A note about the ending of Wicked: For Good (spoilers--)

"No good deed goes unpunished..."

Meg and I went to see Wicked: For Good last night, and we enjoyed it immensely. That said, the ending didn't fit the mythic trope, and it bothers me. 

Okay, so I'm a literature geek. And I tend to recognize and appreciate (expect?) the dramatic/literary arc in good writing and good movies. So, I was excited that this film (and the first one) were upending the trope a bit, refreshing it and questioning the whole "we need a man to solve our problems" theme in literature and film. We see in the first film that Elphaba first idolized the Wizard, but then came to find out that her trust and belief were misplaced; he is a liar and a cheat, and he uses people. Okay, that brings things to a crescendo, and on to the second film. Elphaba is persona non grata in Oz, and the Wizard, through Nessa, is making life in Oz untenable. The animals are escaping to the great unknown because they are persecuted. Then, the Munchkins' movements are curtailed; they must receive permission to go about daily activities. This lock-down is all done in the name of making Oz Good Again. (Sounds familiar, but that's for another day's conversation--let's just say, the film begins with the production of roads all paved in fake gold bricks, installed through cruel forced labor.) 

Elphaba feels she must act, even though it puts herself at risk. Cue Joseph Campbell's seven stages of the hero now--except, as I said, we have a female protagonist. (Which is way cool-- yay, the distaff side gets to be in ascension.) So, we've gone through miraculous birth, prodigal childhood, a call to service, a denial of the call, then...acceptance. This is where the second film is centered. If we are following Campbell's progression, the "dark night of the soul" is up-- and Elphaba falls into this self-doubt. She finally sees what is required of her: sacrifice for the greater good. Oh...Good. There's a touching moment where she fills a bucket of water and leaves it for her persecutors to find (because the Witch Must Die By Water), and she has a conversation with Galinda. Elphaba tells her that she must be the bad one, because that's the only way that Galinda can be the Good. Balance is necessary, and Oz needs reconstruction-- a true Goodness, not the sham and shameful smoke show that the Wizard has created to serve his own needs and whims. This is the Sacrifice that is required. 

So, (spoiler) Elphaba gets doused, she melts, her hat remains, and Galinda finds her inner fortitude and starts cleaning house. She is finally on her way to being truly Good, not just popular, pretty, and biddable. 

The part that bugs me is the end. We see a figure-- the Scarecrow-- come and knock on the floor where Elphaba has melted, and she pops out. They have, apparently, had a plan to fool everyone and to escape together (whups, there was that subplot-- Fiyero loves Elphie, not Galinda) to the great unknown. 

Wait. A. Minute. 

What was a great hero story, a refreshed look at how that all works with a female character deciding her own journey, just got flattened. It took a guy, and a lie, to end things? What the hell. A male to save the day after all? 

Not okay, not at all okay. It cheapens what Elphaba chooses to do, it undercut her sacrifice, and to be honest, I'm not convinced that Galinda is going to sustain her new Goodness. Maybe she will. Maybe it's too much to ask. Certainly the director of this film, Jon Chu, succumbed to the cheap "happy ending" trap that movies fall into far too often. Why can't we honor sacrifice? Why does everything have to be so neatly papered over? Why can't we accept Elphaba's selfless act on her own terms?

It disappointed me a lot; the whole two-part story is glorious, the music is superb, and the acting is great-- but the flat ending for Elphaba is a disappointment. I suspect few people will notice or even care, but this Lit Geek is a little bummed out. We need strong females to lead, to make hard choices, and to make sacrifices-- there are so many in real life who don't get any credit, or who are demeaned, belittled, and threatened. The situation where the champion that Elphaba should have been, but was (again) denied by the industry, is just sad.

Yes, go see the movie. It's lovely. But I'm still Team Elphaba.

Have a lovely day. Hold your loved ones tightly.

C