1 Month On, These 5 Things Still Don’t Make Sense in Wicked: For Good

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It’s been a month since Wicked: For Good hit theaters, and many viewers are still confused by some gaps in the storyline. While the second part of Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Wicked has generally been well-received, both critics and audiences have pointed out issues with the film’s pace and inconsistencies in the plot. The movie picks up after Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is wrongly labeled the Wicked Witch of the West for refusing to assist the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) in his mistreatment of Oz’s animals. She goes into hiding in the Ozian forest, determined to reveal the Wizard’s corruption. Meanwhile, Glinda (Ariana Grande) is enjoying her fame and is engaged to Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), but feels empty despite having everything she wants, especially with Oz turning against Elphaba.

The new movie Wicked: For Good closely follows the story of the Broadway musical, which itself is based on L. Frank Baum’s classic The Wizard of Oz and the novel Wicked by Gregory Maguire. While some issues existed in the stage version, the movie introduces new changes that create further confusion. Here are five plot points from Wicked: For Good that remain puzzling even after a month since the film’s release.

5) Fiyero Meeting Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road

When Fiyero helps Elphaba escape, he’s captured and badly beaten by his soldiers. Though the audience doesn’t know it yet, a spell Elphaba cast earlier saves his life by transforming him into the Scarecrow. This Scarecrow then joins Dorothy (played by Bethany Weaver) on her quest to find the Wizard, eventually leading them to the Wicked Witch. However, the movie Wicked: For Good doesn’t show or explain how Fiyero and Dorothy meet or begin traveling together. While viewers familiar with The Wizard of Oz can guess what happened, the differences in the Wicked: For Good story make it feel unlikely.

By the time Fiyero transforms into the Scarecrow, Dorothy and Toto are already traveling down the Yellow Brick Road, which makes it confusing how he manages to meet up with them. It seems he joins Dorothy hoping to find Elphaba, but he doesn’t realize Dorothy will actually lead him to her. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her companions don’t discover they need the Witch’s broomstick until after their meeting with the Wizard. Also, Fiyero doesn’t know Elphaba is pursuing Dorothy because Dorothy has already taken Nessarose’s shoes and begun her journey when he arrives. Therefore, the idea that Fiyero and Dorothy formed a clever alliance, as suggested in Wicked: For Good, doesn’t quite add up.

4) Dorothy Returning Home Without Glinda’s Help

A memorable scene in The Wizard of Oz features Dorothy repeating, “There’s no place like home,” and clicking her heels three times to return to Kansas. Glinda helps her activate the magic in the ruby slippers, making the journey possible. However, the musical Wicked: For Good doesn’t explain how Dorothy leaves Oz. Since Glinda lacks magical abilities in this version, and Dorothy is unaware her shoes are enchanted, it’s likely she needs a different method of transportation. A quick glimpse of Dorothy in the Wizard’s hot air balloon appears at the end, but if the story stays true to The Wizard of Oz, she’ll have to find another way back home.

Dorothy’s journey to Oz began with a magical cyclone created by Madame Morrible, so it’s logical that magic would also be needed for her to return home. While Dorothy’s fate is a part of the story, Wicked: For Good focuses on bigger themes, making this a minor plot point. However, it does raise the question of how Dorothy gets back to Kansas without magic or Glinda’s help.

3) Nessarose Casting a Spell from the Grimmerie

The musical Wicked establishes that the Grimmerie is incredibly difficult to use, with only a few people able to read and cast its spells. Wicked: For Good revisits a confusing part of the story: after Boq rejects Nessarose, she tries to use the Grimmerie to win his affection. She messes up the spell, accidentally shrinking his heart. Elphaba then repairs the damage by transforming Boq into the Tin Man. It doesn’t make sense that Nessa can use the Grimmerie’s magic, as she doesn’t have any magical talent of her own. The musical suggests Elphaba gets her powers from her father, implying she’s special because of her mixed heritage – her father is the Wizard. However, both of Nessa’s parents are from Oz, so she doesn’t share that background.

Okay, so as a huge Wicked fan, I’ve always wondered about Nessa’s little spell moment. It doesn’t really make sense that she’d suddenly be able to do magic, especially since the movie never explains how she could. She messed up the spell, but it shouldn’t have done anything to Boq because she’s not supposed to have any powers! A lot of us fans think it might have something to do with the shoes – Elphaba used a levitation spell on them right before, and maybe that somehow let Nessa tap into the Grimmerie’s magic. But honestly, the movie doesn’t give us a clear answer, and it’s still a really confusing part, even after multiple viewings!

2) The Lion Cub Becoming the Cowardly Lion

In Wicked: For Good, the Cowardly Lion (voiced by Colman Domingo) is revealed to be the cub that Elphaba and Fiyero once saved from a cage and set free. He surprisingly acts unfriendly towards Elphaba, immediately showing he doesn’t trust her at the end of “No Place Like Home.” While the movie doesn’t directly explain why the Lion resents Elphaba, it’s likely he was influenced by the widespread negativity towards her, just like many other people in Oz. However, his intense fear is unexpected. While he needs to be the Cowardly Lion to stay true to The Wizard of Oz, it doesn’t make sense that growing up free in the Ozian forest would cause him to be afraid of everything.

As a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz story, I was really puzzled by something in “March of the Witch Hunters.” The Tin Man suggests the Cowardly Lion would be braver if Elphaba hadn’t intervened when he was young, but that just doesn’t make sense, even if you’re looking at it as a biased viewpoint. Remember, Elphaba and Fiyero literally set the Lion free to live his own life, and we never see them interact with him again. The movie implies he’s a coward because of her, but we have no idea what happened to him after that! It feels like a missed opportunity – “Wicked: For Good” could have explored his backstory and given us some insight into why he’s so afraid, but it leaves the Cowardly Lion’s personality a total blank. It’s frustrating because he’s such an iconic character, and we’re left wondering what made him the way he is.

1) The Grimmerie Opening for Glinda

The final scene of Wicked: For Good shows Glinda returning to the tower where Elphaba famously sang “Defying Gravity,” looking towards the west and remembering her friend. At that moment, the Grimmerie – a magical book – unexpectedly opens, suggesting Glinda may have developed magical abilities. While the scene is open to interpretation, it’s surprising the Grimmerie would open for Glinda, considering the established lore of Wicked. The Grimmerie only reveals itself to truly good people, which is why it opened for Elphaba but not for Madame Morrible. The ending of Wicked: For Good highlights that Glinda isn’t fully good yet; she’s simply chosen to start striving for goodness. Overthrowing the Wizard and Madame Morrible is only the beginning – true goodness requires continued effort to change Oz’s unfair systems and prejudiced people.

As a huge fan of Wicked, I was really puzzled by the ending of Wicked: For Good. It doesn’t seem like much time passes between Glinda saying she wants to be better and then… suddenly being proven good by the Grimmerie. Honestly, it felt like a contradiction! The movie tries to surprise you with this change, diverging from the stage show, but it just doesn’t work. We don’t see Glinda actually earn that goodness, so when the Grimmerie opens for her, it feels unearned and a bit cheap. It really undermines the bittersweet feeling the ending was aiming for, and as a longtime fan, it left me feeling disappointed.

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2025-12-22 20:15