Ever wondered how much time truly separates the events of Wicked and its sequel, Wicked: For Good? It’s a gap that’s both subtle and profound, and it’s the key to understanding how Elphaba transforms from a defiant rebel into the infamous Wicked Witch of the West. Let’s dive into the timeline—and trust me, it’s not as straightforward as you might think.
The first film, Wicked, leaves us breathless as Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba soars into the sky, belting out Defying Gravity and vowing to stand against the Wizard of Oz. But where does Wicked: For Good pick up? Here’s where it gets intriguing: the sequel opens with the construction of the yellow brick road—yes, that iconic path from The Wizard of Oz (1939)—built by the labor of Oz’s animals. But the work is abruptly halted when Elphaba swoops in on her broom, freeing the animals in an act of rebellion. The Emerald City’s leaders label her actions as violent, cementing her reputation as the Wicked Witch of the West. Meanwhile, Glinda, who chose to stay in Oz at the end of the first film, has become a symbol of hope and resistance against evil.
So, how much time has passed? And this is the part most people miss: according to Winnie Holzman, the mastermind behind Wicked’s book and co-writer of both films, it’s just one year. But don’t expect to hear the words ‘one year’ in the film. Instead, the passage of time is poetically described as ‘12 turnings of the tide,’ a phrase that’s both Oz-worthy and deeply symbolic.
‘We wanted to convey that a substantial amount of time has passed, but not an endless amount,’ Holzman explains. ‘It’s enough time for Elphaba to feel discouraged, but not so long that she’d be in a completely different headspace.’ Her co-writer, Dana Fox, adds that the one-year mark was chosen to evoke a sense of nostalgia—that bittersweet feeling of looking back at a transformative period in your life.
But here’s where it gets controversial: Why ‘tide turns’? Holzman points to the water imagery prevalent in both films, directed by Jon M. Chu. Water symbolizes the unconscious, the dreamlike state, and—spoiler alert—it’s ultimately what ‘kills’ Elphaba in The Wizard of Oz. ‘It’s also very feminine,’ Fox notes, adding another layer of meaning to the choice.
The writers admit they layered these deeper meanings into the script, even if audiences don’t catch them all on the first watch. ‘We wanted this to be a movie you could revisit 20 times and still discover something new,’ Fox says. And the one-year timeline? It’s not just about the characters—it’s about the audience, too. ‘It’s been a year since viewers first entered the world of Wicked,’ Fox explains. ‘We wanted them to feel like they’ve grown alongside Elphaba and Glinda.’
Here’s a thought-provoking question for you: Does the one-year gap feel too short for such significant character development, or is it the perfect amount of time to capture the essence of change and disillusionment? Let us know in the comments—we’d love to hear your take on this magical, yet meticulously crafted, timeline.
