If I were given only one word to describe both halves of Mockingjay , the final chapter in The Hunger Games series, I would choose the word “consequences.” Katniss Everdeen’s story can’t be tied up in a neat little bow. It wouldn’t be true to her character, the Second Rebellion, or the people she’s lost along the way. Mockingjay, Parts 1 & 2 give Katniss and the Districts a hard-won victory. One not to be celebrated, but endured. After all the deaths she and the audience experienced, would you really have wanted to see Katniss dancing or feasting at the end of the film? Anything less than the somber tone of the finale would have been an insult to the memories of all the Hunger Games characters who died in Mockingjay .
Some deaths hurt more than others, obviously. No one is crying over either President, I think, but correct me if I’m wrong. For those of you who want to hold on to the exquisite pain of the Second Rebellion’s consequences, I’ve ranked the deaths in Mockingjay, Parts 1 & 2 in order of pure devastation. Cue up the score, put the tissues within arms reach, and help me salute the fallen.
11. President Snow
He didn't kill Prim, it's true. But Snow has gallons and gallons of blood on his hands. It's fitting that he ends up choking on his own.
10. Alma Coin
Meh. Coin reveals herself to be just as capable of cruelty as President Snow. If she'd lived, the district uprising would have been for nothing. She will not be missed.
9. Jackson & Homes
Jackson may not have the implicit trust in Katniss that Boggs did, but she comes to acknowledge her rights as a symbolic leader. She and Homes both die with honor, ensuring the survival of their fellow soldiers.
8. Leeg 1 & Leeg 2
Either of the Leeg sisters would never leave the other to die alone. They're taken out by the Capitol while they wait for help medical help from the Rebellion. And to make matters worse, Katniss and the other survivors can see the blast from their own safe haven.
7. District 5 Rebels
In Mockingjay, Part 1, a ragtag group from District 5 lead a suicide attack on the Capitol's dam. It's a brave and selfless act, and gives the Second Rebellion a much-needed win.
6. Mitchell
Judging by the subsequent events, Mitchell may not have lasted much longer if hijacked Peeta hadn't freaked out, mid-escape. But he does, and Mitchell is collateral damage. Peeta will punish himself for it for the rest of his life. As if he needs the additional guilt.
5. Castor
Pollux's brother is his voice and his other half. The worst part of his death is Pollux's grieving. I just can't stand to see that man cry.
4. District 8 Hospital
Snow bombs a hospital full of the wounded and those caring for them, just to irk his Mockingjay. It's an act of cowardice and spite, but it fires Katniss up to take him down for once and for all.
3. Boggs
Boggs is a consummate leader and an excellent judge of character. He always walked ahead of his squad, making sure that he'd encounter any danger first.
2. Finnick Odair
Finnick Odair goes down like a hero, fighting Snow's lizard-mutts and making it possible for the remaining members of Squad 451 to escape. It's a honorable death, but did it have to come right after he and Annie got married? Life isn't fair.
1. Primrose Everdeen
After all she endures, Katniss has to lose the person who she started this all for, and the only person in the world she was sure that she loved before the Games began: her sister, Prim. And likely at the hands of her own side! Prim's death is easily the saddest in the entire series, because she and Katniss had the strongest bond in Panem.
War is war, my fellow Hunger Games fans. And all wars have casualties. Some more heartbreaking than others.
Images: Lionsgate (3); queerfour, cagedmindsinfreebodies, panemforfuturereference, wrestlerpeeta/Tumblr; Giphy (4)
