By Lilly Buist / Editor-in-chief
As the “Wicked: For Good” release date neared, I became increasingly nervous about whether it would be received well or not. Even after the box office success of its predecessor, “Wicked,” I worried the sequel would not live up to expectations.
However, I was happily mistaken; “Wicked: For Good” was beautifully bittersweet. Despite the young child in the theater who repeatedly and loudly asked her parents why everyone hated Elphaba and if different characters died or not, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience watching this movie.
As the movie begins, the animals of Oz are forced to participate in the Wizard’s newest project: building a yellow brick road that connects all places to Oz.
In the accompanying opening song, “Every Day More Wicked,” the citizens of Oz sing in reference to Glinda, “She will make it end the way it should; When at last the Wicked is defeated by the Good.”
This hint of foreshadowing doesn’t specify who or what is “Wicked,” rather than “Good;” instead, it reveals that Glinda will make the final actions in relation to these two extreme sides, which was a detail I loved after noticing it later..
The origin of Glinda’s true unhappiness is revealed in a memory of hers. After lying to her friends by telling them she has magical powers, she expresses her sadness to her mother, who suggests that being popular is more important than being truthful.
This background is crucial to understanding Glinda (a general theme of the “Wicked” movies). By understanding why Glinda believes in popularity as a measure of value, viewers learn more about her true motivations.
One of my other favorite parts about this movie is the development of characters who are pivotal in “The Wizard of Oz,.” but are seemingly only background characters in the “Wicked” movies. This begins when Elphaba sees the Cowardly Lion in the forest. He reveals himself to be the grown cub that Elphaba saved from Shiz University years ago. He believes that Elphaba ripped him from his family, rather than saving him.
Later, Elphaba’s sister, Nessa, stealsNessa steals Elphaba’s Grimmerie in an failed attempt to force Boq, a Munchkin, , a Munchkin, to fall in love with her. However, Nessa physically shrinks his heart. In order to save his life, Elphaba turns Boq into a tin man, which he loathes her for.
Finally, after publicly defending Elphaba from the Gale Force, Elphaba casts a spell to protect Fiyero from pain. This turns Fiyero into the scarecrow.
Next, Elphaba travels to the city of Oz to meet Glinda and the Wizard, where they sing “Wonderful.” This scene was one of my personal favorite nods to modern politics; aAlthough Glinda and the Wizard detested Elphaba publicly, they were perfectly willing to have a conversation with her, act as normal individuals, and even dance with her., which I thought was a funny way to represent how politics really aren’t everything.
Later, Iin order to catch Elphaba, Madame Morrible creates a tornado to kill her sister. Nessa is ultimately crushed by a house, beginning the crossover of the storylines of “The Wizard of Oz” and “Wicked.”
One of the most important aspects of this crossover is that Dorothy’s face is never shown.
This important distinction not only separates the two storylines completely, but also allows Dorothy to avoid being fitted into a box of “Good” or “Wicked.” As the storyline continues, it may seem as though Dorothy is truly wicked, as she is ultimately the one to douse Elphaba in water and “kill” her.
However, Dorothy is not evil; she is merely a pawn in the larger, politically-charged story she unfortunately fell into. This added a level of nuance that I greatly appreciated.
After Glinda finds Elphaba in her castle, Elphaba realizes that in order for her true movement to be protected, she must convince everyone that she is dead.
In the (subjectively) best part of the movie, Elphaba and Glinda say goodbye through the song, “For Good.” This was a true tear-jerker that nearly anyone could relate to in some capacity, and half the theater was crying by the end.
Afterwards, Glinda commands the Wizard to take a leave of absence from Oz. Finally, she commands the flying monkeys to take Madame Morrible away permanently.
This resolution was very satisfying and showed the audience a side of Glinda they hadn’t yet seen. It was the perfect way to wrap up the movie and show that, despite sadness, she could move on and make positive decisions for the Oz community.
This is one of my favorite new movies that I have seen in theaters recently. Many modern movies often try too hard to be witty or emotional, but this movie was perfectly in line for what musical fans are looking for. I highly recommend “Wicked: For Good” to any musical fans, or if you’re looking for something to make you sad about any major changes in your life.
