Heartwarming / The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

• The look of pride in Tigris's eyes when she sees her cousin dressed in his school uniform.
  • It’s generally sweet to see how much Coriolanus cares for his family. As he prepares for Reaping Day at the start of the film, he cannot promise a total return to luxury but he does suggest getting Tigris and Grandma’am some of their favorite things (a new dress and chocolate, respectively). Both of their reactions are adorable.
  • That Coriolanus and Tigris while cousins basically grew up like siblings together.
  • Any belief big or small that Snow didn't actually care about his granddaughter or any of his actual family in the other films is disproven here in that while he eventually and inevitably buys into the Ambition Is Evil outlook here—to the point that his granddaughter was afraid she'd get killed for having hair like Katniss's, Coriolanus still shows he wanted better for them and that he himself also definitely lost a lot during the rebellion, including both of his parents in different ways—to the point that he would have personal investment in not wanting any of that to happen again (and even if he did eventually view family as expendable in the years to come, he definitely didn't always feel that way).
  • He and Tigris embracing after Lucy Gray's won the Games.
• Tigris's genuine sympathy towards Lucy Gray and the other Tributes, pushing Coriolanus to treat her with compassion and tenderness.
• The way Snow holds onto Lucy Gray before the tributes are thrown into the Capital Zoo.
• Lucy Gray's interaction with the Capital children, showing them warmth and kindness as she answers their questions, realizing they are not the reasons for her and her fellows tributes predicament.
• Coriolanus's presumably romantic relationship with Clemensia prior to becoming interested in Lucy Gray—or at the least, their friendship as he clearly gets along with her the most of anyone else in his class. Even though he did all of the work on the proposal to Gaul, Coriolanus was even still willing to share the credit with Clemensia despite that as well. He's also legit disturbed for her when Gaul gets her bitten too—even with Clemensia having tried to steal the credit away from him right before that.
• While touring the Games arena for the first time, Snow held Lucy Gray's hand protectively.
  • After the rebels' bombing of the arena, instead of fleeing with some of the other tributes, Lucy Gray runs back to help Coriolanus who has been pinned under fallen debris.
• Just before the Games begins, a frightened Wovey, the youngest tribute, reaches out in fear to Lucy Gray, who takes the little girl's hands to comfort her.
• Hilarius Heavensbee while he doesn't exactly break away from the Capitol system is still passionate about making sure Wovey is given as much of representation and food as the others so that she can be successful in the Games as well—and that it's reflected so prominently in his descendant Plutarch decades later who spies on the Capitol for the rebellion is an undeniably brilliant and affectionate aspect as well. While much of this is almost entirely cut from the film proper, pieces of the context are still there to the point that Hilarius's role is still at least a Meaningful Background Event that's still probably canon.
• While it's also sad in hindsight, Highbottom when Sejanus is sticking up to Gaul about diminishing or dehumanizing the Tributes—or having them fight to the death to begin with—is noticeably moved and agreeing with him—to the point that it's reflected in him giving a vague warning to Coriolanus pertaining to how Sejanus will react to Marcus shortly before the Games begin.
• Highbottom being inquisitive about Coriolanus's interest in Lucy Gray as he suspects it goes beyond just his own desire to advance himself and it almost being a genuine attempt to not totally judge him by his own poor opinion of Crassus—though still feels Coriolanus's more egotistical tendencies trump it though.
• Sejanus breaks into the arena to perform a District 2 Due to the Dead custom for Marcus, who was once his classmate.
• Reaper honoring the fallen Tributes, tearing down Panem's flags and covering them, while shouting out in defiance toward the Capital's cameras.
• Highbottom personally and genuinely apologizes to Lucy Gray for all she's had to endure throughout the Games, and arranges for her to be sent safely back to District 12 as well as giving her some money.
• Sejanus using his father's money to bribe the Peacekeepers so that he may be stationed in District 12 with Snow.
• The way Lucy Gray's eyes light up while she's performing, the moment she sees Coriolanus in the District 12's tavern. According to Rachel Zegler, the scene had to be reshot because originally Lucy Gray "looked too happy and jumped up and down too much".
• While it's likely due to the retroactive reveal here that Coriolanus attended school with the ill-fated Arachne—who was presumably Seneca Crane's aunt, it likely shows that while it only goes so far, his being a mentor and guide of sorts to Seneca is likely rooted in witnessing that tragedy to someone related to him who was such a fairly close acquaintance to Coriolanus himself.
  Snow: I like you. Be careful.
• As roundabout as it is, Coriolanus deciding to throw in with Gaul and accept both her way of doing things as well as her mentorship to him too. While he knows it's gonna ultimately be costly and that he's taking the Then Let Me Be Evil stance, doing so and no longer fighting it he firmly thinks will guarantee the security; authority and control of the Capitol for years to come—and on a more straightforward note, Katniss volunteering in place of Prim will still be the only real linchpin to drag it all down and truly free the whole country (meaning she'll basically pick up where he gave up).