Fireside Chat: Episode 7

Episode 7 of The Hunger Games Fireside Chat was a busy and eventful podcast. In addition to the regular panel, we were joined by Picktainment.com founder Phil Wallace and Xavier Austrone, Executive Director of Wizarding Life Networks. The special guests included Crystal Watanabe, author of FictionalFood.net, Hunger Games superfan Lucas Strong (and his cousins), and Delly Cartwright herself, straight from District 12. We spoke about fans, cons, food, theories, casting and more. 

During the course of the evening, several topics were raised, and I would like to delve into them a bit more.

Costuming

As per Adam's question to me about costuming, I did some brainstorming about possible Delly Cartwright costume ideas:
  • Long blond braided pigtail wig (she is described as having braided yellow hair)
  • Simple clothing (this is not mentioned, but being from district 12, I thought that simple not-to-bright clothing would fit the overall style of the district, even if she was a bit wealthier than the other children.)
    • Denim overalls (to me it says "slightly western - working class family")
    • Flannel shirt (I guess this makes her seem a bit "country-ish", but for such an optimistic little girl, I just imagined her looking a bit like an Ado Annie farm girl... without the hat.)
    • Sensible homemade footwear (possibly made by her late parents who owned a shoe store in the district)
  • Pale, plain skin
Additionally, she is described as always smiling, and a bit chubby. As far as the "few extra pounds" goes, I think that's subjective. Katniss was hungry for most of her childhood. Perhaps Delly was simply fed slightly better at home. I don't think that in our society today that we would find her overweight. Probably just a normal, healthy girl.

    Crackpot Theories

    ***Spoilers***

    Did Foxface commit suicide by purposely eating the poisonous berries?
    While I think it would add to her character, I do not believe she killed herself. Foxface is described by Katniss as sly, sneaky, and independent. She is concerned only with her own survival. Also, I think that if she had done something to assist the remainng tributes when she herself had gotten so far in the games,  I would think that Suzanne Collins might have called a bit more attention to it. So, while I think it would be a great plot point, I do not think she intentionally poisoned herself.
     Was the mine accident that killed Mr. Everdeen and Mr. Hawthorne really an accident?
    This one is a bit tougher for me to think about. Honestly, I think it could go both ways, but am leaning toward calling it an accident. Mining accidents are very common, especially in high poverty areas. Also, why would the people in charge of District 12 want to lose two valuable workers, even if they were rebels. The peacekeepers at that time tolerated such defiance in order to reap the meaty benefits. And, since District 12 was low on the Capitol's radar, I do not think President Snow would bother himself with a couple of hunting miners.
    Some chatters entertained the idea that it could have been orchestrated by District 13 to lead Katniss toward being their "mockingjay". I do not think they planned that far ahead. There were many other children in Panem that could have been as strong and as noble as Katniss was to be their figurehead. In addition, many other people contributed to Katniss's  public image. How could Coin have predicted and orchestrated all that?
    I think that Katniss's and Gale's fathers' deaths were the result of a collapsed mine shaft. Whether or not they died as a result of the enormous weight falling on top of them, or because they were trapped below ground, and not rescued, remains unknown.

    CINNAWATCH 2011

    I said pretty much what I needed to say last night, but I will say it again: If they make Cinna a white man, I will cry. I know his skin color is not mentioned in the books, and that character name doesn't necessarly suggest race, but to me, the name "Cinna" makes me think of cinnamon. With his close cropped brown hair, I just imagined brown skin to go with it. Making Cinna a different race would also quell my fears of the film being white-washed as other fantasy/sci-fi movie casts have been. It would also make me very happy. 


    That's about all I got for episode 7. If you missed the show, you can download it on iTunes or listen to it here.  Highlights will be up on youtube soon.