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As a long-time Wicked fan, there were a few scenes that I was dying to see play out on screen in For Good. I couldn't wait to hear Ariana Grande tackle the epic “bridges you've crossed” line in “Thank Goodness.” I was anxiously awaiting Cynthia Erivo's rendition of “No Good Deed.” And, of course, I was desperate to see Elphaba and Fiyero getting it on while singing the show's sexy song “As Long as You're Mine.”
So, I was, admittedly, surprised (horrified, aghast, dismayed) when the duo finally got to Elphaba's cosy treehouse lair and she promptly slinked off into another room only to emerge wearing what is now known as the Wicked Sex Cardigan.
The Wicked Sex Cardigan is… really not very sexy. It's long, ratty, moth-eaten and fraying at the seams. It looks vaguely scratchy and extremely witchy. The best way to describe it is that it looks like something pulled out of your granny's bin. To make matters worse, Elphaba pulls it on over top of what looks like very sexy black lace lingerie. Meanwhile Sexiest Man Alive Jonathan Bailey is looking like well..l the sexiest man alive in a crisp, unbuttoned white shirt.
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It's hardly surprising that the internet quickly reacted with general horror.
“I’m Being Driven Insane by Wicked: For Good’s Sex Cardigan”, proclaimed a Vulture article. “A Chunky Knit Ruined Wicked: For Good's Sexiest Scene,” The Cut chimed in. Meanwhile, they complained that "while Fiyero undresses, the film, for some reason, dresses Elphaba up in a frumpy sex cardigan.”
Unsurprisingly, the memes followed:
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The internet has spoken. Elphaba's ratty jumper is one of the worst things to happen in Wicked: For Good. Nevertheless, despite my initial misgivings, I would like to state my case in defence of the Wicked Sex Cardigan. And my reasons are as follows:
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1. Elphaba owns it
Let's stop for a moment and think about what Elphaba has with her in her new woodsy life. After all, she fled the Emerald City years (?) ago with nothing but the clothes on her back and a broomstick. Presumably, she's been snatching random bits of witchy black clothing ever since – things that are practical for flying around Oz protecting talking Animals. But she would probably also want a few bits and pieces for when she's curling up with a good spell book back home in her treehouse after a long day fighting flying monkeys. And chances are, those bits and pieces would be cosy, disintegrating woollen rags. Do I believe this is Elphaba's loungewear? 100%.
2. It makes sense in the context of the scene
But why, you ask, would Elphaba choose this moment to go and put on her rattiest cardy? She's about to have sex with the Sexiest Man Alive! Ok, please note that Elphaba is also wearing a very sexy set of lingerie underneath her cardigan. So, why not just wear that? Well, this is Elphaba's first time being intimate with Fiyero. In fact, it could easily be her first time being intimate with anyone. Plus, we know that she doesn't exactly always feel comfortable in her own skin. It's no wonder she second-guessed herself after putting on her sexy underwear and, as she left the room, grabbed a cardigan to cover herself up with.
3. It actually adds to the emotional intimacy of the moment
It seems that a lot of fans of the musical were expecting “As Long As You're Mine” to be an all-out sexy scene, complete with lots and lots of (green) skin – but the song is actually about the moments that lead up to the long-awaited coming together of Elphaba and Fiyero. It's a little timid, a little tentative. They are testing each other out before diving into actually doing the deed.
As Elphaba sings in the opening verse: “I need help believing / You're with me tonight / My wildest dreamings / Could not foresee / Lying beside you / With you wanting me.”
She can't believe he wants her. And part of her is probably worried that he might change his mind. So, naturally, her Sex Cardigan comes out of her anxiety about it actually happening. And seeing her slowly let her guard down (and her cardigan) and open up to the possibility of feeling sexy with Fiyero is as intimate as it gets.
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This is, as it turns out, exactly what Erivo and costume designer Paul Tazewell were going for. Cynthia greatly informed that look, he explained to the Evening Standard, who also clarified it's actually a peignoir. “It came out of lots of conversations around how we represent this very intimate moment, the big moment where the two lovers are coming together.”
He added, “We see the green skin of her legs and her arms, normalising that for the two of them so that we can actually feel that love connection.”
Sure, the Wicked Sex Cardigan may be the least sexy thing ever… but it's so real of Elphaba. Because, honestly, if Sexiest Man Alive Jonathan Bailey Fiyero started pulling off his suspenders in my treehouse lair, I'd probably freak out and go running for a ratty old comfort blanket (listen, let's call it boho chic) to hide under, too.
As Wicked: For Good lands in cinemas, here's how you can watch Wicked: Part I at home.
