As the episodes of this strange show pass, I slowly become more used to the format and the new rules. I still half expect someone to die upon being voted out of Tribal Council, but this expectation diminishes with the conclusion of each episode. Besides, each contestant usually has a few lines to say about the experience of being on this show, and it's generally positive words.
So, I come to accept that, long before the Hunger Games, a somewhat similar show existed in which no one died, children did not compete, and a far smaller prize was awarded to the winner.
We continue to watch as the tribes compete, win rewards to improve their camp life, and return to Tribal Council every three days to vote someone out.
The reasons for voting someone out vary, but I notice that the people who are likable, helpful, and strong tend to remain a part of the game.
I know that I would meet two of the three standards. So would Prim, but not the same two as me.
Peeta would, of course, meet all three.
When the debate of eating rats comes up, I have to laugh. I have eaten my share of rats, as has Gale, but we never sell them to anyone except (maybe) Greasy Sae. They must be cooked at very high temperatures, for a long period of time, or you run the risk of becoming ill.
For what measly amount of meat you receive for such a small rodent, it's often not worth the risk. Not for a single rat.
I eye the rats on the TV screen with caution, half expecting the group to be delirious with fever that night. But those who have consumed the rodents seem no worse for wear the following day.
The show might become dull over time, only when ten of the contestants remain, Jeff announces a merge. A representative from each tribe must meet together and make decisions about where they will live.
Perhaps it's from my time in the Hunger Games, but I immediately see that one tribe has an advantage. Namely because they are determined to vote out their opponents, while the other tribe wishes to take a less cut throat approach. Tagi proceeds to vote out each member of Pagong, simply because their first vote was a united one.
That isn't to say that Tagi is entirely comfortable with their decision. Jeff addresses the question of alliances, which Tagi flatly denies, but it's clear to the audience that they exist and stand firm.
Of course, as only one person can win, Tagi must eventually vote out members of their own tribe, and the finalists are Kelly and Richard.
Again, strange names given by our ancestors to their children.
At the final tribal council, seven members of a jury speak to Richard and Kelly. They ask questions, but they also speak to them about how they played the game.
There is, I know, envy from the jury members. They want to be one of the final two, but they will not have the slightest chance of winning the coveted prize. Instead, they can only speak to them-yell at them, even-and finally, privately, decide between one of the two.
I feel a small amount of empathy for the jury members. I understand the bitterness of not getting what you want, of feeling thwarted by powers outside of your control.
At the same time, I feel rather annoyed that they take being voted out so...personally.
They are still alive, after all. More than that, they were never in danger of being killed by a group of people in their tribe, or simply by the game itself.
In fact, aside from the reward and immunity challenges Jeff puts forth to them every three days, there is hardly even a set of Gamemakers. Certainly, Jeff and the people who operate the cameras would not dream of flooding their camps with water, or sending fireballs in their direction. The contestants live in a mostly peaceful existence, for as much as thirty-nine days, interspersed with challanges that result in one person being voted out of the game.
When Sue Hawk has her turn to speak and begins to compare Kelly with a rat and Richard with a snake, I have to roll my eyes. Prim exhales loudly when the jury member tells Kelly that, were she dying of thirst in front of her, she would not give her a drink of water.
Perhaps, I think, the Hunger Games are not so far removed from Survivor.
To the credit of the other jury members, this speech does not go over well. Oh, Sue is not killed, of course, but one jury member even goes so far as to change his vote.
Still. Richard wins with four votes, compared to Kelly's three.
In an interview conducted several months after the conclusion of the taping, and the subsequent airing of the series, this rant of Sue Hawk's (not that the host calls it that) gets addressed.
Apparently, Sue and Kelly are no longer at odds with each other.
All the same, I very much doubt that they will be friends.
Still. At least neither went as far as to kill the other in front of the cameras.
"Well, that was enlightening," Peeta says, with a light chuckle, after the interview concludes. "You say you have all of the episodes of this show?"
"Not all of them," Haymitch admits. "Some became unwatchable over the years. The technology they once had doesn't match up to ours."
Yes, our recordings of the Hunger Games cannot be damaged, only discarded and destroyed.
At our silence, Haymitch glances around at the rest of us. "So. You want to continue watching?"
We agree to take a day off from this pre-Hunger Games show, and then start with season two.
I expect that I'll be more prepared for what I see, and not grow as confused as I did at the differences among our ancestors, and the lack of violence.
Really, I think as I fall asleep that night, it's almost entertaining to watch.
No one dies, no one is even injured, and everyone returns home in one piece, apparently happy with their strange experience.
Author's note:
I'd like to thank those who have left feedback, especially those who gave suggestions. The next chapter-which I haven't begun to write yet-will likely feature the medical evacuation of Mike Skupin. That may be the last season I cover in some detail, because while I am a fan, I'm not a super fan who watches every season multiple times. I expect I'll skip ahead a bit, possibly covering Pearl Islands, but definitely covering All Stars in depth.
I don't have a regular updating schedule, and I don't have a clear cut idea how many seasons I want to cover. There's also the not so small detail that the show IS still going on, so we might end up with upwards of seventy-five seasons before it ends for good. I can't write an ending for something I haven't seen. On the other hand, I suppose I rather gave myself an "out" by saying that not every season had been preserved. For all we know, season 40 could be the last one they see.
Anyway. Thanks for your feedback, and I hope you continue to enjoy this!