WICKED: Part I
*CUT TO THE CHASE*NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jeremy
The film opens in the Land of Oz, where citizens have learned that the Wicked Witch of the West is dead. Everyone in Munchkinland celebrates (“No One Mourns The Wicked”) as Glinda The Good Witch (Ariana Grande) descends to greet everyone and confirm the evil witch is gone. Before Glinda leaves, a young girl asks if it’s true that Glinda and the Wicked Witch were once friends. Glinda starts to remember fondly.
The Witch, Elphaba (Karis Musongole), was the daughter of Governor Frexspar Thropp (Andy Nyman) and his wife Melena (Courtney-Mae Briggs), though she was conceived from an affair with another man. Frexspar shunned Elphaba after she was born with green skin, but she was raised lovingly by her nurse, Dulcibear (Sharon D. Clarke). As a child, Elphaba was protective of her younger sister, Nessarose (Cesily Colette Taylor), who was bound to a wheelchair and born before their mother passed. When some kids start to bully them, Elphaba’s anger causes rocks on the ground to rise up and strike the children. Frexspar comes out to scold Elphaba when Nessa starts crying.
Glinda’s story with Elphaba begins as they both began to attend the distinguished Shiz University (“Dear Old Shiz”) to learn and practice magic. Glinda (or “Galinda” here) quickly befriends Pfannee (Bowen Yang) and ShenShen (Bronwyn James), and finds an admirer in a Munchkin named Boq (Ethan Slater), while Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) arrives with Nessarose (Marissa Bode). Everybody quickly mocks Elphaba for her green skin, but she uses sarcasm to put up with it. Galinda makes a public display of trying to “help” Elphaba, but she tells Galinda off and rejects her offer.
The students are gathered as Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) addresses them to start the year. Miss Coddle (Keala Settle) starts to wheel Nessa away, despite her insistence that she can take care of herself. Elphaba tries to stop Miss Coddle, which causes her powers to go off and make several things and people in the area float, and one bench hits a plaque on the wall. Madame Morrible takes notice of Elphaba’s gifts and privately speaks with her. She wants to take Elphaba under her wing so that she may eventually meet and work with the legendary Wizard of Oz. Elphaba starts to feel, for the first time, that things are starting to look up for her (“The Wizard and I”).
To their dismay, Elphaba and Galinda are put in the same room, where they quickly start to hate each other (“What is This Feeling?”). They attend a class taught by a goat professor, Dr. Dillamond (Peter Dinklage). Galinda gives him a hard time for being unable to pronounce the “Gah” in her name, but Elphaba defends him. During the lesson, Dr. Dillamond finds that someone wrote “Animals should be seen and not heard” on the board, so he dismisses class early in despair. Elphaba stays behind to help him clean up after he spills something.
At night, Elphaba overhears Dr. Dillamond meeting with other animals, as they discuss how animals in Oz are being subjugated and losing their ability to speak. Dr. Dillamond spots Elphaba, and they express shared concerns (“Something Bad”). Elphaba believes that the Wizard can help fix things.
Elphaba later goes out into the woods, where she meets the handsome Prince Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey), also known as a “winkie”. While Fiyero is charming enough, Elphaba tries not to fall for it and comes off as defensive around him.
Soon, everyone at Shiz learns that Fiyero is starting to attend the school. Galinda sets her sights on making him her boyfriend, while she also tries to push Boq to talk to Nessarose so he can leave her alone. Fiyero organizes a dance at the Ozdust Ballroom, which turns into a big party (“Dancing Through Life”). Boq ends up dancing with Nessa after he sees Galinda kissing Fiyero. Elphaba enters wearing a pointy black hat that Galinda and her friends gave her as a mean joke. Elphaba starts to dance by herself while everyone else mocks her, putting up a front to hide her emotions, but Galinda and Fiyero can see through it. Galinda then starts to join Elphaba in the dance (“Ozdust Duet”), and they share an emotional embrace.
Elphaba and Galinda now consider themselves friends. Galinda learns that she has gotten a spot at Madame Morrible’s sorcery seminar as thanks for setting Boq up with Nessa. As thanks, Galinda gives Elphaba a makeover (“Popular”).
The next day, Dr. Dillamond announces that he is leaving Shiz since they are no longer allowing talking animals to work there. He is forcibly removed in distress before being replaced by the rotten Professor Nikidik (Colin Michael Carmichael). He starts his lesson by introducing a frightened lion cub inside a cage, something he considers a great new invention. Elphaba unwittingly produces a spell that puts everybody except Fiyero to sleep, and she joins Fiyero as they sneak the cub out of Shiz and take it into the woods for safety. The two appear to share a moment, but Elphaba doesn’t think Fiyero would ever see her the way he sees Galinda (“I’m Not That Girl”).
Days later, Madame Morrible tells Elphaba that the Wizard wants to meet her after hearing of how her talents have grown. Galinda prepares to bid Elphaba farewell, and also announces that, in honor of Dr. Dillamond, she will henceforth just be known as Glinda. The train starts to leave, but Elphaba gets Glinda to join her as they head towards the Emerald City. Meanwhile, Frexspar meets Boq and finds out about his relationship with Nessarose.
Upon arriving in the Emerald City, Elphaba and Glinda witness the citizens (with cameos from Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowith) putting on a “Wiz-o-Mania” show (“One Short Day”) to talk about how great the Wizard is. Elphaba and Glinda are then brought to meet the Wizard himself (Jeff Goldblum). He appears charismatic (“A Sentimental Man”) and asks Elphaba if she wishes for him to do something about her green skin, but she says she wants his help with the animals of Oz.
Madame Morrible joins the three and guides Elphaba to read from the Grimmerie, a powerful spellbook. As Elphaba reads an incantation, the monkey guard, Chistery, starts to painfully grow wings on his back. Elphaba then sees the same thing happening to all the other monkeys. The Wizard and Madame Morrible are delighted at this success, as they think the monkeys can make great spies across Oz. Elphaba quickly realizes that the Wizard is not only responsible for what is happening to the animals, but he is also a fraud who is incapable of performing magic. She knows they needed someone with actual magical gifts to unlock the Grimmerie’s powers.
Elphana and Glinda flee, with Madame Morrible sending the monkeys and other guards to go after them. They are chased through the tower and attempt to escape on a hot air balloon, but their path is blocked, and the balloon bursts after they escape. Madame Morrible soon announces to the entire city that Elphaba is now an enemy and a “wicked witch”. The two make it to the attic, where Glinda tries to convince Elphaba to make peace with the Wizard and Madame Morrible, but Elphaba refuses. She is set to make her escape and tries to get Glinda to join her (“Defying Gravity”), even getting a flying broom to go off. As the guards start to make their way up, Glinda ultimately chooses to stay behind but lets Elphaba go.
Elphaba crashes through a window with the broom, plummeting all the way down until she sees her own reflection of herself as a child. She reaches out and grabs the broom, then soars high back up into the sky. Her powers cause a power surge across Oz as she declares that the Wizard is never going to bring her down. Glinda can only look up in sadness while the rest of Oz now views Elphaba as a villain. She then flies off on her broom and disappears.
TO BE CONTINUED
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Elphaba Thropp was born with green skin and shunned by her father, Governor Frexspar Thropp, in favor of her younger paraplegic sister, Nessarose. The sister start attending Shiz University to learn and practice magic. Elphaba meets Galinda Upland, a snooty but popular aspiring witch. Elphaba displays strong magic skills, which earns her the attention of Madame Morrible. She believes that Elphaba's gifts can earn her good favors with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Prince Fiyero Tigelaar joins Shiz, starting a relationship with Galinda but showing some interest in Elphaba. After bonding at a dance, Elphaba and Galinda become friends. However, Elphaba is distressed to learn that the animals of Oz are in danger of being subjugated and losing their ability to speak. The school's goat professor, Dr. Dillamond, is forcibly removed from his position and replaced with one who is cruel towards animals. Elphaba hopes the Wizard can help.
The Wizard invites Elphaba to the Emerald City, and Galinda (who decides to drop the "Ga" and just go by Glinda) joins her, along with Madame Morrible. She and the Wizard have Elphaba read from a powerful spellbook called the Grimmerie. After she reads an incantation, it causes the Wizard's monkey guards to painfully grow wings. Elphaba realizes this was the Wizard and Madame Morrible's plans all along to create spies, and that they are responsible for what is happening to the animals. Also, since the Wizard is incapable of actual magic, they needed someone like Elphaba to make it work.
Elphaba and Glinda try to escape, but their attempt is thwarted, and Madame Morrible quickly declares to the people of Oz that Elphaba is a "wicked witch" and an enemy of the city. Elphaba gets her broom and tries to get Glinda to join her, but she stays behind and lets Elphaba escape. Elphaba causes a power surge and declares the Wizard cannot bring her down before she flies away to parts unknown.