I am so glad they dropped the Tribute mutts (in the book, I believe it was said that they didn’t just look like the Tributes, but that they were the Tributes, albeit mutated).
Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I saw the ground “flip” when the mutts appeared like a trapdoor.
It’s mentioned in the book that the gamemakers don’t really pay attention during the individual portion (we saw a little bit of this) and that the scores are largely made up. Katniss was entertaining, so she got a high score.
No, the mutts weren’t actually the tributes themselves. The Mutts were just made up to look like the tributes for entertainment and psychological stress.
I think she was one of the last tributes to go. If the judges had been paying attention to the other 23 tributes they were bored by the time it was her turn.
Effie reminds me of the big-shots at work who visit the masses to roll out stupid-ass programs and bubble with enthusiasm over the corporate videos and catchphrases. Yeah, I’d be enthused too, if I had their offices and salaries. Meanwhile we stare at them as if to say, “What’s your fucking problem? Go away and let us work in peace.”