The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Despite Grandma’am’s disapproval of his humane treatment of Lucy Gray, Coriolanus defends her as she did him from the other tributes. But unlike Sejanus, he continues to enjoy the spotlight, his recent exploits well received by their peers and teachers.

The next day, the students brainstorm various ways in which to boost viewership. Coriolanus jokingly suggests that viewers be allowed to bet on the tributes. Later, the mentors interview their mentees; the Gamemakers not only want the mentors to bond with their tributes, but to collect valuable information. While most of the interviews end in failure—with tributes either refusing to participate or respond in full—Coriolanus and Lucy Gray manage to play off each other. They learn of their shared experiences as orphans among other things. An impressed Dr. Gaul looks into Coriolanus’s idea for a betting system.

After class, Coriolanus and the other mentors return to the zoo to feed their mentees. Some of the tributes perform tricks for the crowd in exchange for applause and more food. One of the mentors, Arachne, appears to make a sandwich for her tribute only to tease her with it, taking a generous bite. The female tribute from District 10, in turn, steals Arachne’s knife and slashes her mentor’s throat with it.