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It's impossible not to fall a little bit in love with Ariana Grande in Wicked. As Galinda (and later simply Glinda), Grande is an explosion of quirky charm across the screen. From the very first hair toss, it's a playful, witty, physical performance with buckets of a certain old Hollywood type of comedic charisma. That bizarre Transatlantic accent will always get me. But none of this detracts from the glaring fact: Glinda kind of sucks.
Because let's face it: from her mean girl origins in film one to her bad allyship in the second film, for most of the story, Glinda is “good” only when it suits her own interests. Yes, we love Grande's performance, yes, we love her unlikely friendship with Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba, and, yes, she does pull through in the end. But, nonetheless, Glinda is kind of the worst – and even though we may love her and even forgive her, we should be able to, firstly, understand why she is the way she is, and, secondly, call her out on it.
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1. She’s kind of a mean girl
From her first moments at Shiz University, Glinda establishes herself as the school's Queen Bee. Behind her warm smile, there always lurks a sinister, veiled threat: don't get any ideas about actually being my friend. You can see it when she talks down to Boq (Ethan Slater). You can see it when she first meets Elphaba. Instead of treating Elphaba like, you know, a human being, she takes it upon herself to proclaim her “goodness” by promising to change her skin colour “problem” once she has learned magic.
Glinda becomes a full-on bully in the scenes that follow, making catty, sly comments in class ("It seems the artichoke is steamed.") and cruelly giving Elphaba her ugly, old pointed hat, knowing it will make Elphaba look stupid in front of the rest of the school. She is in full Regina George mode.
2. She has the worst priorities
Glinda's number one priority? Well, herself. Namely, getting ahead. As she proudly explains to Elphaba in “Popular” her one ambition is personal success – not because she wants to do anything with her power, but because she simply craves power for power's sake. Her ambition to join Madame Morrible's (Michelle Yeoh) sorcery seminar comes from the very same impulse. We never know why Glinda wants fame or what she wants to use it for — merely that she wants it.
3. She’s a tad spoiled
Glinda is the picture of absolute privilege. It's clear that she has always gotten everything she wants in life. So, when she arrives at Shiz, she expects special treatment. She expects the private suite. And when finds herself saddled with a roommate, she shoves her into a corner (no one puts Elphaba in a corner!) behind a mountain of pink fluffy clothes. Glinda also expects to get into Morrible's class. It's very telling that when she is denied, she is shocked, not because she thinks she earned it, but because she thinks she should have it anyway. As she says, “Something is very wrong, I didn't get my way.”
4. She’s a pretty bad friend
We've established that Glinda is selfish and entitled, so it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that she's not always a great friend. There's no denying the fact that she and Elphaba love each other— but she sometimes finds funny ways of showing it. Once she and Elphaba become friends, her first act is to try to change her – to make her more palatable to the rest of the world. It's not cruel. In fact, it comes from a place of kindness. But it's also not particularly thoughtful.
Also, what is the deal with her friendship with Pfannee (Bowen Yang) and ShenShen (Bronwyn James) aka her besties at Shiz? Because they are effectively her slaves. She gives them nothing, they give her everything. Sure, it's kind of funny, but it's also a really toxic "friendship". The fact that they end of working as her assistants in the second film is telling.
5. She’s a bad girlfriend
Glinda isn't just selfish in her friendships, she's selfish in her relationships, too. Her relationship with Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) begins because – well – the pair seem to understand that they are meant to be together. At least, as far as their social status goes. Although they develop real feelings for each other, Glinda continues to treat Fiyero like an asset rather than a partner. In the second film, she surprises him with the news that they're engaged during a public appearance. It's something she has planned with the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), aka, her boss, as a political move. And she can't seem to understand why he's not thrilled.
6. She’s wilfully ignorant
Glinda has a very good habit of sitting in her own ignorance. From her first days at Shiz, she shows little interest in engaging with Dr. Dillamond's history lessons: "I don't see why you can't just teach us history instead of always harping on the past." While Elphaba listens and learns about how Animals have historically been persecuted in Oz, Glinda doesn't challenge herself with anything that could threaten to destabilise her untroubled world view – a worldview in which she can sit unproblematically at the top of the pyramid.
Later, in the second film, Glinda has become the public face of the Wizard's rule over Oz. Does she actually not know that he is directly responsible for the continued persecution and repression of the Animals? Or does she simply choose not to see it.
7. She puts her career above everything
One of the reasons why Glinda may choose not to see the truth is that her career is always her number one concern. Her goal has always been to be beloved. At the end of the first film, she knows that flying off with Elphaba and taking a stand against the wizard will crush that dream. And when, in the second film, her dream had come true, she is willing to overlook a lot to keep her position of power. She would rather smile and wave than actually go look for her friend. And when Fiyero calls her out on it, saying, “You can't resist this,” she replies, “Well maybe I can't. Is that so wrong? I mean, who could?"
8. She’s a bad ally
All of this being said, one of the biggest problems with Glinda is that she is, effectively, a bad ally. She claims to be a force for good and a friend to Elphaba – but her allyship only extends so far. Instead of taking a strong political stance, which would require bravery and might mean losing her public support, she carefully turns a blind eye to the realities of the world around her: the very realities that make her position of power possible.
Being a real ally isn't easy. It usually means putting your own position of privilege at risk. But someone with a voice, someone with popularity, someone with a platform, someone like Glinda, is exactly who the Animals need most. Glinda's story in Wicked: For Good is a reminder that the people with the most to lose are also the people with the most power to create change – if only they're brave enough to put their own necks on the line.
Here's what we now about the titular Oz character's role in the second half of musical movie Wicked.
The Glinda phenomenon is something we see playing out in the real world all too often. There are plenty of people with huge platforms who choose to stay carefully silent on vital social issues, all while enjoying the lifestyle and privilege that comes with silently sidling up to corruption.
Of course, Glinda isn't really “the worst” – she's flawed and she makes a lot of bad choices. Choices that, despite her good intentions, inadvertently cause real harm. But we must also acknowledge her eventual decision to stand up the truth – even if it comes a little late.
And we always knew she was capable of it. In fact, we've seen redeeming glimmers of her ability to be a good ally throughout the story. In fact, it's what initially drew her and Elphaba in the first place. Standing up for the right thing is exactly what she does at the Ozdust ballroom, albeit on a smaller scale, when she risks her own popularity and position to help someone who needs a powerful friend.
The same thing happens at the end of the second film. After finally forcing herself to actually see what is going on in Oz, Glinda comes down from her bubble of privilege (a metaphor and a reality, in this case) and makes the brave, uncomfortable decision to go against the corrupt system of power she has been working for. She makes the decision to be truly good.
