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!

00:00:00 Catch-up

00:09:09 THAT Girl

00:22:40 GM background

00:51:03 Wizard of Oz Lore

01:04:40 Wicked Lore

01:24:43 Overview begins

01:40:06 Wicked: Gilikin

02:07:29 Wicked: CoE

02:13:06 Wicked: ItV

02:33:00 Wicked: TMA

03:06:16 Back to Gregory

03:10:54 Linking it all together

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