Fiyero isn’t white in the novel his character faces racism, Galinda even tells Elphaba she will not date him because he is too dark, his skin color is described as the color of feces by Boq and his skin is described as ochre
Didn't he also have like diamonds or something on him and one may have rubbed off on her while they were together? I read that book like 20 years ago and it's one of the few little bits that I can remember from it.
Everybody says They wouldn’t want to have the color of shit you n the book & I remember cuz I was like WOAH a colored love interest with diamonds in his skin? He must’ve been BEAUITFUL.
41:25 in the book it actually is implied that the wizard finds out that Elphaba is his child because Dorothy brings him the bottle of green elixir as proof that she killed Elphaba and then the Wizard is all spooked and leaves Oz in his hot air balloon!
I remember reading the Wicked movie is going to include more aspects of the book. Remembering how dark this book is, I have NOOO idea how that's going to look.
I’m just hoping there will be some fleshing out of Melena’s character since all she does in the musical is dance with the wizard, and then give birth. I’d be down for a little flashback moment of her with little Elphie, maybe when she gives her the green bottle.
@@AverageAmbitions as a Judy Garland wizard of Oz fan and Fauriza Balk fan of return of Oz fan Hearing the backstory to all the characters was a pretty good watch You actually made me a bigger fan of the whole genre😊
one of my favorite adaptation details from the wicked book to stage show is the time dragon clock, which they based the set design off. given that the clock is this weird eldritch storytelling object in the books, it almost makes the musical meta take a weird turn. like somehow the clock is telling a story of the better timeline.
As someone who is INSANE about both the book and the musical (i love them both very much despite their metric ton of bullshit and weird writing) this video was tailored to my tastes in an uncanny way I cannot describe
I read the book about a decade ago. I HATED it, but I was interested in the musical and trying to understand the story. I figured it out wasn't even close, and I wished I could scrub out my brain!
The book is so metaphorically beautiful and so awe-inspiring not too mention it just adds a very artistic spice of realism to the Wizard of Oz franchise. The Queer Subtexts are just chef’s KISS😭
I actually think the musical lines up beautifully with the 1939 movie. Would Boq actually want to be truthful about how he got to be that way? Or does it kind of sound like the witch saved his life after a woman he led on for a VERY long time got revenge? Or would he be like "tin? What ti--oh, my tin body? Oh, that? It's quite tragic actually, the guy totally just forgot it. Anyway let's walk"
My Wicked hyper fixation just came back after seeing the trailer, and oh my god your delivery and plot summary of both the musical and book with your deadpan stare was hilarious 😭😭😭Not to mention having never read the book, the Barbie doll reenactments were just the cherry on top of an already chaotic video 💀
As someone who’s read the entire series and loved it, and now onto the sequel series “Maracoor” - the first two books are extremely dark, I would even say “Son of a Witch” is worse in that respect. The books themselves are actually quite good, however Maguire does write in riddles and leaves many things open to interpretation. Ultimately, if you expect a straightforward and perfectly crafted storyline you won’t get it in these books. The author is fascinated by the irregularities of life, acknowledging that pretty f*cked up things happen constantly with little to no rhyme or reason. There is a realism in that which I appreciate when reading - but I do see how people can’t get past the darkness of it, especially since fictional reading tends to be an escapist activity for such dark events in the real world.
@@ariestess Yes! There’s a sequel trilogy that centres on Rain, Elphaba’s granddaughter. It begins with “The Brides of Maracoor”, then “The Oracle of Maracoor” and the third was recently published titled “The Witch of Maracoor”. I’m on Oracle currently and I think they’re great so far ❤️🔥
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Yes, to all of this. I adored the not-straightforwardness and the realism. It felt like an actual dirty and gritty place, not a glossy CGI fantasyland. I felt like I was THERE. And I felt the burning sun on my skin and the blowing dust in my teeth.
The characters and their arcs in the musical are so watered down you can barely recognize them, and completely ruins all the characters. Fiyero isn't even Fiyero anymore, they ruined him and made him Avaric instead. Boq and Fiyero being the Tinman and the Scarecrow not only spits on the book the musical is based on, it spits on the original story as well.
The characters seem more connected because the musical pulls more from the Wizard of Oz film whereas the book pulls from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz book. For instance, Boq was already a character in the original WOO book, so that’s who he is in the Wicked book. Boq wasn’t in the film, so they used him to fill the Tin Woodsman spot. Both connect things, but their source materials are different.
@@Legacysong2012 it definitrly did not connect to the origunal book considering this is suppose to be sequel, boq was still human when Dorothy started her journey. The book origin of the tinman is closer to the original.
Actually read the book before it became a musical. You know how they took classic old fairy tales with 😊sad / dark themes and made them into Disney movies? Feel like that's pretty much what happened. It was probably for the best, though. Lol
I did as well and just showed up for the musical like let's see how they turned THAT into a musical! Pretty much by very loosely adapting it. I was kind of disappointed only because I wanted musical darkness but instead I got fun.
Same, read the book first and loved it, it’s such a bespoke and surreal experience, but I ended up loving the musical as its own thing. I think it helped that I heard the soundtrack in isolation from any visuals first, fell into obsession with the music, and that carried me over to the show. While I think the book is far superior in terms of the writing and the worldbuilding and atmosphere, I do understand why people who saw the show first and got a giddy sparkly idea of what the story was could be shocked and offput by the book. But for me the draw of this tale, both on stage and on page, was always its devilish details, thoroughly macabre and full of high strangeness. It’s what I would consider a truly adult novel, not because it is vulgar, but because it is mature enough to be vulgar with taste, art, wit, style, truth, and social commentary. Positively delicious.
I’ve tried to read the book several times and it was like trying to read an old English lit novel from the 18th century. Maguire’s writing style is archaic and to write such disturbing things is quite concerning. The book was so bizarre that I kept thinking I was missing something or reading it wrong. So thank you for this summary! I’ve seen the musical in the West End and I really enjoyed it. The score is amazing. I love live theatre, and I like spooky, witchy things. But someone needs to check Maguire’s sanity, because…oof!
I’m a nerd for old literature. I grew up reading very old, archaic, medieval translation of the bible. I like to read the original, broken translations of writings from Homer and Hesiod and other old philosophers, just because I’m into Greek myth and want to see if there’s anything a translation might not be able to capture. Old horrors like Dracula and anything by Henry James can be difficult but I still love them. I can read very heavy, old-world stories that like to use a thousand world where a hundred would suffice. Trying to read this book was one of the most maddening fucking things I’ve ever experienced and I’m afraid that darker or more serious plot beats were usually lost on me unless I read a passage two or three times because I just ended up losing patience 😅
I read the book three times throughout my life. I think it’s very good but definitely confusing at times. At the same time, I don’t think questioning the authors sanity is appropriate. You can simply not understand something without it being the source materials problem…..for example, I wouldn’t understand a book about quantum physics, but I also wouldn’t discredit the entire thing because of that…..
Thank you for putting everything I felt reading this book at 15 years old into words. I was so excited at the time (2015) because I already knew the musical, and it would come to the country where I live (Brazil). So my mom bought me the book, and well, I couldn't finish it. It was one of the most tiring stories I've ever read in my entire life (up until that moment). The musical is so incredible and so well written, it doesn't even seem like it came out of such an old-fashioned book.
Also in the musical: Dorothy does not try to kill Elphaba. She also wants to take the shoes off cause her socks are sweaty as hell and she’s got blisters. Elphaba accidentally catches fire and Dorothy throws a bucket of water onto her, which causes her to die from anaphylaxis. And nobody knows what happens to Dorothy afterwards. Also Elphaba’s son keeps awkwardly flirting with her and it’s slightly cute.
38:45 it was actually inplied in the book that she didn't die. At least, not permanently. That's what the last lines meant: "Did she ever come out?" "Not YET."
@@WonderlandWanderer404 hahaha yeah. It was left ambiguous for the first two books. The last book also had plenty of references to the musical, funnily enough.
@@geosustento8894I reread the series at the beginning of the year, and I definitely noticed that with the last book. There’s a point where Rain says “Don’t wish. Don’t start. Wishing only…” I feel like Maguire was on some level writing the final book for the musical fans.
@@geosustento8894 I believe it's implied Rain (her granddaughter) is Elphaba reincarnated? haven't read the last two books in the series but believe I've seen this somewhere.
@CielRoiEntertainment no, she's just a spitting image of her grandmother. In the last book of the series, we see Rain fly out of Oz (hence the title) and someone visiting Glinda in her palace who was implied to be Elphaba
So Wicked is only the first book in a set of 4 (plus spin-offs), and reading all 4 sheds so much more light on Elphaba and the world of Oz. Yes, some parts are drawn out and boring, but the last book is soooo good and ties all of those extra details together beautifully! I read them in high school/college. There are documentary videos of them talking about how they evolved the story from just Elphabas triumph over trauma into a tale of two unlikely friends for the musical.
THANK YOU, I have literally been wanting someone to talk about this!! I read Wicked when I was in like Jr. High and ooooh boy, my young and feeble mind was NOT ready to intake all of *that* stuff. I was forever changed 💀💀
I have been waiting for a video walk through for this book for ages. I made two attempts at reading this book, once when i was maybe 9 or 10 and WAY too young to be reading it. (It was a gift that i asked for because i was obsessed with the musical at the time and apparently all the adults around me assumed it was a Wizard of Oz book). It didnt have any idea what was going on so it didnt leave much of an impression on me and i didnt finish it. Ended up shelving it for a long time til i was an adult, then I did finish it and STILL had very little grasp on what was going on. The guy writes in insane cryptic riddles which make the plot impossible to follow. I know i read Son of a Witch too and i cannot remember a single thing about that book. Its crazy how they were able to extract the musical out of whatever the hell was going on in those pages.
I read the first book my freshman year of high school on a reading assignment for my advanced english class (we had to read something but not specifically this book. I had just seen the musical for the first time and decided to read) and boooy was this one of those books I was probably too young to read. This has happened a few times over the years with reading ahead of my maturity level and I sometimes wonder how much damage it inflicted on my subconscious lol
bruh I read it in 5th grade because I loved the musical and thought the cover looked pretty WHEN I TELL YOU I WAS TRAUMATIZED 😭 still recovering. there are definitely aspects of the book I could appreciate even at that age but omfg it was so graphic in every respect. I even brought it to show-and-tell and my 5th grade teacher was like YOU SHOULD NOT BE READING THAT 😅
I read it at 19 and I also think I was too young to read it since I had a very protected life and was too naive and innocent then, so much that I kinda blocked what I read and didn't remember any of what is being presented here 😂, I jus remember that elphaba was born with a tail and sharp teeth so they put a muzzle on her I also think she was a hermaphrodite and although I don't remember specifics I'm pretty sure she commits acts of terrorism in the name of the Animals. Gonna have to red it again to see if I can handle it better now 😅
@@Valeriamtzpdo you remember about the hermaphodite thing? I think Lindsey Ellis mentions this in a podcast but can’t remember when the book talked about it
I read the book when i was about 13 and I remember it changed so much for me. The parts of the book I remember first when I think of it are Elphaba's acts of borderline terrorism and Elphaba finding out the Wizard was her father through the puppet show. I went to see the musical with my school a year later and I genuinely got angry at points with how much they changed it from the books. In retrospect, obviously they couldn't have kept the majority of the darker material due to trying to market to wider audiences. Even now, I'm still a little upset that they changed Fierro's ending so much. For me, it illustrated how dangerous the actions Elphaba was taking were and also showed how completely fucked the society was in regards to Animals. Like, the Wizard sent Dorothy after Elphaba because she was acting against his policies and so that he could continue reinforcing his propoganda. Really blew my little mind wide open.
I remember getting the book for like, my 16th birthday and I was…. Very, VERY much a virgin. My friend Cora was like “you’ll love this book it’s so intriguing!” And I love fantasy so I was like hell yes! …wait what is this? Wait what are they doing? Wait…. Yea it took me a very long time to get through but she kept asking if I’d finished so I felt like I had to and then I was like umm…. Not my bag of tea. Please don’t buy me books anymore. X.X
I love the Gregory Maguire books, and by the time I saw Wicked, the musical, I had read the book several times and I was actually wondering how in the Name of Ozma this was adapted for stage! Sadly, I was pretty disappointed in the show. I mean, I enjoyed parts of it, but it was not at all the same story with many of the layers and themes stripped. I remember one passage in the novel when Elphaba sings to her friends in a bar, and they are completely blown away by the sound and soul of her. I couldn't wait to see that moment on stage, and it never came. Compared to the novel, the show, in my singular opinion that will probably be derided, left much to be desired. But I'm an avid theatre lover, and I have to give credit for a spectacular show. I've been waiting for someone to make a video like this, thank you!
Kudos to you for presenting an opinion that most people will probably disagree with. I didn’t care for the book but every novel has an audience somewhere! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah. Maguire's novel is this dark, absurdly realistic story that draws from children's literature where the villains at the end are hammered inside a barrel with too many nails and rolled down a hill into the river. The part that kept me entertained was the whiplash of intricate world building and then suddenly my jaw is on the floor when it's an interspecies orgy ... I can appreciate how the musical took Macguire's really good sitcom pitch idea that the witches were college roommates and runs in a dark fantasy musical comedy direction with it. It explores that the definition of _wicked_ can vary with perspective, and how a children's story might twist the truth by simplifying something much more nuanced. And it tells a story about powerful women who can be friends while disagreeing _without_ describing Fiyero shitting in a bowl before he's beaten to death.
I like the book and the musical for very different reasons. I completely understand why a lot of people don’t like the book, but I also think a lot of them simply don’t understand the book. I can also understand why book fans don’t like the musical. I’m excited for the theatrical adaptation based on the musical. However, there used to be a rumor that the book was being adapted as a miniseries and I still hope that happens someday. Long story short, you can like one or the other or both, and be respectful about it. Thank you for sharing your option respectfully without discrediting anyone, or what they enjoy!
I remember when I was about thirteen I was this innocent little thing who loved the musical, and also being a book nerd attempted to read to the book. RIP
A co worker was reading the book and gave it to me when she finished. I was enthralled and could not put it down. It definitely was not the Musical. Elphaba could not even bathe she had to wash using BATHING OIL The story is very disturbing and poor Chistery Nikko having wings sewn on him by Elphaba. Crazy thing is there are 2 more books.
I HIGHLY recommend you check out The Emerald City-it was a show on NBC that only lasted one season, but it is such an interesting take on Oz. I love it, but I don’t know if I could call it ‘good.’ It works well for me, but it is like Game of Thrones for WOZ. Crazy stuff. God, I wish they made a second season. The lion is just a guy in a suit of armor with a lion’s head sewn on. The scarecrow is just a guy with amnesia. The tin man… is actually pretty on point..
I read this book when I was roughly 12 because my mom would not let me see the musical because she did not think it was appropriate for me. Little did she know....
UGH girl this video is so well done, i was hoping i could go binge all your videos but you don't have any!!! please do more musical deep dives & content! loved this.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video, thank you!! You’re so entertaining. ☺️ (I was a Wizard of Oz child, a Wicked book/musical teenager, and now a Wicked musical-tragic adult. But the best property of them all was the Wizard of Oz on Ice, where Bobby McFerrin voiced every single character. It’s chaotic, it’s campy, it’s absolutely insane and I LOVE IT. Oh, and Oksana Baiul played Dorothy in this bizarre fever dream mess on ice. It’s amazing, watch it on CZcams, and someone posted the full soundtrack on CZcams recently too, it’s SO GOOD!)
I find it fascinating how many layers the film is on. It's a movie, based on a musical, which is based on a book, which is based on a different book widely popularized by its film adaptation. Anyway, I will only see the Wicked movie if The Dark Side of the Moon is synced to it.
Fun fact: Melena is the medical term for the black tarry stool you get when a patient has gastrointestinal bleeding. (I work in a hospital lab) I bet that’s not by accident.
The thing that always bothered me about the book is how the Wizard is Elphaba’s father, but he doesn’t come to Oz until she is 2. When she says her first word, “Horrors,” is when his balloon lands. 🤔
Okay, coming back to this comment after thinking about it for a little bit… If I remember correctly, the Wizard did not assume power directly after arriving in Oz. He was an itinerant snake oil salesman a la Pirelli from Sweeney Todd for some time before he overthrew the Ozma Regent, which would’ve been around the time Elphaba was a toddler.
@@goodmanticore Could have been a vision of the past? It is Maguire after all, as someone else in the comments said the man does have a tendency to write in riddles
Your content is just so so high quality and entertaining that I cannot believe you don’t have hundreds of thousands of subs. I cant wait to see you blow up bc this video was amazing. I’m obsessed with this. I need to see what you do next 😭
Jesus, I read the book in 2015 but I don't remember any of this, I certainly remember it was obscure and aimed at adults, but not 80% of what you explained. I do however remember the fact that Elphaba was born with a tail and horrible sharp teeth and she used to bite people so they put a muzzle on her as a baby it kinda broke my heart howmuch her family hated her, and also it was very clear to 19yo me that she also practiced acts of terrorism while defending the Animals after Shiz
I read to my kids before bed up until they got into middle school. After getting through "The Wizard of Oz", I found out about the prequel and figured that it could be the next story. I am so glad that I decided to read it before reading it to them because good gawd, I didn't expect so many affairs and a saucy puppet show! It was indeed a crazy story.
I will say, that part where the Wizard steals the emerald throne from the child queen and gives her over to a witch who turns her into a boy is actual lore from the original Oz series 😂 👀 its the plot twist at the end of the sequel book to The Wizard of Oz. And I will say, its not a bad read if you can laugh at how unhinged and self-aware it is 😂 lets just say, the chaotic tone of Wicked isnt too far removed the orignal series
I read this book too, it was okay? There was a period in Elphaba’s life where I had to reread a few times because it was when she was drugged or depressed or something and the story made a so sense. I also read Mirror Mirror, which was okay, and Confessions of an a ugly Stepsister, which I found to be Maguire’s best book. His writing style isn’t for me. I also LOVE the original wizard of Oz, I find it to be a great fairytale!
Hi! I'm a Wizard of Oz book fan and will just be pointing out random things cause WHY NOT! this brings be joy because I like to flex how I hyper fixated on The Wizard Oz books for many years XD SO LETS GO! 1 Just a stupid fun fact I love lmao) If I remember correctly. In the Musical Elphaba is the daughter of the queen and king of the munchkins? If I am correct that means that Ojo the nephew of the king of the munchkins is Elphaba's cousin in Wicked's canon. Which is hilarious to me because Ojo is just the sweetest boy like the cries the whole book cause his uncle was turned into marble while he has to deal with a narcissistic glass cat, basically OG Pinkie Pie but as a girl made of patchwork and The Woozy which basically is just a minecraft dog (he's a square animal) at least until The Glass Cat and The Woozy are swapped out for Scarecrow and Dorothy! 2 Unknown god) The creator of Oz is a fairy named Lurline who is the ancestor of the emerald city's royalty. basically, she is their god because she made Oz a fairy country. MOMENTARY PAUSE FOR ME TO JUST CONFUSED ON THAT ELPHABA'S FAMILY GOOD LORD 3 GAlinda) Idk why she's stupid in Wicked lol. just wanted to comment on it. 4 goat) there is a talking goat in oz (basically all animals can talk though lol) and his name is Billbill and he is a transformed prince lol another pause. Please don't eat mold T-T 5 animals teaching) there is a stuck up bug named a Woggle-bug. He owns a whole collage. He feeds the students knowledge pills. Oz is weird. OH MY GOSH THE FIRST OZ BOOK WAS MENTIONED WOOOOOOO I mean I already didn't care for Tinman BUT WICKED AND THE WICKED BOOK MAKES HI 10X WORSE 6 Where is the wizard from?) Omaha, Nebraska 7 OZMA) OZMA MENTIONED
I am making an understatement when I say Oz is my favorite thing as is the best thing to exist on this planet. Wicked the books, the sequels, the world in every book, movie, tv show, musical has a special place in my life. I laughed so hard at your video. It was amazingly edited, so well outlined, and just overall entertaining. Had a blast watching this and hearing your joking tone about the characters I love. P.S. Boq is the original book, he helps Dorothy out on her first day in Oz. But it's never really confirmed that it's The Boq, maybe it's a common Munchkin name.
As someone who hyperfixated on Wicked and the oz books in extension, boy, am I so glad this video showed up in my recommended (and that you took the time to remake it! as Glinda says: How can I ever express my gratitution!?) This is going to be a comfort video going forward I fear - sincerely another gal with adhd
On my second read through of the full series. On son of a witch atm. Gregory Maguire’s editor really should have been like “you are only allowed to compared things to 💩 so many times.”
I’m surprised the video didn’t mention the amount of times characters have diarrhea. I vividly remember Fiyroo having to explode when he gets back to their apartment and just think about how the guards waited patiently for him to finish before ambushing him
i read the book when i was 11 about a month after seeing the show for the first time, thinking it'd be a way for me to "reexperience" the musical over and over again for the price of a paperback :] well, not quite! and i loved every second of it, did not understand 90% of the material but read it for the dialogue and characters that same year i read it a second and third time and started to understand more about what exactly gregory maguire was getting at, and now 13 years later i've read it at least 7 times, front to back :D to the point where i can flip through and find any scene under a minute, and i have a specific way of reading everyone's "lines" :) definitely my favorite book :) it's something you have to know you won't completely understand on the first read, and to just give into that, read for the character interactions, enjoy how crazy she is all you really need to know on your first read is that it is one giant greek tragedy: elphie cannot win. she has not ever won (she has had joy, plenty, though every joy in her life gets ultimately crushed), and she never will (every single plan of hers falls through, just as well) i love this green freak and i pity her :-( that's when you know an author has done a great job
Also.... Just saying.... The Wicked book is soooooo unbelievably Lesbian/gay/bi/what have you! Like so much more than she said. Like much, much more. As a full on unabashed Gelphie shipper... if you are one too you will very much enjoy parts of this book.
yeeeeh i expect the wicked movie to either a) be mid at best and get torn appart on the internet or b) be somewhat decent and start a new wave of wicked-mania in the mainstream that will last a whopping two weeks but will mark an entire generation
This makes me want to re-read Wicked. I read the two sequels, but havent finished the last one. Pretty sure Elphie comes back at the end of the last one.
In the musical and the book, munchkins (or munchkinlanders, and they are called in the book) are not little people. There is kind of a stereotype in the culture of Oz in the book that they are, but it’s not shown to be true. You can also think about it as, and this is probably why Maguire wrote it this way, that people from munchkinland are called munchkinlanders because they are from munchkinland and nothing else. Calling them munchkins would imply that they are a race themselves, when in the reality of the book they are just people from munchkinland and that has nothing to do with their race or origins. Just like how Americans are many races and backgrounds, but are still Americans. Hope this helps lol!
I’m only 11 minutes into the video. But I wanted to say two things: In addition to the the stranger with the green vile, and the “ruddy” (not RED) Quadling, Elphaba’s mother had a (possibly involuntary) sexual encounter with a roving pack of green elves (*elf*), thereby making ELPHaba’s paternal parentage intentionally ambiguous. Grommetik is meant to be Tik-Tok from the original Oz books. The bulbous mechanical copper man seen in the film ‘Return to Oz’.
32:00 I think it's important to remember that the author doesn't necessarily condone the behavior of the characters ... I feel like he's sorting through several of his own demons
No, thank you for explaining all of that it’s better than reading the book and getting bad trauma. 😓 thank you for doing the work for us all. I hope you’re doing OK now. I just subscribed, so I hope I’ll see more soon. I love your red lipstick and your outfit. I hope we’ll see you again soon. You’re very good explaining and getting to the point on the stories. ❤
I'd just like to note that Glinda in the novel is very intelligent, at least when she is a young adult. But because of her social standing, she was never encouraged to use her brains. Instead, she relied on her natural good looks and her charm to maintain her social standing. Elphaba was the only person in the novel who really cared about what Glinda thought, beyond the social pleasantries and empty words Glinda was so good at saying in order to win someone over. And it is Novel!Glinda who was naturally talented in magic, not Novel!Elphaba (though Elphaba does have some abilities, her magic was not as strong as Glinda's). Also Elphaba is implied to be intersex in the novel. It's only brought up a few times - in the beginning of the novel, through rumours about the Wicked Witch of the West, also when Elphaba is born, the midwives had some difficulty determining her sex, lastly when she was having an affair with Fiyero, Fiyero noticed a bump of sorts, but he never got to see it clearly.
i also read the book because i was hoping for just a longer more in depth version of the musical... boy was I wrong. It was genuinely so jarring and i don't understand how they could get such a coherent excellent musical out of that source material.
i know you said you don’t want the video to be a year long but now i feel the need to read this book to understand all of the absolutely baffling random throw outs like the animatronic puppet show 😭
i read this book in the 6th grade and really should not have had at that age . some of the scenes haunt me. i remember sitting in class reading the scene where it describes Elphaba's pubes being hit by the sunlight after sex and i remember looking around the classroom being like am i supposed to be reading this and feeling so guilty. my mom recommended this book to me!! I think she forgot what happened in it. I should really reread the book because anytime someone brings up the musical i'm like YOU KNOW THERES A LOT OF DARK SHIT AND SEX IN THE BOOK. THEY GO TO A FURRY BDSM WHORE HOUSE! I think rereading the book will help heal those very confused childhood memories
I read the book first. Given that knowing what little I do about the musical I never had interest in seeing it. Gregory McGuire typically is pretty dark and graphic. Take Mirror Mirror, his version of Snow White. The evil queen is Lucricia Borgia, the poison apple is stolen from the Vatican and the apple from the Tree of Life in Eden, The Snow White character wakes up having a massive orgasm and an there’s a unicorn who comes and molests the knight sort of… So. yeah. Stuff.
This video was made for me. I grew up on the Wizard of Oz movie because my mom and grandmother love it, so of course when they both went to New York to see the show (fun fact about me: my mom’s cousin has been on Broadway several times, and though he wasn’t in Wicked he did work with the original Fiyero on another show) and brought home the soundtrack, I was obsessed. Then I was gifted the Wicked SEQUEL novel Son of a Witch not realizing how much the Wicked novel and musical differed in tone and story, so my poor 14/15 year old mind had a LOT to grapple with in that book. Eventually read the Wicked book, didn’t bother rereading Son of a Witch, then read the next two books in the series as soon as I could get my hands on them. I love how dark and messed up the series is, incorporating stuff from the original Oz books in a new way. Also, I’m definitely subscribing. You’re positively delightful, and though I don’t have a lot of love for any iteration of Phantom of the Opera, I’ll still watch your Phantom video. I got really into Lindsay Ellis’ video essay(s) on the subject so I can’t wait for yours.
I remember sitting in the wicked musical back in 2009 or something like that and thinking how cleaned up the play was. I just remembered the puppet or$y at the beginning of the book. There was a school group there and I reallg hoped there werent any real precocious kids who liked to read books for what they watched😅
So I'm a card carrying member of the wicked fanclub and have read like all the books multiple times and have the musical memorized... meanwhile my wife knows absolute nothing about the book but loves the musical. ANYWAY this might just be the weed but we were both dying of laughter through this video. Howling, in fact. Hyena-esque, you might even say. (Probably the weed) And now the wife is pleasantly horrified that the book is Like This and that I subjected them to this but it was worth it. Thank you for the mental trauma/the resurfacing of the repressed book memories/the shot of serotonin directly to the skull. We APPRECIATE YOU, eagerly awaiting the next video 😌
I read the book before I saw the play and loved it, and then I watched the play and loved it. But watching this video made me realize….I clearly didn’t pay attention to both mediums. Haha. I remembered some things but this video made me realize I misremembered a lot. But it also made me really want to pick the book up again so I think I’ll do that in prep for the Wicked movie - so excited for that.
TLDR: Wicked, the musical--✨️Disney✨️, with small hints of darkness and spice, so like, PG Disney... Wicked, the books--M*rder and r*cism and politics, and everybody FUUUUUUXX....
I'm surprised that the sexualization of Fiyero's 12 year old daughter *from her POV* didn't get a mention. (Mark yet another one down for adultifying brown kids.) I finished the book but after reading synopses of the others in the series I regret the time I wasted on it. The fact that these got at least one award for LGBTQ+ representation only says how miserably lacking that representation was in literature at the time.
The only really comforting aspect of the book was... Lurlinemas? I thought several times about decorating everything in dark green and gold for *insert your favourite wintery holiday here That would be super festive and glam. Love that!
I read the book many years before the musical came out and Elphaba was a character I related to so much. I was so mad at the musical that I walked out. I REALLY hope that the book is brought more into the movie than it was in the musical. There is SO much material to pull from, it would be a total travesty if there is a multiple part movie (as has been hinted) that doesn't pull from the original Oz books, the Garland movie, or the Maguire universe on top of the Wicked musical.
Saaame. I so excited for new scenes, hope it doesn’t let me down. How did you come across the book before the musical. I’m curious if it made a big splash before the musical was announced?
@@courtneythompson6179 I'm I my 40s, so 13-ish when the first one came out and my aunt had it. It was such a pivotal book for me growing up, I was mad at the musical not addressing any of the 2nd half of the book, or samira or lirr or the political issues.
I read the book for the first time when I was 12 cos I was obsessed with the musical and cos that was fine for my age it was the only book my mum didn’t proofread first- I then found out my friends mum owned the rest of the books in the series and you could imagine her face when I asked her if I could borrow them lol
I read this whole novel in 2 weeks for a summer essay assignment. I barely understood anything even after taking notes, I hated it, and I only ended up mentioning it twice in my essay. Peak
I have been strictly told: NEVER read the books by Gregory Maguire! Cause one of my aunts read the first book and thought it was disturbing and another aunt read it and told my mom it was not worth reading. But I kinda did want to know what made the novel which the musical is inspired by more dark than the musical itself. So I just read stuff about it on the Wicked Fandom Wiki, and learned all I needed to know about the book (so I didn't actually have to read it but know about it). And honestly (aside from the icky stuff that's in the book that I don't wanna have to read, no offense to the fans of the novel), being someone who loves the musical, I have no interest in reading it.
Fiyero isn’t white in the novel his character faces racism, Galinda even tells Elphaba she will not date him because he is too dark, his skin color is described as the color of feces by Boq and his skin is described as ochre
Thank you
That pissed me off in the trailer.
Didn't he also have like diamonds or something on him and one may have rubbed off on her while they were together? I read that book like 20 years ago and it's one of the few little bits that I can remember from it.
@@SayaCeline yup you’re right he did have diamond tattoos on his blue skin
Everybody says They wouldn’t want to have the color of shit you n the book & I remember cuz I was like WOAH a colored love interest with diamonds in his skin? He must’ve been BEAUITFUL.
i love this comment along with your icon and the dolls.
41:25 in the book it actually is implied that the wizard finds out that Elphaba is his child because Dorothy brings him the bottle of green elixir as proof that she killed Elphaba and then the Wizard is all spooked and leaves Oz in his hot air balloon!
I thought they made it blatant
It's stated outright. That's why he left Oz and tried to drown himself. (Elphaba has a vision of it)
I remember reading the Wicked movie is going to include more aspects of the book. Remembering how dark this book is, I have NOOO idea how that's going to look.
I think/hope they mean some of the lesser characters get some time to shine? Maybe? Hopefully? Please?
I hope they keep the musical’s bittersweet ending and not go with the book’s total downer ending.
I’m just hoping there will be some fleshing out of Melena’s character since all she does in the musical is dance with the wizard, and then give birth. I’d be down for a little flashback moment of her with little Elphie, maybe when she gives her the green bottle.
My bet is they will include more about the clock of the time dragon, and more detail about Elphaba’s revolutionary activities.
it’s going to look amazing. we’ve had enough of the vanilla Oz that plays it safe.
Her while editing: I’m sick :(
Her while filming: I’m eating moldy cake :)
Hmm…
Could be related 👀
@@AverageAmbitions as a Judy Garland wizard of Oz fan and Fauriza Balk fan of return of Oz fan
Hearing the backstory to all the characters was a pretty good watch
You actually made me a bigger fan of the whole genre😊
@@AverageAmbitions i'd love for u to do this kind of video format for the phantom of the opera as well!
one of my favorite adaptation details from the wicked book to stage show is the time dragon clock, which they based the set design off. given that the clock is this weird eldritch storytelling object in the books, it almost makes the musical meta take a weird turn. like somehow the clock is telling a story of the better timeline.
I love how meta it is, having the dragon on top of the stage.
Yes! I love that detail too! The actors are the puppets the clock uses to tell the story.
Wtf.... that makes so much sense 🤯
As someone who is INSANE about both the book and the musical (i love them both very much despite their metric ton of bullshit and weird writing) this video was tailored to my tastes in an uncanny way I cannot describe
I read the book about a decade ago. I HATED it, but I was interested in the musical and trying to understand the story. I figured it out wasn't even close, and I wished I could scrub out my brain!
The book is so metaphorically beautiful and so awe-inspiring not too mention it just adds a very artistic spice of realism to the Wizard of Oz franchise. The Queer Subtexts are just chef’s KISS😭
I actually think the musical lines up beautifully with the 1939 movie. Would Boq actually want to be truthful about how he got to be that way? Or does it kind of sound like the witch saved his life after a woman he led on for a VERY long time got revenge? Or would he be like "tin? What ti--oh, my tin body? Oh, that? It's quite tragic actually, the guy totally just forgot it. Anyway let's walk"
My Wicked hyper fixation just came back after seeing the trailer, and oh my god your delivery and plot summary of both the musical and book with your deadpan stare was hilarious 😭😭😭Not to mention having never read the book, the Barbie doll reenactments were just the cherry on top of an already chaotic video 💀
As someone who’s read the entire series and loved it, and now onto the sequel series “Maracoor” - the first two books are extremely dark, I would even say “Son of a Witch” is worse in that respect. The books themselves are actually quite good, however Maguire does write in riddles and leaves many things open to interpretation. Ultimately, if you expect a straightforward and perfectly crafted storyline you won’t get it in these books. The author is fascinated by the irregularities of life, acknowledging that pretty f*cked up things happen constantly with little to no rhyme or reason. There is a realism in that which I appreciate when reading - but I do see how people can’t get past the darkness of it, especially since fictional reading tends to be an escapist activity for such dark events in the real world.
There's a sequel series?!
@@ariestess Yes! There’s a sequel trilogy that centres on Rain, Elphaba’s granddaughter. It begins with “The Brides of Maracoor”, then “The Oracle of Maracoor” and the third was recently published titled “The Witch of Maracoor”. I’m on Oracle currently and I think they’re great so far ❤️🔥
@@beautifullytragic Just found and ordered the trilogy! Can't wait to read it!
yes, hahah I am reading comments like People have no idea that there are 4 books in this series. And it is "oH BOY".
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Yes, to all of this. I adored the not-straightforwardness and the realism. It felt like an actual dirty and gritty place, not a glossy CGI fantasyland. I felt like I was THERE. And I felt the burning sun on my skin and the blowing dust in my teeth.
The scarecrow story is much better in the musical. Overall each character has more arcs and things connected in the musical.
The characters and their arcs in the musical are so watered down you can barely recognize them, and completely ruins all the characters. Fiyero isn't even Fiyero anymore, they ruined him and made him Avaric instead. Boq and Fiyero being the Tinman and the Scarecrow not only spits on the book the musical is based on, it spits on the original story as well.
@@Legacysong2012 THANK YOU!!! fiyero is horrible in the musical he is NOT the scarecrow
The characters seem more connected because the musical pulls more from the Wizard of Oz film whereas the book pulls from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz book. For instance, Boq was already a character in the original WOO book, so that’s who he is in the Wicked book. Boq wasn’t in the film, so they used him to fill the Tin Woodsman spot. Both connect things, but their source materials are different.
Well, it's a musical so it couldn't be as dark as the book without just being ridiculous.
@@Legacysong2012 it definitrly did not connect to the origunal book considering this is suppose to be sequel, boq was still human when Dorothy started her journey. The book origin of the tinman is closer to the original.
Actually read the book before it became a musical.
You know how they took classic old fairy tales with 😊sad / dark themes and made them into Disney movies? Feel like that's pretty much what happened.
It was probably for the best, though. Lol
I did as well and just showed up for the musical like let's see how they turned THAT into a musical! Pretty much by very loosely adapting it. I was kind of disappointed only because I wanted musical darkness but instead I got fun.
Same, read the book first and loved it, it’s such a bespoke and surreal experience, but I ended up loving the musical as its own thing. I think it helped that I heard the soundtrack in isolation from any visuals first, fell into obsession with the music, and that carried me over to the show. While I think the book is far superior in terms of the writing and the worldbuilding and atmosphere, I do understand why people who saw the show first and got a giddy sparkly idea of what the story was could be shocked and offput by the book. But for me the draw of this tale, both on stage and on page, was always its devilish details, thoroughly macabre and full of high strangeness. It’s what I would consider a truly adult novel, not because it is vulgar, but because it is mature enough to be vulgar with taste, art, wit, style, truth, and social commentary. Positively delicious.
I’ve tried to read the book several times and it was like trying to read an old English lit novel from the 18th century. Maguire’s writing style is archaic and to write such disturbing things is quite concerning. The book was so bizarre that I kept thinking I was missing something or reading it wrong. So thank you for this summary! I’ve seen the musical in the West End and I really enjoyed it. The score is amazing. I love live theatre, and I like spooky, witchy things. But someone needs to check Maguire’s sanity, because…oof!
Yes! This. All this. Thank you for putting my pain and confusion into words.
I’m a nerd for old literature. I grew up reading very old, archaic, medieval translation of the bible. I like to read the original, broken translations of writings from Homer and Hesiod and other old philosophers, just because I’m into Greek myth and want to see if there’s anything a translation might not be able to capture. Old horrors like Dracula and anything by Henry James can be difficult but I still love them. I can read very heavy, old-world stories that like to use a thousand world where a hundred would suffice.
Trying to read this book was one of the most maddening fucking things I’ve ever experienced and I’m afraid that darker or more serious plot beats were usually lost on me unless I read a passage two or three times because I just ended up losing patience 😅
I read the book three times throughout my life. I think it’s very good but definitely confusing at times. At the same time, I don’t think questioning the authors sanity is appropriate. You can simply not understand something without it being the source materials problem…..for example, I wouldn’t understand a book about quantum physics, but I also wouldn’t discredit the entire thing because of that…..
Thank you for putting everything I felt reading this book at 15 years old into words. I was so excited at the time (2015) because I already knew the musical, and it would come to the country where I live (Brazil). So my mom bought me the book, and well, I couldn't finish it. It was one of the most tiring stories I've ever read in my entire life (up until that moment). The musical is so incredible and so well written, it doesn't even seem like it came out of such an old-fashioned book.
Agreed
Even if this isn’t a parody of long form CZcams essays, it is still hilarious. Please make more.
Also in the musical:
Dorothy does not try to kill Elphaba. She also wants to take the shoes off cause her socks are sweaty as hell and she’s got blisters. Elphaba accidentally catches fire and Dorothy throws a bucket of water onto her, which causes her to die from anaphylaxis. And nobody knows what happens to Dorothy afterwards. Also Elphaba’s son keeps awkwardly flirting with her and it’s slightly cute.
38:45 it was actually inplied in the book that she didn't die. At least, not permanently. That's what the last lines meant:
"Did she ever come out?"
"Not YET."
@@WonderlandWanderer404 she didn't get resurrected until the end of the fourth. I believe it was her granddaughter who resurrected her.
@@WonderlandWanderer404 hahaha yeah. It was left ambiguous for the first two books. The last book also had plenty of references to the musical, funnily enough.
@@geosustento8894I reread the series at the beginning of the year, and I definitely noticed that with the last book. There’s a point where Rain says “Don’t wish. Don’t start. Wishing only…”
I feel like Maguire was on some level writing the final book for the musical fans.
@@geosustento8894 I believe it's implied Rain (her granddaughter) is Elphaba reincarnated?
haven't read the last two books in the series but believe I've seen this somewhere.
@CielRoiEntertainment no, she's just a spitting image of her grandmother. In the last book of the series, we see Rain fly out of Oz (hence the title) and someone visiting Glinda in her palace who was implied to be Elphaba
So Wicked is only the first book in a set of 4 (plus spin-offs), and reading all 4 sheds so much more light on Elphaba and the world of Oz. Yes, some parts are drawn out and boring, but the last book is soooo good and ties all of those extra details together beautifully!
I read them in high school/college.
There are documentary videos of them talking about how they evolved the story from just Elphabas triumph over trauma into a tale of two unlikely friends for the musical.
Oh, good. I keep meaning to read them so that motivates me more.
THANK YOU, I have literally been wanting someone to talk about this!! I read Wicked when I was in like Jr. High and ooooh boy, my young and feeble mind was NOT ready to intake all of *that* stuff. I was forever changed 💀💀
So...the algorithm recommended the vid and you are killing it !
New subscriber lol
i’ve actually never been more entertained
I have been waiting for a video walk through for this book for ages. I made two attempts at reading this book, once when i was maybe 9 or 10 and WAY too young to be reading it. (It was a gift that i asked for because i was obsessed with the musical at the time and apparently all the adults around me assumed it was a Wizard of Oz book). It didnt have any idea what was going on so it didnt leave much of an impression on me and i didnt finish it. Ended up shelving it for a long time til i was an adult, then I did finish it and STILL had very little grasp on what was going on. The guy writes in insane cryptic riddles which make the plot impossible to follow. I know i read Son of a Witch too and i cannot remember a single thing about that book. Its crazy how they were able to extract the musical out of whatever the hell was going on in those pages.
I read the first book my freshman year of high school on a reading assignment for my advanced english class (we had to read something but not specifically this book. I had just seen the musical for the first time and decided to read) and boooy was this one of those books I was probably too young to read. This has happened a few times over the years with reading ahead of my maturity level and I sometimes wonder how much damage it inflicted on my subconscious lol
im sorry i cant help but be amused by the idea of you haveing to give a report on this book
bruh I read it in 5th grade because I loved the musical and thought the cover looked pretty WHEN I TELL YOU I WAS TRAUMATIZED 😭 still recovering. there are definitely aspects of the book I could appreciate even at that age but omfg it was so graphic in every respect. I even brought it to show-and-tell and my 5th grade teacher was like YOU SHOULD NOT BE READING THAT 😅
I read it at 19 and I also think I was too young to read it since I had a very protected life and was too naive and innocent then, so much that I kinda blocked what I read and didn't remember any of what is being presented here 😂, I jus remember that elphaba was born with a tail and sharp teeth so they put a muzzle on her I also think she was a hermaphrodite and although I don't remember specifics I'm pretty sure she commits acts of terrorism in the name of the Animals. Gonna have to red it again to see if I can handle it better now 😅
@@Valeriamtzpdo you remember about the hermaphodite thing? I think Lindsey Ellis mentions this in a podcast but can’t remember when the book talked about it
I read the book when i was about 13 and I remember it changed so much for me. The parts of the book I remember first when I think of it are Elphaba's acts of borderline terrorism and Elphaba finding out the Wizard was her father through the puppet show. I went to see the musical with my school a year later and I genuinely got angry at points with how much they changed it from the books. In retrospect, obviously they couldn't have kept the majority of the darker material due to trying to market to wider audiences. Even now, I'm still a little upset that they changed Fierro's ending so much. For me, it illustrated how dangerous the actions Elphaba was taking were and also showed how completely fucked the society was in regards to Animals. Like, the Wizard sent Dorothy after Elphaba because she was acting against his policies and so that he could continue reinforcing his propoganda. Really blew my little mind wide open.
that book (and the musical) feels like a chaotic the wizard of oz fan fiction
I remember getting the book for like, my 16th birthday and I was…. Very, VERY much a virgin. My friend Cora was like “you’ll love this book it’s so intriguing!” And I love fantasy so I was like hell yes! …wait what is this? Wait what are they doing? Wait…. Yea it took me a very long time to get through but she kept asking if I’d finished so I felt like I had to and then I was like umm…. Not my bag of tea. Please don’t buy me books anymore. X.X
😂😂😂😂 lmfaoooo Don’t ever read The Magicians then. Another adaptation that got a way kinder version for season 1 vs the original books
@@OkamiRose Noted will add that to my “do not read” list thank you!
You are seriously a riot!! Keep it up! (Also the way you laughed at Fiyero threatening to shoot ling in the face gave me life😭😭)
I love the Gregory Maguire books, and by the time I saw Wicked, the musical, I had read the book several times and I was actually wondering how in the Name of Ozma this was adapted for stage! Sadly, I was pretty disappointed in the show. I mean, I enjoyed parts of it, but it was not at all the same story with many of the layers and themes stripped. I remember one passage in the novel when Elphaba sings to her friends in a bar, and they are completely blown away by the sound and soul of her. I couldn't wait to see that moment on stage, and it never came. Compared to the novel, the show, in my singular opinion that will probably be derided, left much to be desired. But I'm an avid theatre lover, and I have to give credit for a spectacular show.
I've been waiting for someone to make a video like this, thank you!
Kudos to you for presenting an opinion that most people will probably disagree with. I didn’t care for the book but every novel has an audience somewhere! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
The ending of the 4th book in the series BROKE me. Love the books, hated the musical.
Yeah. Maguire's novel is this dark, absurdly realistic story that draws from children's literature where the villains at the end are hammered inside a barrel with too many nails and rolled down a hill into the river. The part that kept me entertained was the whiplash of intricate world building and then suddenly my jaw is on the floor when it's an interspecies orgy ...
I can appreciate how the musical took Macguire's really good sitcom pitch idea that the witches were college roommates and runs in a dark fantasy musical comedy direction with it. It explores that the definition of _wicked_ can vary with perspective, and how a children's story might twist the truth by simplifying something much more nuanced. And it tells a story about powerful women who can be friends while disagreeing _without_ describing Fiyero shitting in a bowl before he's beaten to death.
I hope the scene in the bar shows up in the extended bits they are adding for the movie… the bit about Fiyero and the bowl, not so much 😏
I like the book and the musical for very different reasons. I completely understand why a lot of people don’t like the book, but I also think a lot of them simply don’t understand the book. I can also understand why book fans don’t like the musical. I’m excited for the theatrical adaptation based on the musical. However, there used to be a rumor that the book was being adapted as a miniseries and I still hope that happens someday. Long story short, you can like one or the other or both, and be respectful about it. Thank you for sharing your option respectfully without discrediting anyone, or what they enjoy!
0:14- No, no it’s not. “GOOD NEEEWSSSSS! SHESSSS DEAAAAAD!” That’s the 1st line 😂
Lines and lyrics are different. Lyrics are sung lines are spoken. As a theater kid since the age of 2 i feel the need to defend this wholeheartedly
Personally I would count the first line (not lyric) of the show to be “Look! It’s Glinda!”
I remember when I was about thirteen I was this innocent little thing who loved the musical, and also being a book nerd attempted to read to the book. RIP
A co worker was reading the book and gave it to me when she finished. I was enthralled and could not put it down. It definitely was not the Musical. Elphaba could not even bathe she had to wash using BATHING OIL
The story is very disturbing and poor Chistery Nikko having wings sewn on him by Elphaba.
Crazy thing is there are 2 more books.
I HIGHLY recommend you check out The Emerald City-it was a show on NBC that only lasted one season, but it is such an interesting take on Oz. I love it, but I don’t know if I could call it ‘good.’ It works well for me, but it is like Game of Thrones for WOZ. Crazy stuff. God, I wish they made a second season. The lion is just a guy in a suit of armor with a lion’s head sewn on. The scarecrow is just a guy with amnesia. The tin man… is actually pretty on point..
I read this book when I was roughly 12 because my mom would not let me see the musical because she did not think it was appropriate for me. Little did she know....
UGH girl this video is so well done, i was hoping i could go binge all your videos but you don't have any!!! please do more musical deep dives & content! loved this.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video, thank you!! You’re so entertaining. ☺️
(I was a Wizard of Oz child, a Wicked book/musical teenager, and now a Wicked musical-tragic adult. But the best property of them all was the Wizard of Oz on Ice, where Bobby McFerrin voiced every single character. It’s chaotic, it’s campy, it’s absolutely insane and I LOVE IT. Oh, and Oksana Baiul played Dorothy in this bizarre fever dream mess on ice. It’s amazing, watch it on CZcams, and someone posted the full soundtrack on CZcams recently too, it’s SO GOOD!)
My goodness you deserve so many more subs than you have! Looking forward to anything else you put out, this was a fun watch
I find it fascinating how many layers the film is on.
It's a movie, based on a musical, which is based on a book, which is based on a different book widely popularized by its film adaptation.
Anyway, I will only see the Wicked movie if The Dark Side of the Moon is synced to it.
Fun fact: Melena is the medical term for the black tarry stool you get when a patient has gastrointestinal bleeding. (I work in a hospital lab) I bet that’s not by accident.
The thing that always bothered me about the book is how the Wizard is Elphaba’s father, but he doesn’t come to Oz until she is 2. When she says her first word, “Horrors,” is when his balloon lands. 🤔
Holy shit. I don't think I ever caught on to the fact that Elphaba was seeing him arrive in Oz through Turtle Heart's looking glass. Great catch!
Okay, coming back to this comment after thinking about it for a little bit… If I remember correctly, the Wizard did not assume power directly after arriving in Oz. He was an itinerant snake oil salesman a la Pirelli from Sweeney Todd for some time before he overthrew the Ozma Regent, which would’ve been around the time Elphaba was a toddler.
@@ryan3136 Right, but it’s explicitly stated that she’s viewing his balloon landing.
@@goodmanticore Could have been a vision of the past? It is Maguire after all, as someone else in the comments said the man does have a tendency to write in riddles
@@ryan3136 Possibly. I’ve read the book over 20 times and still notice new clues to things each time.
God, you’re SO ENTERTAINING! I hope you make one about Phantom of the Opera!!
I agree with the sentiment that the book is from Elphaba’s perspective and the musical is from Galinda’s
Your content is just so so high quality and entertaining that I cannot believe you don’t have hundreds of thousands of subs. I cant wait to see you blow up bc this video was amazing. I’m obsessed with this. I need to see what you do next 😭
I read the books and now I lowkey don’t like the musical anymore
Why?
How do you only have 655 subscribers?! You deserve a lot more for this video alone
Jesus, I read the book in 2015 but I don't remember any of this, I certainly remember it was obscure and aimed at adults, but not 80% of what you explained. I do however remember the fact that Elphaba was born with a tail and horrible sharp teeth and she used to bite people so they put a muzzle on her as a baby it kinda broke my heart howmuch her family hated her, and also it was very clear to 19yo me that she also practiced acts of terrorism while defending the Animals after Shiz
I read to my kids before bed up until they got into middle school. After getting through "The Wizard of Oz", I found out about the prequel and figured that it could be the next story. I am so glad that I decided to read it before reading it to them because good gawd, I didn't expect so many affairs and a saucy puppet show! It was indeed a crazy story.
Loved this, your story telling is all over and amazing.
I will say, that part where the Wizard steals the emerald throne from the child queen and gives her over to a witch who turns her into a boy is actual lore from the original Oz series 😂 👀 its the plot twist at the end of the sequel book to The Wizard of Oz. And I will say, its not a bad read if you can laugh at how unhinged and self-aware it is 😂 lets just say, the chaotic tone of Wicked isnt too far removed the orignal series
I read this book too, it was okay? There was a period in Elphaba’s life where I had to reread a few times because it was when she was drugged or depressed or something and the story made a so sense. I also read Mirror Mirror, which was okay, and Confessions of an a ugly Stepsister, which I found to be Maguire’s best book. His writing style isn’t for me. I also LOVE the original wizard of Oz, I find it to be a great fairytale!
Hi! I'm a Wizard of Oz book fan and will just be pointing out random things cause WHY NOT!
this brings be joy because I like to flex how I hyper fixated on The Wizard Oz books for many years XD
SO LETS GO!
1 Just a stupid fun fact I love lmao) If I remember correctly. In the Musical Elphaba is the daughter of the queen and king of the munchkins? If I am correct that means that Ojo the nephew of the king of the munchkins is Elphaba's cousin in Wicked's canon. Which is hilarious to me because Ojo is just the sweetest boy like the cries the whole book cause his uncle was turned into marble while he has to deal with a narcissistic glass cat, basically OG Pinkie Pie but as a girl made of patchwork and The Woozy which basically is just a minecraft dog (he's a square animal) at least until The Glass Cat and The Woozy are swapped out for Scarecrow and Dorothy!
2 Unknown god) The creator of Oz is a fairy named Lurline who is the ancestor of the emerald city's royalty. basically, she is their god because she made Oz a fairy country.
MOMENTARY PAUSE FOR ME TO JUST CONFUSED ON THAT ELPHABA'S FAMILY GOOD LORD
3 GAlinda) Idk why she's stupid in Wicked lol. just wanted to comment on it.
4 goat) there is a talking goat in oz (basically all animals can talk though lol) and his name is Billbill and he is a transformed prince lol
another pause. Please don't eat mold T-T
5 animals teaching) there is a stuck up bug named a Woggle-bug. He owns a whole collage. He feeds the students knowledge pills. Oz is weird.
OH MY GOSH THE FIRST OZ BOOK WAS MENTIONED WOOOOOOO
I mean I already didn't care for Tinman BUT WICKED AND THE WICKED BOOK MAKES HI 10X WORSE
6 Where is the wizard from?) Omaha, Nebraska
7 OZMA) OZMA MENTIONED
I am making an understatement when I say Oz is my favorite thing as is the best thing to exist on this planet. Wicked the books, the sequels, the world in every book, movie, tv show, musical has a special place in my life. I laughed so hard at your video. It was amazingly edited, so well outlined, and just overall entertaining. Had a blast watching this and hearing your joking tone about the characters I love. P.S. Boq is the original book, he helps Dorothy out on her first day in Oz. But it's never really confirmed that it's The Boq, maybe it's a common Munchkin name.
As someone who hyperfixated on Wicked and the oz books in extension, boy, am I so glad this video showed up in my recommended (and that you took the time to remake it! as Glinda says: How can I ever express my gratitution!?) This is going to be a comfort video going forward I fear - sincerely another gal with adhd
On my second read through of the full series. On son of a witch atm. Gregory Maguire’s editor really should have been like “you are only allowed to compared things to 💩 so many times.”
Oh god yes. Reread the series in January. Those bits were… 😩
I’m surprised the video didn’t mention the amount of times characters have diarrhea. I vividly remember Fiyroo having to explode when he gets back to their apartment and just think about how the guards waited patiently for him to finish before ambushing him
@@courtneythompson6179 good to know the Gale Force is so polite 😆
i read the book when i was 11 about a month after seeing the show for the first time, thinking it'd be a way for me to "reexperience" the musical over and over again for the price of a paperback :] well, not quite! and i loved every second of it, did not understand 90% of the material but read it for the dialogue and characters
that same year i read it a second and third time and started to understand more about what exactly gregory maguire was getting at, and now 13 years later i've read it at least 7 times, front to back :D to the point where i can flip through and find any scene under a minute, and i have a specific way of reading everyone's "lines" :)
definitely my favorite book :)
it's something you have to know you won't completely understand on the first read, and to just give into that, read for the character interactions, enjoy how crazy she is
all you really need to know on your first read is that it is one giant greek tragedy: elphie cannot win. she has not ever won (she has had joy, plenty, though every joy in her life gets ultimately crushed), and she never will (every single plan of hers falls through, just as well)
i love this green freak and i pity her :-( that's when you know an author has done a great job
Also.... Just saying.... The Wicked book is soooooo unbelievably Lesbian/gay/bi/what have you! Like so much more than she said. Like much, much more. As a full on unabashed Gelphie shipper... if you are one too you will very much enjoy parts of this book.
This is so damn good and needs WAY more views
yeeeeh i expect the wicked movie to either a) be mid at best and get torn appart on the internet or b) be somewhat decent and start a new wave of wicked-mania in the mainstream that will last a whopping two weeks but will mark an entire generation
"remember that for later okay?"
Me: Forgets immediately
I loved this video! Hoping you’ll make some more videos soon :))
Excellent breakdown amazing your like the only one I’ve found that broke down wicked completely
This makes me want to re-read Wicked. I read the two sequels, but havent finished the last one. Pretty sure Elphie comes back at the end of the last one.
The last book of the series is SO good. It makes the long haul through books 2 and 3 totally worth it. The ending left me crying.
There’s three new books “The Brides of Maracoor, The Oracle of Maracoor and The Witch of Maracoor” they’re set after Out of Oz and focus on Rain
Also there was 3 sequels originally “son of a witch, a lion among men and Out of Oz… there’s a total of 7 books
I've never even heard of the Maracoor books! Gonna have to add these to my list for this year!
@@MsHippieMonster I’m only on the second book but they pick right up after the ending of Out of Oz
From one ADHD person to another. I love this video it has everything to keep me focussed❤❤❤❤ love ur chaos 🥰
My confusion with the Musical is whether or not the Munchins are little people like in the movie, and if not, are Elphaba and Nessarose Munchins?
In the musical and the book, munchkins (or munchkinlanders, and they are called in the book) are not little people. There is kind of a stereotype in the culture of Oz in the book that they are, but it’s not shown to be true. You can also think about it as, and this is probably why Maguire wrote it this way, that people from munchkinland are called munchkinlanders because they are from munchkinland and nothing else. Calling them munchkins would imply that they are a race themselves, when in the reality of the book they are just people from munchkinland and that has nothing to do with their race or origins. Just like how Americans are many races and backgrounds, but are still Americans. Hope this helps lol!
I’m only 11 minutes into the video. But I wanted to say two things:
In addition to the the stranger with the green vile, and the “ruddy” (not RED) Quadling, Elphaba’s mother had a (possibly involuntary) sexual encounter with a roving pack of green elves (*elf*), thereby making ELPHaba’s paternal parentage intentionally ambiguous.
Grommetik is meant to be Tik-Tok from the original Oz books. The bulbous mechanical copper man seen in the film ‘Return to Oz’.
32:00 I think it's important to remember that the author doesn't necessarily condone the behavior of the characters ...
I feel like he's sorting through several of his own demons
Things that have happened to him
Emerald city is very fun! *Shows scarecrow getting his limbs filled in straw* 😂❤🎉
No, thank you for explaining all of that it’s better than reading the book and getting bad trauma. 😓 thank you for doing the work for us all. I hope you’re doing OK now. I just subscribed, so I hope I’ll see more soon. I love your red lipstick and your outfit. I hope we’ll see you again soon. You’re very good explaining and getting to the point on the stories. ❤
Iread the book first while in Iraq. I loved it and then watched the musical back in Chicago. Yeah they are very different stories.
I'd just like to note that Glinda in the novel is very intelligent, at least when she is a young adult. But because of her social standing, she was never encouraged to use her brains. Instead, she relied on her natural good looks and her charm to maintain her social standing. Elphaba was the only person in the novel who really cared about what Glinda thought, beyond the social pleasantries and empty words Glinda was so good at saying in order to win someone over. And it is Novel!Glinda who was naturally talented in magic, not Novel!Elphaba (though Elphaba does have some abilities, her magic was not as strong as Glinda's).
Also Elphaba is implied to be intersex in the novel. It's only brought up a few times - in the beginning of the novel, through rumours about the Wicked Witch of the West, also when Elphaba is born, the midwives had some difficulty determining her sex, lastly when she was having an affair with Fiyero, Fiyero noticed a bump of sorts, but he never got to see it clearly.
i also read the book because i was hoping for just a longer more in depth version of the musical... boy was I wrong. It was genuinely so jarring and i don't understand how they could get such a coherent excellent musical out of that source material.
i know you said you don’t want the video to be a year long but now i feel the need to read this book to understand all of the absolutely baffling random throw outs like the animatronic puppet show 😭
i read this book in the 6th grade and really should not have had at that age . some of the scenes haunt me. i remember sitting in class reading the scene where it describes Elphaba's pubes being hit by the sunlight after sex and i remember looking around the classroom being like am i supposed to be reading this and feeling so guilty. my mom recommended this book to me!! I think she forgot what happened in it. I should really reread the book because anytime someone brings up the musical i'm like YOU KNOW THERES A LOT OF DARK SHIT AND SEX IN THE BOOK. THEY GO TO A FURRY BDSM WHORE HOUSE! I think rereading the book will help heal those very confused childhood memories
this channel is going to blow up omg 😭 obsessed
In the musical, the Wizard tries to offer Glinda some of the green drink. It sounded like he was trying to seduce her as well.
I read the whole series a couple years ago. I'll never be able to look at the musical the same way again.
Only 16 minutes in and this sums up everything I felt reading this book. Oh my, oh my.
I read the book first. Given that knowing what little I do about the musical I never had interest in seeing it. Gregory McGuire typically is pretty dark and graphic. Take Mirror Mirror, his version of Snow White. The evil queen is Lucricia Borgia, the poison apple is stolen from the Vatican and the apple from the Tree of Life in Eden, The Snow White character wakes up having a massive orgasm and an there’s a unicorn who comes and molests the knight sort of… So. yeah. Stuff.
Don’t get me wrong I think The Musical very good. But wicked the book is my favorite book! I kinda love how crazy it is.
i've been crying over the casual transition into "well they beat him to death!" for the last ten minutes thank you so much
This could have easily been four hours long and I WOULD watched as well ahhhahhaa
This video was made for me. I grew up on the Wizard of Oz movie because my mom and grandmother love it, so of course when they both went to New York to see the show (fun fact about me: my mom’s cousin has been on Broadway several times, and though he wasn’t in Wicked he did work with the original Fiyero on another show) and brought home the soundtrack, I was obsessed. Then I was gifted the Wicked SEQUEL novel Son of a Witch not realizing how much the Wicked novel and musical differed in tone and story, so my poor 14/15 year old mind had a LOT to grapple with in that book. Eventually read the Wicked book, didn’t bother rereading Son of a Witch, then read the next two books in the series as soon as I could get my hands on them. I love how dark and messed up the series is, incorporating stuff from the original Oz books in a new way.
Also, I’m definitely subscribing. You’re positively delightful, and though I don’t have a lot of love for any iteration of Phantom of the Opera, I’ll still watch your Phantom video. I got really into Lindsay Ellis’ video essay(s) on the subject so I can’t wait for yours.
I decided to give this book another try because I remember reading it when I was in high school and...wow...yeah...alright that...that was a book.
I remember sitting in the wicked musical back in 2009 or something like that and thinking how cleaned up the play was. I just remembered the puppet or$y at the beginning of the book. There was a school group there and I reallg hoped there werent any real precocious kids who liked to read books for what they watched😅
So I'm a card carrying member of the wicked fanclub and have read like all the books multiple times and have the musical memorized... meanwhile my wife knows absolute nothing about the book but loves the musical. ANYWAY this might just be the weed but we were both dying of laughter through this video. Howling, in fact. Hyena-esque, you might even say. (Probably the weed) And now the wife is pleasantly horrified that the book is Like This and that I subjected them to this but it was worth it. Thank you for the mental trauma/the resurfacing of the repressed book memories/the shot of serotonin directly to the skull. We APPRECIATE YOU, eagerly awaiting the next video 😌
I read the book before I saw the play and loved it, and then I watched the play and loved it. But watching this video made me realize….I clearly didn’t pay attention to both mediums. Haha. I remembered some things but this video made me realize I misremembered a lot. But it also made me really want to pick the book up again so I think I’ll do that in prep for the Wicked movie - so excited for that.
girl you are so funny 😭
I love the first book and remember screaming over the few hints of gay stuff and glinda's crush the first time I read it
Wicked is my favorite musical so I'm super excited for the movie. I really hope they don't mess it up.
I don’t know what your plans are for this channel, but I am very excited to be here for the start. Loved this. Your brain 🤝my brain
Whenever my mom would introduce herself she’d say “Glinda, like the hood witch😉!”
😂😂😇
fell asleep in the musical. half read the book. IM PREPARED!
TLDR:
Wicked, the musical--✨️Disney✨️, with small hints of darkness and spice, so like, PG Disney...
Wicked, the books--M*rder and r*cism and politics, and everybody FUUUUUUXX....
Disney made 'Return to Oz', a sequel adaptation with Dorothy in a mental hospital in his first 20 minutes (no joke, is real)
Stephen Schwartz worked on several Disney movies, writing the lyrics to the songs for Disney’s Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted.
this video is incredible thank you for this summary on this book i dont have to read now 😭
I'm surprised that the sexualization of Fiyero's 12 year old daughter *from her POV* didn't get a mention.
(Mark yet another one down for adultifying brown kids.)
I finished the book but after reading synopses of the others in the series I regret the time I wasted on it. The fact that these got at least one award for LGBTQ+ representation only says how miserably lacking that representation was in literature at the time.
Wait Elphaba does?
The only really comforting aspect of the book was... Lurlinemas? I thought several times about decorating everything in dark green and gold for *insert your favourite wintery holiday here
That would be super festive and glam. Love that!
Grommetik is based on Tik-Tok from the original Oz books but most will remember him from the creepy 80s movie Return to Oz
I read the book many years before the musical came out and Elphaba was a character I related to so much. I was so mad at the musical that I walked out. I REALLY hope that the book is brought more into the movie than it was in the musical. There is SO much material to pull from, it would be a total travesty if there is a multiple part movie (as has been hinted) that doesn't pull from the original Oz books, the Garland movie, or the Maguire universe on top of the Wicked musical.
Saaame. I so excited for new scenes, hope it doesn’t let me down. How did you come across the book before the musical. I’m curious if it made a big splash before the musical was announced?
@@courtneythompson6179 I'm I my 40s, so 13-ish when the first one came out and my aunt had it. It was such a pivotal book for me growing up, I was mad at the musical not addressing any of the 2nd half of the book, or samira or lirr or the political issues.
I've read the book a couple times...loved it! Can't say I'm too optimistic about how the movie will match up.
I read the book for the first time when I was 12 cos I was obsessed with the musical and cos that was fine for my age it was the only book my mum didn’t proofread first- I then found out my friends mum owned the rest of the books in the series and you could imagine her face when I asked her if I could borrow them lol
I read this whole novel in 2 weeks for a summer essay assignment. I barely understood anything even after taking notes, I hated it, and I only ended up mentioning it twice in my essay. Peak
I have been strictly told: NEVER read the books by Gregory Maguire! Cause one of my aunts read the first book and thought it was disturbing and another aunt read it and told my mom it was not worth reading. But I kinda did want to know what made the novel which the musical is inspired by more dark than the musical itself. So I just read stuff about it on the Wicked Fandom Wiki, and learned all I needed to know about the book (so I didn't actually have to read it but know about it). And honestly (aside from the icky stuff that's in the book that I don't wanna have to read, no offense to the fans of the novel), being someone who loves the musical, I have no interest in reading it.