SPOILERS are ahead for both Wicked movies. (Yes, including the one among the upcoming 2025 movies). Proceed with caution if you’re not familiar with the musical.
When I caught Wicked in theaters last year, I was absolutely floored over seeing one of my favorite musicals recaptured with movie magic years after falling in love and memorizing the original Broadway soundtrack, along with seeing it live when I was younger. I totally agree with our Wicked review: Jon M. Chu absolutely understood the assignment with this incredible take on the hit production. While I absolutely loved seeing all the details I could on the big screen, I knew I missed a lot the first time under the filter of my happy tears.
Now that Wicked is finally streaming on Peacock, I decided to rewatch it at home, and I need to talk about a few key details that I think perfectly nod to what’s coming next in Act II. Let’s get into it:
The ‘For Good’ Orchestrations Hit So Hard At The Beginning Of Wicked
Of course, the first time I saw Wicked I noticed the “For Good” orchestrations after Glinda is asked if the Wicked Witch was her friend during “No One Mourns The Wicked.” I was crying 12 minutes into the movie thanks to the “For Good” music making a quick cameo, but now that I’ve seen the party sequence (which is easily the best scene in the movie), I was even more of a mess this time around. And, I know it’s going to get me even more emotional once we see the duo sing “For Good” together.
I Confirmed Jeff Goldblum’s Voice Is Used In No One Mourns The Wicked
Also during “No One Mourns The Wicked,” I thought I caught Jeff Goldblum’s voice when Elphaba’s mom is being visited by her lover and taking the green potion when I first watched it. Upon the second viewing, I could absolutely confirm that it’s his voice during the lines “Have another drink my dark-eyed beauty. I’ve got one more night left here in town…” While this connection is never revealed in the movie, I love that they used Goldblum’s voice to show it’s the Wizard for those who listen hard enough. I can’t wait to see how Part 2 reveals the big twist.
Glinda Also References ‘Something Bad’ Right After She Meets Elphaba
I don’t know how much of this detail was intentional or not, but I noticed this time that right after Glinda and Elphaba meet for the first time, Glinda storms away asking if she did “something bad” while talking to her friends. I might be reading into this, but I think by referring to the song title Dr. Dillamond later sings with Elphaba, it’s foreshadowing to the end of the first movie where she gives into the Wizard’s plans rather than sticking with Elphaba and her anti-Oz uprising.
Elphaba Having A ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ Moment Is Too Perfect
Obviously Wicked wouldn’t be here without The Wizard of Oz, which famously includes the “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” song in the original movie. While some might consider Wicked to be a villain origin story, I think the musical is more of an empowering coming-of-age story from Elphaba’s perspective. When Elphaba sings “The Wizard And I” after racing through the fields and a rainbow shows up in the distance, I think it’s a reminder that she’s the protagonist of her own story here, and while yes, there’s some pain afoot in both movies, she’ll get her happy ending.
Glinda And Elphaba’s ‘What Is This Feeling’ Fight Feels Like Prep For Act II
In Act II of Wicked, Elphaba and Glinda get into an altercation, and in “What Is This Feeling,” when they fight each other with long sticks, it feels like they are practicing for later in the story. I do wonder if they’ll flash back to this scene when they go broom to wand in the second half of the story.
I Also Realized Why Elphaba Might Have Chosen To Flee To The West
As a fan of the musical, one element of the movie that hit harder than the Broadway show was Elphaba’s love for the animals of Oz. And during the “Something Bad” sequence, Elphaba looks at a map that shows tunnels that go under Oz and to what looks like the west side of the region. I think that explains why she becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, specifically.
Elphaba Telling Fiyero To ‘Get Stuffed’ Didn’t Register The First Time
After watching Wicked again, I’m also definitely more pumped for Elphaba and Fiyero to explore their romance after seeing their chemistry play out. But, what I didn’t notice the first time was how Elphaba tells Fiyero to “get stuffed” after he almost hits her with his horse during their first meeting. It’s clearly foreshadowing how Elphaba will turn him into the Scarecrow during the second act.
I Also Didn’t Clock What Boq Telling Glinda He ‘Cries A Lot’ Refers To
Similarly, I noticed something similar happens for Ethan Slater’s Boq while he’s talking to Glinda in the middle of the “Dancing Through Life” sequence. He says he “cries a lot,” which also foreshadows his fate as the Tin Man, who famously has this characteristic in the original The Wizard of Oz.
I Realized The Lion Cub’s Roar Is Very Reminiscent Of The Cowardly Lion, Too
To round out Dorothy’s friends, who she’ll meet on the Yellow Brick Road during the second act, we also meet the Cowardly Lion as a baby cub in Wicked. While I caught this to some degree during my first viewing, what I didn’t notice is how his little roars already sounds like the cowardly lion from The Wizard of Oz. Perhaps this has something to do with rewatching The Wizard of Oz after seeing Wicked.
And, Elphaba’s Moment With The Grimmery Has Me Especially Excited For ‘No Good Deed’
The last detail I’ll talk about is the moment when Elphaba reads the Grimmery and ends up turning the monkey guards into monkeys that can fly. When she reads the spell from the book, I saw that she was half singing them. It reminded me of one of my favorite songs from the second act “No Good Deed.” I absolutely cannot wait to see how Cynthia Erivo, who absolutely put on green makeup everyday of the production by the way, adapts that song along with really coming into her character of the Wicked Witch.
While, I’ve been a bit stressed about the sequel, knowing that a lot of the greatest moments are in the first half, rewatching it and seeing these small but effective bits of breadcrumbs really made me hyped for Wicked: For Good. I’m officially counting down the days until its release on November 21.