Haymitch reels over receiving a training score of 1, realizing the audience will likely see him as weak and that sponsors may avoid him. Maysilee and Mags argue that the score at least makes Haymitch memorable, while Haymitch worries Snow and the Gamemakers are marking him for punishment in the arena. The next morning, the District 12 tributes recover their cleared tokens, and Maysilee examines Haymitch’s necklace closely before hinting that she knows a secret about Lenore Dove connected to orange paint on her fingernails. The conversation shifts back to survival when Haymitch reminds Wyatt and Maysilee that zinc and copper could help them build a potato battery in the arena.

Drusilla then gathers the tributes for interview practice, stressing that their final public appearance is their last chance to attract sponsors. Lou Lou can only repeat Louella McCoy’s name and district, and when Drusilla grabs her, Lou Lou breaks down screaming, “You’re murdering us!” Mags takes Lou Lou away, and Maysilee openly tells Drusilla that Louella is dead and that the Capitol has tortured a replacement child into taking her place, exposing the brutality everyone is pretending not to see.

Wyatt performs best in the practice session by presenting himself as an oddsmaker who understands the Games mathematically. He argues that because all forty-eight tributes have formed alliances, the usual Career advantage is less certain, and he names Haymitch as a surprisingly strong bet despite the score of 1 because Haymitch is bold and has unsettled the Gamemakers. Encouraged by Wiress, Wyatt reframes intelligence as his own strength, saying his ability to calculate odds should help him avoid mistakes and appeal to sponsors who want to back someone smart.

Maysilee takes the opposite approach and decides to make herself unforgettable by savaging Capitol fashion and mocking Capitol vanity. Drusilla dislikes the tactic, but Wiress admits it will make Maysilee memorable. When Haymitch’s turn comes, he wants to talk openly about the reaping violence and spitting on the crowd, but Drusilla warns him to present himself as “naughty, not dangerous.” Haymitch reluctantly tries to shape himself into a charming rascal, though he doubts he can carry it off.

The practice session collapses when Proserpina and Vitus arrive in panic with news that stylist Magno is apparently incapacitated after taking toad venom and may even be dead. Drusilla storms off to complain, while the prep teams spiral into self-pity about their grades and careers, revealing their indifference to the tributes’ fate. With no costumes ready, the District 12 tributes are left in shabby training clothes and plain black replacements that make them look neglected and unsponsorable. Just as the apartment sinks into chaos, an unknown young woman suddenly arrives with clothing bags and shoes, signaling a possible last-minute rescue.