Wicked
Wickedonly covers the first half of the beloved Broadway production, and the film drops several hints about things that are going to happen in the second part.
TheWizard of Ozprequel has been one of 2024s most culturally significant films, with plenty of people rushing to the cinema for the first time in a while to see John M. Chus cinematic vision of this musical classic.
The story centers around Elphaba and Glinda, two witches who meet at Shiz University and, bythe end ofWicked, ultimately become the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch fromThe Wizard of Oz.
There are several ways thatWickedconnects toTheWizard of Oz, but the most obvious is through Elphabas transformation from a young, ambitious witch to the dangerous villain that everybody fears.
The story does a great job of explaining how this character came to reach this point, and there are plenty of twists in the second half that completely reframe the original story in fun and exciting ways.The green bottle of elixir plays a huge rolein this reframing of events, proving that not everything is as it seems.
Elphaba’s Green Elixir Bottle Is One Of The Only Things She Has From Her Mother
It’s A Symbol Of Her Love For Her Late Mother
The surface-level reason that Elphabas green elixir is so important to her narrative is that its the only thing she has that once belonged to her mother.
Custom Image by Dani Kessel Odom
The bottle is a constant reminder of the maternal figure that shes never had, asher mother died when giving birth to Elphabas sister, Nessarose.
This causes plenty of conflict between the two sisters, with deep-rooted blame and resentment growing between them over their absent mother.
The Wicked Witch of the East is an important character in the Wicked films, even if you don’t quite know who she is yet.
Custom Image by Dalton Norman
The dynamic between Elphaba and Nessarose later becomes a crucial plot threat inWickeds second part, with Nessarose blindly accepting her sisters crimes because of the subconscious resentment shes always held for her.
This sends her down a powerless spiral that leads toNessarose becoming known as the Wicked Witch of the East.The bottle of green elixir serves to ground Elphaba in her past, reminding her of her similarities to her mother and absolving her of the guilt she feels about her death.
Why Elphaba Keeps The Green Elixir Under Her Pillow
The Elixir Reminds Elphaba Where She Came From
ThroughoutWicked, its shown that Elphaba keeps her mothers green elixir under her pillow when sharing a room with Glinda.
Custom Image by Dalton Norman
The object is shown multiple times, hinting towards its increased importance in the second part, but the actual nature of the elixir is kept somewhat secret.
The only time its really mentioned explicitly is whenGlinda asks Elphaba about the object, to which she replies that it belonged to her mother and nothing more.
This proves that Elphaba is fairly sensitive about the elixir, as its her last remaining connection to her mother.
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
The trinket exists to prove that Elphabas mother has left a sizable absence in her life, which shes trying to replace by keeping it around.
The dynamic between Elphaba and her mother isnt explored in too much detail inWicked(the film mainly focuses on Elphabas father), but her keeping the elixir seems to suggest that their short-lived relationship was a happy and healthy one.
The trinket exists to prove that Elphabas mother has left a sizable absence in her life, which shes trying to replace by keeping it around.
On a more narrative-driven level, the elixir will later become important in understanding the truth behind Elphabas parentage and her social status.
The Green Elixir Bottle Is Still Key To Elphaba’s Future After Wicked
The Item Plays A Huge Role In Wicked: For Good
InWicked: For Good, the second half of the story, it will be revealed thatElphabas real father is actually the Wizard of Oz, who seduced her mother (potentially against her will) using the magical elixir.
The elixir plays a crucial role in this information coming to light, as its the only thing left at the scene of Elphabas death,allowing Glinda to procure it for herself and follow up on its origins.
This leads her directly back to the Wizard, where shes forced to reckon with his true personality and the complicity that shes displayed in his awful regime.
The plot twist about Elphabas real father is much more than a cheap trick: the information completely reframes both Elphaba and Glindas characters, giving their actions throughout the story much more weight.
By rejecting the Wizards proposal at the end ofWicked, Elphaba is shedding her generational shame and breaking free of the constraints (and family) that have been placed upon her.
Meanwhile, the revelation at the end of part two forces Glinda to confess that shes been working for a monster to boost her own social status.
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Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz.
As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
