All Your Glinda Wicked Takes Are WRONG

[@anakin-is-panakin]

Now this is the nuanced take we all need. Elphie couldn’t stay and Glinda couldn’t go. It wouldn’t make any sense for Glinda to go, and it would definitely not make any sense for Elphaba to stay. If only they could’ve found a way to work together, they would’ve been unstoppable. Unlimited.

[@izzyjoshuadavis]

I feel like they could have worked together had Elphaba had stayed. The problem is that Glinda and Elphaba are both different types of people. Besides if Glinda goes with her she loses everything she has and could accomplish in her life. She doesn't have true magic like Elphaba has.

[@hallieharvey4073]

And also that’s what makes their moment where they sing together about the future so beautifully tragic because for just a moment they imagine what life could be if only they could be together and then we all realize and Elphie realizes Glinda isn’t brave enough to go and be “unpopular” but she loves and cares for her anyway

[@dillona1001]

14:25 What's hilarious to me is the chronic lack of nuance it takes to entirely miss the fact that the lesson of the story is to *try nuance:* _stop_ shoehorning evil as evil and good for good (ha for good), _stop_ scoring goodness and badness. The protagonist is a witch and the main antagonist is a traveling family friendly entertainer from middle America: *_people in the right circumstances can and will be crappy._* Yet people walk away debating who the villain was, falling for the facade, missing the point, unintentionally validating the underlying truth and value of this story.

[@dillona1001]

Addendum: To the point of nuance, funny enough people never hold enough space for the complex individual. I resonate with Elphaba so much not just as a POC, but as someone with a complex context that many times gets distilled down and oversimplified by others who lack the capacity to appreciate the inherent value in small but significant details that make my particular circumstances almost never cut and dry situations. It's those who exist blissfully incurious who will so unabashedly oversimplify even a mildly complicated experience into an unfairly black and white assessment that completely devalues and ignores the complex details crucial to the context surrounding a person's existence or choices.

[@mujiescomedy279]

I mean I’d say that the wizard is pretty objectively evil considering he wants to enslave sentient beings

[@DavidHowells-d9p]

⁠And what about Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot?

[@tarakennedy707]

The whole point of the movie is that people aren't just good or bad. But that seems to be lost on everyone.

[@Lucyyyyyy23]

Exactly

[@tenaciouscreator5787]

Because as kids we're taught that right and wrong are the only things in life, that's why the American Political Party is this way and no matter how life shows us otherwise, people still have this mindset

[@blackandbluemadness7965]

I think the wider message is that people aren't good or bad, but mob mentality is. I hate the fact people see Shiz students as listening to Glinda when they didnt need àyone to make them hate, they just needed to be together and unite against a common ennemy: the Green One

[@frog5890]

Exactly

[@ScorpionViper1001]

*Spoilers* 🎶 There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities so we pretend as if they don't exist. 🎶

[@rebekkahill4664]

I don't think Glinda would have known how bring about change by being an outcast. Her strengths are using her popularity to manipulate others, and can be "fake" when she needs to with an end game of getting what she wants. Elphaba on the other hand would not know how to do this, all she knows is how to put on an intimidating defence mechanism from years of being bullied. She lacks the ability to persuade others because people will always judge her based on her looks. Elphaba therefore is best utilised outside the system to make change, whereas Glinda within. Neither of them however fully understand each other, hence the conflict in defying gravity. But they are both trying to "do good".

[@viennejolie4893]

This!!!🎉

[@maurakm13]

Thank you for this refreshing perspective. To quote one of my favorite lines from the show: "There are precious few at ease / with moral ambiguities / so we act as though they don't exist." Wicked is deeply concerned with the politics of influence -- who gets to wield it, and how, and to what end, using what messaging or contortions of image. While the musical challenges its audience to be more critical of the way that Elphaba and figures like her, fighting against power in favor of a just cause, are unfairly maligned through those who weaponize prejudice -- I view this as the show's fundamental raison d'etre -- I agree that the story simultaneously does a lot to validate Glinda's position. As you point out, Elphaba concedes in the end the limits of her influence and leaves the legacy of her work to Glinda: "Now it's up to you, for both of us." The tragedy of Elphaba's ending inspires frustration in the way things are, but as long as things are the way they are, then lasting change will rely on those like Glinda who have the ability and the privilege necessary to make people hear them, who can endure compromises in order to gradually shift the grains of popular opinion from within. The audience may find this an unsatisfying or cynical message, and maybe they are meant to, but I do think that Wicked's ending can be read as a defense of the value of moderate (that is, non-radical) political action. Of course, Glinda would likely have lacked either the perspective or the impetus to produce positive change were it not for the influence of Elphaba, and so I don't mean to say that the musical doesn't also value Elphaba's compassion, bravery, or visionary boldness; Elphaba's commitment to speaking up on behalf of the silenced Animals is the reason restorative justice might ultimately be possible at all. The conclusion of the story is open-ended, but I'm inclined to view Glinda's capacity and intentions optimistically. At least in the stage version, I believe Glinda's commitment to "goodness" to have always been about more than branding -- that is, I think she wants not just to *seem* good, but to *be* good, except that prior to coming to Shiz, her sheltered life and the adoration of her peers and family meant that she never countenanced a situation in which seeming and being were out of alignment. Throughout the musical, her friendship with Elphaba, joined with the loss of Fiyero and her new proximity to political life, stirs her conscience profoundly and changes her ideas about what she can be satisfied with. ("Happy is what happens when all your dreams come true... well, isn't it?") She believes that Elphaba's influence has changed her "for good" and calls Elphaba her only friend that ever really mattered; she partners with Chistery and usurps power from the Wizard and Madame Morrible; she goes forth vowing that she will try to sincerely be "Glinda the Good." She begins, just a little, to reframe Elphaba's legacy: "Our paths did cross, at school..."

[@bradhorowitz2765]

But that’s the problem. She DIDNT earn it. She never took steps to take responsibility for her actions. If she really cared, she would step down and tell the truth. Especially at the end when there is nothing stopping her. But that would mean taking responsibility and giving up your one thing that you crave; adoration. I always found it interesting that Glinda gets mad at elpheba for having a genuine relationship with that guy (who both girls like). Like girl, he dosnt dig you, you collaborated wit the government to demonize the wicked witch, and I don’t even think you two were a couple before elepheba became a reactionary. Yet when faced with animal cruelty, and the corruption of your society you DONT CARE?!?

[@mysticalstylings2456]

​@@bradhorowitz2765well said

[@thatoneperson8593]

@@bradhorowitz2765 Feels kind of naive to think that people would have been okay with that, though. That’s why Elphaba makes Glinda promise NOT to clear her name. She cares more for the animal cause and for justice to finally be enacted than she does about the truth being out there. GLINDA is the one who wants to tell the truth and make people see. The reason she doesn’t is because it’s her friend’s dying (she believes) wish that she not do it, and instead just create the change that can be immediately effected. And even then, Glinda can’t help herself and tries to introduce nuance into the discussion when asked about her relationship with Elphaba: “Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” You have to understand that this musical takes place over years and the people of Oz have been conditioned to believe that the wizard is their savior, and that the actual truth that Elphaba has been telling for years is all lies. These people hated Elphaba so much that they were literally leading a mob to come and kill her. I hardly think that they’d confront their own worldview so immediately; more than likely, they’d just distrust the one who shattered it, thus taking any power for change away from her. In a time of change and uncertainty like during a coup, which is exactly what Glinda does, let’s not mince words, people are much more likely to lean into reactionary (read conservative or closed-minded or extremely lacking nuance) ideology because what is simpler is deemed safer and more true, even if that is not the case. At the end, I’d argue that Glinda doesn’t care anymore about “being adored”, because she’s at risk of losing and then does lose the only person who really mattered to her, the only person who she truly knew and loved and was truly known and loved by. After all, when Glinda comes to warn Elphaba about the witch hunters and try to persuade her to let Dorothy go and just keep running, it’s Elphie who says things like, “You can’t be found here, Glinda”, and “They’d only turn against you”, to which Glinda says that she doesn’t care. But Elphaba understands that having Glinda in power is the ONLY way that she can reliably ensure that their political goals will be accomplished immediately. If Elphie was put into power right after the wizard, the people would likely just lead another coup. If we think in terms of actual historical political revolution, this has been the case many times over. Losing the trust and the faith of the people, ESPECIALLY if your power is newly found or unsteady(like during a regime change), is a fast track to getting overthrown, in which case those goals would be up in the air, with no assurance that they could or even would be achieved.

[@bradhorowitz2765]

@@thatoneperson8593 I appreciate the counter argument. I see your point and i believe this what the play./movie is trying to tell. But I think its abhorrent message. The land of oz has been conditioned to hate (ill ignore the horrid racism which makes little to no sense in a land that frank baum envisioned as progressive world that turned its nose at human norms and that the paly doesn't understand how racism works), but then the only way to cure it is to be relentless in saying "No your wrong." Glinda may have been convinced by Elphie but that continues the cycle of not only what the land of oz has already experience, but any government too scared to be truthful; LIES,, MANIPULATION. Glinda has merely decided that she will do what the wizard has done, lie to the public, allow the hatred to spread, but all for the greater good right? With the story's endorsement of incremental change and working within the system, this is bad liberalism, the liberalism that dominated the cold war and especially when President Obama took office. White liberals rejected radical changes/radical ideologies that would have made the government more receptive to democratic reform and the result of this liberalism was Donald Trump. One critic online has even made the case that Glinda is more akin to Megyn Kelly of Fox News. Glinda has not made any substantial change to the society and i find it unlikely she will do so. I also doubt that she is prepared for a future dictator who rises up. Plus elphie is still alive..what if someone sees her? Now we dont know if Glinda would have been made a target (Elphie clearly believes so), Glinda was already trusted so she was in a better state, and you mean to tell me know one in oz would have thought Wait why did Glinda say these things? Are they true?" At the end of the play, the masses have not learned anything and believe they were right, instead of a cruel and clueless wizard, we have Glinda-a woman who has never actual sacrificed anything of value for pirnciples-a woman who was given power she never deserved nor did she reject when everything settle. A new ruler may be benevolent, but there is nothing to back up a future leader who has less noble intentions from taking power. what if another prophecy pops up? A ticking time bomb. Think of the ending if Alan moore's watchmen, where ozymandius asks dr.manhattan if he did the right thing (ozymandius set off a fake alien invasion with explosions to kill thousands of people. it was to stop ww3. and it did cease hostilities between the us and Russians.). Its a "greater good comes first" mentality that wicked endorses. But dr. Manhattan tells ozy "Oh Adrian nothing lasts forever." to me, these words take a sledgehammer to the greater good mentality that ozy supports. Ozy didn't change humanity, he had no way of knowing if ww3 would breakout, he decided by himself what had to be done, he killed thousands of people and will never face justice. what he did was he delayed future conflicts and even then, the comic, in its final panels, indicate that ozy's actions will cause future problems. This action seems too similar to what Glinda and Elphie have done.

[@kairos-049]

Musical about how there’s always a different side to the story you’ve been told and the situation is never as black and white as it seems. Viewers: “Glinda’s the villain” Girl??

[@efghd2624]

And then they'll have the nerve to say the wizard is sympathetic 😒

[@tarakennedy707]

Yes! 😂

[@LauM]

@@efghd2624wait, they do????

[@ronnielee1009]

OK but one side is fascism babe.

[@luckas221a]

@@ronnielee1009 yes but the fascist side is *not Glinda* . That’s not what she represents. She represents the people who are privileged and may be forced and/or force themselves into roles which they feel uncomfortable in, but still *can* try and change things from the inside.

[@pratyushpavansaikia8161]

To everyone who thinks Galinda is evil, based off of the first movie, listen. As a kid it's not always possible to stand against system. Elphaba has always been bullied so she has build the strength to fight back since childhood whereas for Galinda she has had a privileged life. She never had to face hardship. And the very first ever obstacle she faced wasn't some school bully, it was the "wizard", whom everyone in the whole OZ worships. She even saw the consequence of the one who tried to defy. So of course she'll be scared and won't right away retaliate against

[@mochalotte4702]

Galinda has a soft heart for the unfortunate and wants to help them like Elpheba but her strengths do not lie in direct brute power. She hasn’t manifested any magic yet, so she utilizes her charm and beauty to tactically puppet people to do what she wants. She can’t do anything running off with elpheba. The best good work she can do is staying with the wizard and working as a manipulative double agent to slowly but surely take him down and replace him as a benevolent ruler. She knew that and that’s why she chose a different path from elpheba. Doing differently would be out of character. Viewers have such little critical thinking and media literacy they assumed she was a coward, fake and bad for doing that. This is literally how “civilized” modern politics works. Otherwise you need to use terrorism and violence to defeat evil and take over.

[@hallieharvey4073]

@@mochalotte4702I would argue that at that moment when they part ways yes she is a coward and not truly thinking of the long term but that doesn’t make her a bad person which is why even at the end elphie tries to protect her and still cares about her because it’s okay to be scared and not everyone can over come that

[@christinebelzie194]

I think Glinda’s behavior in the OzDust dance brought out another layer in Glinda that is not often discussed. When she gave that rebuttal to Fiyero with a very sad look in her eyes, it gave me the impression that what Elphaba was feeling in that moment is something that Glinda feels on a daily basis. Her obsession with being liked gives the impression that she only puts on the mean girl persona because that’s what they like(it also gives a strong implication that she came from a home where she was emotionally neglected). And her being kooky around Elphaba gives the impression that this her true self and only shows that side of herself because Elphaba (and arguably Fiyero) seems to be the only person who has accepted her like this. It’s pretty sad when you think about this 😢 Also, interesting analysis on Glinda’s responses of Defying Gravity. For me, I took them as Glinda very subtly telling Elphaba to show fake support to the Wizard and the use it to take him down and free the Animals (this is something to consider since Elphaba is technically supposed to be the next governor of the East since she’s the eldest daughter of the current governor). Lol, as joke someone pointed out Elphaba would be Batman and Glinda would be Commissioner Gordon 😂

[@saratripp3625]

I agree Galinda shows signs of emotional neglect from her parents. Not saying this to make people feel sorry for her -- but just that it explains some of her behavior patterns.

[@christinebelzie194]

@ idk, if people do feel empathy for that, I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing. I mean this the very trait that got Elphaba and Glinda together. They tried to understand each other in ways that other students refused to

[@tatanooki]

i have been thinking a lot about what could've been if they end up working together. everyone always points out glinda's wrong decisions but I'd argue elphaba also has her wrong decisions. a rebellion where it's just her and the animals won't work because everyone already saw her as an enemy and will just reinforce their views. meanwhile glinda ends up following the system too much. I think if they work together they really can take the wizard down without any major losses. They would keep each other's ideologies and morals balanced, glinda reminding elphaba to be more strategic and patient and elphaba reminding glinda to put up more fight and make assertive moves when necessary. Together they really would be UNLIMITEDDD

[@christinebelzie194]

@ They sure would’ve. The mean-mugging Glinda and attempts to not pop off at the Munchkins during No One Mourns shows me that Glinda would have been a beast under Elphaba’s tutelage.

[@nonocircle4292]

@@tatanookithis!!

[@iwontdowhatyoutellme3466]

I've pointed out before that many of the things that define Glinda can also be applied to Elphaba. Elphaba has the money, The good looks. the family connections, and even a bit of an attitude problem. The main point of divergence between these characters is that one of them was born green and the other wasn't. It's less about good versus evil and more about insider vs outsider. If Glinda was green she would have rebelled and if Elphaba wasn't she would have stayed with the Wizard.

[@LauM]

THANKS FOR SAYING IT

[@iwontdowhatyoutellme3466]

@@LauM Yeah. the preferential treatment Nessa gets as the sweet governor's daughter also reinforces this.

[@birdiewolf3497]

This is really the key problem that the movie doesn’t really address. I don’t think we can really blame the audience for this, I think the movie fails to capture the nuances in Elphaba’s character. I both love and hate Cynthia’s choice to calmly address her skin color to people. Because that’s real, when you’ve dealt with this your whole life, you have a script. Having all these angry outbursts over it is too exhausting to do each and every time. But in the play, I was sitting there, like girl I get it, but do we have to be screaming and shouting every time? Can you at least try to approach an interaction like a normal person? Elphaba needs a little bit of Liz Lemon energy. She has very little people skills (for good reason). She does too much to act like she’s above it all, but she’s not! That is Elphaba’s and Glinda’s point of connection. But in the movie, Elphaba comes across as more noble. She feels more calm and collected and grounded. We spend most of the time seeing people come at her crazy, and her more or less just taking it on the chin. The moments she does express anger it is more righteous anger, and even then it feels subdued. So now Glinda’s side of defying gravity does not make any sense. Speaking as someone who watch the movie and then saw the play. In the movie, I was watching Defying Gravity in horror. I was sitting there like who could do something like this? But in the play it made more sense because Glinda’s side made more sense. Glinda was clocking Elphaba’s tea as well. Elphaba spent the play doing too much and kinda coming at people crazy. So when Glinda was telling homegirl she was doing too much, I received it. I didn’t realize that Glinda was supposed to be making valid criticisms in the movie. They sanded down Elphaba’s flaws in the movie and in turn it makes other people look worse than they are meant to. Long story short, people’s problem with Glinda has less to do with Glinda and more to do with Elphaba’s characterization. I think given what the movie did, I don’t think people’s Glinda’s takes are all that wrong.

[@bradhorowitz2765]

Personally I never liked the race factor. It’s something Frank Baum avoided in his original books, and it’s too easy to include. You can tell it’s from a white, liberal American who decided “yeah skin color, that’s something g that would cause bigotry.” Ignoring the fact that WHY would Oz folks be bigoted towards different skin? It’s a fantasy world that isn’t exactly suppose to be like earth. Real bigotry has a complex, irrational history. Do the Oz folks even have a concept of race? I know it’s from a prophecy (another easy cop out) but that shouldn’t make them so hostile. They live in a world where magic and flying monkeys are possible! So would green skin really freak them out?

[@iwontdowhatyoutellme3466]

@@bradhorowitz2765 I'm not 100% sure what the situation is in Oz when it comes to race. but they definitely see green as an "Unnatural skin color" If you're not familiar with the musical, the first song in act 2 has some lyrics that imply that the Ozians don't even see Elphaba as human. If someone in our world was born with green skin we would probably think they were some kind of monster.

[@kaydenevideo]

You’ve really broken this down in a way that’s so true and heartbreaking. I love that you’ve included some of the bts footage, and the clip you included of Ariana speaking on Glinda’s perspective. Geez why does that break my heart? I think it’s so complicated, the way things go toward the end of the film. And something that’s striking to me is that in “Popular,” Glinda actually refers to heads of state not necessarily being qualified in their roles, but simply being admired and well liked. Glinda is intelligent and knows on some level that what the Wizard is doing is wrong, and that he’s a fraudulent man. But she stays within the system that’s been created. She stays within Oz, even though she’s wise enough to know the truth about this man and this system. In the end, I just want so much more for both of them - for Elphie and for Glinda. I’m ready for Part 2, but I’m also emotionally wrought and unprepared for the tragedy of it all. I know it’s just a movie, but I want these characters to be ok. And I want these parts of me - the Elphaba parts and the Glinda parts - to be ok, too. To find harmony and strength and courage in difficult situations. We all have a bit of both. But pink goes good with green. 💚🩷 Wicked is an important film, and I’m so glad it’s here, and we’re having these conversations.

[@TherealRNOwwfpooh]

The characters aren't okay, because in the original book, Fiyero & Elphie CANONICALLY DIE (Fiyero is bludgeoned to death by the Gale Force guards servicing The Wizard & Elphie's melting in the 1995 novel is 100% REAL due to Elphie having a severe, fatal water allergy, hence why she always bathed in a oil-based paste substitute) and although the musical (and by proxy, the film adaptation thereof) changes things to give Fiyeraba a bittersweet happy ending, they can NEVER, EVER tell their mutual love interest Glinda the truth post-melting, leaving Glinda to believe that the two people she loved the most are DEAD forever due to decisions she made (out of petty jealousy that Fiyero picked Elphie over her, she tells Madame Morrible that the best way to lure Elphie out of hiding is to go after her sister Nessa & since Madame Morrible [whose hairstyle resembles swirling clouds] can control the weather, you know where this is going, given _The Wizard Of OZ_ narrative).

[@growingupwithdisney]

Glinda wasn’t naive at the end, she doesn’t trust the system to do good, she’s just giving herself excuse so she can still feel like a good person even after being a part of a toxic system. Glinda’s advice is right though, cuz Glinda probably would’ve been able to help Elphaba in the end had Elphaba “stayed calm for once…instead of flying off the handle” like Glinda said. Glinda says, “if we work in tandem”, which is to work in line behind one another with the system, and also helping their own cause. Glinda’s right, you have to be popular to have power, and you can only enact change when you have power

[@Tronn9672]

Okay, but even by your own logic that doesn’t make any sense. If she wants to continue feeling like a good person by continuing to work within the system then she has to on some levels still believe the system is capable of doing good, which of course she thinks it’s capable of doing good, it has protected and fostered her ambition her entire life. She does trust the system and defying gravity is her trying to convince Elphaba to trust it too.

[@raelena20]

@@Tronn9672 i think theres more to it than that. Glinda grew up knowing nothing but the system and the wizard as the most powerful and almighty person in said system and Glinda being Glinda who only thinks of herself as the most beautiful, most deserving, most popular person in the world, even sees the wizard as more powerful and more popular than her so why shouldn't she trust a system that is run by someone who she thinks higher of than even herself? Even if she knows the system is broken its about the people running it and their reputation that matters more to her. I think there is truth to the fact that Glinda was trying to convince Elphaba to trust the system and thus the people running it but I also think there's another layer of Elphaba being the only person besides the wizard that Glinda has ever thought was equal or better than her so if Glinda didn't trust the people running the system but wanted to believe the system could still work, she would convince the only other person who she sees as powerful to step in with her and save it. I hope that makes sense its hard to get the abstract thoughts into sentences sometimes :p

[@lydiathompson8618]

@@Tronn9672 Using the actual words spoken in dialogue and analyzing word choice is a much stronger argument than this. I believe that you want your point to be the universal 'answer' when, in fact, it isn't.

[@lydiathompson8618]

@@Tronn9672 I'm not sure that you have provided much evidence to support that she does trust the system. In the song 'Popular' she explicitly states that many of the thinkers at the time had no brains, but were well liked. This, to me, gives more support to the idea that regardless of the system's moral compass, she believes that being liked will inspire more change than anything else. Not buying into the propaganda that leaders are just inherently 'smarter' actually shows that she understands there is a fundamental flaw in the system. I don't really get what you mean that it doesn't make any sense. I think her motives and the movie is a little bit deeper than just 'Glinda wants to feel good'. While that is a main theme that is explicitly stated, it is not the only one. The most dominant theme is about perspective, which is intertwined throughout the film -- even in the music. Even the title Defying Gravity is about going against a set, universal, law. This suggests the idea that the system is immovable rather than it being good or bad. When Glinda tells Elphaba she might not be as strong as she thinks she is, she just conveying that no one can change a fundamental law to nature. Good v. bad only is sort of a childish take I'd say. Glinda does not believe an alternative to the system exists.

[@TherealRNOwwfpooh]

@@Tronn9672 Except, Glinda is not stupid. Vapid (i.e. strictly self-servicing & living up to the "dumb blond" archetype)? Yes. "Grovelling in submission to feed her own ambition" by sticking with a corrupt system she knows needs to be drastically changed for the better? Yes. She knows that the sapient Animals are being oppressed by The Wizard & Madame Morrible, but she didn't care enough about the Animal's plight to do anything about it. G[a]linda basically feels like "If it doesn't involve me or doesn't have anything to do with me, then it's not my problem to deal with", as evidenced by her first encounter with Dr. Dillamond en route to Shiz University, her only changing her name to Glinda in supposed solidarity against Dr. Dillamond being removed from his position as history professor at Shiz University strictly because it would make her look good for the two people she loves the most -- Fiyero & Elphaba -- just to realize that those same two people were forming a revolution against the very system that was allowing her to life the posh, affluent lifestyle she's very much accustomed to having. Glinda inherently knows the system is broken, but feels that there's no alternative to the way things are currently run, not realizing that The Wizard & Madame Morrible have basically been trying to erase the way things originally were under the OZma monarchy (OZma's parents, who are conveniently absent, although Turtleheart, the Quadling man who is the shared lover of Frex [the governor of Munchkinland & roaming preacher of the Unionist religious movement that is Gregory Mcguire's shot aimed at Christianity for its anti-LBGTQ+ beliefs & rhetoric, even though Mcguire himself is a gay man, not to mention the character of Frex himself is also having sinful dillances with Turtleheart too, despite being a minister, considering how most preists tend to take a vow of celibacy before being ordained] & Melena [the promiscious mother of Elphie & Nessa, who had affairs with The Wizard -- who date raped her with a green vial, hence why Elphie's skin is green -- and Turtleheart -- the true father of Nessa, since the original 1995 novel states that Nessa has the same reddish pink skin tone as Turtleheart, which explains precisely why Frex views Nessa as his favorite daughter, even though neither Elphie nor Nessa is actually his biological child, because Nessa's the offspring byproduct of the two people Frex loves the most, his wife Melena & Turtlheart -- respectively], states that the reason he left Quadling county is because the OZma regent present wants to install the Yellow Brick Road there & basically has to dig up all of the red rubies that are underground to put the road in, even though the rubies are precious to the Quadling people, so there's about to be a revolt in Quadling county that Turtleheart wanted no part of, never mind the self-fulfilling prophecy spoken about by an old hag named Yackle, who foretells of two half-sisters who change the course of events to come surrounding OZ, obviously referring to both Elphie & Nessa's future roles as The Wicked Witch of the West & The Wicked Witch of the East) to benefit them. For example, if you notice how the movie mentioned a Professor Mombi, that is a call back to the witch Mombi, who is a distant cousin to Elphie & Nessa's, to whom The Wizard & Madame Morrible sent the infant Princess OZma to, with Mombi transfiguring the would-be hieress into her servant boy Tip according to the literary canon of L. Frank Baum's "The Marvelous Land of OZ" (which explains why the LGBTQ+ community of OZ has considered Princess OZma as a representative for trans rights due to the whole "Tip eventually reverts back into Princess OZma" plotline), a plot thread which is later revisited in Gregory Mcguire's version of OZ when it comes to the androgynous love interest of Rain, Elphie & Fiyero's granddaughter/the green-tinted daughter of Fiyeraba's bastard lovechild Liir & his covent nursemaid wife Candle after she is conceived in the 2nd book "Son of a Witch", even if that book is actually centered around Liir's own bisexual journey of self-discovery, during which it is shown that Glinda's has had CANONICAL WET DREAMS about her time alone with Elphie at both Shiz University & their "One Short Day (in The Emerald City)", but upon meeting Liir face-to-face, the Good Witch of the North has an emotionally tearful breakdown, since she notices aspects of both her lovers -- Yes, GELPHIE are OFFICIALLY BISEXUAL for both Fiyero & each other, if you haven't yet noticed by now -- in their son, which causes her to bequeath the charred broomstick -- which Glinda had taken for herself as a keepsake memento following the temporary exists of The Wizard & Dorothy Gale (even though both of the latter two return in later OZ books, wherein Dorothy Gale is essentially the CANON GIRLFRIEND of Princess OZma because she's the ONLY ONE with a MASTER KEY to the ruling heiress's PRIVATE BEDCHAMBERS & Glinda herself even takes on Oscar Diggs as an apprentice, so he could learn genuine magic from the source, rather than relying on the cheap carny tricks that he used as The Wizard) -- to Liir out of respect for her deceased lovers, ultimately resigning herself to watching over Liir from afar like a fairy godmother. By this point in her life, however, Glinda had long since left the boring dullard of a husband she married, Sir Chuffrey, because she didn't have any feelings towards him whatsoever & in all truthfulness, only wed him because the status quo expected it from her, after which she soon found herself ruling a kingdom where she was catered to hand-and-foot by a harem of "the most beautiful women in all of OZ" (i.e. those who weren't named Princess OZma, Dorothy Gale, and other landmark female characters in the wider OZ lore) but even though she could now freely live her LGBTQ+ life openly, she knew that it just wasn't the same as the feelings she held for Fiyero & Elphie. In fact, upon reaching the final book in the initial _Wicked_ saga titled "Out Of OZ", it not only chronicles Rain's adventures in OZ & her entering a romance with an androgynous character that, for most of the story, comes off like a boy, but is ultimately revealed to be a girl in disguise by the end of the book (hence, the callback to the "Tip reverting back to OZma" plot mentioned earlier), but Gregory Mcguire basically has Glinda imprisoned (no doubt for her complicity in the prior regime's responsibility in Princess OZma's disappearance before she returned to reclaim her family's throne [even if Glinda had no part in Princess OZma being parcelled off to Mombi, she was still working alongside The Wizard & Madame Morrible after the fact], the oppression of the sapient talking Animals, the death of Nessarose aka The Wicked Witch of the East [it was Glinda's idea to have Nessa threatened in order to lure fugitive Elphie out of hiding, although Glinda didn't know that Madame Morrible summoned the tornado that led to Nessa's death or that Nessa had given Elphie birthright ownership as next of kin over the enchanted footwear prior to getting flattened by Dorothy's falling farmhouse] & the wrongful persecution of Elphaba aka the so-called Wicked Witch of the West [in the musical, Elphie tells Glinda to never clear her name, which leads to the masses perpetually believing the propaganda that The Wicked Witch of the West was inherently evil, but Glinda honestly knew the truth deep down, which starkly contrasts with the 1995 novel, in which both Fiyero & Elphie are CANONICALLY DEAD & it's doubtful that Glinda ever truly reunited with Elphie for one last time following their tense confrontation in Munchkinland or, if they had, Elphie's mind had unfortunately deteriorated to the point that the best thing to do was to simply put her out of her misery via melting, which was meant to be considered a Mercy Kill committed by the ignorantly innocent farm girl Dorothy]). However, just as Glinda is about to pass on, the spirit of Elphie comes to take her to the OZian afterlife.

[@caramelcoffee706]

Dude, you UNDERSTOOD this movie, I’m very impressed, this is all the things I’ve been thinking about when people talk about this movie, good video man 😊❤

[@daniiarzhaguparov1390]

Most people want to associate with Elphaba while they will be Glinda in real life for sure. And it’s ok

[@melodi2036]

It's not okay. Being Glinda is the reason we're in this current mess. Find your Elphaba and join a movement

[@daniiarzhaguparov1390]

@ There are different people with different behaviours and capabilities. You simply cannot force people to act a certain way. That’s the part of living in a free society

[@zero1188]

Agreed. People dont what it easy. At best outcast will be green lady friend

[@cidevant002]

The dance scene was so good because it was entirely sparked by kindness. Glinda gave the hat to Elphaba because she hated the thing, but Elphaba took it as a sincere peace offering, which made Elphaba to want to repay her by doing her a kidness in return by speaking with Morrible and then Galinda repayed THAT kindness by joining her in her weird dance.

[@seanf1451]

She didn't talk to Morrible because of the hat. It was because she got Boq to ask Nessa out. Elphaba would do anything for Nessa, so when Galinda did something good for her, she felt the need to repay her. Thats what she was going to tell her when she said "Listen Nessa and I were just talking"

[@seanf1451]

Just to clarify though, I agree with your main point and I hope I didn't come off as rude

[@stefanieallen4645]

Also I wonder about if it's a "if everyone's special, then nobody is" kind of thing going on with Glinda. Because she's so beautiful everyone immediately "loves" her and gives her her way for the most part. So if everyone "loves" her but it's all a shallow love based on her looks? Except for Elphaba. when Elphaba does something nice for her she can't understand why at first. And maybe this is the first time she feels a real kind of love that isn't just a shallow attraction to her looks or charm. Like for the first time she feels like someone did something nice for her for a reason other than liking her and wanting to be her friend because she's pretty

[@princezeekie9311]

No. She didn't give her that hat because she hated it. She gave Elphaba that hat because she hated HER. She even says: "I'd give it away but i don't hate anyone that move." Then after finding out what Elphaba did for her she dances with her.

[@maddiemcnugget1076]

This is such a good analysis! I loved this musical in middle school and love people talking about it

[@Alissi-P]

Another thing thats interesting that i dont see mentioned a lot is how Morrible manipulates Glinda, by denying her praise or approval until the very end of the film when she sends her to bring Elphaba back and after she stays back. She KNOWS how important being liked and given approval is to Glinda, and actively uses this to her advantage to get Glinda to do what she wants

[@larissabrglum3856]

Good call!

[@namangoy]

"They're not just friends... They're best friends" sounds like a historian talking abt two women who had their ashes mixed together in death ngl

[@ronnielee1009]

Glinda is not THE VILLAIN but she absolutely is a morally dubious character, and faces the consequences of that.

[@bydivadream]

You put together your takes wonderfully! One note - having seen the Broadway show 35 times over 2 decades and between 15-20 people portraying each character, I can let you know 100% that even Act 1 Galinda at her core *does* have her own genuine feelings and care for the injustices against Dillamond and animals and the act of changing her name can come across (solely depending on who you're watching portraying Glinda) isn't suddenly caring because she sees Elphaba and Fiyero doing so - it's her very first intentional act of social justice, taking a stand and trying to prove to herself and everyone else that she listens much more than she lets on.

[@SRL_05]

I LOVE this video essay. I'm a huge fan of the Oz universe and Glinda has always been my favourite character. Wicked didn't change that, in fact it made me love her more. It's like you put the words in my brain into a video in the most beautiful artistic way and I'm so happy to see this. Thank you. "There's more to it than that" pretty much sums up the entire point of the story. Everything is complicated, people are complicated, and that's what makes us beautiful.

[@vanderrwaals]

thank you so much for this video. it’s been so frustrating seeing so many takes on glinda that lack nuance. she’s such an interesting character with a great and tragic arc and that’s why i love her. it’s perfectly fine to dislike her character but i think it’s important to at least understand why she is the way she is and how she functions in the story. not to mention the fact that wicked is a story about elphaba and glinda’s relationship so to just disregard glinda as a villain is unfair to the story AND elphaba’s character IMO

[@nickit7655]

People haven’t listened to “Thank Goodness” and it shows. That's why I couldn't be happier No, I couldn't be happier Though it is, I admit The tiniest bit Unlike I anticipated But I couldn't be happier Simply couldn't be happier Well, not "simply" 'Cause getting your dreams It's strange, but it seems A little, well, complicated There's a kind of a sort of, cost There's a couple of things get, lost There are bridges you cross you didn't know you crossed Until you've crossed And if that joy, that thrill Doesn't thrill like you think it will Still With this perfect finale The cheers and ballyhoo Who Wouldn't be happier? So I couldn't be happier Because happy is what happens When all your dreams come true Well, isn't it? Happy is what happens When your dreams come true!

[@nickit7655]

While Glinda does do horrible things, she clearly comes to regret them, especially in the second act. And she tries to rectify her mistakes.

[@nickit7655]

Wicked the movie is in two parts, but really the musical is meant to be taken as a whole. Glinda’s character arc isn’t over yet.

[@deenadallas2802]

EXACTLY. 👏🏻 "Thank Goodness" is so underrated and people need to listen to it more often in order to fully understand Glinda as a character.

[@nbates80]

There are at least two songs on wicked that torpedo some core assumptions of films like the wizard of oz with really powerful lines. One is this, with “happy is what happens when your dreams come true”. The other is “Shouldn't a girl, who's so good inside Have a matching exterior?” On The Wizard and I.

[@Sari.Nisenbaum]

there’s a reason this is my favorite song!

[@blj1523]

11:32 People's perception of you is so powerful that you're able to manipulate them into believing and thinking what you want them to think. TYSM for this reminder! WE are in control of our own destiny!

[@TroubledFerretzz]

Literally the openning song is Glinda trying to change peoples minds about Elphaba. The problem is non of the towns people have had to look past their own biases taught to them by the Wizard. But..... In just a lyric she does start to get through to them, but it will take time. The whole purpose that Glinda stayed behind was to be Elphaba's Sorceress on the inside. Glinda is trying to CHANGE to political system from the inside out. Elphaba is at the end of the musical just trying to survive. If it wasn't for Glinda's confirmation of Elphaba being splashed with water (which some of us know is just her faking it to escape by playing in to a stereotype. ) none of the towns people would have been certain. With the Wizard out of the Way Glinda was effectively next in command. You can see her immediately step into her new role but still shows compassion and understanding for Elphy. She even admits to being her friend. The entirety of No one morns the wicked she is greiving the perceived loss of her best friend. Its unclear if Glinda is aware of the escape attempt in full.

[@myperspective6207]

This is a really good analysis! I'm so interested in hearing different takes on all of these characters. But, you stated that during defying gravity, Glinda is still naive and believes that the system is good and that's why she doesn't get on the broom. The idea that she is simply naive isn't something I can get behind because Glinda witnessed the wizard's true nature when he and Madam Morrible made Elphaba give the poor monkey wings. She saw how terribly it hurt him so why would she still be naive to the damage the wizard and his system can cause? If it's just about her thinking 'hey he made my friend disfigure that innocent monkey but I'm still benefiting from this so I won't stand against it' then that's really awful. Also, given Glinda's influence and likability, I believe that if she'd left with Elphaba that they would have had a better shot at bringing about some kind of change. People tend to gravitate towards Glinda because of her beauty & popularity so if she had left with Elphaba, I think Elphaba would have had a better chance of getting people on her side to support her cause. Because people follow Glinda and if Glinda supports it then they could have gotten somewhere. Though I completely understand your point about her gaining structural power later and therefore being capable of bringing about real change (but I don't think Glinda was thinking of that when she didn't join Elphie). I just think that Glinda was too scared of being ostracized. She didn't want to take the chance. So she remained complicit and didn't stand with her friend when she should have. Which makes sense since it would have been an extremely huge decision that would have changed her life but it's still really sad that she chose to continue contributing to an oppressive system that she witnessed first hand was bad for marginalized communities. Glinda isn't evil but she's not good. I guess like you said, she's a nuanced character. Which makes her a great character.

[@javierdeharo7715]

Elphaba leaving on her own didn't help her cause and was better off befriending the wizard and using glindas help to change his outlook on stuff. He would have reasoned with her if he trusted her. Plus Elphaba could threaten him if he got out of line. Elphaba took the emotional route and glinda took the logical route. Glinda thought, I can't defeat an army and system by myself. But from within I have a chance

[@doritodorito492]

I could honestly compare the way Glinda is treated by Wicked fans to the way Ken is treated by Barbie fans. I swear to god this happens every time a mainstream movie is political.

[@najilouk001]

Interesting POV. Can you develop on it?

[@phillinsogood]

Hmmm please explain this is an interesting take.

[@duck8049]

I love Ken tho mh guys great

[@ellahopkinson]

I am autistic and so see everything through that lense and i felt a lot of Glinda's behaviour was very similar to how autistic people 'mask' she constantly seeks reassurance from others that she is doing the right thing and didn't realise what she did was wrong until it was very obvious. Elphaba is relatable to autistic people in a more obvious way- being an outsider, having a strong sense of right and wrong etc. But i think Glinda is relatable in a different way. I certainly was not a Glinda and i wouldn't have liked her had i met her- what makes me like her is the private moments we see when she is being more cheesy and authentic. Yes she is priveledged so it is easy to hate her but she didn't know anything else- just like Elphaba she is doing her best with what she has. I think her treatment of Elphaba in terms of trying to reassure her that she can do it is proof that she genuinely cares for her espescially since she must be hurting deep down that Elphaba has this natural talent that she has dreamed of so it would be easy for a lesser person to put her down out of jealousy but she doesn't- she is so supportive which Elphaba has never had and that's beautiful to me, that these two people seemingly so different but deep down the same can connect on a human level in spite of there very different opinions on how to actually 'do good' they are both flawed and both well intentioned and to me that is the whole point. Everyone seems to think Elphaba is so righteous and they would fight the system like her- but elphaba isn't even doing anything that brave from her perpective, she's just doing what she knows- she doesn't have anything to lose and is familiar with the role of outsider, saying all these horrible things about Glinda i think does our fellow humans a disservice- Glinda is doing her best, she is selfish like we all are but more so because it is how she has been taught to move through the world, she cannot drop everything to be a warrior against the unjust system because she is only just wrapping her head around the fact that it is unjust- up until that point she had been the star pupil of the school of life and now she has to reevaluate her position and even though her and Elphaba want the same thing at heart Glinda knows she can only use the skills she has- popularity. She is brave and commendable in her own way for trying to effect change from the inside, in a way it is a harder journey to have to put on that mask to please everyone when you know any love you recieve is not for the real you- Elphaba is the only one who knew the real her, they are both victims of having others labels pushed on them but we feel sorry for Elphaba because we know she doesn't deserve bad treatment whilst condemning Glinda for not doing more with her privilege- more to help. People view her performance as evidence of her selfish personality when it is exactly the opposite- all of her actions are in service of developing the petfect persona because that is what she has all she knows. The story in my opinion is two young women swept up in situation much bigger than themselves, forced to play their parts against their will. They both did thier best with what they had. ❤

[@ephemeraphilesbytomi]

Valuable viewpoint! ❤

[@CheshireCatMystic]

I’m autistic as well, and I think you are on point. I felt a very similar way but didn’t really have the words to describe that point, until reading your comment.

[@mathildaawn6010]

Yes, thank you - this felt so much like maskig to me too!

[@birdiewolf3497]

24:08 Hard disagree. Glinda wouldn’t just magically lose her social standing. People’s turn against Elphaba was immediate because they already thought she was a monster. Having someone like Glinda have her back would be incredibly useful. Her social status would grant her the benefit of the doubt that Elphaba lacks. Glinda is good at manipulating people. That would have been useful. Also I don’t think that Elphaba staying would have been a bad course of action either, tbh. Even though I vehemently oppose working with fascists, I think with the two of them on it together, it would have worked out. Elphaba will still work on burning the whole thing down, while Glinda would provide much needed cover. Like I thought the point was that they needed each other, and they rejected that to do things their own way. I mean in Defying Gravity they both are like ‘yeah you are gonna regret this’ and they BOTH end up regretting it. They both were like “yeah this kinda sucks. I hate my life.” Also the reason people have these Glinda takes is because people haven’t seen the whole play and it’s not about seeing more of Glinda’s character. It’s about seeing Elphaba’s!!! Like right now we are just seeing that Glinda abandoned her friend to serve a fascist government. When her friend said let’s fight the fascists together she said no… Objectively that’s a horrible thing to do. HOWEVER, just as Elphaba is clocking Glinda, Glinda is also clocking Elphaba’s tea. Elphaba was having delusions of grandeur. Like she thought that because she had magic and could kinda read the book, she’s the right person to stand against the wizard and advocate for animal rights. And it’s like baby who even are you? Like ma’am you just got here, and you reading these spells but it’s not doing what you think it’s doing. Elphaba wanted to be important because she thought if she was important then she could get everyone to like her. The thing about Elphaba is that she wants to be the center of attention just not in a negative way. Glinda sees that in her! They see each other! People largely see Glinda in a really negative light because they don’t really see Elphaba for who she is. We are kinda looking at Elphaba like we are Fiyero. We want her to be cooler and above it all, but she’s not! And the second half of the play shows us this.

[@labstrosity5598]

What I realised people framing her as the villain and framing any seemingly good deed and trait of hers as virtue signalling do not talk about is the almost cartoonishly big difference of demeanor and behaviour between her being genuine and her virtue signalling. To take an example after her friendship with Elpheba was established, the name change. I do agree this was obviously virtue signalling, but comparing this to her reaction to Elpheba's invitation, her support and excitement for her, this reads as 100% genuine, not as a manipulation tactic to get Elfie to invite her to come along. There is such a stark difference between these two actions that, to me, makes me feel like the movie is trying to make it blatantly obvious when she is genuine and when she is not. So she genuinely cares for Elfie, and usually, genuine care for people is the most effective way for them to also care about the things they care about, even if, for whatever reason, they have not come up with that care on their own. That is how bridges get build and minds get changed. So, adding the point of Glinda's superpower, popularity, into the mix, I do think she genuinely believes she can make the biggest change inside the system, that this is her best way to help Elpheba. To metaphorically speaking, unlock and open the doors so Elfie's molotov doesn't backfire. It plays into the fact that, I think, we need different roles in activism to further a cause, and those need to play together and help each other in the long run. Even if the ultimate goal is to completely destroy the system. Of course that doesn't automatically not make Glinda or her decisions inherently flawed, but I cannot for the life of me see her as the villain, or even just the antagonist of the story. Sure she starts out as such, but the huge shift in Glinda's perspective is palpable and just because she has a shitload to catch up to, doesn't mean she won't. It doesn't mean we should not give her the chance to do so, to grow and become a powerful ally. Edit: also to add onto that, I agree with so many comments here that attributing moral extremes like "good and evil" to these characters is missing one of the main points of the story. At least from what I know, lol, I've only really seen the movie so far. Also also, the fact that some people mention that the only reason she starts caring for Elpheba is because she gave Glinda what she always dreamt of is incredibly frustrating to me. Yeah, it is not out of the goodness of her heart, it is not because of 'pure' reasons, but instead starts out with guilt, but that does not inherently negate her change. Her original reasoning does not matter and doesn't make it less genuine throughout the curse of the story. No one is born good. No one is born evil, we are all capable of change in both directions. This argumentation gives the impression that people are born with some inherent good or evil driving all their decisions which in my opinion, is an incredibly dangerous mindset to have. It absolves us from any accountability or chance to grow ourselves no matter what triggered the possible change in the first place.

[@flyingkatya]

Yoooou!! You are the winner!! 🏆 I really see them as kind of a politician working within the system because she understands human nature and knows how to use her power to enact change vs something more of an activist who is very direct. I personally see the value in both of these types, and even share this dichotomy with some of my closest friends. Also hard agree, I can understand how people can be confused about when Glinda is being genuine or not, but for me I can see it clearly.

[@sevensongs]

I'd also add that I would go further and I think she is genuine most of the time. (They played the Nessa and Boq setup as much more genuine than I have seen it in the stage show, even.) She isn't always self-interested. She's genuine when she (obnoxiously) offers to "help" Elphie fix her skin. It's ALSO a public performance, but she means it nonetheless. She's genuine about wanting Nessa to be happy and join the dance. She doesn't care all that much about the animals, but she's genuine about her like of and friendship with Elphaba and her concern over her relationship with Fiyero. I think she enjoys the adoration, but she also is mostly a genuine person even with that. And I don't think she knows by the end of Act 1 that not every "popular" person is as genuine in their intentions. She knows popularity is partially a front, but she also has been taught to be nice and to help others and she has seen how that results in additional popularity. The Wizard is the most popular person in the world! Certainly, she can see that the wizard has harmed the animals, but she has no reason to believe he didn't also think he was doing the right thing (and therefor, could be worked with and shown that he was wrong.)

[@yay29823]

People out there ignoring the fact that Elphaba managed to make Galinda feel GUILT, she managed Galinda feel BAD. I might be looking too much into it, but that's probably one of the reasons she and Elphaba grew so close, Elphaba wasn't a shallow friend that just told Galinda what she wanted to hear, or did the things Galinda wanted her to do

[@bradhorowitz2765]

Disagree. Because Glinda never actually tries to undo the damage done nor to have ideas for societal changes knows she obtains her power. As one KZbin critic put it, Glinda is megyn Kelly. In some ways a victim, but always an enabler and ultimately by going with the crowd she gets the popularity she craves. If glinda truly cared about being good, she would have told the truth in the end and/or relinquished her status. But because Glinda never faced consequences, never really spent much time seeing how the oppressed can be hurt, and is still loved by the public , she won’t change. At worse she will backslide or at the very least be vulnerable to some new threat. Let’s use someone in real life who worked into an unjust system but unlike Glinda had a genuine care and a willingness to enact change. LBJ. LBJ as a young man saw firsthand discrimination and he quickly realized that Texas and by extension the democrats were never going to support a man who would support civil rights. He however knew that the new deal by democratic president fdr would ensure that his community would have some relief from poverty. Combined with his own need for power, his daddy issues, lbj made his way to the VP spot after years of compromising, supporting southerners, and being a corrupt SOB. But he managed to pass a civil rights bill in a Katie arena even if it wasn’t effective. As president he started his great society which has made so many y lasting changes to the America we know today. When you go hear his tapes and see his speeches, you realize that at his best LBJ cared about the poor, African Americans, etc. there’s a good cnn program on lbj on which two former civil rights members are interviewed about a meeting with lbj they had. The president told them that he couldn’t get the voting rights bill passed and so they need to work harder. However once they left, lbj had recorded conversations with his staff going over strategies to help the bill get passed and protect voting rights-even wondering he should use the post office as way to collect votes. On camera, those two civil rights activists? One was so shaken by what he heard that he responded “I wish I had known about what lbj was actually doing.” The guy was so heartened that Johnson was just as dedicated as he was. Glinda I do not think could ever do that.

[@labstrosity5598]

​@@bradhorowitz2765 As a short disclaimer, I am not from the US/not very educated on the examples you mention, never heard about the people involved and I am too tired to do my own research rn, so I might miss some important context about the examples you brought up and not 100% understand it the way you intended. I don't think there has been yet much of a chance for her to do so in the first movie, especially with her having to catch up as mentioned above, but I know that's a topic that will be explored in part 2, not sure how successful she will be tho. Or are you referring to what she does in the beginning of the movie? (once again going off of limited information as someone who has neither read the book or watched the stageplay) And also, is there a specific reason you think she could never do something like the things you mentioned LBJ did? Or is it just vibes? (Nothing against the just vibes explanation btw, in the end we are talking about individual interpretations of a character and sometimes 'vibes' is just all there is)

[@low-keydrama1260]

Glinda is a very complicated character who makes a lot of mistakes. Mistakes as we see, she’s deeply regrets and is going to have to live them for the rest of her life

[@lbougie]

Of course she makes a lot of mistakes, she’s been flawed for her popular statements and proper attention. But that doesn’t she is a fully fledged bully through a movie. She has to go through so much boiling hot troubled pink waters like the broadway was depicted. She’s never been not a pawn anymore, she’s human and she made mistakes. She continued to narrate the story of a broken friendship that needed to be healed, selfishness that lead to bullying, irresponsible choices she grieved, her near fortification or her full desires with Fiyero, and her redeeming journey as the movie progressed. All the bad things she went through as a good witch. She’s more stable, kind, respectful, and responsible than the last time she entered Shiz. We’re all human and we made mistakes. We learned from and forgave those, we move away. I still love her no matter what because she’s telling her true story. 🩷

[@charmedasian1]

I recognize that audiences who have only seen the first half of the movie may jump to conclusions about Glinda's character. It might be beneficial to hold off on forming definitive judgments until part two is released. I believe that in the second part, viewers will have the chance to see Glinda's character evolve, leading to a richer understanding of her role. The distinction between good and bad is often complex and may not always be easily discernible.

[@dionnaburton5999]

Glinda could careless about Elphaba getting what she wants by working with the wizard. She wants her to comply so she can fit it, just as she did when elphaba left. Glinda is committed to power at all costs by being popular. I can’t see that she did one selfless thing for the sake of being empathic. Still, in the end kicking out the wizard will still give her more power. Glinda still doesn’t have the character to make significant change bc she still had the opportunity to change Elphaba’s perception but she still chose popular.

[@bellamaz1972]

Good analysis with nuance. There’s also some nuance in how she “got Elpheba to like her” under false pretenses; Nessa thought Glinda encouraged a boy to ask her out in sincerity when it was just to get him to harass her less, which is a fine goal but the method (playing with the emotions of a disabled girl) was wrong, but it’s complex bc their friendship arguably began at first with a misunderstanding wherein neither actually made the first step toward each other. But as you say, lots of nuance :) PS: I’d respectfully disagree that E “steals G’s man” bc it removes agency of said man, but I get what you generally meant. I just don’t think that’s as much (or even any) of a flaw as the flaws you cited in Glinda’s character. Nonetheless, I agree with you that people can have takeaways of the story that are too reductive and lacking of nuance.

[@goodmanticore]

Great video! I highly recommend the book The Wicked Truth by Suzanne Ross for further review of Glinda’s character arc. It’s been deeply upsetting to see so many takes on Glinda being “the wicked one” when she is just flawed like all the other characters.

[@andradaiuliapascu9148]

Thank you for this, the movie was my introduction to the Wicked universe and I've been obsessed ever since. In the meantime I watched the musical and read the first book and I totally agree with your take. I resonated with both Glinda and Elphaba and I loved the musical's take on their relationship. In the end they were both right in the context of their own worldview and they both accepted, respected and supported each other's choice. If that's not love (platonic or/and romantic) I don't know what is 💖.

[@cloutdaze]

This is such a wonderful take on this movie. You’ve encapsulated a lot of thoughts I couldn’t voice. Thank you for seeing it for what it is!

[@sabrinasfruitcake]

this is all so valid but i love the take that in the end, neither of them have any real power. elphaba has no one backing her, but galinda has no actual talents or gifts, which is why it actually could've been (if circumstances were different) beneficial for the two to team up, because together they are LITERALLY unlimited

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

Last one. How the heck did Elphaba steal Fiyero? She didn’t. At least in Part 1. I’m not that Girl shows how she is staying back and not trying to get involved while she is sad that the happiness Glinda has can’t happen for her. Also, Fiyero makes his own mind. He is being distant with Glinda because they now don’t share the same values anymore. He and Elphaba do. Again, not spoiling part 2, but I don’t think Fiyero falling for someone else on his own accord is Elphaba “stealing” Fiyero from Glinda.

[@alexisviolet1480]

Exactly

[@Carlton17277]

I love the ozdust ballroom scene because she it shows glinda is understanding what she did was wrong, it also led to glinda connecting with her with the movement of the dance sequence they were make it’s like it showing they are the same and it ends with glinda hugging elphaba by accepting her for who she is as a person and coming into her life as her friend. I think when it comes to Glinda in defying gravity. Is that though she wanted to go with Elphaba. She couldn’t because like Ariana said she didn’t have to tools like elphaba has. But also it’s because it was a lose-lose situation for her. If she chose to go with elphaba she would have no power and probably would distract elphaba for fighting for her cause due to her being vulnerable. But I think a lot of people are forgetting that popularity would work against glinda because the wizard and madam morrible is more superior than her and even if she went against them in act two. She was going to be thrown in prison and been seen in a bad view. Also I don’t believe that glinda or elphaba are good people. But I believe they are people that have the right not only for themselves but for each other. With them letting go of each other at the end because glinda wanted elphaba to fight for her cause and be free. And though elphaba wanted her to join, I believe she also knew that glinda needed to stay in the emerald city to be protected because she would some power standing over the ozians: But mostly, they had to go different paths so they can be happy.

[@EnLaLuna23]

I watched wicked with 0 background knowledge on the story, and came out thinking Glinda was kind of evil. I didn’t interpret any part of the movie as part of a redemption arc. I figured I was probably wrong/missing something, but I assumed it was something that would be resolved in the second movie😭 I appreciate this video because I really thought Jon Chu intentionally left us with a cliffhanger that made her look bad lmao

[@merca2627]

In the books elfahpba and Glinda kiss twice ❤

[@Tronn9672]

I need to read the book

[@Nosiop09]

The book is very graphic about um ....a lot of things idk

[@sue-tisanmorrell4396]

Love your perspective!!!

[@dlc2479]

Oh👀 I definitely got underlying romantic vibes between them

[@XELAI]

When Galinda first seen elphaba it looked like she was more curious than scared.

[@Trailtracker]

The last few minutes of this sounds just like a sociology lecture I had attended 😅this video's a ton of fun, it made me realize how much under the surface there is to the musical

[@gaby-leigh2207]

This video reminds me of your sharpay video villain or victim. The first video I watched and subscribed❤❤❤

[@Tronn9672]

Oh you’re an OG! Thanks for the continued support

[@sophiel5559]

6:58 why does everyone say dancing with elphaba will hurt her public standing if people were encouraged to loath elphaba by being on glinda side ( song : what is this feeling) I think glinda gains a self-image boost , she knows whats happening is sad and then fiyero says 'its not your fault' to glinda and glinda does some repair to her actions even though no one knows it was her idea (its not so self serving that it was to gain anything with the crowd who are looking at elphaba with pity , not the laughing side - but theres some new found empathy there because of seeing elphaba as a better person now she was given something - from day 1 glinda says elphaba is rude because she wont endorse a stranger to madamde morrible , as a new student in exchange for the grace of a corner of the room , this comes back to the hat were she first looks at elphabas sorcery books b3fore comitting to pfanee and chen chens idea) Its a great moment for personal growth and her relationship , but i dont think she had that much to lose and she did have something to gain internally . She may have lost more reputation wise if she had verbally said sorry, at least with the pity crowd , but they didnt add the line in the scene of later i think thats a character driven thing (same for the original musical)

[@amk4MK]

exactly, I think we forget that Glinda had been antagonising Elphaba from the start and she retaliated causing this back and forth rivalry, and the only thing that made the bullying spearheaded by Glinda stop, was Elphaba giving her something she wanted FIRST for her to feel guilt. If madame morrible hadn't told Glinda about her joining the sorcery class before the ball, I strongly doubt the dance scene would've played out that way, she probably would have laughed along because she is the cause of Elphaba's isolation to begin with. It's not empathy. It's remorse. Also not to mention, how Elphaba is treated during What Is This Feeling vs Popular shows how people treat her based on her relationship to Glinda. Because post-truce people are much friendlier to her - she's still green but her proximity to the queen bee is what causes people to tolerate her inspite of their personal bias. So yes, Glinda used her influence to make Elphaba's life a living hell and I'm not sure why people are so staunchly against this fact like did we watch the same movie?

[@sophiel5559]

@amk4MK I think the kindest read to glinda in the section of the film is that when she speaks to Chen Chen a pfanee she's being honest , she truly doesn't hate anyone that much . But the whole mob mentallity Chen Chen and pfanee find it exciting and fine to suggest that despite having no real reson for them to hate her that much (sort of like the burning witch in the beginning , ozians only know that elphaba stole a magic bible and they want her to die for it )

[@Queenhaylihill]

This movie and your commemting, reminds me of the school for good and evil books and movie quote: goodness isn't about how,one looks, no it is about what one does. Elphaba looks,wicked but is good because she cares about animals. She only became wicked because it is what she was thrust upon plus her dad was mean to her and she was bullied, she is also wicked because she's protecting herself, she was wicked for survival . that is why roses grow their thornes. Cinderella, Rise of Red, Love Ain't It: It's survival.its protection, that's why roses grow their thornes.

[@pepperminttree]

i will never like glinda but still willing to watch this

[@selenagold2030]

I just wanna clear that No, Elphaba did not steal Glinda's man. He simply started liking Elphaba more because she was smart and a caring person which is something Glinda didn't act like. All she had was the looks. But a man will see through that after a while.

[@Emily-df9dk]

Had to leave to avoid spoilers, but your analysis of part 1 is spot-on in my opinion!

[@salam6926]

I REALLY HOPE in the next movie, glinda doesnt make dorothy walks the yellow brick road whilst there is a freakin train to emerald city, and also send dorothy home anyway, dont pathetically play the "you always able to go home, If I just says this you wont believe me' excuses

[@zoe9429]

Thank you for the warning. I’ll watch in a year

[@alexis_is_pretty_rad]

I absolutely loved your analysis!!! It was very well put together and quite insightful---aka the way everyone should be approaching this complex musical with complex origins. The only part I have to disagree with (and it was a one-off comment without any elaboration, so my interpretation of your meaning may be completely wrong) is the idea that Elphaba stole Fiyero. SPOILERS FOR PART 2: The fact of the matter is that while it was clear thay Elphaba and Fiyero has feelings for each other from the start, Fiyero is the one that decides to dedicate all of his time to finding Elphaba (like an EXCESSIVE amount of time, even for his role as Captain) and making the decision to flee with Elphaba. I understand that Elphaba could have turned him down and told him no (despite her feelings), but I see this as one of her flawed moments. She doesn't steal Fiyero as he is his own person with something of a brain (not for long, lol!), but she does allow him to come with her and she decides to pursue that relationship, even if it is extraordinarily short lived. Even at the end of their duet, where she whispers to him that this is the FIRST time she has felt "Wicked" for something she has done, and I honestly think that's a fair read. Going solely off of the musical and what I got from it, I would say that Elphaba's biggest mistakes were turning the monkeys (which was an accident guided by naivety of both her powers and the Grimmerie as well as being misguided by those she has only ever idolized and been trained to trust by their Oz-centered society), leaving the way she did in "Defying Gravity" (what I mean by this is her playing into the act of being a spectacle---which I do NOT mean in a rude way, but she brought all of the attention onto herself once again when she could have chosen to leave Oz quitely. I fear that at this point, she didn't understand that she truly was limited to pure power without any social capital), and pursuing a relationship with Fiyero without any kind of blessing from Glinda. It's not that she nor Fiyero NEEDED this approval, but I believe Elphaba could have (under less hostile circumstances) made things right with Glinda and still stayed with Fiyero. Overall, I love Elphaba, and I do truly admire her goal of true change and actually being willing to stick out her neck for the cause, but her biggest flaw was her approach, and that goes for everything. Glinda was right in many ways that if Elphaba had stayed or even chosen to leave in a less theatrical and villainous manner, that maybe change would have been able to be made in Oz. While it would have been slow and seemingly impossible, the groundwork for change would have been laid by a pair that truly harbored unlimited power with their individual strengths. However, Elphaba didn't see the potential bigger picture, or if she did, it wasn't enough for her. As for Glinda, she knew how to play the game of social life in Oz, and she was damn good, but leaving would have served no one, including Elphaba. It's such a tragic story for this fact that it truly came down to approach, timing, and patience. I can not WAIT to see how part 2 concludes and what creative liberties will be taken as in the original book Elphaba dies for real (plus the fact that Fiyero was also already dead), and I do wonder if the director will adopt that original ending, or another alternative ending of Fiyero and Elphaba running a farm that works with the Animals in an underground-like system in hopes of making change (this is something I read on a Reddit post; don't quote me!).

[@Iza.bellatrix]

only now I notice that your profile picture is Antonio Madrigal 😃

[@Tronn9672]

My spirit animal

[@henry-taylors_version]

This is literally the best video essay i've ever seen about a character, THIS IS THE RIGHT TAKE on Glinda. People can be flawed, people can be nuanced, people NEED to be flawed or they arent human, that's what makes Wicked so beautiful, no one is perfect, but most importantly, no one can be perfect on their own. Glinda needs Elphaba to understand that you cant care about yourself all the time, and Elphaba needs Glinda to realize that no matter how much you try, if people have an image of you, that image will hardly change unless someone does a hard effort to make it change. They both need eachother, not to be perfect, but less flawed. All that being said, Wicked movie of the year, Glinda and Elphaba characters of the century. 🩷💚

[@purplebanana6420]

Glinda literally set nessa up to get a house dropped on her, then stole her shoes, glinda aint it, and elphaba didn't still fiyero he went willing

[@peteallen8420]

You made a comment regarding Elphaba and G(a)Linda being more complicated than initially perceived, I think that "For Good" actually recognizes this it even has in the lyrics "Who can say if I've been changed for the better (I do believe I have been changed for the better), but because I knew you I have been changed for good."

[@lindseygarciafreiberg]

i fucking love your content and how eloquently you highlight such nuanced and intellectual points

[@KDHRproductions]

10:24 she CREATES SPACE?! 👁️👄👁️

[@thomasdegroat6039]

I hate the "Glinda is the villain perspective." Neither of the two mains are villains, their deuteragonists both fighting against the Wizard. Spoilers: And if you really want to play the moral olympics, which of the two characters actually deposes the Wizard and continues do to activism even after he is gone and which one hid in a castle until she faked her death and abandoned all her goals.

[@sophiel5559]

Moral Olympics? Most people are talking about intent or actual actions, and tbh I think Arianna playing her even more emotionally than musical is that she seems so close to genuinely caring , or thinking or understanding that they resent her not taking the right actions on the level of society we all live on. Mostly at the school. They even had glinda insult elphaba less than the musical and less than the maguire book but people still conflicted on this version of glinda. Even in the moral Olympics she's a bit passive It's great that after her friend took the most powerful object in oz from the wizard along with access to the only person who could read it (which was a great decision because they are willing to kill family to find her , what if elphaba had stayed and they needed her to cast spells). That glinda then sometimes sees elphaba sometimes when she's not vigilante helping animals(nesa is mad at her for flying around helping g Animals and not her) (glinda at this point hasnt done a damn thing from the inside just going with the flow*). And elphaba fakes her death wich is what glinda uses to get the wizard to leave willingly! ('deposed' - it's a bit random solution, that elphabas percieved death is key to make happen, to get to the end of wizard of oz timeline but good she can use her talking skills from within in the system , it's not power vs power , it's not changing society , its not revealing corruption , but a nice convo with your sad boss ) *Once glinda was with morrible and the wizard maybe it was best for her to play along because they are dangerous , so if she could've caught up to what elphaba was saying she should've left. Sure she didn't know it was open season on Animals I would also argue that elphaba faking her death gives her more freedom to go and free animals without a death warrant hanging over her head , put on some foundation and go do a heist. But if glinda revert the law the people may take longer. With the way the musical and movie reframe good and bad , does 'no good deed' really mean a song where elphaba resigns to do nothing ?

[@bradhorowitz2765]

I would say she is a villain still because Glinda does nothing to enact real change nor do I get the sense she really cares. She keeps the lie, don’t relinquish her status, and at no point attempts to correct the masses for their bigotry. What if there is another green person? What’s to stop another dictator from rising? What if Glinda’s lie is exposed (someone could bump into elepheba in exile). And their manipulation of Dorothy reminds me too much of v for vendetta. Yes that story is much more graphic but the idea of manipulating a young irl for political gain and then SCARING her without her consent is just… yeah. Glinda will most likely fail, and I would imagine be easy picking for a new threat. Because Glinda never had any incentive to change or face consequences.

[@Laura-vl6db]

You deserve a medal.. Good job!

[@edwardsong7628]

Interesting. I haven't seen any production of Wicked nor read the book. But I have formed some impressions from these KZbin videos. The book was written in 1995, so I'm not sure how much the author was thinking about Nazi Germany when writing the book. He probably had a much narrower theme in mind of what makes people evil. However, his novel now appears to be a warning of what is to come, as authoritarian governments are now ascendent. I'm not a person who has a black and white idea of evil, but I agree more with the other videos that Elphaba is more on the good side and Glinda is more on the bad side. Elphaba represents the oppressed, while Glinda represents the people who decides whether fascism is going to take hold in a country or fail. These people are usually upper middle class and politically center-right. They neither agree with the hard right nor left. But It is their choice to resist or be enablers. In this view, you are not good even if you oppose brutal dictatorship if you are also an enabler. Remember the poem "First they Came." In the poem, the narrator did not resist because he was not the one the Nazis were coming after. He was not a trade unionist, a socialist nor a Jew. It was only when they came after him, did he realize there was no one left to protect him. My impression is that the novel is more pessimistic than the musical. In the musical, Glinda will be able to overthrow the dictatorship and has the opportunity to recreate a just and fair society. But the author of the novel appears to take the view that once a dictatorship takes hold, it is hard to recreate a fair and just society. While eventually the masses may be able to overthrow a dictator, the end result is often chaos, which leads to another dictatorship. Thus, you must defeat fascism in its infancy. Throughout history, democracy has been a rare form of government. All of the ancient Western democracies fell and became dictatorships that lasted centuries. Germany, Italy and Japan became democracies because they were defeated by outside powers in WWII. Even civil and voting rights in the American South was imposed by people outside of the South. Meanwhile, Russia and China are in perpetual dictatorships. While at a personal level, enablers may not be evil, their lack of action is evil.

[@edwardsong7628]

I've done more research, and the author's (Gregory McGuire) 1995 view point differs from everyone else point of view I've read. MacGuire's focus is on Elphaba's journey from being good to becoming wicked. His question was whether evil people are born evil or made evil. His answer is that people can be made evil. When he wrote the book he was thinking about the James Bulger case where the perpetrators of the crime were also victims of crime. The question he asked was whether there comes a point where victims of abuse who are labeled as bad decide that no matter what they do they will be labeled as bad, so they decide to be bad. McGuire probably wasn't thinking about whether Glinda was good or evil, but rather she represented a popular well to do yet typical person. Fast forward to 2024. Politics in America and around the world have people thinking about fascism. The left believes MAGA are fascists because of the Jan. 6 insurrection and other acts Trump has done. MAGA believes the left is fascist on the belief that the left is persecuting Trump. Because much of the country believe that fascism is taking hold or has taken hold in the country, the question is what does it mean to be good in the context of fascism. Must you burn the system down, or act within the system to make change. If you believe Trump is a fascist, should you be Liz Cheney, Mitch McConnell or Elon Musk?

[@duck8049]

Good take!

[@ayiir7]

I think it’s fair for newer fans to hate Glinda. As someone who is also relatively new to Wicked, before I was familiar with the entire story, and all it’s reveals and twists, I hadn’t been given enough of Glinda’s substance from Act I alone to assume anything but what everyone assumes now: that she sucks. I think that when Act II releases, we’ll see less frustrating takes/opinions

[@Tronn9672]

You’re right, I understand why people with half the full story make these readings in Glinda, but a lot of these takes are from people who’ve seen the entire show. Which makes it that much crazier to me.

[@ayiir7]

@ Yea I don’t get that. Even as someone who generally dislikes the story as a whole and finds the narrative frustrating, Glinda’s decisions make sense given her background and they push everything along in a healthy way.

[@itsthejavavoid]

im the opposite tbh. im still new to the musical and movie, but i know all i need about glinda now- she goes through a massive growth even in just act one. she's not a bad person, she IS good, but the point is that she becomes good OVER TIME.

[@jonathanschell964]

Glinda isn’t bad or she wouldn’t have banished the wizard from Oz. Yeah, her choice to side with him and Madame Morrible kept her safe instead of making her a public enemy. She was a privileged young woman who wasn’t at all familiar with being an outcast. So temporarily aligning her self with the bad guys eventually put her in a position of power, where she could’ve potentially saved Elphaba from public persecution. Notice how Elphaba didn’t exactly pressure her or criticize her choice. Because the musical has a very different ending than the book, where Elphaba doesn’t really die, we can assume that Glinda was part of her plan to escape.

[@melodi2036]

Glinda is one of my dream roles, shes so fun! That said she is villainous. People want to 'nuance' and justify her actions, because most of us are like her. Most of us make empty gestures, sharing others' infographics on our stories, without ever taking action. Glinda is a liberal - she cares about the popular things but won't take real action. She benefits from the system; she really does not care to dismantle it to make things right for others because she is comfortable. Elphaba, like you said, is also rich, but what is the point of being rich when other people (animals) are suffering and having their rights stripped? Elphaba is a leftist. She is willing to tear things down to make things right. She's bout that action. There's no room for "nuance" when the threat is fascism. Look at cops, look at senators. Everyone who sets out to change the system from within either complies and shuts up in the end, or leaves because they realize said change isn't possible. Being in the system requires you to go along until you lose your soul and moral compass. Edit: its very Glinda to consider Barack, Hillary, and Kamala progress. US presidents are war criminals and terrorists. We have to dream bigger than having a Black/female mascot of imperialism. They don't make real change - they keep the status quo in tact while letting marginalized people feel represented. It's (past) time for the empire to fall.

[@is.a.bell.a8700]

@melodi2036 yes, you put all of my thoughts into words!! you explained this so beautifully

[@360shadowmoon]

A villain is antagonistic to the hero. Glinda, though she chooses a different path from Elphaba’s, is not Elphaba’s antagonist. She is her friend and still cares about her. People aren’t necessarily justifying her actions. The point of nuance is that people/characters are not all good/all bad, even if they make questionable choices.

[@melodi2036]

@@360shadowmoon villains are not always antagonistic to the "hero". For one, not every story has a hero. Secondly whose perspective is the story from? Glinda sides with the oppressors for the advancement of her career and public image. She is a villain, as is the wizard, as is madame morrible

[@360shadowmoon]

@@melodi2036 That’s my point - the story of “Wicked” doesn’t fit the hero-villain archetype. Therefore, it’s reductive to call Glinda a “villain”. I agree her decision to side with the wizard is selfish, but it doesn’t make her a villain because she is still sympathetic to Elphaba.

[@theketaminekid1241]

One of the best vids on wicked ive seen, you *get* it

[@palesgensler3099]

As you said, part of the problem is too many people have not seen the second act, and most of her character happens in the second act. But I also think that the other problem is so many people like to think that they would be Elphaba in this situation one in reality most people would be Glenda. and that’s the thing about this music as it really forces you to think about what you would do in this situation. And I guess a lot of people didn’t do that. I say this because as a disabled person I have met so many performative allies in my life that I actually have trust issues for me. And it’s not entirely their fault. It’s because ableism is not talked about nearly enough. And usually when it is, it’s talked about through the prospective of a non-disabled person. The reason why I bring this up is because there are so many people who are complicit in other people’s oppression without even realizing it either that or they think they’re whole thing in reality they’re making things worse. I guess what I’m trying to say is nobody’s perfect so we should not others to be. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t hold each other accountable or call out people‘s wrongdoing. But let’s not vilify people like Glenda. Because we’ve all been like her at some point.

[@dakubara]

I have never seen Galinda as a villain or bad guy, I saw her as a person who was raised and expected to be a particular way and sheltered her from so many things and this is her struggle to break from generational trauma as well as finding her individuality. She is ran by fear and she finds moments of boldness due to Elphy. I have seen the Play and the movie and the have always felt she was a misunderstood person being controlled by the true villain of it all. She wants to do good but doesn’t know how and is still afraid.

[@tofermartinez4114]

I can't help but think if Glinda and Elphie stayed together, as outcasts or secret spies trying to dismantle the government from the inside, they would have accomplished everything that they wanted without having to sacrifice as much as they did. We see the evidence of that at the end of the play. They both get everything they wanted regardless. Which just shows that they can accomplish their goals it's just a matter of how easy it would have been. We need 2 timelines both have Glinda and Elphie are rising in power as force greater than the wizard and threatening his law, bringing a huge divide in all of Oz. But one is them rising through the ranks of the broken government system set up by the Wizard, and the other is as rebellious freedom fighters helping Animals.

[@labrujaescarlata.488]

I already love this channel

[@Moss_piglet13]

20:21 thank you! This is what ive veen saying for a while! Shes just started on her journey of self growth and wasnt able to get to where she beeded to be by the time the choice of Defying Gravity presented itself. I seriously dont get how people dont get her character when shes more similar to most people than elphaba is in the sense that she wants to be good but fails to see the bigger issue a lot of the time and comes off as performative. This doesnt make her a bad person, she just needs to grow. 23:30 and again! Another point I keep saying! Realistically what would Glinda be able to do to help Elphaba and the animals? She has no magic, no power. She's popular, but you know who's more popular? The Wizard and even Madam Morible. If she whent against them, she would loose all her power of popularity in an instant, putting herself and her family in danger, as we see Madam Morible threaten the monkeys families if they don't stay loyal. No doubt she would do the same to Glinda. Her going with Elphaba would be a death sentence for her as she doesn't have the power to protect herself, and her family.

[@oblivivian]

I think it's also mentioned by the wizard in this new movie that uniting people is easier when there's a common threat or enemy to face together. The story had to play out this way. She needed to be the villain to GIVE Glinda the power to make change. I always perceived this as the ending itself. G & E couldn't do it together nor could they do it on their own. Elphaba had to be the villain, Glinda had to be the hero. United against a common enemy, Oz can change.

[@Pimpedout007101]

In the novel Glinda is shown to actively take a role in racism towards the animal characters. Plus since you’ve seen the musical you know she sides with the wizard

[@amparo3987]

Mmmm to me Glinda danced with Elphaba because she was afraid Elphaba would get angry because of the hat thing. After design Elphaba giving her what she wanted she was afraid to lose it because of the hat thing, so she HAD to back Elphaba back

[@mujiescomedy279]

That… seems very much not based in anything that happened in the film at all

[@Black-mocha0]

This video is the epitome of that one friend that defends their best friends toxic traits

[@duck8049]

God yes.

[@darlss1]

Elphaba was my favourite character and I really didnt like Glinda that much cus i could practically see through her…But i love how even when they become friends Glinda didnt completely change her character and you could still see why she made those choices in the end

[@charlieflickinger7372]

@12:13 "they're more inclined to be on her side, than on Elphaba's side" IE G(a)linda is actively bullying Elphaba and making sure no one else at the school likes her. I don't disagree with a lot of what you're saying, however at that point in the movie G(a)linda has actively tried to keep her out of class (shoving her out of the last seat) and also gave her a closet sized space in their dorm room, as well as later calling her "Steamed Artichoke/Broccoli" (I can't remember exactly what line the movie used). G(a)linda isn't a villain, however for a huge chunk of the 1st movie she is an antagonist. G(a)linda is the epitome of "Toe the Line" because when she finally has the chance to be an actually Good PersonTM, she backs down. She choses to LOOK Good instead of trully BEING Good. And this is only exemplified in Act 2/part 2. The movie was the first time I EVER felt for G(a)linda, and a huge part of that was because of Grande's performance, however to say she's not a Good Person, isn't wrong.

[@Ehnylatiye1011]

Galinda only danced with Elphaba at Ozdust because She was told by Madam Morrible it was only because of Elphaba she got her magic wand and was admitted to sorcery at that saying she was basically pathetic and at that moment Elphaba was literally being laughed at because of Galinda jokingly giving the witch hat to wear. She was giving guilty, regret and shame which I’m sure were the same emotions Elphaba felt before she decided to embrace herself and dance and Galinda befriended Elphaba out of that. Trauma bond aka not necessarily a good friendship, Aka it can be a confusing bond or it can be a bond made for character growth. Which is exactly what it did. Elphaba is literally a good hearted person, knowledgeable and implements it, honest forgiving and loving and even holds Glinda accountable in defying gravity as a friend for being one of the people who limited her rather than questioning her intentions such as Glinda did. Elphaba still invited Glinda to come with her to be a team after Glinda called her delusional. Elphaba decided to fly solo and free because even her friend Glinda could not hold her back from her purpose and she realized she was stronger in her power solo than with her friend Glinda who could bring her down.

[@GabeKis-fz8tn]

I think Wicked Glinda just Chooses the easy part rather then the right on. She wants to seem good, but she doesnt have a strong backbone.

[@mujiescomedy279]

I mean, the reason she didn’t go with elpheba was because she’s a coward but that doesn’t make her bad

[@CandyOMBodydouble]

both victims of their environments

[@Frogy8376]

I like to think that Glinda is in the middle, she's not a bad person but she isn't a good person either like you said she is selfish and self-centered and can be mean but she can also be kind and vulnerable when she puts that front down especially when she is with Elphaba

[@Alistar953]

I would say Glinda's very complex, she does want similar things to Elphaba but I feel like at times she wouldn't know how to rebel as Elphaba does and by the end of the movie she looked scared for Elphaba and also scared of the wizard's influence.

[@abc-bx1sf]

Glinda isn’t evil , but she isn’t good either , her actions show that

[@anacarolinalopes8481]

No such thing as a good or bad person.

[@rodrigodevinil]

I can't stop thinking about Wicked as well and I have rewatched this movie about 5 times since it became available for sale and I don't see one one talking about a moment in Defying Gravity after "I hope you're happy, my friend" and the guards are able to open the door. I have the felling Glinda would've gone with Elphie -- and it's such a small nuance you just can't get on theater because of how it works, but the movie got quite well. If it wasn't for the other guards outside and the dramatic situation it formed, I do believe Glinda would've at least ran into the forest with Elphaba... Am I crazy? Maybe, but pls someone tell me they also had the same perception!

[@amandaleebee98]

In my opinion, I feel like Glinda at school and the way she made everyone love her and think she was the best, after Elphie basically gets her her wand, she can finally be powerful. I don’t know if Glinda would’ve become a witch at all if it weren’t for Elphie just in terms of what’s cannon if she never came to the school what if Glinda never got to practice magic. So Glinda takes this place as a leader amongst her peers, and she loves it and yes it’s selfish and all for her. But I feel like once she grew up and they led the school she realized she had to be a witch and be the one on their side or (this my own assumption not cannon) the wizard will find some other “good witch” they could use and to replace her. I think of Glinda as becoming more of a political figure of hope for the people whilst they search for Elphie so it’s not like they get another witch train her who can match Elphie and hunt her down. Glinda was like a placeholder for their own militia in my mind, so Elphie could do what she needed to do to save Oz. Glinda also isn’t going to walk away from Oz and go with Elphie because that’s where she has built her popularity. Yes she has powers, but she doesn’t have the brain Elphie has, so if Glinda leaves she’s losing most of her power which is more political and social than her actual powers. Also if you look at it from the outside in the real world what person who loves you would want you to start a revolution but Glinda has always had more social and political skills and Elphie has her mind and individuality. There’s so many contrasts like individualism vs conformity, revolt against the system or work from within the system that’s in place to fix it etc. then just all the basics obviously on top of that. Then you add on top of that a lot he people who hate Ariana grande so much for her own personal life which whatever they hate and Glindas being fake, so they see Ariana as a person as if she’s this fake mean girl and it’s like … irrelevant

[@ephemeraphilesbytomi]

Great point about Ariana!

[@GytSigma]

My take: glinda cares too much wht other people think to be seen as wicked. She just wants to be viewed as a good person. I headcannon something happened to her in her child hood, maybe she was neglected? Idk

[@Chowderchef]

Finally someone else who has such a good nuanced take on her omg

[@phillinsogood]

This video helped me to hold space and learn more about the main characters.

[@klee.365]

Thank you for validating me

[@saratripp3625]

Great video, thanks for making and posting! I don't think Galinda's decision to dance with / befriend Elphaba proves anything though. Doing so was in her own best interest as Elphaba was her ticket to staying in class with Morrible.

[@AntiToff]

No she felt guilty, she says so herself. "I feel awful."

[@saratripp3625]

​@@AntiToffIt shows she can feel empathy / is not a psychopath. I think nearly all people would feel awful in that moment.

[@AntiToff]

@saratripp3625 Yes but it's the reason why she did that not because she got into seminar due to Elphaba. Yes that is what caused her to feel sympathy but she did not have to dance with her due to this sympathy she still chose to.

[@yay29823]

​@@saratripp3625 Nearly all good people, you mean

[@NebraskaFalls-ee7qp]

NUANCE is acknowledging that although Glinda isnt inherently wicked she allows society to thrust it upon others in her favor while benefitting from all the "evilness: of others that ascribed to them . The very reason we feel for Glinda is because she so pure, pretty and innocent looking . ISMS and TYOES THRUST upon her and NO it isnt her fault but once she realizes the game and actively participates in itto her advantage ; she does by default fall into a wicked category. Wicked people can also be good ; vice versa but its the privilege that she has ; THAT SHE DIDNT ASK FOR (LETS MAKE THAT CLEAR ) still nonetheless, she is aware of it and uses it . If the Elphabas of the world were giving the same THRUSTING of goodness than we wouldn't be having this conversation and there lies the issue. NO; it IS NOT HER FAULT and SOCIETY plays a huge role and WE THE PEOPLE of "oz" and "munckinland " ARE FAR WICKED than Glinda or elphaba for we se behind the smoke and mirrors yet still enable and uphold these vile standards THRUSTING THEM upon one another . NO SHE ISNT WICKED at heart but accountability is needed and tragically ; EVEN WHEN SHE WANTS TO ITS THE PEOPLE who wouldnt allow it or would make her an outcast TO. SO WHO REALLY IS WICKED ?

[@uribove]

to quote into the woods: - nice is different than good - Witches can be right, Giants can be good.; You decide what's right you decide what's good; Just remember; Just remember; Someone is on your side

[@princezeekie9311]

(Spoiler for part 2) For all of you who say Glinda isn't the villain I'm going to say this. Glinda is the reason Elphaba's sister is killed. She suggested that they capture Nessa to bring Elphaba out of hidding. This leads to the house falling on her. She is the villian, is she complex? Yes! But she most certainly isn't a hero in any sense of the word

[@Jess-y7c]

Thank you the amount of people claiming she’s not evil is astounding to me

[@princezeekie9311]

@Jess-y7c right? It's crazy cause the movie literally tells you what she's doing but people still fall for it cause galinda has a fun personality

[@user-wp1dn7fd9w]

The fuss around the movie makes me wanna read the og books!

[@robinvolpi]

Glenda isn't GOOD. She's an OPPORTUNIST.

[@NarutoFanGG2]

I love Glinda because she is a interesting character. I really do think she is a bad person. In the stage play they said when Glinda sings higher when she is lying. You can hear it when she sings to bok and when she sings no one no one mourns the wicked. Where she sings the highest. There’s also an interesting lyrics in the song that says “Woe to those Who spurn what goodness is” she is literally know as Glinda the good even though she hasn’t done anything that good. when Glenda says, are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them she was one of the people to help contribute that. It’s her fault that bok was stuck with nessa which resulted him turning into a tin man and also she is the reason why nessa dies and gave her shoes away. Fiyero was willing to be in a loveless marriage with her to help her public image but Fiyero wants to do the right thing but Glinda can’t that’s when fiyero said “The truth is you can’t resist this” he is talking about Glinda image to the people of oz. Glinda is wicked and I don’t think she realizes how bad she was until her final talk with elphaba when she says I’ll tell everyone the truth and make it right but at that point it’s already too late. In the end she is the one who ends up alone and on her own. In end she wants to live up to the title Glinda the good. I think Glinda is a interesting character because she wants to do the right. This is what makes Glinda interesting and more relatable to me. Trying to be a good person.

[@yay29823]

Putting the blame of Bok and Nessa's relationship on Glinda is wild

[@NSnicket]

Unless there was a massive book rewrite, Fiyero never said that, and she wasn’t marrying him for her public image, she was marrying him because she loved him. She thought he loved her as well. In the stage play, his love for Elphaba comes out of nowhere. They’ve done a good job tweaking that in the film, thank God, because it was really bad. But maybe get the story straight before using it to drag Glinda.

[@zero1188]

Nah she a good person

[@NarutoFanGG2]

@@zero1188 you didn’t read my second comment but I get it you can’t read it’s okay.

[@NarutoFanGG2]

@@yay29823 let’s get the facts out who was the one to tell bok to go out with nessa? If you can’t answer that, then I think the reply is even more wild.

[@dreadful8481]

Honestly Glinda has no magic what would she have done to help Elphaba. Glinda only power the whole movie has been popularity so popular she made Elphaba popular. She would have only been weighing Elphaba down even in the end during for good she knew that she couldn’t save all the animals by herself and this is where “if we work in tandem” part come in Elphaba knows she needs Glinda help if she wants to save all the animals she needs Glinda influence on all the people to help the animals so by Glinda staying she actually help Elphaba I hope this makes sense 😊

[@Seaweedscout]

I feel like Ariana just didn’t have the acting skill to get it through that she was a good friend, that she was changed drastically by Elphaba, and that she made a choice that was the opposite of Elphaba which created the parallel for the second act. While Ariana has a great voice, she fell so flat in getting through the emotion and the connection she develops with Erivo which is really wild given their off camera chemistry and friendship.

[@eshna2012]

Both characters might be shades of grey, but it doesn’t make them equal. Glinda has shades of good of course, she is a well written complex character, but her actions and the consequences of them are much more net negative than Elphabas. Hence in a story where they are both the lead and one is the protagonist and the other the antagonist, Glinda fits the role of the antagonist WAY more than Elphaba … so equating them I feel loses sight of the immense damage that Glinda’s ignorance causes versus Elphaba’s realization that getting people to like you can be powerful.

[@yay29823]

They're both co-protagonists in my book, so I can't exactly call Glinda an antagonist... You do have a point about the negative consequences

[@vanderrwaals]

they are both protagonists. wicked is literally a story about their relationship

[@glqss.slvppers]

Some of you Glinda haters did not understand the point of Wicked...

[@bloomingwindydays]

I looove an actual intelligent take