10 Things About ‘Wicked: For Good’ That Make Absolutely No Sense

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Please be aware that this article contains spoilers for the movie Wicked: For Good. While Wicked: For Good is expected to be a hugely successful movie musical, it has some confusing plot points. This sequel to Jon M. Chu’s 2024 film Wicked: Part One picks up after Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) escapes the Emerald City on her broomstick and is labeled the Wicked Witch of the West by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). The story supposedly takes place a year after the first movie, though this isn’t entirely clear. We see Glinda (Ariana Grande) now working as a spokesperson for The Wizard of Oz, which has made her even more beloved by the people of Oz. Elphaba, meanwhile, is living in a treehouse in the woods, and rumors spread that she can be killed by water.

Despite the characters facing their own difficulties, the biggest issues lie with the movie For Good itself – which is disappointing considering it was adapted into two films to ensure the story of Wicked was told completely. You’d expect director Chu to have had ample time to resolve all plot points and answer lingering questions, especially after establishing such a detailed and impressive world in Part One.

Unfortunately, the second half of the movie (or Act II of the musical) doesn’t quite work as well, leading to several confusing scenes and unanswered questions. Some of these issues contradict the story established in ‘For Good,’ while others leave fans who have followed ‘Wicked’ since its 2003 Broadway debut feeling unsatisfied. While many still feel the film is successful overall, ‘Wicked: For Good’ could have been even better if these problems had been addressed.

10
The Frozen Confetti (and Unfrozen Morrible) in ‘I Couldn’t Be Happier’


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In the song “I Couldn’t Be Happier” from Wicked, there’s a beautiful moment where everything seems to pause as Glinda reflects on her feelings. It’s the first time she truly considers the impact of her lies about Elphaba. However, it’s odd that Madame Morrible continues moving around normally in the background, as if time hasn’t stopped for her at all.

Did the filmmakers simply miss an opportunity, or is there a reason Glinda never truly connects with the audience alone? This confusing scene distracts viewers from what’s important – understanding Glinda’s thoughts – and, happening early on, it makes the beginning of the movie feel less strong than the start of the previous film.

9
How Do Animals Lose Their Ability To Speak?


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In Wicked: Part One, we find out from Elphaba’s teacher, Dr. Dillamond, that animals throughout Oz are mysteriously losing their ability to speak. Dr. Dillamond, a goat himself, struggles to speak during the song “Something Bad,” hinting that his voice is failing. This raises a key question: what’s causing this problem in Oz? Why are animals losing their voices, and how is it happening, especially considering the Wizard isn’t actually magical (as the story later reveals)? While the story shows the Wizard actively mistreating and excluding animals, the movie For Good spends over two hours without ever explaining how their voices disappear.

In the movie Wicked, Elphaba meets Dulcibear, her old nurse, near the animals’ secret exit from Oz, and Dulcibear can still talk. However, Dr. Dillamond, who is also caged, can’t speak. Despite over five hours of screen time across both films, the story never explains why some animals have the ability to talk and others don’t. Even when Dr. Dillamond returns to Shiz at the end of For Good, the audience doesn’t learn if he can speak again. This lack of explanation creates unnecessary confusion and weakens the overall story.

8
Nessa Becomes Evil in 10 Minutes and Then Dies


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Okay, let’s talk about Nessarose in ‘For Good.’ She’s always been a complicated character in ‘Wicked,’ but this sequel really doesn’t do her any favors. We meet her as the new Governor of Munchkinland after her dad’s death, and honestly, the movie kind of rushes her descent into villainy. Instead of showing us how she becomes this controlling figure, it just…tells us. We get one quick scene where she tries to manipulate Boq because he wants to move on, and that’s it. It feels incredibly short-sighted, especially considering how important her character is. They had a chance to really explore her motivations, but it just feels…skipped over.

The next time we see Nessa, she completely loses control and unexpectedly starts reading from Elphaba’s spellbook – even though she’s never shown any magical talent. This causes her to shrink Boq’s heart, forcing Elphaba to intervene and save him. When Boq is devastated by his changed appearance and failing heart, Nessa blames Elphaba and proclaims herself the Wicked Witch of the East.

Just ten minutes after that, while Madame Morrible performs her tornado dance, Nessa is seen walking through Oz calling out Boq’s name, as if it were a normal day. Around her, people are frantically preparing for the dangerous tornado. This makes the audience think Nessa cares more about Boq than her own safety, and moments later, Dorothy’s house crushes her, resulting in her death.

The storyline where Nessa’s self-centeredness and drive lead to her downfall feels rushed and unbelievable. If the movie (and the original Broadway show) had spent more time explaining why Nessa becomes so villainous, it would have been much more effective. As it stands, her transformation feels sudden and confusing, leaving audiences questioning her motivations and wondering if key details were left out.

7
Toto Looks Nothing Like the Dog From ‘The Wizard of Oz’


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As a lifelong movie fan, I went into Wicked: For Good expecting a few visual updates – and honestly, that’s totally fine! They’ve made some clever choices, like the Cowardly Lion walking on all fours, and even updated Nessa’s slippers to silver, staying true to the original Wizard of Oz book. But one change really threw me. Toto! In the 1939 film, everyone remembers Toto as a little black Cairn Terrier, and he’s iconic that way. So, imagine my surprise when the Toto in For Good is a completely different breed – a brown Border Terrier! It just feels…off, you know?

The movie leaves several questions unanswered, which becomes increasingly frustrating. Some viewers found it strange that Toto was on a leash, while others thought it was a smart way to create instant conflict between Elphaba and Dorothy. Although Toto’s change isn’t a major issue on its own, the film’s lack of explanation makes it feel less connected to the original story, and adds to the confusion for viewers who are familiar with The Wizard of Oz. This reliance on prior knowledge becomes more noticeable as the plot unfolds.

6
Fiyero Hatches a Banger Plan… With No Brain?


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Fans of The Wizard of Oz have always believed the Scarecrow lacks intelligence. However, the musical Wicked subtly hints that Fiyero will eventually become him. From the moment he arrives at Shiz University, he expresses this idea in song, famously singing, “Life’s more painless for the brainless / Why think too hard when it’s so soothing dancing through life?” Later, during a duet with Elphaba in the song For Good, he continues this theme, singing, “Maybe I’m brainless, maybe I’m wise / But you’ve got me seeing through different eyes.”

The movie includes hints suggesting Fiyero from Wicked is as naive as the traveling performer Dorothy encounters in Oz. However, by the second film’s conclusion, he surprisingly orchestrates one of the most well-known and shocking finales in musical theater. This creates a puzzling contradiction.

Okay, as a huge fan of Wicked, I’ve always thought the same thing: Fiyero is seriously underestimated! When Elphaba accidentally turns him into the Scarecrow, he’s not just going along for the ride. He actively teams up with Dorothy, goes back to Emerald City, and remembers Elphaba – which is huge! He then comes up with this incredibly elaborate plan to fake her death, sends her a message through Chistery to a place he actually remembers – his family’s castle! He even convinces Dorothy that water will ‘melt’ Elphaba, and then heads straight to Kiamo Ko, knowing exactly where she is because he told her to hide there in the first place. It’s a brilliant, complex scheme, and honestly, it proves he’s the smartest one in the whole story.

This wasn’t a case of Fiyero losing part of his brain; he always had it and deliberately misled Dorothy as part of a larger scheme. This important detail isn’t explained in the song ‘For Good,’ which leaves audiences wondering how someone supposedly made of straw and without a brain could possibly be the hero.

5
How Long Can Tornado Whisperer Madame Morrible Possibly Stay Imprisoned?


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Madame Morrible isn’t just powerful – she actively causes Dorothy’s house to be carried by a tornado to Oz, tragically killing Nessarose. She demonstrates control over others throughout the story, like when she dismisses the Ozian guards with a simple gesture during “Defying Gravity.” And in “For Good,” she even twists Elphaba’s message in the clouds from “OUR WIZARD LIES” to “OZ DIES.” Given that she’s a ruthless sorceress willing to do anything to achieve her goals, it’s surprising she willingly allows herself to be arrested at the end of the story.

It was pretty shocking to see Glinda come back after everything with Elphaba and declare that Morrible was going to prison. Even though Glinda hadn’t really shown any magical ability herself – she seemed just like a normal person to me – Morrible was absolutely terrified. Glinda didn’t have much power beyond her popularity, but she did have those flying monkeys, and they quickly grabbed Morrible and took her off to jail. It was a dramatic moment, to say the least!

Madame Morrible still has magical powers, which raises a lot of questions. Why doesn’t she just use them to get rid of Glinda, and how can they be sure she’ll stay contained if the monkeys aren’t watching her constantly? It doesn’t seem like she’ll be stopped for long, making this a particularly strange and worrying situation in both the movie and the play.

4
The Wizard Leaves Oz Way Too Easily — And Elphaba Never Finds Out He’s Her Dad


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This plot point feels like a missed opportunity, as it weakens a potentially more dramatic storyline for The Wizard of Oz. Glinda figures out that the Wizard is actually Elphaba’s father—they share the same unique green bottle. However, Elphaba never finds out this crucial information, meaning she doesn’t learn the origin of her powers or her green skin. She remains unaware that she’s the child of both the human world and Oz.

It’s not just that Glinda banishes the Wizard; he simply leaves in a hot-air balloon without saying goodbye! Considering he lives in a palace, has been in power for ages, and is supposedly all-powerful, it’s strange he doesn’t put up a fight. While it makes sense he’d run after Glinda threatens to reveal his connection to the Wicked Witch, why doesn’t he ask Madame Morrible, a powerful sorceress and his friend, for help? He just vanishes, leaving the people of Oz completely in the dark. This sudden exit echoes the ending of The Wizard of Oz, but Wicked leaves audiences puzzled: how could a man enjoying such a luxurious life abandon it all so easily?

3
Does Dorothy Get Home, Or…?


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Okay, so I just finished watching For Good, and honestly, I’m a little confused! We see so much of Dorothy with her braids and that cute dress throughout the whole thing, but it never actually shows her getting back to Kansas. I mean, everything else from The Wizard of Oz seems to line up, so I’m assuming she does, but the last time we see her, she’s yelling after the Wizard, totally unsure how to get home now that she’s done what he asked. It’s a funny ending, sure, but it feels weird that For Good made sure we knew the Wicked Witch got back to Aunt Em’s farm okay, but not Dorothy! It just feels like a little detail they could have easily tied up.

If Glinda told Dorothy about clicking her heels to return home, it raises a question about the ruby slippers themselves. They were originally enchanted by Elphaba to allow Nessarose to fly, so does Dorothy fly in the same way? Also, how would Glinda know the slippers were enchanted if she didn’t witness Elphaba’s spell? Ultimately, Dorothy’s journey home remains a mystery, and this lack of a clear resolution contributes to the somewhat ambiguous ending of For Good. It’s not a major plot hole, but it does leave things a little unclear.

2
What Happens to Boq, Pfannee, and Shenshen?


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The supporting characters in Wicked are well-developed throughout the movies, which makes it surprising that For Good doesn’t show what happens to them after the Wicked Witch is presumed dead. Boq, in particular, goes through a significant and difficult transformation, especially after Elphaba’s spell. While the stage musical also doesn’t reveal his fate, after seeing his entire journey – from arriving at Shiz to his unwanted pursuit of Nessa – viewers might expect to know what happens to him next.

Bowen Yang as Pfannee and Bronwyn James as Shenshen provided some of the funniest moments in Wicked: Part One. While not central to the main plot like Elphaba and Glinda, the film leaves you curious about what happens to them. Do they learn from their mistakes and change for the better, or do they stay unkind? They seem upset by the witch hunt targeting Elphaba, but the director’s choice to not have them help Glinda escape – something originally planned – feels like a missed opportunity to develop their characters and please fans.

1
Glinda Believes That Elphaba Can Be Melted by Water


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One of the most puzzling parts of the musical Wicked is Glinda’s sincere belief that water – a simple combination of hydrogen and oxygen – could actually harm her incredibly powerful friend. It’s surprising because Glinda isn’t portrayed as unintelligent. While she starts out as self-centered and focused on popularity in the first part of the show, she’s also remarkably skilled at getting people to do what she wants.

Glinda immediately charms Fiyero when he arrives at Shiz University, subtly encourages Boq to fall for Nessa instead of her, and carefully crafts a perfect public persona that deceives everyone around her, from her classmates to the people of Oz. Because she’s so calculating and aware, it seems illogical that she would genuinely think water could harm someone – even a green-skinned person.

I’ve been thinking about why Glinda reacts the way she does in that scene, and honestly, the musical doesn’t really explain it! One idea is that Glinda’s still human at this point, so she genuinely believes Elphaba is gone, just like everyone else in Oz. But another thought I had is that she knows water won’t hurt Elphaba, and she’s actually grieving the fact that she can’t be with her friend, even though Elphaba is still out there somewhere. It’s a really interesting moment, and leaves a lot open to interpretation.

Even though Dorothy takes action, Glinda is shown crying, making viewers think she’s come to terms with Elphaba’s death. It’s strange that someone who later rules Oz wouldn’t recognize a risky plan, but she has been somewhat sheltered from reality.

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2025-12-05 23:09