While being a massive critical and commercial success in its own right, Wicked also sets up the conflict between Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and the rest of Oz, including her former classmates, in the second half. Wicked depicts the origin story of the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, beginning with her enrolling at Shiz University, where she eventually forms a lifelong friendship with the future Glinda the Good, magnificently played by Ariana Grande-Butera. However, Elphaba does not have an easy time of it at Shiz as the laughingstock of the student body before becoming the queen bee’s best friend.
Wicked‘s cast includes Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), Elphaba’s sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), and Munchkinlander Boq (Ethan Slater), who all have more complex relationships with Elphaba and Glinda with a certain amount of awareness. However, the more minor characters at Shiz primarily serve Wicked‘s themes by demonstrating how an overall population acts amid political turmoil. Wicked‘s ending launches Elphaba into a new era of rebellion and danger, and there are few people she knows from school she can count on to help her now.
Pfannee, ShenShen & The Rest Of The Shiz Student Body Are Panicking In Wicked’s Ending
When The Announcement About Elphaba Reaches Shiz, Students Are Apparently Packing Up & Going Home
The biggest characters among the rest of Shiz’s students are Glinda’s would-be groupies Pfannee and ShenShen, made memorable during their brief time on screen through Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James’ respective melodramatic performances. After Elphaba and Glinda reconcile, the rest of Shiz acts more friendly toward her; most of them come to see her off at the train station when she leaves for the Emerald City. However, everyone reverts to their old exaggerated fear of Elphaba when Madame Morrible’s (Michelle Yeoh) announcement labeling her a dangerous fugitive reaches Shiz via radio.
Pfannee, ShenShen, and many other students are seemingly all leaving the school in a mad rush because of this. Fiyero also promptly leaves, presumably to attempt to help Elphaba in some way. Yet everyone else’s reaction seems extreme, considering that mere hours ago they were all saying goodbye to Elphaba. They have all gotten to know her a little bit; they know that she is abrasive at worst (because other people are usually rude to her) and that she is passionate about protecting the animals of Oz. Yet their inherent feelings about her never changed.
How Shiz’s Reaction Sets Up Wicked: Part Two
The Way The Rest Of Oz Talks About The Wicked Witch Borders On Ridiculous, Showing The Power Of Propaganda
However, the mass panic at Shiz is unfortunately illustrative of how the general Ozian population behaves in the second act of the show, which is presumably very close to Wicked Part Two‘s plot. The song “Thank Goodness” illustrates the widespread fear, with the Ozians excessively going on about how terrifying it is that the Wicked Witch is still at large. Which is again, overly dramatic. No one in Oz can have ever actually seen Elphaba hurt anyone because that’s not what she’s doing. Yet Madame Morrible’s propaganda is proving to be very effective.
It contributes to ever-mounting, out-of-control hysteria with people adding their own ludicrous rumors to the mix, like Elphaba being able to shed her skin or that water will be able to melt her. The story of Wicked revolves around public perception and someone who is merely standing up for what she believes in against a corrupt government being persecuted. The movie’s ending also shows the beginning of how widespread complacency and buying into what is being said without proof will affect Oz for years to come.
