Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda) is the first half of the same-titled Broadway musical; the film ends on the song “Defying Gravity,” with Elphaba and Glinda parting ways.

Wicked: Part One saw the two friends choose opposing sides, butthere’s no need for a post-credits scene, as Wicked: Part Two will depict the unraveling of their relationship.

What Happens At The End Of ‘Wicked: Part One’?

Elphaba the eternal outcast and Glinda the popular girl have become close friends toward the end of Wicked, proving opposites attract.

Elphaba, as a naturally talented sorceress, is gaining the status and recognition that Glinda the wannabe-witch has always wanted.

Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) wants Elphaba to have an audience with the esteemed wizard himself, which is exactly what Glinda (and everyone else in Oz) wants.

But Elphaba’s deep-rooted sense of justice is starting to clashing against Glinda’s values, as the green witch is traumatized after witnessing the fascist crackdown of the animals of Oz.

Glinda sympathizes with the animal’s plight, but she can’t quite empathize with them in the same way Elphaba can.

The ever-loyal Elphaba, however, brings Glinda to the Emerald City to see Oz, and the two are brought into the inner circle of the ruling class. Oz reveals himself as an ordinary man, and Elphaba comes to understand that he and Morrible are deliberately persecuting the animals.

Oz also shows Elphaba the “Grimmerie,” a spell book which she can read intuitively.

What Is ‘The Grimmerie’?

The Grimmerie is a powerful book that is key to Oz’s control over the Land of Oz.

While the Silver/Ruby Slippers are the magical MacGuffin in the majority of Wizard of Oz stories, the Grimmerie is hugely important to the Wicked timeline.

The book is not part of the original lore of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; it only appears in Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which inspired the Broadway musical and current film.

It’s an important point that Elphaba can read the book naturally (and will likely come into play in Wicked: Part Two), but the book also enables Elphaba to create powerful spells that further cement her reputation as the Wicked Witch, and leave their mark on the Land of Oz.

Wicked: Part One sees her use the book at Oz’s request, which transforms his army of monkeys into the iconic Winged Monkeys from The Wizard of Oz, and create her flying broomstick with the same spell.

This moment proves to be a crucial turning point in the film, as Elphaba’s fate is tied to the Winged Monkeys.

The Flying Monkeys Of ‘Wicked,’ Explained

After casting from the Grimmerie, Elphaba realizes that the flying spell is cruel and unnatural, but also that Oz and Morrible seek to use the Winged Monkeys as spies.

Elphaba has helped the two tyrants permanently transform the monkeys against their will, and worse, strengthened the ensuing crackdown against the animals; hence, Elphaba is horrified by her own actions and vows to stand against Oz from that point on.

The Winged Monkeys are then used to chase down Elphaba, but will join her as allies in Part Two.

The Winged Monkeys are the Wicked Witch’s loyal servants in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, and instantly became iconic with their eerie, otherworldly design; their origin is never explained in the film, but the creatures made a lasting impression in pop culture.

Today, ”flying monkey” is used in psychology to refer to an enabler of an abusive person.

In Baum’s original books the winged monkeys are natural, native creatures to Oz, who are cursed to obey the commands of anyone who wears a magical Golden Cap, which is eventually acquired by Dorothy.

The monkeys are important creatures in the original books, but are vital to Elphaba’s story in Wicked. The monkeys are destined to become her minions, but the creatures also mark the dividing line between Elphaba and Glinda in Part One.

An outsider like Elphaba simply cannot stand to see the Winged Monkeys used as spies for the wizard’s anti-animal regime. Glinda, however, can accept the hidden horrors of the Emerald City—she’s not willing to sacrifice her own safety or comfort to push against it.

The two disagree, fight, then accept one another for who they really are; Elphaba embraces her new rebellious self in the song “Defying Gravity” and flies away, while Glinda chooses to embrace Madame Morrible.

Is Glinda The Good Truly Evil?

There are fierce debates online over Glinda’s questionable morality, with many Wicked fans viewing Glinda as an outright villain, and others defending her.

Glinda is not an irredeemably evil character, but she certainly isn’t a hero; she’s something of a complacent centrist.

Despite the cruelty at the heart of his regime, Glinda refuses to rebel against Oz, because his hierarchy is all she’s ever known; the status quo has been good to her. She simply cannot throw her life away and become a hated outlaw like Elphaba—normalcy is too important.

For Elphaba, rejecting Oz’s reign is just going back to her old normal.

What Will Happen In ‘Wicked: Part Two’?

Part One is expanded, but largely faithful to the Wicked Broadway play, and we can expect Wicked: Part Two to follow the same plot points.

While the Wicked play and film are far-removed from the violence and sexuality of Maguire’s 1995 novel, Part Two is going to be darker than Part One.

Nessa (Marissa Bode) is going to become the witch who rules over the munchkins, before being crushed by Dorothy’s house. Her death will traumatize Elphaba, leading to her later conflict with Dorothy.

The love of Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) will see the strained relationship between Glinda and Elphaba shatter, and the gifting of the magical slippers to Dorothy will mark a serious betrayal.

Part Two will show the price of pushing back against the status quo, as well as the hopes that can spring from rebellion.

MORE FROM FORBES

ForbesHow ‘Wicked’ Connects To ‘The Wizard Of Oz’By Dani Di PlacidoForbes‘Wicked’—Ariana Grande And Cynthia Erivo’s ‘Holding Space’ Meme, ExplainedBy Dani Di PlacidoForbesCynthia Erivo’s ‘Wicked’ Poster Controversy, ExplainedBy Dani Di PlacidoForbesThe Dream Logic Of ‘The Boy And The Heron,’ ExplainedBy Dani Di Placido