to him back on the base, but this really seemed like Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s battle. She needed to fight it, and alone.<\/p>\n
The trip to the Capitol is a long one, first by train, then by foot through the mountain tunnels up to the Capitol. The Capitol itself has large portions taken by the rebels. At least, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I gathered from the description Collins gave us. Separating the rebel camp from the remaining Peacekeepers and Capitol residents are the streets lined with pods. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem like Katniss will be tasked with clearing out any of the pods, as Collins runs through the first three days quite rapidly.<\/p>\n
After three days, much of Squad 451 risks deserting out of boredom. Cressida and her team take shots of us firing. They tell us we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re part of the disinformation team. If the rebels only shoot Plutarch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pods, it will take the Capitol about two minutes to realize we have the holograph. So there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot of time spent shattering things that don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter, to throw off the scent. Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been blown off the exteriors of the candy-colored buildings.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Well, I certainly did not expect things to be so boring right from the beginning. Again, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nice to see Collins willing to add a bit of realism to her story, especially since she takes a risk in losing her audience. It also allows her to explore Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plan of ditching her squad eventually to go off on her own. She sets up all of the difficulties right here: Katniss has to steal a Holo. Holos only work based on a specific commander\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voice. Then, if she can even do that, she has to navigate the streets and avoid getting killed by the pods. And then\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6shit, Collins doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even get that far. I have no idea what Katniss thinks she is going to do.<\/p>\n
On the fourth morning, Soldier Leeg 2 hits a mislabeled pod. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t unleash a swarm of mutation gnats, which the rebels are prepared for, but shoots out a sunburts of metal darts. One finds her brain. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gone before the medics can reach her. Plutarch promises a speedy replacement.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
OH MY GOD, JUST LIKE THAT????<\/em> Holy shit, WHAT THE FUCK.<\/p>\n
The following evening, the newest member of our squad arrives. With no manacles. No guards. Strolling out of the train station with his gun swinging from the strap over his shoulder. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shock, confusion, resistance, but 451 is stamped on the back of Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hand in fresh ink. Boggs relieves him of his weapon and goes to make a call.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!<\/em><\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Peeta tells the rest of us. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The president assigned me herself. She decided the propos needed some heating up.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Maybe they do. But if Coin sent Peeta here, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decided something else as well. That I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m of more use to her dead than alive.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I literally cannot believe this. Peeta? WHY WOULD YOU SEND PEETA IN? Oh my god, SO MANY PLOT TWISTS. MY BRAIN CANNOT HANDLE.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the eighteenth chapter of Mockingjay, well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.shit is getting REAL interesting, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re intrigued, then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Mockingjay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,5],"tags":[21,28,23,39,24,27],"class_list":["post-208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mockingjay","category-hunger-games","tag-awful","tag-katniss-everdeen","tag-mark-reads","tag-mark-reads-mockingjay","tag-mark-reads-the-hunger-games","tag-suzanne-collins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}