Episode #7 - Blushing • Hypable

http://www.rebellionradiopodcast.com Hurley

Finally! Can’t wait to listen

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1381504748 Hibaq Farah

I agree with Richard, Peeta bugs me. I feel like he’s too sweet and too perfect a bit of a Gary Sue. I’m not team Gale or anything I just respect him a bit more. I agree he’s ruthless and tough. Peeta is already soft before the game and becomes to much by the end. I mean “Real or not real” was just too much.

http://www.facebook.com/peggy.ruiz1 Peggy Ruiz

I can’t download it yet. :(

http://www.facebook.com/chaingangcommander Adam Heatherly

frances mcdormand (uptight govt bitch in transformers 3 (the one tuttro makes out with during the credits)) for Coin

http://www.facebook.com/hueyfreemanforpresident Adonis Shipp

I totally agree with Richard on his opinion of Peeta. He was nothing but a weight holding her down in The Hunger Games. I’m not really a Gale fan either, personally I think Katniss could and would have been a lot better off without either of them. But something about Peeta just really…annoys me. Maybe its because he’s so weak, vulnerable, and just all around useless. Anyway, I’m ranting, in conclusino Peeta=Annoying.

Guest

I agree somewhat with Richard. I think, by the end of Mockingjay, Katniss doesn’t entirely know what love is. She has lost everyone she cares about and I feel the only emotion she can muster is hate and a feeling of loss. Prim is dead, Gale is gone, Panem is free… Everything she has worked for has been achieved, and in a way, completely lost. She’s ruined emotionally and physically, and then POOF!, Peeta shows up again in 12. He’s the only one who’s been through what she has and has been by her side through all of her Games and he can relate to her. Gale, besides inadvertedly killing Prim, cannot fathom what she’s encountered. Think about what he said in Hunger Games, “It can’t be that different, killing a person.” He’s even EXCITED about killing in Mockingjay. He obviously doesn’t understand.
But Peeta’s someone whose been by her side the entire way and she does care about him. But I think, at least in the beginning, she confuses that with undying love. In the epilogue, we can tell that she is happy with him and DOES love him, but the question is, “Did she in the beginning?” She did somewhat, she expresses that in the previous books, but it takes the disastrous results in the end of the series to push her over the edge and convince her that Peeta is the only way she can be happy. I am happy that she married him and feel that Katniss and Peeta love each other. I think that Katniss loved Peeta a little since Catching Fire but if Prim hadn’t died, she wouldn’t have felt that small love and convinced herself that it was something more. She does love him, and did, but the feelings heighten in the epilogue. GThey become more than they were.

Eoin

This may sound ignorant but what do you mean Gale is gone? He didn’t die.
- Kirsten
  
  I think that Guest means that the Gale we knew in the first book, the old Gale is gone, while there’s this horrible new Gale in his place.
  - Hojmatt
    
    Thanks for explaining.

http://www.facebook.com/hueyfreemanforpresident Adonis Shipp

And no the volunteer gets priority, If i’m remebering Catching Fire right. Where Peeta and Haymitch are trying do decide who will go in the the Quarter Quell with Katniss. They both want to be the one to go in, (Peeta to protect Katniss and Haymitch to protect Peeta) But in the end it all came down to whose name was chosen, and who would be able to volunteer, the volunteer getting the priority. Sorry I dont have chapter/page number but I’m fairly certain thats the way it goes.

http://twitter.com/Kay_Rou KayRou

I think you’re right about this, and I think you’re right about this being protocol in District 12. But what about the other districts? Remember that it said the rules in 12 weren’t remembered as clearly, because hardly anyone ever volunteered? But Katniss said that in the other districts (like 1 and 2) the rules were a bit more complex. I’m not so sure it works exactly the same way in those career districts.
Eoin

you are right. Haymitch was picked and the second he took a step toward the stage Peeta volunteered.

http://twitter.com/Kay_Rou KayRou

I believe this is the best Hunger Games Chat you guys have had yet, and I’m sure much of that has to do with the different opinions you all have. It’s very difficult to form a solid opinion when you can understand and see the points of both sides. (Oh, and here’s a “deep female opinion” post for you.)

Is Peeta the true hero? I don’t think so, because I don’t think any character in these books are truly heroic in the strictest sense of the word. One of the themes of this series is that the good guys aren’t always great (ie. Gale killing Prim, Coin turning out almost as bad as Snow) and the bad guys aren’t always evil (all those Tributes were just children, after all, and most of them just wanted to survive). If you’re talking about the series as a whole, Peeta (by the time you reach the last book) falls in line with that idea. But if you’re talking about just the first book, I think that Peeta has the best shot at being the true hero. He’s the only one of the Tributes or any of the big main characters that was least worried about his own survival. He was altruistic (even if that made him a fool) and did not change by the end of book one. Given the type of world that the Hunger Games is set in, that type of person would be the closest example of what we consider a “hero”.

Would Peeta volunteer? I really don’t know because there are so many factors to consider. First of all, there’s the survival instinct. Peeta’s instinct isn’t as strong as Katniss’, but given that he lives in 12, it would be silly to assume that he didn’t have one. But, would he really have been able to sit by and let Katniss fight? He didn’t have anyone to take care of like Gale did, so I don’t think volunteering is totally out of the question. It’s true that Katniss and Peeta never had a conversation, but I think it is safe to say that his feelings for Katniss were more than a crush. Whether or not it was “true love” is debatable, but physical attractions and crushes usually waver and disappear. Peeta has had strong feelings for Katniss since he was five, which is a testament to the fact that, at the very least, he has very strong feelings for her. Would those feelings be strong enough that he would volunteer had he not been chosen in the first place, I’m really not sure. BUT, given his altruistic nature, perhaps a more relevant question would be…would Peeta volunteer for Gale to save Katniss’ family if both Gale and Katniss had been chosen for the Games? If he did, he would almost be doing his family a favor (one less mouth to feed), he would be saving Gale’s life, saving Gale and Katniss the problem of having to possibly kill the other, and protecting Katniss’ family. Given what we know about Peeta’s personality, that type of thinking is not out of character.

Okay, here’s my deep female answer about why I like Peeta, but it needs to be preceded by a little bit of a back story. (Like this post needs to be any longer.) I was totally Team Gale when I first read the series. I honestly thought that, in the end, Katniss and Gale were going to be together. I was quite shocked (and disgruntled) when that didn’t happen. After taking a long break from the series, I read it again with the knowledge of what was going to happen. I didn’t think I would be, but I was an instant convert to Team Peeta. Maybe I just didn’t like being on the “losing” side, but I think it’s more than that. To me, Peeta is a weak character and that is exactly why I find him to one of the best characters. He’s charming, he’s real – you can tell what he’s thinking, how he’s feeling. He’s vulnerable. And I don’t mean that in an “oh my gosh, he’s so sexy because he’s sensitive” way, but in a way that he’s one of the few characters that’s not wearing a mask all the time. I believe Selina said this – he really is the antidote to Katniss. She can be very hard to take in sometimes because she’s so cold and calculating – animalistic. Peeta’s humanistic qualities, even if they come off as weaknesses, are very refreshing when you’re stuck inside Katniss’ head and most of the other characters think and act like her as well.

Does Katniss love Peeta? That’s a tough question to answer because you have to define love in a very specific way. Did she love him, as in did she care for him? Yes. I think even by the end of the first book that was true. Was she IN love with him? That might be an unfair question, because do we know if she was even capable of feeling that by the end of Mockingjay? I almost get a sense, like Richard said, that she settles for Peeta in the end. But, that might just be our interpretation of her love for him. Not all loves are all-consuming and passionate (I’m thinking Edward and Bella here, although I’m really starting to hate the Twilight comparisons). Sometimes love is about companionship and compatibility. So, to answer the question, yes I think Katniss loved Peeta by the end, but I don’t think it is necessarily what we would think of as love (or true love, or whatever) because Katniss was so broken that she wouldn’t have been able to feel that for someone no matter WHO it was.

The comment from Sammy near the very end of the podcast is somewhat irrelevant. I completely agree with the hosts that Katniss was never meant to be a role model. Her role in this series was to take someone who was strong and self-sufficient and to break them down so completely that they were never the same. She’s broken now, and needs Peeta to survive. The Katniss at the beginning of the story would despise the Katniss at the end. This series was never, ever meant to have a happy ending and there was no way that Katniss could’ve stayed the same. If she hadn’t changed, I don’t think the story would have impacted us all the way that it has. I mean, that was the point of the entire series, wasn’t it? – that nothing good will ever come out of totalitarianism, oppression, corruption, and greed.

bridget

well i don’t like peeta, i never liked peeta. and not just because i thought katniss was going to end up with gale. katniss never wanted to get married or have a baby, she just wanted to survive and not starve. peeta ruined all of that. he made her think about marrying him, and ultimately, because of peeta, she became an enemy of the capital and then forced to marry peeta. if she didn’t feel like she owed him, she would have made it through the hunger games, and lived a happy life (or at least a life without so many deaths) with her sister, her mother, and gale.

Akacj18

i’m not completely sold on Peeta because he’s so pathetically and desperately in love with katniss that he just does stupid things. its sheer luck, and katniss in the arena, that keeps him alive. sure, he’s pretty brilliant on tv and always says the right thing to evoke a sympathetic or otherwise advantageous response, but it just gets so annoying over the 3 books that he sees katniss as this perfect person that he wants to be with, and shes actually being a huge jerk. how blind are you??

gale on the other hand, i didnt like him as much the second time around. he can be quite ruthless and hard. while he would have a very good chance of winning the hunger games, i think his more aggressive strategies would ultimately put their lives at greater risk (even more so than katniss and peeta already were!). the odds would be a little bit less in their favor.

all that being said, i think katniss is sort of broken down in such a way over the books that peeta is the only one who can hold her together. his blind love for her, their shared experience, and his willingness to overlook her jerkiness towards him, makes him the perfect set of arms to fall into after a long day. i dont think katniss is weaker for being with him, but i think she is weakened by going through such intense trauma.

i find it so sad that as panem is freed, katniss is falling apart. you guys and gals talked about having to make sacrifices and weighing the costs of taking part in a revolution, and i think its VERY safe to say that katniss payed a very heavy price for her part in the freedom of panem. =(

Eoin

SPOILEER ALERT!

Somebodypersons

Oh, Richard…:) Also, i don’t think Katniss would have a facebook for Peeta to stalk her on…

http://twitter.com/uncommons Hurley Commons

Really? Hahaha
Caroline

It would be a great fanfic, though.
- Somebodypersons
  
  hmmm, interesting….:)

Somebodypersons

Also, I don’t think your impression of teenage team peeta fan girls was very accurate:)

Kirsten

Recently, I have seen several very angry comments on Hunger-Games related videos, especially on YouTube, including cast interviews and the trailer. Many of them go along the lines of “Cut the Team Peeta and Gale crap, this isn’t Twilight”, “Vote up if you think that real fans of The Hunger Games shouldn’t care about these teams”, or “IF YOU THINK PEETA AND GALE ARE IMPORTANT, YOU ARE A LOSER!!! IT’S ABOUT THE KILLING!!!”, although, them being YouTube comments, they are far less literate.
This bothers me. I find more and more that as I enter the Hunger Games fan community, there are two camps: the romance is good and the romance is bad. The “romance is good” camp does shipping, Peeta and Gale shirts, fangirl over pictures of the cast, and talk only about the romance of the books. The “romance is bad” camp posts comments like the ones I showed above and basically denies that there is any romance in these books.
This bothers me, since I consider the Hunger Games to be “An action-packed dystopian love story with killing things”. The book is about both the love story and the characters and the killing things and violence. While some scenes are weighted more one way than another, overall, it’s the best balance I have ever seen in a dystopian novel between the romance and the action (many try to shoehorn in the romance to make a key plot point, which I dislike), and that’s part of the reason I love the series so much. I mean, I love reading about action-y things and adventure, but I’m a romantic at heart, and it’s fantastic to finally find a novel that I can cry over that is not absolutely dry and boring like the romance novels my contemperaries swear on.
But I also don’t like the group of rabid fangirls who ignore the plot and only talk about how OMG!!! hot Peeta and Finnick are (and Gale as well, I guess), all the while refusing to absorb the plot and take the meaning of the books seriously.
Now, I’m not saying that these are the only two types of Hunger Games fans that exist and I’m somehow above it all (I’m not). No, what I’m saying is that these people are the vocal minority, and I thank you all here (not just the hosts, but the listeners) for not being those people. They give Hunger Games fans a bad name.

And a note on the Twilight comparisons: No, this is not Twilight. Nothing is Twilight but Twilight. There will never be another Twilight, just like there will never be another Harry Potter. However, fans of Twilight (mainly teenaged and young adult females, and well as young adult males) will enjoy The Hunger Games because of its similiarities (first-person, female narrator, hot love interest), and because it’s a great story. They will bring their fandom culture to The Hunger Games, just liek everyone else. Just because people don’t like the series does not mean we can blacklist people who like both books from our fandom. That’s really mean. Can’t we just all love something?

Whew, that was more than a note. Thank you for reading my overly long comment.

Love from Panem,

Kirsten

Patricious

I, as a man, liked Peeta. He’s a flawed guy trying to do the right thing.

In terms of Katniss being ‘in-love’ with Peeta, I didn’t think it was necessary. But this is not to say that Katniss didn’t love him. I thought Katniss had bigger things to worry about than romance; this is what I loved about her, even though this made her (endearingly) oblivious. She wasn’t in-love with Peeta just like most long-term couples don’t stay ‘in-love’ forever but still stay together. Peeta and Katniss just skipped that step.

What led them to be together, though, is sort of like what the Harry Potter (cast) trio has, which is that no one else in the world would know exactly what it feels like to be Rupert, Dan and Emma apart from the three of them (Hence, Katniss and Peeta made the book). But in this case, that companionship developed to the point whereby they started a family. The point Suzanne made was not that they ended up together but that Katniss became content enough with the state of the world that she bore children.

Patricious

Oh, and I didn’t think Peeta was “selfish” (unless I misheard you).
- http://www.tolkientalk.com/ hungerfan
  
  I think she meant to say “selfless”

Anonymous

I 100% agree with Richard

I’m probably one of the few females out there that doesn’t like Peeta. I found him insufferable throughout the entire series and just wanted him to die. At the end of the Hunger Games(the book), I wanted to punch him in the face when he had the audacity to be mad at Katniss because she was pretending to be in love with him. Really?! His character is so damn pathetic; he’s unrealistic even for this series.

Katniss has felt nothing, but guilt and pity towards Peeta this entire series, and after everything she’s been through – mentally, physically, emotionally, I find it very hard to believe she loves Peeta. Don’t get me wrong, I think Katniss cares about Peeta, but like Richard said, I think she’s just settling. Peeta is nothing more than a crutch for Katniss at the end of the series.

One more thing, can people stop using “they been through such a traumatic experience” as a reason to validate their “love”. You can go through traumatic experiences with someone and end up not being with them. As a matter of fact, they wouldn’t want to be with that person because they would be a constant reminder of said traumatic experience.

I wish this series had ended with Katniss’s mother taking care of her.

Caroline

In regards to your character discussion on the most puke-inducing character Suzanne Collin’s ever created:

I hate Peeta. Real or not real? Not real. I completely, totally, abhorringly despise him. He is sickingly naive, a creepy stalker, two-faced, a lair, and generally liked for these reasons because people either 1) fangirl over him/Josh Hutcherson, 2) feel bad for him, or 3) genuinly believe thathe is ‘perfect’. If Katniss wasn’t in the arena/didn’t form the allience, he wouldn’t have stood a chance. After all, what kind of idiot goes to sit in a mud puddle when there is such an easy way for said mud to seep into your bloodstream? Talk about bacteria and infection! All in all, I can’t stand him, go Cato (just kidding, team Gale).

Anonymous

And I thought I was brutal on Peeta. lol

I do agree with you though.

Elishavandusen

I am a girl who completely agrees with Richard. Peeta is a nuisance, he is very foolish and as he said Peeta serves a purpose for katniss. That is honestly all I see h as. I don’t like the way that he allows his emotions to rule him. I also don’t really like the way that she loves him simply based on the fact that she doesn’t want to be alone. Or rather, she can’t be alone. I don’t think that the events in the book could have played out without him but I really don’t like him as a character.

Somebodypersons

As a girl, Peeta is alright…Better then Gale at least. But in my opinion, if I had to choose a team I would pick TEAM FINNICK! YEAH! Haha. But just out of curiosity, if you had to kill Finnick, Peeta, or Gale who would you kill? (I would kill myself)

Caroline

to answer your question, Peeta.
http://hypable.com Selina

Gale. But I still like him. :)
Kirsten

I’d kill Gale. Painfully. I hate his guts.
Anonymous

Peeta. God I can’t stand him.
Owen44borus

I would kill Peeta.
- Joey J.
  
  Actuallly, I would kill Gale because he is such a siciopath.
  - Owen44borus
    
    Not sociopath, phsycopath.
Yoyo

Gale probs.

Cherry_chic

When I read the series I followed Katniss’ emotional rollercoaster, Peeta or Gale, Gale or Peeta. But at the end I settled for Peeta as Katniss needed him.
I love Peeta because he was there for Katniss the whole time. Yes in the beginning it was from a distance but by giving her the bread it impacted her whole life.
She loved both Gale and Peeta at different stage throughout the series, but because she could not decide between the two, Gale gave up on her.
After the war she was broke, so broken that in a way she would never truly return, Peeta was there. Slowly she let him back in and he never pushed, he never asked her to be more than who she was.
Katniss is a true survivor and the end of Mockingjay portrays that to perfection.
I don’t love Peeta because he is romantic, I don’t love him because he is gorgeous, and I don’t love him because I don’t love Gale. I love him because he never left. He was Katniss’ rock and in the end their little family is all the Katniss has left.

Cherry_chic

broken*

Josiah

Richard, you’re not the only male Hunger Gamer who doesn’t like Peeta. In fact, he’s probably MY least favorite character. It’s been a few months since I finished the series, but I remember that he always seemed so much like a puppy, always at Katniss’s heels. I especially hated him in Mockingjay when he was (for a reason that slipped my mind) amnesiac. Although many fangirls will give the excuse for that, he was still a total jerk to Katniss, and in my mind Gale ALWAYS was the one. At the end of Mockingjay, I got the impression that she settled for Peeta. The trauma she experienced was so great that she didn’t know love and simply decided to stick with someone who went through the same thing. Keep up the great work, and I can’t wait for the movie :)

Joey J.

I like the podcast but i have to disagree with you about Peeta. You said peeta was not physical enough for the games, but in the 1st book Katniss says to Haymitch that he can lift heavy bags of flour. Some people may say this is not enough for the games, but everybody though Thresh was a strong competitor. Thresh smashed Clove’s skull with a rock using his strength to lift it and use force to smash it down onto her skull. Peeta also is mentaly strong, as you see when he joins the careers. Hey also has a way with words to get sponsor gifts. I think Peeta is a good competitor in the games and a good character in the books.

http://twitter.com/mariaggonzalez Maria Gonzalez

Hey guys, I’m not sure If you’ll get to reading this c

http://twitter.com/mariaggonzalez Maria Gonzalez

I’m not sure if you’ll get to reading this comment, but I wanted to put in my two cents on the Peeta argument.

I’m a girl, and the reason I like Peeta is not because he’s cute or because he’s in love with Katniss. I understand that he may not be the strongest, the fittest, the bravest, OR the most intelligent person in the world, but he does have that artistic talent that there’s unfortunately very little use for in The Hunger Games. The closest he comes to using his skill is with the camouflage, which happened to work pretty well if you ask me. He is also what a lot of us try and fail at being. He’s an honest, bold, kind-hearted, and selfless person. How can you possibly hate that?

Richard also referred to him as a “burden” and that honestly broke my heart. He didn’t choose to be in the Hunger Games. In fact, he never even signed up for tesserae. He certainly wasn’t expecting his name to be drawn, much less Katniss taking her sister’s place. What I think we’re dealing with here is a little thing called fate.

HarryGleeHungerFan

Hey guys! Just a couple of things that came to me while listening to this Episode:

First of all, in response to the comment made about Lionsgate not putting enough money forward, here are a few blockbuster movies that were made for $75 million or less that flourished, a few examples: Jurassic Park($75 million), Independence Day($73 million), & Twilight (only $37 million)… For the first movie in a franchise, $75 million is nothing to scoff at, a lot of the reviewers & movie podcasts I listen to think that the Lone Ranger movie is completely overblown & is not worth its production budget. If THG does well, I’m sure the sequels will get larger budgets…

As far as the Peeta discussion: My first thought is that yes, Katniss does love him. There are many different kinds of love. She doesn’t have to be swooning over him to love him. As far as her being IN LOVE with him… I’m not convinced, but she does care for him & by the end of the book, I think that is all she can handle. She certainly needs someone to love & love her back & she has grown to care for & trust “the real” Peeta.

Also, I thought that if Gale had been chosen for the male tribute from District 12, Peeta wouldnt have volunteered. Peeta is nothing if not observant. After all, he is the boy with the bread. He would already know about Gale & Katniss’ friendship, & would trust that Gale would protect her. He could do much more for her from the outside… His family is better off than many in district 12 & he could help get money & sponsors for Katniss to make her game that much easier in the arena. With food/medicine/weapons that he could help provide, she would have had a good chance of succeeding in the Games. PLUS, if he isn’t in the arena, he can be with her if she wins & comes back to District 12.

Thanks for the great podcast guys! Terrific discussions this episode!!

Kate

personally i really really like peeta. he was nice and never did anyone harm. his comment before he goes into the game for the first time, about not losing himself, really made me respect him and like him. he was generally good at heart.

Mack-l

It’s been a while since i last read the books but i would like to share my opinion of Peeta. At first i was more of a Katniss and Gale fan, they were alike and so similar, they fit well. But the series went on and we learnt more about Peeta. He is not hero as he does not save everyone as a conventional hero would however he is a hero in that he saves Katniss. I honestly and truly believe that Katniss would not have gotten as far as she did without the help of Peeta. Despite Katniss being somewhat mentally and skilfully adept, she does lack the ability to recognize some of the very key things that initially end up saving their lives. I mean think about it if Gale had been chosen, i really don’t think that Gale could have drawn the sympathy vote or the likeability factor that Peeta was able to convey to the audience. He is more of a silent creature whereas Peeta has the way with words; he has charisma and is likeable.

I think it is true that perhaps if Katniss had not been there he would have been an easy target, but you pointed out the fact that he took sides with the careers in the early rounds which clearly shows that he is not weak – his way with words allowed him to do that, and if in fact Katniss had not been in the arena and the incident with the (I think they were) jabberjays/bees or whatever hadn’t occurred then he may have been able to talk his way through with the careers up until the very end. I’m not sure if he would be able to win a fight against the Cato but I do believe he would have made it that far.

He is a tricky character as he does have some strong points and some flaws. And to Richard my dear, he is not rubbish! Being strong is not the only means of success in the games. Look at how far Foxface went, though I agree that he would not have won without some sort of immense luck, he had the simple advantage that he was not in it alone. He had Katniss.

Mack-l

I’m, a girl by the way – Mackenzie – Mack for short.

Joey J.

So is the next episode is coming out a day or two after the trailer?

Yoyo

I think that Peeta is weak physicaly in the games but helps in a different kind of way. He helps in everything before the games(intervew, ect.) I remember reading “He was so good at talking to people or something like that. Without Peeta, Katniss and him would not get sponsers and gifts like the tracker jacker meds.

Yoyo

P.S. Im a guy.

Pbjcrazed

HI! Andrew, Richard, Selina, and Kimmy. i love this show by the way! (but mugglecast is my favorite) i wanted to write in about when Katniss really started to fall in love with Peeta. i think that Katniss really does start to love Peeta. I think she starts to love him when they are in the cave(pg.265) “His hand brushes the loose strands of my hair off my forehead. Unlike the staged kisses and caresses so far, this gesture seems natural and comforting. i don’t want him to stop and he doesn’t.” i know this isn’t much but it shows the gradually change coming from Katniss. Another example is when Peeta’s heart stops beating in Catching Fire. Katniss is so overwhelmed with the thought of him dead she goes into hysterics. i love this show and my favorite movie poster i Cinna! Peeta, Cinna, Hymitch, and Finnick are my favorite people but the gold eyeliner is exactly like to book! thanks- Kayce (I’m a girl)

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jessica-Ajanel/100000545683026 Jessica Ajanel

I am a Girl and Peeta is one of my favorite characters. I do believe that Peeta has the strength and would be a good competitor. But if it had been just him in the HG he would not have won because even though he is strong he is not a killer. The only reason he does fight is because he loves and wants to protect Katniss, without her he would have lost the games.

When did Katniss fall in love with Peeta? I don’t think Katniss ever truly loved Peeta. As the reader goes form book 1 to 3 you notice that Katniss begins to care for Peeta but i don’t think she ever loved. After Peeta was high-jacked i believe she did want to love him because of everything they had both gone through and especially after what was done to him. But i always felt that Katniss was still distant because she was protecting herself from getting hurt. In the end she only ends up with him because they are both broken and they need each other to feel better not because she loves him.

Would Peeta volunteer? Not knowing the full extent of Peeta’s love for Katniss at the beginning i have to say he would not have volunteered for the Hunger Games. One of the reasons being that at that moment they did not know that there was a chance for 2 people to win the games. Because of this Peeta would not have gone into the games because there would be a chance that he might have to kill Katniss and he would not want that.

Courtney

Listening to the clip of the song i completly imagined it playing in the background as peeta and katniss walk through the forest to face cato at the water. Its very eerie with a haunting quality that fits perfectly because katniss and peeta know its the end and their walking towards their final battle with no idea what will happen by the end of it.

Courtney

Looking back on how i interpreted the books as i was reading them i dont think i was ever entirly convinced that Peeta truly loved Katniss and im not sure why. I think it was primarily because we see it all through Katniss’ perspective, and she doesnt think or realize that Peeta loves her. I guess i was just really confused while reading the first book in particular, but looking back on it im not sure why i didnt get it because it is fairly obvious.
Another question i have is: looking a the end of the games in book 1, and The idea that the gamemakers quite possibly knew what was going to happen in the quarter quell for the next games; wouldnt it have been a wise decision on their part to let both katniss and peeta walk out of that hunger games knowing they would both more than likely be back in it again next year. Youd think they could have forseen the berry ending, or somehing similar to it because of the whole love story that was capturing the capitol to begin with.
I als wanted to comment on the hunger games fan name, mainly because u hadnt read anythig from anyone who didnt think the fans should have a name. Though i do like jabber jays and hunger jays and would choose one of those if i had to ( sory Richard, i just think hunger gamers is way to video gamer like) i dont particuarly think we need a name. I never once refered to the hp fandom as potterheads and never twilight fans twihards. You never hear people ask ‘so are u a potter head’ or ‘ twihard’ its always usually harry potter or potter fan or twilight fan. I also feel like a name is just the same as a nickname for the fans, instead of having to say hunger games fans, to shorten it a bit but hunger games is 3 sylobols while harry potter is 4 and i never had trouble saying im a harry potter fan or that we are the harry potter fans. I feel like giving a nicknmae to hg fans is another way were trying to make it like the twilight fandom and i just dont think its the same in any way, and people need to know that. So as much as i like to listen to u debate on the podcast about the names, i just dont think we need one and will be happy without one and probably wouldnt us it even if the fans got a nickname.
I also previously posted my thoughts of the song featured in he podcast, its under the name Courtney as well, but i posted it right as i was listening to the podcast.
Great job, i love the podcast and i agree that the best move would be to have the trailaer with breaking dawn so i hope that happens!

Rebekah

Loved the podcast this week and enjoyed everyone’s POVs, even Richards (haha). I have no doubt that if Gale had gone into the games instead of Peeta, that he would have done whatever it took to make Katniss the winner. He loves her, they have a very special bond.
Okay . . . Now as far as Peeta being a hindrance to Katniss in the games? Let’s remember that Cato would have more then likely killed Katniss when she was trying to get the bow and arrows that were stuck under that dead girl’s body. It was Peeta who fought Cato off so that Katnisss could get away. Katniss herself even knew that in a close range fight that Cato would have been able to kill her.

Tess

Peeta is an interesting character. Because he is not the main character, we have to guess his motives and thoughts. I think that, unlike Katniss, Peeta is not oblivious to the things around them. Even though he didn’t really know that Katniss was just pretending to love him in the cave, he must have guessed. I think he was letting the love thing run wild, and he wasn’t really fully in love with her until after everything happened. True enough, he did like her from when they were 5, but i think Peeta is someone who could just take an idea that he loved some one and run with it. (I agree with whoever said that you can’t be in love with some one you have never spoken to) In the cave, when Katniss also starts playing along, I think he just let’s himself believe that she is really in love with him. But in the end, after they went through 3 battles together, was when they really needed each other to survive. Peeta was always there in the way of reading the capitol’s mind for the star-crossed lovers angle. The line in the Hunger Games when Katniss finds him by the stream (“Remember, we’re supposed to be madly in love, so it’s okay to kiss me whenever you feel like it”) makes me think that he knew Katniss was just pretending the whole time, but let himself hope that it was otherwise.

Of course Peeta would not have survived the Hunger Games without Katniss. He just didn’t have the experience or knowledge of the wilderness.

I was always a Peeta-Katniss fan, rather then Gale. He wasn’t in the books very much, so it’s true that we didn’t get to know him, but he seemed so ruthless. With all those snares and bombs for the war, i shudder to think of what he would be like in the games. And then at the end he just goes off to district 2, not really thinking of Katniss. Peeta was always her match. Maybe it would have been different, if there hadn’t been the Games and the war. But there was.

I personally like Peeta very much, and agree with what Selina said about him. And all the stuff about him being better than the rest of them was a point where I really began to like him.

Tess

I’m a girl

Somebodypersons

sigh…I really love finnick:) you guys should talk about him in your next episode…that would make me happy:)

Eoin

Please bring Kill, Maim, Alliance and Tournament of Tributes back you only did each of these once. Please bring them back they were great segments.

Somebodypersons

Agreed. I LOVED kill, maim, alliance! How’s about Haymitch, Peeta, or Katniss, and then Finnick, Annie, and Prim?

greddy

Peeta represents hope after the destruction of war. He represents the redeeming quality of humanity. Therefore you have to like him..I did.

http://twitter.com/IceDawnMuggle Justine Woodard

Love it, always will =]

Nitzan

DAMNIT! I was in the middle of 1984 and you ruined the end!! :/ Yeah yeah I’m about 60 years late but still!

http://www.hypable.com Richard Reid

Apologies.

HungerGames4ever

I always truly disliked Peeta as I read the series the first time. To me it just felt like he butted into the relationship between Katniss and Gale. I was annoyed by him because of his undying love just seemed so sappy and as Richard said, a hinderance to Katniss in the games. It just felt like Peeta was faking his love the whole time, but as I reread the books, Peeta felt so much more real. I reread the first book four times in a row and finally understand that he was just a fantastic character. He is genuine, real, and heartfelt. I always thought Gale was THE guy, but now Peeta feels like the right guy.

Curly Linzy

I love Peeta. I think Peeta just used the love he had Katniss as a source of motivation whereas Katniss uses her love for Rue as motivationn. Plus if anyone doubted the strength of Peeta think back to mockingjay where Peeta’s mind is hijacked. I think if Katniss mind was hijacked she wouldn’t have been able to come back like Peeta did because of her personality. Plus Peeta serves as a reminder of how Panem could be or what it should be. Not about cruelty but about humans and their emotions. Go Peeta!

Eoin

Trailer come out tomorrow. Hoping for a podcast soon after that and also hope you change to a bi-monthly schedule.

Kate Pippenger

You were talking about Rue’s whistle/song thing, and I had an idea. Well

Kate

In this episode, you were talking about Rue’s song/whistle thing, and how we all can’t wait to hear it in the movie. Today, I was watching the first trailer and I noticed something. Starting at 0:56, right when the “May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor” title card appears, there is a four-note whistle/song that sounds a lot like it would fit Rue’s song. Is this actually Rue’s whistle/song, or just a random sound Lionsgate put in?

Somebodypersons

Did you guys see the song that was on itunes? It was rue’s whistle. I think you can still get it, it was free, also it was 6 seconds:)
- Kate
  
  What name was it under?
  - Somebodypersons
    
    “Official Hunger Games Mockingjay Call” by LIONSGATE
    - Somebodypersons
      
      They used it at the end of the trailer
Kikiann11

It’s creepy how much it sounds like my version…

Alison

Peeta would not volunteer to go in the Hunger Games for a simple reason – he wouldn’t have been able to help her! He barely helped her as it was Plus – Richard’s right. He loves her more as he knows her more.

Somebodypersons

Hello! LOVE this podcast! But I was wondering, does anybody else kinda wish there wasn’t going to be a movie? I mean, it could be great, like HP, and then become more popular. Or it can totally bomb, like Twilight (Sorry, I as a Mega Fan still have to admit it…) and then people won’t pick up the books, even though they are amazing;) I just think the movie is going to make or brake this fandom, and i wish they weren’t taking the risk.

Kim

I’m a Hunger Games fan, 36 year old woman, and I’m a Peeta hater. I loved this episose and Richard’s comments (Richard you always have something insightful and unique to say.) First- yes Peeta is a burden in the games and he’d be dead in 15 seconds without Katniss, not that I’d cry much over him. He is a such a pathic sad sack, I can’t see how any strong, intelligent woman could fall for him. I actually think he is one of the least intersting characters in the books. (Finnick is my fav, but other such as Haymitch are very interesting also- Peeta is a snore of a lovesick puppy in comparison.) He certainly isn’t heroic- (good lord the kid isn’t even brave enough to TALK to Katniss until the games… coward) if anything he’s an actor, a slick politician- he could be the next Snow or Flickerman. I don’t think Katniss ever loved him- as Richard says she settled for him. I was not fond of book 3 but it makes sense that these two broken characters wind up together-
I think the thing that seals the deal on the love question- and proves Richard right- is that when Peeta is nearly dead Katniss is sort of worried. When Gale is whipped and in pain, she is hysterical and realizes that she loves him and that’s her guy. Same situation, vastly different emotional reactions on her part. Anyway- thanks as ever for a fun podcast and to Richard for saving it from sappiness.

Katie

From a girls perspective. I love peeta because he is just real and you can tell the whole series that he has an undieing love for katniss and would do anything for her. You can tell that no matter how much she hurts him he will never stop caring. And yes because I do find him adorable! :) but I also do think katniss although I love her a bit eritating because she is so oblivious.

Does katniss love him? Yes in a sence that she really could not live without him. He is all she had left in the last book. She could never have loved gale the way she loved peeta. It may have taken her some time but she always loved him starting in the first book she starts feeling love for him as she describes the first “real” kiss in the cave and was willing to die for him in the second.
So as you can tell I am on peetas side the whole thing haha!

Alon

Was it Richard that said Peeta wouldn’t have volunteered if another random boy was chosen to be a Tribute? I think so…
Anyway, I think I agree with that. I just really don’t know how much you can love someone you don’t actually know. Don’t get me wrong, I love Peeta, but I can totally see his heart breaking as Katniss is called but that he won’t really have the “guts” to take the other boy’s place. I can see him watching every single minute of the game though, just hoping that Katniss makes it.

Anonymous

I really enjoyed the episode but in regards to Richard’s comments about hating Peeta, I think he is just trying too hard to be controversial. He didn’t have any legitimate reasons for why he doesn’t like him. Peeta is just a nice guy, that’s why I always preferred him to Gale.

Somebodypersons

Hey guys! Just watched the trailer and wanted to share some of my thoughts. It was…alright. It was very open and scifi-ish. It just doesnt really sit right with me. It was very high tech, definatly not what I was expecting. And, yes, there wasn’t enough peeta! I’m still super pumped for the movie and I enjoyed the trailer, but it seems like a whole other story to me. Also, I really wished that they would have had more from the actual Huger Games, and I think that the glimpses of the areana could have been better but, that’s just me. Also, Effie kinda looked like a man. Just putting it out there. But anyways, love the podcast!

Somebodypersons

Oops, forgot some stuff:) Isn’t D12 small and poor? I thought the peacekeepers didn’t do anything…And what was that thing that flew over Katniss and Gale? A plane or something maybe? I thought they used trains…which we did get a glimpse of.And the acting was amazing! Katniss was great and from what little of Peeta we saw, well, it was awesome. Josh played it perfect! I especially liked when his name was pulled. The look on his face made me want to cry…
Somebodypersons

I didn’t mean for this to sound so negative….I have still watched the trailer an un-healthly amout of times:)
- Somebodypersons
  
  amount

Pbjcrazed

hey guys i just wanted to talk about the tralier! oh my god this is Soo amazing! the only thing i think is not up to pare is prim. i think she looks amazing and the scene where she is crying and Katniss says “Its your first year you won’t get picked” (or something like that) is SOO sad but perfect!! the thing i’m getting at is that when Katniss is just in the arena and they show shots of Gale and prim and others, Prim doesnt look sad or scared she’s kinda just staring off.. but maybe thats not in that actul scene. thanks i love you guys

Lasfoola

Male voice speaking. I agree with Richard whole heartily about Peeta. Gale is my favorite character strong smart and sly. Peeta is simply annoying and almost a cliche in my mind.

Andrew Sims Lover

During this podcast someone said “Someone worth fighting for” for Peeta. Omg that totally reminded me of Mulan “A girl worth fighting foooooooooor!”. Hahaha Disney reference. That would be an interesting thing for a game on the next podcast. Which heroine from other series most relates to Katniss?

Melissa D.

In reply to Katniss ‘settling:
‘I think that Katniss did NOT “settle” for Peeta. Katniss has always done what she wanted, despite the consequences. For example, she killed Coin, without even a thought to the repercussions. I think that if Katniss really wanted to be with Gale, she would have. During the Quarter Quell, it’s pretty obvious that she would do just about anything for him. She is willing to give her own life to protect his. Peeta was someone who was always there for her and loves her. Like you guys said, she grew to be in love with him – because if you look at who she is, I think she would have rather been alone than with someone she didn’t love, so she chose Peeta because he is exactly the kind of person she needed – someone she loved and loved her.

In reply to feelings on Peeta:
Peeta has been my favourite character since very early on in the series. He loves Katniss so much, that he is willing to die for her, which says a lot about who he is – an amazing person. He is even willing to give up some of his own winnings from the Hunger Games to Rue’s family and Thresh’s, even though he really had no personal attachment to either – it is all for Katniss. What I’ve always loved about him is that he is such a genuinely good person, and his way with words makes him potentially very powerful.

Becky

I’m curious how Richard defines strength and weakness. If it’s purely physical, then I would argue Peeta IS strong because the book mentions that he can lift 100 lb bags of flour which is no small feat. Beyond that, there is so much about his character that seems completely opposite to weakness. He does have strong emotions and feelings towards Katniss, but how does that make him weak? He’s not afraid to be who he is, to be honest, open and real, no matter what others expect of him or try to make him do (hence his key line from the trailer). He is willing to sacrifice himself for Katniss from the very beginning and such self-sacrifice takes tremendous strength. Yes, he may be naive to a certain degree, but you could say the same for Katniss being so obtuse about very obvious things going on around her. Plus, he’s clearly intelligent enough to recognize his strengths and play those up. He lacks the stealth hunter abilities of Katniss and Gale (so I get why some considered him a burden in the games), but he used his strategic thinking and way with words to play up the romance and forge an alliance with the careers. The love was real on his side (no, he didn’t really know her, but it was definitely more than infatuation to have lasted since they were 5), and he played it up to both of their advantages. Without him, Katniss would have remained a completely undesirable tribute, and she would have had significantly less sponsors which I think would have made a huge difference on her success in the games. So, whatever burden Peeta was, he made up for it in how he managed to boost her image to the rest of Panem.

Bottom line, remaining a person of integrity and staying true to yourself in such difficult circumstances requires incredible strength and shouldn’t be underestimated. And he remained one of the few constants in her life throughout all the books (aside from when he got brainwashed). In general, I’m surprised there are such strong negative feelings toward Peeta. Why all the Peeta hate? Even if you prefer Gale, I just don’t understand how you wouldn’t like someone who was so selfless, loyal, kind, real, honest and.. human. Btw, I’m a female. I’ve never liked Peeta because I thought he was cute or hot. I imagined Gale would be much more attractive. I like Peeta for all the reason I listed above. I would also argue that Katniss didn’t settle at the end and did love Peeta. What kind of love they had is debatable. I believe she loved him based on her feelings in the cave in book 1, their last night on the beach in book 2, and how she feels when she “loses him” in book 3. She just didn’t have the luxury (another great line in the trailer) to really further develop or even consider those feelings given the circumstances. By the end, both of them were so broken that their love perhaps wasn’t a true love or romantic type, but it was real to her. I like to think that Katniss cared for and respected Peeta enough to not settle for him. They went through so much together, and she would be honest with him if she didn’t love him. So, as Selina pointed out, when he asks “real or not real – you love me?”, she does say “real”.

AmyMac

I agree wholeheartedly with pretty much everything that you said.

Another thing that I think gets overlooked sometimes when people debate that Peeta’s incompetence hurt Katniss’s chances in the games, is the fact that he saved her life when she was about to be attacked by the careers after dropping the tracker jacker nest on them. If he had not stepped in to save her, she would likely have been killed before he was. He also must have been able to take care of himself pretty well in a fight because he made it away from Cato with only a leg injury (albeit a pretty nasty one). The injury that he received while saving her life was a major part of the reason that she had to take care of him so much in the first place. I won’t deny that Peeta had his weaknesses in the arena, but Katniss did as well, and they were really only both able to survive because they were each able to use their strengths.

http://www.facebook.com/BibbHerrod Bibb Herrod

At first I didn’t know there was going to be a love triangle so I was really rooting for Peeta and I grow to have some respect for the character’s strong suits (loyalty, determination, self-sacrifice). Then as I realized that there was going to be a love triangle I began to think of Peeta as the “third wheel” or “interloper” to the original love relationship. I proceeded to go back and forth like this throughout every book and I must say I don’t think I really ever rooted for a specific pairing. I must admit that I partly like Peeta because I feel a bit sorry for him. Unrequited feelings are a hard thing to bear.

I feel like Katniss did love Peeta by the very end of the last novel but only after her love for Gale was killed with Prim and the last shreds of her relationship with her mother as well. One could call that “settling” but I believe she just realized that Peeta was always there for her and was always going to be there for her.

I don’t think Peeta would have volunteered himself if he was not chosen. If he was not brave enough to talk to the girl he “loves”, I feel sure he would not choose to sacrifice his life for her. If he did that he would just be foolish. I agree with Richard, true love does not equal physical attraction. Peeta was crushing (at first) but then it grew into love because he knew he was not strong enough to win the games so he devoted the rest of his life to Katniss. Just my thoughts on the subject. A great podcast once again! I haven’t actually finished the episode yet but I wanted to go ahead and share my thoughts.

page-to-paige

In episode #6 Richard said something about the video game idea but in the form of an MMRPG internet game, I found this site called the Potter Games (http://thepottergames.com/)where the characters from the Harry Potter world are entered into the wizarding world’s version of the Hunger Games. Now the Hogwarts games(http://www.thehogwartsgames.com/), Katniss is entered into Hogwarts… just wondered on your thoughts? Also what Hogwarts houses do you think Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Prim, Cinna, etc. would be in? Would love your thoughts. Thanks Paige.

http://twitter.com/pikakeflor Jasmine

To Richard: You say in this podcast that it’s never directly said that Katniss loves Peeta in the books. While I know that’s not the only reason why you say that she doesn’t love him (you have many other supporting facts that I respect and understand), I just want to say that in books/literature, characters don’t have to explicitly think or say to someone “I love you” because there are so many other ways of writing that in a story. I’m majoring in creative writing in university, and professors have always said
from day one: “show them (the readers), don’t just tell them.” Like the others were saying, you SEE throughout the series Katniss’s love for Peeta. And Katniss always being a little oblivious, doesn’t realize it until the end of Mockingjay.

Just wanted to throw my opinion out there. And I just can’t wait for the next podcast! Trailer talk time!

Yeeyeeyeeyee

i agree with richard…peeta is a really weak character,hes not really on the same level as katniss. however, you were wrong in saying peeta was a hindrance in the games… he saves katniss’ life after the tracker jackers

Hatty300

The reason i like Katniss is because she is stronger than any other heroine i’ve read about. In twilight there are times I just feel like yelling at Bella to get a grip!!! She is too whiny and pathetic to be a strong heroine. Katniss on the other hand has suffered real hardship and would rather be alone to sort it all out. As a character she’s not without her flaws and I still love Peeta (more than Gale anyway) but I also love hoe Katniss isn’t your average story heroine.

Guest

Bella isn’t supposed to be a heroine

hungergamer

hey!!! whats wrong with a low budget??? £80mil seems about right to me – new moon only had a £50mil budget and half of that went to the actors!!! if summitt could make new moon on a £50million budget then lionsgate can sure as hell pull off the hunger games. it would be stupid to go all out on this film because the fan base just isn’t big enough yet to bring in that kind of money :)

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001426435099 Louelle van Rens

Hey podcasters!
I would like to point out that Winston Smith from Nineteen Eighty-Four did NOT die at the end of the book. They did something worse, they took everything he valued in life away from him, they destroyed him and took his entire personality away. They made him become exactly the thing he has hated his entire life since the Party took over: an empty shell, with an utterly foolish and devoted love for the Party and the elusive Big Brother. Other than The Hunger Games where a rebellion was possible, in the fictional totalitarian America of 1984 George Orwell created the situation is absolutely hopeless.

Anti-protagonist = antagonist, by the way.

And for those who have not heard of the “Gone” novel series by Michael Grant, it’s a supernatural dystopian story about this small village in California where suddenly, in the blink of an eye, everyone over the age of 15 dissapears. Really, they’re there the first moment, and they’re gone the very next one. Around their town, Perdido Beach, a inpenetrable wall appears out of nowhere, and certain people and animals develop supernatural abilities for survival.The kids are left to deal with the rapidly dissapearing food and supplies and at the same time spend time missing the adults in their life. They also have to worry about their own 15th birthday approaching quickly. If you get the chance, read this series. It’s incredibly engaging and interesting, also very thrilling storytelling.

Anonymous

I’ve gotta say, this episode brought to light a lot of different emotions for me when you guys were discussing Peeta and Katniss and whether she actually loves him. I believe Katniss does love Peeta, but not in the way he loves her or even half as much as he deserves. Katniss does die in a sense after Prim dies, and she settles for a life with Peeta, but is never truly comfortable in it. The question of whether Gale’s bombs were those used when Prim was killed clouds her true feelings for Gale, therefore eliminating him from consideration as far as a mate is concerned. This ruins his character for her and the audience, leaving you with one option: Peeta. Now, while I happen to love Peeta, I feel that Katniss chooses him out of convenience and not based on her true feelings. My biggest example of how underwhelmed she is in her life with Peeta is this: she refers to their children as “the boy” and “the girl.” While I understand she never expected to have children at all, if she truly was happy with Peeta, she would feel a great sense of love for the children they created together.

Another topic you discussed was Peeta’s strength of character. There is no doubt that he is physically strong (he carries huge bags of flour in his father’s bakery daily), but I believe his commitment to his morals is a strong characteristic. I don’t care much for Katniss as a character, and quite frankly she becomes progressively more unlikable as the series progresses. She is oblivious to everyone’s feelings around her until they directly affect her chosen course of action, and even then she is completely uncaring of how she affects them in return.

The last thing I had to say was to point out something I found rather interesting. You brought up Peeta’s words from when he and Katniss were talking before the Games in the first book. He said he wanted to be himself throughout the Games, and not allow the Capitol to turn him into a monster. However, when he is captured by the Capitol, they do just that, turn him into a monster by using the Tracker Jacker venom to change his memories. This makes him unpredictable and dangerous, especially to Katniss. I just thought this was interesting and further proves Peeta’s character to be strong, because he is able to see that his memories are flawed, and even though he is urged to harm Katniss, his morals keep him from doing so.

I love the show, keep up the good work!!!

Samantha

I think you bring up some great points, and while I agree with most of them I think that there could be a different reason why Katniss refers to her children as “the boy” and “the girl.” I always felt that Katniss still fears the return of the games and so she distances herself from the people she loves. She’s so afraid to lose those she cares about again. I think she does love Peeta and their children, but she is so afraid of losing them that she doesn’t let herself feel those feelings as intensely as we would expect.

Josiah

Forget what I said about wanting to see an American ‘Battle Royale’ film instead of ‘Hunger Games’. That trailer was frickin amazing. I had chills all the way through. The one problem I had was that there wasn’t enough

MoiraSFinnigan

I would like to state that I am a Female and I realy don’t like Peta. I agree with Richard when he saids that he is week. he is unable to protect himself and if Katness wasnt allying herself with him then he would have easily have died in the first games. the only way that he would have lived is if all of the outher tributs killed themselves before he died.

Joey J.

I think the lyrics of the “Show Goes On” match the hunger games very well.

Somebodypersons

WHEN IS THE NEXT PODCAST?

DemonSlayer

Where’s my comprehensive trailer analysis episode?!?

Gkcgirl

To respond to Richards accusation that Peeta was weak, I disagree because Peeta, although physically weak, had the moral strength to avoid becoming a pawn in the games. Katniss did not have this strength, allowing herself to act as something she was not, and this broke Peeta’s heart in the end of the book.
I still love her, mostly because I have 5 siblings myself and know exactly why she did what she did, even though it was wrong. Thanks for the awesome podcast and discussion!! (I still love you Richard)

Guest

I know I’m kinda late to comment on this. but since this was the episode you guys discussed about Peeta, I have to say this, because I still haven’t heard anyone discussing this little interesting bit of information.
Did you know that the word Pita (also pronounced peeta) is used for an Arabic type of bread? it’s very popular here in Lebanon and all throughout the Middle East. and Peeta being the “boy with the bread”, it kinda felt like Suzanne meant it to be this way.

Another thing I would like to comment on is about Katniss not knowing foxface’s real name in the book. It’s completely normal she didn’t know it, because you can see from the storytelling that during their interviews she wasn’t really paying attention because she was nervous. plus, even if she would’ve heard all their names, do you really think you can memorize 23 names in one night?
whereas in Catching Fire, she did know most (if not all) of the tributes names, because they actually got the chance of having that get-together kind of thing.

Anonymous

guys, I didn’t post this through my Disqus account, I posted it again above. can you delete this one?

Anonymous

I know I’m kinda late to comment on this. but since this was the episode you guys discussed about Peeta, I have to say this, because I still haven’t heard anyone discussing this little interesting bit of information.Did you know that the word Pita (also pronounced peeta) is used for an Arabic type of bread? it’s very popular here in Lebanon and all throughout the Middle East. and Peeta being the “boy with the bread”, it kinda felt like Suzanne meant it to be this way.

Another thing I would like to comment on is about Katniss not knowing foxface’s real name in the book. It’s completely normal she didn’t know it, because you can see from the storytelling that during their interviews she wasn’t really paying attention because she was nervous. plus, even if she would’ve heard all their names, do you really think you can memorize 23 names in one night? whereas in Catching Fire, she did know most (if not all) of the tributes names, because they actually got the chance of having that get-together kind of thing.

Mckelvey Mellark is team Peeta

I’m team Peeta. Sorry Richard but he’s awesome. He has a strong will, is loving, charming, can speak well ,and is funny. I mean how could you not love him! I’m confused about Richards opinon about him. He’s not dumb! He has a voice not a will to kill which makes him different from Katniss. Plus it was katniss’ decison to go find Peeta not his. This makes me feel that Katniss always loved him but just didn’t know.

Mckelvey Mellark is Team Peeta

when did that picture get there i didnt put that i meant to put this one
Mckelvey Mellark is team Peeta

btw I’m a girl

Gkcgirl

I my be alone in this, but i actually think that Peeta would have a chance in the games without Katniss. I you say that he would not have joined the Careers had it not been for Katniss, yet I always thought that this showed his independence from her as a player. He has that amazing way with words that allows him to influence others decisions. He managed to convince the careers that he could help them find Katniss despite the fact that he had no idea where they were. Richard says that had Katniss not been in the Games Cato’s sword cut would have finished him off. You forget however that the only reason Cato attacked him was because he was helping Katniss escape. If Katniss had not been in he probably would have infiltrated the Careers any way and taken them down from the inside. I disagree in that you say that he would have no chance at all, but i doubt that he would have won, but only because he doesnt’ have it in beautiful soul to kill someone in cold blood, even the Careers. If it came to a fight of self defence i think he would win, though. Thanks for the awesome podcast!!!

http://www.facebook.com/sachanasr Sacha Nasr

YES YES YES! I agree with everything Richard said about Katniss never really loving Peeta. She’s just too hollow and broken of a person by the end of the series to truly love anyone, and even before the ending she was always very independent and never seemed preoccupied with romance. The only thing she was thinking of was how to survive. She saw Peeta still so in love with her after everything was said and done and decided to marry him simply to make her friend happy. While their marriage doesn’t quite mean the same to Katniss as it does to Peeta, it is a mutually beneficial match in a practical sense, which is what probably appeals to Katniss more.

http://www.tolkientalk.com/ Elise

Loved the discussion on Peeta. I am a girl and I agree with Richard, at times I found Peeta to be a bit weak and certainly he has a physical weakness that plays out in the games. I do love Peeta as a character who has his own strength. *spoiler* I was disappointed that Peeta didn’t end up playing a larger role as spokesman or something in the revolution and I found his role in Mockingjay to be a repetition of the pattern of Katniss looking after Peeta. One of Peeta’s main weaknesses that bothers me is his sensitivity and trustfulness, and his honesty is somewhat naive. At times his devotion to Katniss is grating, rather than endearing. Having said this, his character was interesting because he fought against the Capitol in a different way, he questioned the beliefs and ideals, whereas Gale wanted to fight. I don’t think Peeta is the true hero, although he had the potential to be. I think that Katniss did end up settling for Peeta in the end, and Suzanne Collins deliberately did so rather than the ‘fairy tale’ ending, because in life choosing love of someone is sometimes settling for them, that’s reality, bittersweet as it is. Love the podcast!

Madisony

I like Peeta, but I like Gale just as much. Out of my group of friends (all girls), we are very divided betweem Peeta and Gale. Gale is who had been there for her throughout her whole life, but Peeta truly loved her as well. But I also believe that if Peeta truly loved her, he should have talked to her before they entered the Hunger Games

Kareneh14

Oh my goodness, Andrew, I have to totally agree with you on one particular point – Katniss loved Peeta at the end. How people continue to say she was settling for Peeta is beyond me. She actually states in the book that Peeta was the dandelion that allowed her to wake up and allowed her to survive. At the end of the books she has lost so much, and is ready to waste away. The first day that Peeta returns, that is the first day she takes a shower, changes her clothes in weeks, and begins to live life again. How people say that she gives up is beyond me. Wouldn’t she have the opposite actions if she was just giving up? Multiple times in the series she mentions how she feels a hunger when she is with Peeta, or is kissing Peeta. The more she is with Peeta, the more she wants of him. More importantly, and I have to reference one of my favorite scenes, when Katniss sees Peeta on the television screen for the first time in “Mockingjay.” She does not care who is around her – not even Gale – and goes up to the television screen to stroke his hair and his face through the television screen. This, not love? Please. She never wants more of Gale, never. When she’s with Gale, she doesn’t even think of him (i.e., in “Mockingjay” when Gale asks her what she is thinking while kissing him and she says, “Nothing.”). There is no reference at all that she gave up by choosing Peeta, or that she did not love him. Katniss gave up on being the mockingjay. Being the mockingjay took everything from her – that is why she returned home. Staying home with Peeta is not giving up, it is choosing a new destiny.

Hungry4HG

There is no way Peeta would volunteer to be a tribute if he hadn’t been chosen. He’s not doing anyone a favor because he was so useless and ineffective during the games, so he won’t be able to help or save Katniss. Knowing that Katniss’s choice was an extremely rare situation, and that for most not even the love between siblings would cause someone to volunteer, it is quite ambitious to claim that Peeta’s love for Katniss was as strong as Katniss’s love for Prim.

Hungry4HG

If you believe Peeta would have loved Katniss enough to volunteer as tribute, then shouldn’t you also believe that he would have loved her enough to eat the berries in the last scene and sacrifice himself for her?

OlivesareBlue

Katniss did like, and feel attracted to, Peeta in the games she says she shivers when Peeta says they can be alone together and does truly like him she just doesn’t have time or energy to sort out these feelings and feels like she is betraying Gale and she’s only 16, no 16 year old girl can decide whether she likes a guy. But I love them together Gale never even came into it, Peeta all the way

Emberscorpio

I like to point out that Fellowship of the Ring ran on
$93 million budget….and look at what that film achieved.

Hunger Games Chat Episode #7 – Blushing

Hunger Games Chat
Episode #7 – Blushing