Discover how a scene from the first part of ‘Wicked’ may have explained one of the biggest mysteries seen in ‘The Wizard of Oz’
Those who have already watched “The Wizard of Oz” might notice that, in the scene in which the Wicked Witch of the West casts a spell on the poppy field where Dorothy and her friends pass, only two characters are not affected: the Man de Lata and the Scarecrow, as the others end up falling into a deep sleep.
Although in the 1939 feature film the explanation for why the magic did not affect them could be due to the nature of the two, as they are the only ones who are not humans or animals, since the spell could only affect those whose forms are seen as living beings, with the arrival of “Wicked” a new interpretation emerged to explain this enormous mystery.
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Prequel to “The Wizard of Oz”, “Wicked” came about through a book written by Gregory Maguire published in 1995 — which was adapted into a Broadway musical released in 2003, and now appears as a feature film, the first part of which was released in theaters on November 21, 2024.
In the plot, Glinda’s past is revealed (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), characters who would later become remembered, respectively, as the Good Witch of the North and the Wicked Witch of the West, presented in the classic “The Wizard of Oz”, in addition to revealing the true identities of the Scarecrow, who needs a brain, the Tin Man without a heart and the Cowardly Lion who wants courage who end up accompanying Dorothy in the future on a visit to the Wizard of Oz.
Thus, one of the scenes in “Wicked” may suggest why one of the characters in this trio did not suffer from the witch’s spell during the trip.
Affected by feelings
It turns out that the Scarecrow is actually Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey), Elphaba’s main love interest.
In the adaptation, Elphaba studies at Shiz University, where anthropomorphic teachers are being replaced, in an attempt to silence them and return them to the wild. Seeing the situation, the witch decides to do something about it, and the trigger occurs when a new teacher brings a lion cub in a cage to the room in order to explain the dark plan.
As a result, Elphaba rages and hits the table hard, casting an accidental spell in which several poppies float through the air, releasing pollen that puts everyone in the room to sleep — with the exception of Fiyero, who, in addition to remaining awake, helps the witch to release it into the room. forest the lion that would later become known as the Cowardly Lion.
With this, the theory arises that the spell did not work on Fiyero in both “Wicked” and “The Wizard of Oz” due to the feelings that Elphaba has towards him. This is because Fiyero respects and admires Elphaba like almost no one else does in Shiz — reciprocal feelings on the witch’s part —, just as he also demonstrates that he could help her in the mission she embarks on to put an end to the new policy against anthropomorphic beings in Oz. .
Despite making sense, the theory still does not explain how the Tin Man could also remain immune to the spell in “The Wizard of Oz”, after all, he and Elphaba never had a similar relationship.
Why wasn’t the Scarecrow affected by Elphaba’s spell?
In ‘Wicked’, the explanation given is that the Scarecrow is actually Fiyero Tigelaar, the love interest of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba. Due to Elphaba’s feelings for Fiyero, the spell does not affect him.
Who plays Glinda and Elphaba in ‘Wicked’?
Glinda is played by Ariana Grande and Elphaba is played by Cynthia Erivo in ‘Wicked’.
What is the relationship between Fiyero and Elphaba in ‘Wicked’?
Fiyero is Elphaba’s love interest in ‘Wicked’, and the mutual feelings between them may explain why he was unaffected by the Wicked Witch of the West’s spell, as Elphaba respects and admires Fiyero, and he shows a willingness to help her. .
Source: Recreio
