The story of Wicked is a beautiful, complicated tale about love, regret, power, and friendship. If your only exposure comes from the Broadway stage, prepare to step through a far heavier door. In this episode Maia reconstructs Gregory Maguire’s novel in vivid detail, explaining how its plot veers into brutal territory such as the Philosophy Club and a very final fate for Fiyero. She traces the book’s birth to a spur-of-the-moment snorkeling trip in Hawai‘i, then follows its ideas through Matilda Gage’s feminism, the politics of Oz, and the moral knot at the center of Elphaba’s green skin. We untangle clashing timelines, hidden musical motifs, and Maguire’s unanswered riddles about good, evil, and forgiveness. By the closing credits you will hear the word “Unlimited” with new ears, you will view silver slippers as fraught icons, and you will understand why Wicked on the page is as heartbreaking as it is necessary. This week, we dig into the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West!
00:00:00 Catch-up
00:09:09 THAT Girl
00:22:40 GM background
00:51:03 Wizard of Oz Lore
01:04:40 Wicked Lore
01:24:43 Overview begins
01:40:06 Wicked: Gilikin
02:07:29 Wicked: CoE
02:13:06 Wicked: ItV
02:33:00 Wicked: TMA
03:06:16 Back to Gregory
03:10:54 Linking it all together
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