An unhinged deep dive on Wicked's biggest plot hole.

[@sprinkledsunshine]

Every time Leena says "We simply don't have time" I'm getting ready to wait another 10 years for a Wicked video essay

[@addisonratcatcher3287]

That's exactly what I came here to say lol WE GOT TIME!! Talk for 2 more hours please

[@hunnitbaehunnitbae8804]

on another youtube video, i saw a comment that said The Wizard of Oz was from Dorothy's perspective, Maguire's novel was from Elphaba's perspective, ang the musical was from Glinda's perspective and that really stuck with me

[@calebgoodman3028]

That makes me question how Dorothy and Glinda can be so positive when Every single main character in all of the Wicked books are just dystopian nightmares. The spin-off series with The Brides of Maracoor is much less depressing.

[@haneef1551]

After reading Out of Oz and how they made a comic of Dorthys story I started thinking 🤔. Wizard of Oz is a pantomime of the story. Its fanciful and comical. Wicked the musical is the time clock dragon. The stage is literally the TCD. The novel is more or less the real story, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. F. Baum) is a fairy tale version(propaganda)

[@calebgoodman3028]

@ Well... The Wicked Witch was never green in the old Oz books but they both have their political allegories and propaganda. Ozma literally says there’s no need to work in Oz and that everything is free yet one book literally stars an impoverished Emerald City citizen and Ozma should have known that because she has magic mirrors that look over every citizen at all times. I guess being a literal child in power might make her more idealistic though.

[@liamross340]

If I were Gregory Maguire, knowing my work has inspired writing like this would make me so proud.

[@pageturner242]

you keep saying we don't have time as if your audience wouldn't absolutely eat up a 3 hour lecture on this

[@KB-bx9ui]

I HAVE A THEORY! This is brilliant Leena! 👏💚 From 8 mins 30 secs, you talk about Elphaba's birth. When you said that Elphaba was aware ("fast developing senses") as a newborn baby...would she not then have been aware that they wanted to drown her?...hence why she is (also) afraid of water?...because it was to be used to murder her on the day of her birth. And perhaps, just as Elphaba is so self aware and chose her own name, as an infant, she also chose her own "achilles heel"...her own fear...her own death. Does this check out? I saw the musical years ago and was put off by the cast who couldn't sing. I can't wait to read the novel and see the movie. After watching this, I am keen to revisit Oz and understand the worlds properly this time. Thanks for sharing this Leena! Nice editing Craig (or and Leena)!

[@TheLoonyLovebad1]

Ooh I love this idea! Side note, what cast couldn’t sing?? That’s so sad

[@KB-bx9ui]

​@TheLoonyLovebad1 I honestly can't remember...I saw it over a decade ago.

[@Extra-thoughts]

This was my exact interpretation when I read the book last week. There are several points in the book where Elphaba subconsciously influences and magically alters the world. She freezes a lake by walking on it Elsa style She kills a kid who is bullying her son by thinking about it She sends a swarm of bees to attack the cook who is abusing his dog (This is just a theory) I even think she probably magically convinced her son, with him being born roughly 9 months after Fiero's death at the hand of the wizards men (but that could be natural conception, he was "physical" with Elphaba the day he died) She thought water would kill her, so it did

[@TheLoonyLovebad1]

@@Extra-thoughts omg yes the frozen lake part also made me think of Elsa lmao

[@emmiwarford2096]

I love this take, thank you for sharing!!

[@emcake36]

we would happily listen to all of your "we simply don't have time" tangents!! fantastic video

[@keychilde]

Grimoire is grim-wa :) essentially. Living for this video.

[@catthomas3507]

I do not agree that this was silly!! As someone currently turning their dissertation into a 30 min presentation for a conference - I can fully appreciate how much work goes into returning to work like this, and performing it in this way. You made it so accessible, so interesting, and intriguing, and got me wanting to pursue study into it myself. I LOVED all the theoretical discourse, and how you wove your own into dialogue with established voices. Really really impressive. Please don't ever call your work silly. I LOVED every second of this. Thank you, from one literature nerd to another!

[@wendyjackman1745]

Agreed, from another litnerd>retired English teacher. Thank you for making cogs in my head that hadn't moved in too long spring to life!❤❤❤❤❤

[@just_sterf]

Leena: *Apologizing for one final graph* Me: awwwww this is the last graph :

[@thelionmachine]

This was great! I haven't read Wicked but went through that Broadway phase where I was obsessed with it like every theatre kid of a certain age (ahem) but the metatextual analysis of Elphaba as self-aware was great! Also props for finding a way to get paid to explain your thesis, the academic dream come true.

[@TheLoonyLovebad1]

This take is so insane and I love it so much. I wanted this video to be ten hours long. Thank you so much for making this. The idea of Elphaba being aware she’s in a story and she knows her context and her fate is FASCINATING, especially when you look at the Time Dragon Clock. At the end of the book, when she sees the show and learns that the wizard is her father, she also basically learns how her fate is sealed. The man who travels with the clock seems to be from another world (perhaps ours?) and he knows her fate is sealed and he exists across dimensions solely to protect the Grimmerie. I also loved your discussion of the different worlds. The other world (our world) is treated as heaven to the unionists in Oz, and Elphaba doesn’t believe in it as a staunch atheist. To find out she is a child of both worlds also might mean her father’s religion is correct after all. It is also interesting how our world is terrifying to her because of the thought of oceans. When she hears the other world has oceans, she is repulsed. And she has a nightmare about the wizard trying to swim in the ocean and getting knocked down by waves. Ooooh I love this omg I want to have a whole discussion with you

[@TheLoonyLovebad1]

Also not to discredit your multiverse theory, but at the end of the video you say that because she was born of the world where green witches exist (aka born of the 1995 post MGM film real world) that is why she can be destroyed by water. But in wicked, the real world is still in 1900 (or more accurately, between 1901-1909) because when Dorothy gets to Boq’s house she has a whole discussion with him about the current President, Theodore Roosevelt

[@autism_and_niamh]

WOW what an incredible essay! I'm not surprised you got a first 😊 Elphaba as character who transcends narrative whilst influencing it - herself as intertextual - is an argument so ahead of its time. You've made my brain cogs whirl, and for that I'm very grateful: thank you!! (Weirdly, I miss writing essays like this! 😂Maybe I need to dabble in my spare time)

[@Kam_i_]

If Elphaba is made of ink, wouldn’t it be true that all Oz characters are also susceptible to death-by-dousing? It can’t be ink, it must have something to do with her green skin, or her half-human parentage, as those two aspects mark her different from other Oz characters at her introduction. There are a few possibilities that could fully explain her weakness to water in the text of Wicked: 1. That Elphaba’s green skin is a result of the Wizard’s green potion mixing with her blood. If we assume that the Wizard’s foreign chemicals are also the cause of Elphaba’s weakness and therefore her death, it is the chemicals that represent corruption in the pristine fairytale world of Oz. Her susceptibility to water specifically is because water is a purifying substance in religious and fictional narratives, similar to fire (and water burns her.) In that way, the water is cleansing Oz of the corruption and damage inflicted by the Wizard. The Wizard was not supposed to come to Oz; Elphaba is the manifestation of this mistake; her death means Oz can return to its intended state (assuming that fictional worlds do not exist for the purpose of enabling their stories.) 2. That her weakness to water is only explained by her self-awareness as a character; because she is half-human, she is aware on a conscious level from birth of her own destiny as a witch as well as the full human, “Western” cultural context of being a witch. By knowing this, she becomes weak to water. Anyway, thank goodness someone is taking the wicked book as the eminent text over the musical! I heavily dislike its dumbed-down interpretation of the themes of the novel. My least favorite part in the musical is when the Bad Police show up and drag Dr. Dillamond away, it’s so on-the-nose that it distances audience members from the true mechanisms of fascism, thereby making them harder to recognize. Elphaba’s story is partially one of a lone activist who dies for nothing after believing she is powerless to change her world. There are so many fascinating ideas proposed in the Wicked book that its musical’s overpowering use of clichés is insulting to the source material and the audience’s intelligence, especially with regards to portrayal of propaganda and fascist regimes.

[@artskies101]

Maybe shes "self aware" of how she dies, not necessarily why. While knowing, maybe she believes it would kill her, and through that belief, it's what actually melts her. A self-full filing prophecy, as well as a paradox

[@annesphantasia]

Still here! Love the idea of her eventual intertexuality and self-awareness as character retroactively being the reason she could be destroyed by water in the first book which pre-dates any possibility of intersexuality by being, at the time, the only text. If she has the ability to rewrite and participate in the creation of herself, she’d be able to do that across texts within her universe-spanning existence. Thank you for sharing, 21-year-old Leena!

[@charlottew9955]

As someone with a STEM degree I maybe understood about a third of this but it made a great video to crochet to

[@TangentialTif]

Heeeeeey! I also have a STEM degree and I’m also crocheting while I watch this!

[@carolinedelisle589]

I am an engineer and kept thinking, while listening, that I don't have the skill to follow this video at all.

[@JuliaGifford]

I am astounded at your depth of thought and writing skill. I am so impressed, Leena!

[@martaalo]

As a person who just read "Wicked" for the first time because of something you said in another video, I'm just enjoying my fall through the rabbit hole. I'll listen to every single thing you have to say about the topic, tbh ❤

[@meaganmullen8073]

Okay so the amount of times you said “we don’t have time for this” specifically regarding Fiyero means we need a Fiyero themed video all on its own correct??

[@isobelledger]

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed this. 💚 I do not consider this silly at all, it was so much fun!! I miss the academic aspect of Uni. Wish I could go back and do it all over as a proper grown up. (Still here hah)

[@TheCha0ticartist]

I am seated for your deep dive into the books. I loved this video and would love to know more of you're thoughts on the book!

[@Berryschweppes]

Thank you for being unhinged Leena

[@Kat_Attack]

This scratched my brain in the most pleasant ways. Thank you, Leena!

[@kat_thefruitbat]

It’s always such a pleasure to hear people’s thoughts on topics they’ve spent many hours studying, contemplating, and dissecting out of genuine interest! 😊 That said, this was very interesting and enjoyable- thank you for sharing! 🤗

[@cypriennezed5640]

During your discussion of her many names, I said "I LOVE THIS SO MUCH" at my phone, loud enough for my family to be concerned. 💚

[@BellaMia121]

Leena- I’ve been a viewer of your channel for more than ten years, and what a delight it is to hear this argument after a decade of anticipation! The ideas you present are so interesting, and the lens of audience was fascinating framing. Thank you for sharing your insight and passion with us! 💚

[@amy8250]

Exactly the nerdy deep dive we deserve. Thank you so much for sharing Leena💚

[@OJoyceO]

What a great video! I actually wrote my master's thesis on wicked and the various versions of Oz after listening you talking about it yeas ago. You definitely inspired my research focus there 😂❤

[@theonlyenekoeneko]

Here til the end 💚 thoroughly enjoyed this presentation, especially liked your arguments for Elphaba being made of ink, and about the water in Oz

[@rosemarybruce6290]

Really enjoyed this analysis! I finished reading Wicked in November and was absolutely gobsmacked at how different the musical adaption is! My theory was that the Wizard of Oz is the tale that Ozian's tell each other, as it has evolved from the "Canon" of Wicked - it has been years since I've read the original book, though. Nice work, 21 year old Leena! Still here ;)

[@leenanorms]

Omg I LOVE that idea, that it’s something that grew up within Oz 💚

[@fionayoung1023]

I loved this!!! Have been obsessed with Wicked (and before it the Wizard of Oz) my whole life, and this was so interesting. I have read the book but not for a while and I think it might be time for another go. I'm also DEEPLY obsessed with characters realising they are in a narrative and playing with that, although I haven't thought about it for Wicked. When you said that Elphaba was Wizard of Oz-aware I thought you were just going to say she was scared of water because she knows that is going to be her ending, but its so interesting thinking about her as made out of ink. THIRD THING IM OBSESSED WITH is thinking about books as physical objects. I think this was not an unhinged video at all and in fact an extremely normal response to this book :)))) also I think I am going to. now enjoy thinking about the Work/Universe/Character stuff wrt different types of fanfiction. Loved this so much!!!!

[@EmmyTheColorQueen]

As someone who is currently working towards an MA in English, I found this delightful! Scholars do like their fluffy words in order to hit page/word counts! I'd love to see this published somewhere in a journal.

[@rosianna]

not a dissertation without a cixous quotatation - ancient proverb

[@rqbecky]

I’ve waited years for this video, and it did not disappoint 💚

[@fayecrompton8814]

How I wish I’d done my dissertation on something I actually was interested in! Rather than the ‘worthy’ topics I thought my English department was interested in. This is so worthy! Loved it!

[@katiesimpson4442]

Still here! This was a work of art, thank you. Much more interesting than my dissertation! The more unhinged Wicked videos, the better ✨️

[@goodkiller93]

I can just picture you halfway through this dissertation completely lost on how to connect everything. The cherrypicking of which textual evidence supports your assertion was absolutely wonderful and SO relatable as an English undergrad. A+ please keep sharing these unhinged deep-dives!

[@kiayae5899]

Still here 💚 love the idea of Elphaba being able to read The Wizard of Oz.

[@defense360]

I'm so enamored by that idea. Such a good reading!

[@frej.s.b]

Thank you for making this for me specifically, it has added a new dimension to my favourite work that I didn't know I needed until now! Sharing with everyone I made come to the cinema with me on various occasions over the last 11 days!

[@HannahWoodardLockaby]

English major here -- I absolutely LOVED this video! I must admit, I tried to read Wicked in my college years and the meta nature of the text really escaped me -- but this makes me want to revisit because that kind of thing is absolutely my jam.

[@lucysmith7658]

This was fabulous! I love deep diving into fictitious lore! I must admit, I have not read or watched Wicked before but you have convinced me that I simply must. Thank you! 💚💚 💚

[@nimue95]

Love this! A) a delightful analysis b) made me miss writing unhinged essays in undergrad!

[@hikariblue]

Not only is this incredible, it has CHARTS that solidify all the amorphous thoughts I've had about fanfic in general and the worlds they occupy. (Like, multiple iterations of a single world necessarily distance that world from its origin -- so the essence of a character is the thing that's common to every interpretation. But that's tangential.) I love the idea of Elphaba being aware of being in a story. It's enlightening and maddening all at the same time and explains so much more than just the hydrophobia.

[@TaylorMackenz1e]

The way I came to YT thirsting for more Wicked content and you came thru soooo hard

[@hannahstephings4355]

I would watch every Wicked deepdive you want to make, Leena. Compelling, unhinged, unparalleled.

[@Dunybrook]

What a great analysis. In the musical I tend to view the lethality of Elphaba's allegy to water as part of the hateful propaganda that the Wizard and Madame Morrble have spread about her and it's ironic that it is used to fake her death so she's free to live her best life. Incidentally, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion might be conspiring with the Scarecrow to make it seem like they hate Elphaba to fool the Wizard and his spies, since actually they all have reason to be grateful to Elphaba for saving them. In a way the same could be said of their book counterparts even though they are completely different characters since they and Dorothy have no intention of killing Elphaba like the Wizard wants them to.

[@FallenTwin]

i love this deep dive!! i have not read or watched any of the Wizard of Oz/Wicked movies/books/musical so very tangentially aware of the story, but really really love bringing old theses back

[@jennyobrien3605]

If I hadn’t partially bankrupted myself buying Christmas gifts already, the promise of the full text & bibliography would have me on the Patreon in no time. As it stands, I’ll have to hold off until February when my checking account is healthier!

[@matthewlucas4990]

I made it to the last couple seconds when you asked us to comment. Im making a shirt and was ironing so my hands werent free to skip to the next video lol. Great ideas, makes a lot of sense to me. ❤️ Unfortunately, im not sure even Gregory Maguire thought this indepth about it haha

[@commenter2498]

dude this was amazing & yes silly but also loved seeing all the clear and diligent work and care put into your diss! loved this video, love the way you engage with scholarship, and would love more like it!

[@kianarathjens8809]

Wonderful analysis 😊 (and still here)

[@40yearoldbrony]

I would love to read your whole dissertation.

[@rachtheace]

i love how many times you said “we simply don’t have time!” in a 39 minute video, like we all wouldn’t watch/listen to you talk about this for hours! 😂 i’ve been meaning to read wicked for such a long time, knowing you love it so much. a couple of weeks ago i was in a bookshop in japan with a very limited english language section, but wicked was one of the few available to me, the time had finally come. i began curious and quickly didn’t want to put it down. i finished it this past saturday, saw the movie on sunday, and am now obsessed with both, as well as scrutinising and rationalising the changes from the book. tldr; thank you for providing me with a new all-time favourite book! and just saying, i would watch you talk about wicked for HOURS!

[@katastrofcia]

Still here! ❤ Immediately made me think what could be the thing that we (in our "real" world) might be afraid of, as it would erase us and/or our roles... being forgotten perhaps? 🤔 Anyways , brilliant ✨ Thank you for this video Leena! I would watch a two-hour essay on this, going more into the details of different plot points.

[@eline.de.allerbeste]

Still here, this was brilliant! It makes me even more excited to go and see the movie when it finally comes out here in Austria too next week, and then maybe read the book afterwards💚

[@ZaydaFleming]

As someone who enjoys fandom discourse I Am Here For This. I read Wicked once and the writing style was difficult for me at the time. I am going to try rereading soon. I would Love more videos on these books. Every time you say “we don’t have time” in this video- I want that rant in a new video.

[@aichalechat]

Omg was waiting for this for YEARS ! Thank you it did not disappoint

[@ShortlockHolmes]

This video has single-handedly cemented my appreciation for the book in all its eccentricities and so-called anticlimactic ending. Thank you for making this.

[@WhyseWytch]

Fantastic video! My mind was blown by your theory. IDK how I haven't found you sooner, but I'm here to stay.

[@belorama8]

Got to the end. Loved the video, would love to see your review of the movie even though I'm kind of skeptical that you would do one.

[@jossthomaswright]

very much got to the end of this video, and could watch at least a few more hours of you talking about this!!

[@boredomsentmehere]

Leena I loved this!! More video essays. I recently watched the film after having watched a terrible fancam of the Broadway show 10 years ago on tumblr and I've felt the very very strong urge to read both The Wizard of Oz and the wicked book (my library hates to see me coming) so this was a delight. I'll definitely be diving into those books with the context of this video in mind

[@SilentStories]

Waitttt Naur if the grimorie is actually the book of the story then elpheba will know how she will die (by water) and could just be fearing her mortality like anyone would. Mayb it was a sense she’s always carried with her

[@askalemuralia]

Here til the end. Great work! It was a joy to listen to this, should you feel on discussing everything that we had ne time for on this occasion, please go ahead. I would like to say something else: this wasn't hinged or whatever other silly label you put on your work/yourself. I've recently realized that quite a lot of my female friends refer to themselves, frame their monologues, in a mildly negative or purely negative (crazy) way, when actually owning a statement of theirs. That's what you've effectively done, writing this at uni, and presenting it here too. Absolutely be proud of it, own it. Not to mention, your job is literature, so whatever is the content of a work can not be labelled with hinged/crazy whatnot. I understand this sort of speech comes from trying to shelter ourselves from that instant hatred in our society of when a woman is actually accomplished or better said determined on anything, then they must be pushed down. Should you have owned this whole thing here on KZbin (maybe you do when not on screen) you might've received comments about being full of yourself or lecturing us. But because you labelled yourself unhinged etc than those attackers can no longer do it to you. Look at that, we came to Elphaba naming herself the Wicked Witch : ' D However sensible in fiction and literary, unfortunately the human real brain is stupider than that, so the more women start their determined statements as "Maybe I'm just crazy/odd/silly/etc..." The more that first impression and perception of THE POWER OF WORDS THE STORY TELLING will be forever. Here for more, hope you have a good week 💚

[@KB-bx9ui]

💚👏👏👏I just screenshot this, so I could reread it. A reminder to speak up and have autonomy.

[@MissAnathemaDevice]

There's diagrams and maps!? I am so excited.

[@mariasalminen7004]

Still here! 😊 Thank you, this was very interesting 💚

[@charmedx3219]

I love this take, but having read the books I know Gregory Maguire doesn't have the insite to imbue such deep meaning into his text. I love the fan reading pf it though.

[@hcbirks]

Love your discussion of the Grimmerie here. Fantastic, so much to chew on.

[@rowan3902]

this is so good that i hope the creatives on the movie, book, and show see it! incredible thesis

[@bethangelikarose]

This is INCREDIBLE. The sort of content I live for 💚

[@giovannashiroma9470]

It is finnaly here ❤ thank you Leena for this

[@deusdragonex]

I need so much more academic Wicked analysis like this. I was riveted to every assertion.

[@ckrwgn3753]

I planned to watch this over several days. Nope. You’re blowing my mind! I had no idea the novel was so structurally interesting. Can’t wait to read it!

[@liau5612]

now THIS is the kind of analysis i need from the Oz world(s) !!! absolutely amazing

[@mamelvik]

I loved this so much. Please do it again.

[@LittleMissTotoro]

My bachelor thesis (Durham uni, 2014 😂) did not get a first. However, it was about the US Tea Party movement, and every day that passes sadly makes my thesis a little bit more correct and relevant. I definitely prefer your thesis and the theory is awesome ❤

[@taylorcatalana1783]

I think I’m going to be thinking about the idea that Elphaba is maybe reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for a very long time.

[@friday13thirteen]

love this!! now can we talk about how dialysis canonically exists in the oz of wicked the musical because that's been tormenting me for years

[@baileybeeeee]

I think the Grimmerie was written in Middle English!!! The Wizard could read it because he had seen a Shakespearian play at some point in his life or at least portions of a play. He may even have purchased some play or collection of plays and brought it with him to Oz, but he never was able to totally understand them. What if Elphaba has had access to or read some of these plays? They could have been left there by the Wizard the night of her conception? A book of sonnets perhaps or Canterbury's Tales? If the Grimmerie was written so long ago, it would make sense that it was an antiquated form of English.

[@TheLoonyLovebad1]

Just as a slight correction, doesn’t affect your point though, Shakespeare books are written in Elizabethan English which is very different than Middle English. The Canterbury takes would be to Shakespeare as Shakespeare books are to us

[@MrSasyB]

My only thing is that the grimmerie is canonically the lesser key of Solomon in our world, not the original oz book.

[@Salamon2]

Interesting. I listened the whole way through and appreciate how you cut through and theorized the layers of metatext.

[@croczrule]

What a video! I’d inject this into my veins if I could. But I want to know how these theories interact with the rest of Maguire’s books! Particularly regarding Liir not being green, yet Rain inheriting her grandmother’s pallor. I also thought it was interesting that Maguire took time in Out of Oz to mention Cherrystone literally describing the letter “Y” to Rain, which is of course an English letter - despite multiple references to the citizens of Oz speaking “Ozish”, yet still being able to converse with Dorothy! And speaking of Dorothy, the fact that it is she who transitions between worlds, not once but in the end twice, through concurrent natural disasters - hurricane, followed by earthquake. Why Dorothy, of all people across both worlds? Is it related to her mysterious parentage? The musical identifies this as Morrible-related, but the books never touch on it! Bring on more extremely in-depth Wicked discussion pls.

[@LionGrl321]

This is brilliant. i never thought of Wicked that way, but this really opened my eyes to the possible deeper meanings of the Wicked universe and Elphaba's character.

[@gemineyyy]

That is so trippy. Amazing video Leena thank you for sharing

[@sonjadengler806]

I got to the end of the video, more please. Also a thought popped into my head when you talked about how the green is sort of stage makeup. It says in the book Elphaba washes with oil, which all people who have to remove makeup should know, is really good at getting off makeup and facepaints. Less symbolic than water though.

[@shim1180]

10:55 the way my jaw DROPPED, you’re a genius.

[@stoker1931jane]

I was still there!! Evenrhough I never read Wicked, never saw the Show and probably never will see the Movie. I came and stayed as a Wizard of Oz fan and a KZbin fan of you: Leena...👋🏻🇳🇱

[@defense360]

THIS IS SO BRILLIANT! I am tracking w/ you 100% and I feel like I will never see Elphaba the same way

[@benjaminswall-yarrington7209]

This video gave me a whole new appreciation for the book. While I've been a life-long fan of the musical, the book frustrated me due to (what I perceived as) a lack of narrative direction and lack of agency on Elphaba's part. However, your interpretation makes me think that that might have been the point. Elphaba as a person partially outside of conventional narrative constraint would logically not follow a traditional story structure. Her lack of agency might mirror (and maybe critique?) the lack of agency that witches have had in past texts.

[@RichRoberts-bh7hd]

Love the Dorothy Must Die series!!! On book 3, unfortunately my wandering mind doesn't let me read as often as I'd like! I bought this series quite a few years ago

[@bookbrooke8]

This was exactly what I needed after seeing the Wicked movie and trying to explain things about book Wicked vs musical Wicked vs Wizard of Oz to my fiancée who hadn’t seen or read any of them. People who are new to Wicked don’t understand how many LAYERS there are

[@triname7808]

Amazing!! This was so much fun 🤓💚

[@indiemickey]

Cant believe i just watched your other video about wicked and this has just dropped 😂❤

[@Strawlighte]

Love your take on this! So cool to revisit your thesis from 12 years ago

[@lenazwarg4437]

Still here. Thanks so much for this. Also, you said that no one asked for this video... I'm pretty sure multiple people did indeed ask for this video 😅

[@lenazwarg4437]

I'm currently reading wicked (finally, after you have recommended it many a time) and I was delighted to hear you say bits and pieces of what I've already read. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and putting them together in this easy to consume Format!

[@claireturner2521]

Still here with my knitting!

[@egg_bun_]

Holy shit, around 25:50 when you explained your theory on the Grimmerie and how Elphaba is able to read it, my mind was blown!! 🤯🤯🤯 I was skeptical at first, since I feel like The Wizard would be able to read it then, but your reasoning makes so much sense!!!!

[@joojosxoxo]

I read Wicked this year before going to watch the musical for the first time. Book Elphaba is my favorite character of all time and this essay made me want to reread the novel. Brilliant not silly at all.

[@SonYonatan]

This was a great breakdown. The wizard of oz is one of my favorite stories ever since I watched it as a Kid. Also The Wiz.

[@k9vetdoc]

Wonderful video, as always. Quick note, grimoire is pronounced like armoire (like the wardrobe). I always had the question about why she melted, but wasn't embroiled in Oz enough to know if it was actually part of the lore or not. Thanks!

[@jenniferbuhler461]

I love that explanation! Past Leena really did good