By: Hunter Bishop

A year ago I was sitting in a dark theater, buzzing with anticipation as the opening scenes of Wicked began playing on the screen. For two hours the room was filled with hues of pink and green and giddy excitement towards seeing a beloved Broadway play come to life in an intricate box office film. 

We got to see Cynthia Erivo bring Elphaba’s story to life with showstopping vocals and vulnerable acting. Her compliment, Glinda, was perfectly captured by Ariana Grande’s ability to embrace such a charismatic and dynamic character. The majority of this film was feel-good moments mixed with coming-of-age scenes as the characters navigate social structures, personal identity, and worldly issues. We get left on a cliffhanger, representative of the live-action’s intermission which closes with the iconic and powerful musical number, “Defying Gravity.” This is the climax moment of the story before everything begins to unravel.

After a year of waiting, I finally got to go see the final part of Wicked, Wicked: For Good. And yes, there will be spoilers so proceed with caution.

There I sat, Wicked-themed popcorn bucket in hand with the lights dimming to signal the start of the movie, ready to watch the rest of this highly anticipated show unfold.

The plot of Wicked: For Good is set five years after the first part, which leaves a lot of room for change to have happened. Elphaba has been painted as the Wicked Witch to all of Oz and the Animals are even more oppressed and outcast than before. Fiyero and Glinda are cohorts with Madame Morrible and the Wizard. Boq has become an assistant to Nessa, who is now mayor of Munchkinland. Elphaba is still holding onto hope that her efforts in fighting for the Animals can make a difference while the rest of Oz, including all of the other main characters, work against her efforts and continue to push out Animals.

The first movie depicted a blossoming friendship between Elphaba and Glinda that turned into a form of sisterhood. The second movie showcases how differences in morals sometimes transcend relationships, and that the oppression of the Animals went beyond a difference of lifestyles and political opinions between the two female leads. It came down to a difference in morals and what each was willing to give up to fight for their own goals. Glinda’s goals were more self-centered and focused on building herself a successful future. Elphaba was willing to give up her opportunity for a successful future to fight for a better future for Animals, no matter what it cost her.

Elphaba has been hiding out in the Ozian forest and trying to convince the Animals to stay in Oz. She encourages them to help her fight back against the Wizard but they are not convinced due to the rising tension in the land and the threat it poses to them. Glinda lives in the Emerald Palace and has been made the face of goodness to all of Oz. By her being the example of a good witch and not creating opposition for the Wizard, it further pushes the agenda that Elphaba is the Wicked Witch to Ozians. 

The political analogies coated in kid-friendly magic is such a great way to show kids the way that power dynamics in society can exist. It’s important for anyone to understand that not everyone gets treated fairly and that sometimes the people in charge aren’t always right. Oppression can be so easily normalized because a narrative can be painted in so many ways. And often those in charge, who are seen as having all of the power, are the ones who control how the narrative is written.

Throughout the film we watch so many of the characters go through internal conflict and transformations as life gets put into perspective for them. Elphaba sees the true colors of the people she loved while Glinda has to wrestle with whether power or love is more important to her. Fiyero has to decide where his loyalties lie and how far to play the other side before he’s gone too far. Boq sees the woman he’s infatuated with move to marry someone else which creates jealousy in Nessa. 

All of which snowballs into even more mistreatment and oppression of Animals and Munchkins as Nessa begins making decisions out of spite to get back at Boq. Glinda isn’t any better for planting the idea in Madame Morrible and the Wizard’s head to use Nessa to get to Elphaba. 

All of that has a ripple effect leading to Fiyero’s capture, Elphaba’s spiraling which gives us a fan-favorite track “No Good Deed.” All of this results in the characters from The Wizard of Oz that we all grew up familiar with: Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow. Everything comes full circle in such a clever and magnificent way.

Both parts of Wicked were such perfect counterparts to each other. Where the first was light, the second was darker. Where the first one ended heavily, the second ended on a lighter note. The first movie was a lot brighter and more feel-good, the second perfectly encapsulated maturity with darker visual tones and heavier conflict. It was really such a full circle storyline.The beginning of the first movie was literally the ending of the second movie, just with a perfect example of why having the full story can shift one's perspective of things. Having the bigger picture can give a better understanding of the reality of a situation.

There are so many lessons that can be taken away from watching both of these stunning films. There’s themes surrounding the power of friendship and staying true to who you are. There’s a strong message about standing up for what you believe in and fighting for those who may not have the opportunity or voice to advocate for themselves. 

Throughout both films are morals of not so easily accepting things if they don’t feel right and leaving room in your mind to allow for changed perspectives. Because there truly was nothing wicked about the Wicked Witch.

I loved getting to experience Wicked in a cinematic aspect. The cast embodied their characters so well and the songs were impactful in such a beautiful way. And I loved walking away feeling empowered.