By the Book: Catching Fire Predictions for Chapter 11
It’s time for our Chapter 11 installment of By the Book, where the Mockingjay.net staff predicts what parts of “Catching Fire” will make it from the book and into the film, what scenes we’re afraid might get cut, and what quotes we hope to hear included in the script.
By the Book contains spoilers for Catching Fire, so if you haven’t read the book and don’t want to ruin any surprises, stop reading right now!
After discovering that the fence has been electrified in the end of Chapter 10, Katniss climbs a tree in order to get over it. When she lands on the other side, she falls and hurts her heel and tailbone and limps home. Once there, she finds that two Peacekeepers are waiting for her. With the help of Prim, Peeta, and Haymitch, she convinces them that she wasn’t outside the fence and the Peacekeepers finally leave. After dinner, Peeta carries her up to her room and she asks him to stay with her while she falls asleep. Her mother orders her a week of bed rest to recover from her fall, and Katniss and Peeta work together on the family book of plants. Katniss watches the television for the ʺstock footageʺ Bonnie and Twill insisted the Capitol used of District 13, and finally sees the little mockingjay flying across the corner of the screen.
Carla
I’m glad BTB finally got to this chapter, because it’s one of my favorites from the book. I think the conversation in the Everdeen’s house shows a camaraderie between Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, and even Prim and Mrs. Everdeen, that we don’t often get to see (even if it’s just faked because the Peacekeepers are there), and the whole thing with the goat is so funny, making the scene very bittersweet. Sadly, I don’t think that’s going to make it into the movie; I feel they may keep the Peacekeepers’ warning, but they’ll probably want to maintain a tense atmosphere at that point.
Katniss’s injury I feel they will keep, if only because it leads to one of the first few moments where Katniss is in a vulnerable position and we can see that she’s starting to care for Peeta, which is key at this point. The few days after that (when Katniss and Peeta work on the plant book) probably won’t make it, or if they do, it’ll be a quick montage, much like it was in the book. And Katniss figuring out that the D13 videos are reused footage will make it in only IF Bonnie and Twill do.
Lines I Hope Make It
Katniss: ʺStay with me.ʺ
And, hopefully, Peeta’s response (or a distorted version of it)?
Camille
I have to admit that I love chapter 11, and I never get tired of it, no matter how many times I read it. It’s definitely one of my favorites chapters. I love how Katniss makes it to her house, even though Thread wanted to trap her in the woods and she ends up wounded. She’s stronger and smarter than him. I also love the scene inside her house, how Mrs Everdeen, Prim, Peeta and Haymitch all play along so that the Peacemakers have nothing against Katniss and can’t arrest her. They all get into their roles to save Katniss, even Katniss herself even though she’s wounded. They all make me laugh very much. So I really hope that this scene will make it in the movie. But since it’s not one of the most important scenes, I don’t think it’ll make it. They may think the whipping scene is enough to show how bad Thread is. The last scene between Katniss and Peeta is also very sweet. But it’s probably not important enough to make it to the movie, since this book has many other scenes between those two.
Line I Hope Makes It
“Stay with me”.
Crystal
Keeping with what I said for the last chapter, I think because of the rather sad fence they had in the first movie, her injury will be cut and she’ll simply go home to find the Peacekeepers there, though I guess that would make the set up for the ʺAlwaysʺ line a little difficult. Still, after so many of my favorite lines from THG got cut, I’m not going to hold my breath for things like that again. 
Honestly, I think all this time in District 12 really has to be cut down because at this point, the movie hasn’t even gotten to the reading of the card, so it’s possible the Peacekeepers will just come with some warning from Thread and then Katniss will sit down to watch TV and see the mockingjay. This should minimize this chapter to just a few minutes. I don’t think Peeta and Katniss working on the book will make it in at all.
Lines I Hope Make It
Obviously I hope they keep ʺStay with meʺ, but I’d also love it if they kept the scene where Haymitch and Peeta steal Katniss’ peppermints.
Erin
I keep going back and forth on this, so I’m just going to say that Bonnie and Twill will not be in the movie. Katniss will hear talk of District 13 while she’s on the Victory Tour and that will be that. I hope they keep her having to get over the electrified fence, but the fence was so unimpressive in the first movie that she’ll probably only twist her ankle a little bit and limp home in frustration. I really want the Peacekeepers to be waiting for her at home, along with her mother, Prim, Peeta, and Haymitch, just because it’s so cute how they all play along coming up with the story to convince the Peacekeepers that Katniss was not outside the fence. Willow Shields said in an interview that this is the scene she’s most looking forward to (she hadn’t seen a script yet), so I hope that they keep it in.
I don’t think Peeta will take Katniss up to her bed, and I don’t think that they will work on the family book of plants together. They might turn the TV on, though, maybe during dinner or before bedtime, and Katniss will notice the mockingjay fly across the corner of the screen… and before the newscast is over, she’ll see it again, in the exact same spot, and begin to wonder.
Line I Hope Makes It
Katniss: ʺNone of you deserves candy!ʺ
Tash
This is one of my favourite chapters but there is plenty here that will likely be left out and altered. However, I have high hopes of the ‘candy scene’ making it into the movie. Even if Bonnie and Twill do not make it (discussed in Chapter 10′s edition) there are still plenty of reasons to put Katniss outside of the fence, or to keep her out late enough to give the impression the peacekeepers have been waiting for her. The peacekeeprs also follow on well after Gale’s whipping, as they provide the audience with another clear link regarding the levels of oppression and brutality that is being imposed by the Capitol.
I would expect the conversation to change dramatically between Katniss, Prim, Mrs Everdeen, Haymitch and Peeta (especially if we don’t see a goat again!) but it’s a great moment to show how close they have all become and just how much is also at stake for Katniss’ friends and family. If Bonnie and Twill don’t make it then it’s doubtful that Katniss would be searching the TV, so that opens up a little more time to be spent on this conversation. It’s also an opportunity for some more Haymitch-humour and a lighter moment in the movie before it gets really heavy hitting. This all leads up to one of the most important lines of the book when Katniss asks Peeta to ʺstay with meʺ and even if we don’t get the two of them spending time together while Katniss heals, I have my fingers crossed so hard for this line to make it.
Line I Hope Makes It
There just has to be the line from Katniss: ʺStay with me.ʺ I’m counting on you Francis Lawrence!
Maybe she slips on snow while walking home or something and that’s how she is injured. Or maybe in the movie thread reconstructs the whole fence to make it taller so no one can get through.
Oh, good idea! When Thread is beefing up security around D12, he could make improvements to the fence!
This is honestly one of my favorite chapters in the book. When Katniss arrives at the house and her, Peeta and Haymitch (and sometimes Prim) have the whole dialogue with the Peacekeepers, I felt for the first time that they were a family. A dysfunctional, messed-up family, but a family. And I loved it. Also (since I’ll be shipping Everlark till the day I die) if they don’t include “stay with me” “always”, I’m going to be rather upset.
But really, I think that line is pivotal to everything that Peeta and Katniss are, even in their uncertainty about their relationship. If Francis does it right, I think in CF he could have her saying “stay with me” and falling asleep before she hears his reply. And then in Mockingjay she could be having a dream about the whole thing and in her dream she hears his reply and realizes what it was for the first time. I think it’ll add a note of romantic confusion in MJ that would really resonate with the audience. I think that’s how it’s done the books, right?
As far as Katniss and Peeta working on the book goes, I’m worried for it too. But I’m praying that it will stay in the film in some form because I honestly felt that this is the point where they start to fall in love with each other. It’s the first normal thing they’ve done together, ever. And while Peeta certainly cared for Katniss before the first arena and in it (Katniss’ feelings are, as always, up for debate) I feel that he couldn’t completely LOVE her, because he didn’t really KNOW her. They’d never even spoken. Yes, he could care for her quite a bit, but I feel that until the arena he could only really be infatuated with her. And then the arena (and the “it was all for the games” dialogue after it)was so tumultous that they couldn’t really fall in love with each other’s personalities. But in chapter 11 they can and I believe they do. Just remembering how Katniss has this whole inner dialogue with herself about Peeta and his eyelashes and how long they are and how focused he is on his work and his “serious” face makes my heart melt, because it’s like for the first time she’s realizing she might care for this boy more than she’d thought. I’d even settle for a montague, just as long as some part of that dynamic is included. Please, Francis! I’m beggin ya!
Oh the joys of Chapter 11! There are so many things that I like about this chapter: the intensity and suspense of the Peacekeepers visiting Katniss, the quick thinking of Haymitch and Peeta, the camraderie of both sides of Katniss world – her Games “team” and her family – which have never been together before, the romantic moment between Katniss and Peeta as he puts her to bed, the easy friendship or maybe companionship they have when working on the book together – their first time to do something “normal” together which is also a bit of foreshadowing of the “book of remembrance” they work on together at the end of Mockingjay, and then that little bit of teaser about District 13.
Although “Stay with me” would obviously my first choice for necessary lines, my next favorite is, “Fine. Somebody else can arrange to get the stupid goat knocked up.” It just cracks me up!
And while I really enjoyed Ross’ THG, I wish there had been some moments of humor to help balance the horror and heaviness of the other parts. Please give us a few bits of humor, F-LAW, with sugar cubes on top!?
I really want “Stay with me” and “None of you deserve me” and “Fine. Somebody else can arrange to get the stupid goat knocked up.”
Those are like my ultimate lines from Chapter 11 that REALLY need to make it in the movie. PLEASE FRANCIS LAWRENCE!!!
@erin
Thanks! I’m anonymous I forgot to put my name in the thing cause I was using a different device. But again thanks!
@erin
And maybe peeta won’t take her up to her bed but maybe he will come up to check up on her before she falls asleep, but they will probably keep the conversation short and MAYBE keep some of the famous lines *cough* stay with me *cough* always *cough*
@everyone
I think katniss will just like over hear it being discussed a few times at one of the districts and maybe she asks someone and they quickly tell about the mockingjay across the screen or something like that
I like the idea of Katniss finding out about District 13 elsewhere if Bonnie and Twill don’t make it in, in my head that leaves plenty of time for the “stay with me” line heheheh
As Crystal said too we can’t spend all of this time in District 12, but I hope this moment does make it in, even if it’s at the expense of seeing a bit more of the Victory Tour.
@addy – I love the idea of Thread repairing the fence too, in the book he does that after Katniss gets back in but in the movie there’s no reason that can’t be part of his initial installations.
@tash
Thanks
Hope they add the part when Katniss says…. “Fine. Someone else can arrange to get that stupid goat knocked up.” Then I would fall out of my seat laughing and then I would die!
i love this chapter too^^
I hope the moments between Katniss and Peeta would make it esp the lines “Stay with me” & “Always”
It would be really funny too if they add the line when Katniss says “Fine. Someone else can arrange to get that stupid goat knocked up.” it would definitely make people burst out laughing XD
But i’m trying not to get my hopes up since this is not a “major scene” but i really hope they include the K+P moments ^^
I do hope they can keep some of the Katniss/Peeta moments in this chapter – they really show how Katniss is beginning to feel more deeply about him than she realizes.
Hi there-I have to think that teh part with Peeta taking her up to bed and Katniss says “Stay with me” must be in the movie. Not only is this a fan favorite line, which the director said he was trying to accomodate the fans, but it is EXTREMELY important for Mockingjay. The scene where she brings Peeta our of his hallucination in teh Capitol hinges upon it, and that moment is crucial. I do not see how they could cut it out. They may find a different way to bring it in, but the line and moment has to be there, I think.
I definately agree with everyone on the stay with me line,but I agree with crystal that the pepermints would be a good part to keep as well. It is very cute and honestly one of my favorite parts of the book!
As Paige and Emily pointed out, “Stay with me” has to be included (even if they change the exact moment when it’s said) because it’s referenced repeatedly in Mockingjay, including in the crucial scene K/P in the Capitol. But I wonder how they’ll shoot it, I’m guessing we will probably hear Peeta’s answer even though Katniss is asleep at that point, unless they make it more dream-like and fully Katniss POV as in the tracker jacker scenes in the first movie.
Another thing that absolutely has to be in the movie, IMO, are hints about District 13 not having been destroyed, even if Bonnie and Twill aren’t included. It’s not that important for Katniss to know about it, but the audience has to be given a hint about D13, setting up the reveal at the end of the movie.
I’d love to have the goat conversation, and a little glimpse of K&P making the book, especially to show them doing something normal for the first time, but I’m not sure if they’ll make it. We can hope. The goat conversation is one of the few moments of humor, as others have pointed out.
i love this chapter so much i hope all these scences make it in! stay with me !!!! and wonder if we will hear peeta say always
I agree with everyone who’s stated that the “Stay With Me” (and possibly “Always”) lines, while not that important to CF, become so important later on in MJ that they should be included in some form. The fact that F-Law will be retained for the MJ movies gives me a little more hope that it will be, even though he’s not the scriptwriter.
As for the fence, I think that if the PK uniforms can be beefed up to look more like what riot police or a SWAT team would wear, as opposed to the less armored design of the unis in THG, then changing the fence design isn’t farfetched, either. I think those who have suggested that Thread could increase its height as well as electrify it 24/7 are right on. Many have surmised that the D12 crackdown will be filmed as a montage, and a quick scene of Thread and other PKs fortifying the fence as well as setting up stocks, gallows, etc., would be easy to add.
The comedic scene in which Katniss and company fool the PKs, I think will be cut down significantly, but I hope some of the humor will make it!