92: Two Best Friends pt.2: THAT Girl

Maia Warner-Langenbahn
Feb 12
6 min read

Updated: Aug 14

The story of Wicked is a beautiful, complicated tale about love, regret, power, and friendship. If your only exposure comes from the Broadway stage, prepare to step through a far heavier door. In this episode Maia reconstructs Gregory Maguire’s novel in vivid detail, explaining how its plot veers into brutal territory such as the Philosophy Club and a very final fate for Fiyero. She traces the book’s birth to a spur-of-the-moment snorkeling trip in Hawai‘i, then follows its ideas through Matilda Gage’s feminism, the politics of Oz, and the moral knot at the center of Elphaba’s green skin. We untangle clashing timelines, hidden musical motifs, and Maguire’s unanswered riddles about good, evil, and forgiveness. By the closing credits you will hear the word “Unlimited” with new ears, you will view silver slippers as fraught icons, and you will understand why Wicked on the page is as heartbreaking as it is necessary. This week, we dig into the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West!

Chapters/Key takeaways to listen for

[00:00:00] Catch-Up
[00:09:09] THAT Girl: The concept of wickedness and how it can complicate one's job
[00:22:40] Gregory Maguire background: How a mother’s death, Irish-Catholic guilt & fairy-tale love brewed the Wicked novelist
[00:51:03] Wizard of Oz Lore: Grant maps the four countries, deserts and witches that start it all
[01:04:40] Wicked Lore: Intricate religious systems and magical creature classifications in Oz
[01:24:43] Overview begins: Unpacking the book's intricate plot and character motivations
[01:40:06] Wicked: Gilikin: Elphaba's formative university years and emerging relationships
[02:07:29] Wicked: City of Emeralds: Political activism and personal rebellion against the Wizard
[02:13:06] Wicked: In the Vinkus: Elphaba's personal struggles and supernatural transformations
[02:33:00] Wicked: The Murder and its Afterlife: Confronting destiny, evil, and the complexity of forgiveness
[03:06:16] Back to Gregory: Author's philosophical approach to storytelling and social commentary
[03:10:54] Linking it all together: Connecting literary traditions and exploring narrative evolution

Photos Referenced:

Stage set for Wicked the musical — *The Wicked Set showing the Time Dragon - courtesy of u/TheSonder via Reddit - *The Broadway Dragon is names Oswald, the West End Dragon is called Percival*

“Consolation: A Study,” by Andy Newman - courtesy of Rachel Armany / GBH News	The illustrated map in the Wicked book
Tik-Tok as he appeared in Ozma of Oz (1907) - Wikimedia Commons	The Clock of the Time Dragon illustrated in Wicked for the cover of the section titled 'Munchkinlanders'
The illustration for the cover of the section titled 'City of Emeralds	'The illustration for the cover of the section titled 'The Murder and its Afterlife'

Quotes:

"Unionism is a belief in the unnamed god." - Maia Warner
"We are all different. We all don't quite fit into the peg for which others think we are shaped." - Maia Warner
"Storytelling exists for some to use up ideas with which we are burdened.” - Maia Warner

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