No Good Deed
The Wicked:For Good review you didn't ask for but get anyway
Spoiler warning for all things Wicked - book, musical, both movies.
Some initial disclaimers are required:
I have loved Wicked (the musical) since its debut, which I watched grainy, bootleg videos of on Youtube. I read Maguire’s books, finally got to watch the musical (twice) in person in 2007 and devoured the Grimmerie (a companion book on behind the scenes of the making of the musical). In short - this witch is a fan. And yes, Act 2 of the Wicked: The Untold Stories of the Witches of Oz (i.e. the musical) has always been unsatisfactory.
Which brings me to Wicked:For Good (i.e. movie two).
It’s Grim(merie)
After the high of Elphaba recognising her power (‘Defying Gravity’), she is faced with a truth that only a handful of people (and Animals) know. I must acknowledge Jon M Chu’s powerful direction here and I stand by my feelings following my first watch of the first movie - Wicked:Part One. That these movies are made by people who loved everything about the story of Oz, from L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz books, to the 1939 Judy Garland-led movie, to the musical, to the (not for children, hard-to-read/follow the story) books to now the movies. I must give Chu and team their tulips for circling the stories, and for putting their hearts into the making of these movies. Regardless of critics’ review nor how good/badly Wicked:For Good does in awards season, THIS WAS A MOVIE.
Wicked: Part One was for the theatre kids; Wicked:For Good is for moviegoers.
Both movies will live on and continue the Oz legacy and will be watched for generations to come. Congratulotions are in order to every single person who worked on the movies.
But why do we feel so down after watching it?
Well, because we are living it. Those among us who do not conform: those living authentically as LGBTQ+ in a conservative environment, are proudly ethnic minorities in a ‘diverse’ country, coloured immigrants - let’s be real here, or just, well, different; would have felt like Elphaba at some point in our lives.
But our choices then will make us more like G(a)linda - choosing what is easy, choosing acceptance (to the point of being admired), and choosing a cushy life. And like Glinda, there will come time for our bubble to pop. Whether we are strong enough to try to make a difference post-bubble burst will determine whether the Grimmerie will reveal its magic to us.
Personally, am more like the Munchkin who asked “Is it true, you were her friend?”.
I digress.
We collectively feel down after Wicked:For Good because the world right now is reflected in the story told in the movie. Even Elphaba chose to just leave it all behind, but for most of us our very own survival means staying silent, means conforming with the unjust, capitalistic world we’re currently participating in; means just surviving day-to-day. The grimmest way of seeing it is Elphaba and Fiyero walking towards the sunset in the Impassable Desert is them being together in death (see: Impassable Desert). So for us to still choosing to be where we are is to survive, not thrive.
A reminder to self, and am sharing widely, on ways to surviving:
Recognise our truth, but also feel comfortable with our own choices on how authentic you want to be with the world. There’s no harm in code switching if it means you maintain your own peace, your own sanity.
It’s okay to have boundaries. Some people have changed our lives (for good - be it to mean for the better or for ever), but when it comes time to say goodbye, say goodbye.
Recognise that when authorities place a moniker on a person, remember them as we know them [as is the case for Boq refusing to acknowledge Elphaba in ‘March of the Witch Hunters’. It’s easier to say she’s the Wicked Witch; easier to say she made him into a Tin Man when it is also the consequence of his actions vs Glinda always, always saying it’s (her) Elphie]. This helps us not buying into the propaganda.
One person cannot change the world. Yes, it needs collective action but when those you seek to help refuse it, acknowledge that. Every person’s struggle is different. We are all ultimately selfish.
Our past may seem rosier but life doesn’t work that way. We can fondly remember our day in the poppy field and that’s it. No point in wishing and not living in the present.
Be grateful.
Be Wicked.