If you happen to’re not acquainted with the total story of “Depraved” — as in, something previous the occasions of the movie “Depraved: Half One” — don’t preserve happening the yellow brick street! Main spoilers lie forward!
If you happen to’re even a little bit bit acquainted with “The Wizard of Oz” — the 1939 adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s novel “The Great Wizard of Oz” — you in all probability know the film’s 4 fundamental gamers. You’ve got bought Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), a woman transported from Kansas to Oz because of a magical twister, who finally ends up assembly the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), the Tin Man (Jack Haley), and the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) within the fantastical land. (As a result of the film presents Oz as the placement of a magical dream Dorothy’s having, Lahr, Haley, and Bolger additionally play farmhands who work on the Gale household property in “actual life.”) Almost a century later, audiences returned to Oz because of Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the hit Broadway musical “Depraved,” itself tailored from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 Oz-centric prequel novel “Depraved: The Life and Occasions of the Depraved Witch of the West,” however the Scarecrow solely seems briefly within the opening. These within the know, although, know that we have already met the Scarecrow — as a result of in Stephen Schwartz’s musical, one of many fundamental characters turns into the Scarecrow in Act 2.
So who’s doomed to change into the brainless Scarecrow who finally ends up begging the Wizard for some grey matter to place in his head? That might be Winkie prince Fiyero Tigelaar, performed by “Bridgerton” and “Fellow Vacationers” standout Jonathan Bailey. If you happen to’re impatient when you watch for “Depraved: For Good” — the just lately retitled second half of Chu’s epic “Depraved” story — here is how we predict Fiyero will endure his transformation when the film releases in November of this yr.
What does Fiyero do in Depraved: Half One?
After Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera) arrive at Shiz College and start their research, your entire scholar physique goes wild over the upcoming arrival of Fiyero, a notably good-looking prince whose irreverent and rebellious conduct has gotten him kicked out of a number of different faculties. When Fiyero reveals up at Shiz, the ladies are particularly titillated, together with Galinda, who goes out of her solution to flirt with him; Elphaba, notably, is not impressed by his conduct and disdain for data and learning, which clearly implies that Fiyero finally ends up fascinated with the green-skinned lady who will not give him the time of day.
Fiyero convinces your entire scholar physique to sneak out one night and go dance and occasion on the close by Stardust Ballroom, and Galinda — livid that she has to share her single room with Elphaba, who solely finally ends up learning at Shiz after by accident performing magic that draws the eye of the college’s Dean of Sorcery Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) convinces Elphaba to put on an unflattering witch’s hat, humiliating her. Galinda finally joins Elphaba in a dance, bonding the 2 without end, and the duo begins spending time with Galinda’s “boyfriend” Fiyero. Although Fiyero appears airheaded and immodest, he and Elphaba be part of forces to assist a scared lion cub (which, we are able to think about, might develop as much as change into the Cowardly Lion) after animals are banned from educating at Shiz and a merciless professor tries to experiment with the cub; after they share a second collectively within the woods, Elphaba sings a lament over the truth that Fiyero loves Galinda and never her (the mournful ballad “I am Not That Woman”). As soon as Galinda, who shortens her title to “Glinda” in honor of their fallen animal professor Dr. Dillamond (Peter Dinklage), and Elphaba head off to Oz to fulfill the Wizard, we do not see Fiyero once more — so what can we anticipate to see from him in “Depraved: For Good?”
What’s going to occur to Fiyero in Depraved: For Good?
On the finish of “Depraved: Half One,” Glinda has allied herself (unwillingly) with the evil Madame Morrible and the Wizard himself (Jeff Goldblum) after permitting Elphaba to flee their clutches on broomstick — so the place’s Fiyero in all of this? He is again at Shiz, and once we see him once more within the second act of the “Depraved” musical, he is Captain of the Wizard’s Guard for Oz and is engaged to Glinda. Fiyero remains to be in love with Elphaba, although — which Glinda appears to simply innately know, particularly contemplating that their engagement is totally organized by Madame Morrible to spice up morale in Oz and distract from her evil deeds finished alongside the Wizard — and when Elphaba takes an enormous dangers and returns to Oz to attempt to free the Wizard’s flying monkeys, Fiyero protects her. He additionally disappears along with her, leaving Glinda devastated (she sings her personal reprise of “I am Not That Woman,” in reality).
Whereas hiding in a distant forest, Fiyero and Elphaba sing a duet, “As Lengthy As You are Mine,” revealing that they love one another … however after Elphaba is pressured to attempt to save her sister Nessarose (performed by the pleasant newcomer Marissa Bode in “Depraved: Half One”), Fiyero finally ends up captured by the Wizard. Elphaba believes that Fiyero is useless and casts a spell to attempt to save his life; since he is not useless, the spell transforms him into the Scarecrow, and after Elphaba fakes her dying by water (at Dorothy’s arms) utilizing a useful trapdoor, Fiyero and Elphaba run away collectively because the musical ends.
Fiyero’s destiny within the Depraved novel differs from the musical
Is Fiyero’s destiny totally different in Gregory Maguire’s unique (and admittedly, a lot darker) novel? Sure, truly! We seemingly will not have to fret a lot about Fiyero’s journey within the “Depraved” ebook as a result of Jon M. Chu’s motion pictures definitely appear to be sticking to the plot of the musical, however only for some context, here is the cope with Fiyero within the ebook (truly, books; Maguire wrote a small sequence).
Within the ebook, Fiyero will get married after Elphaba formally “turns into” the “Depraved Witch of the West” and has three youngsters (not with Glinda), however he and Elphaba have an affair anyway … and after Fiyero is found in Elphaba’s firm and punished, he is left shocked by the invention of Liir, the kid he fathered throughout his dalliance with Elphaba. From there, the Wizard takes your entire Tigelaar household prisoner, together with all of Fiyero’s reputable youngsters — and when Elphaba begs the Wizard to launch them, he reveals that they are all useless aside from Fiyero’s daughter Nor. Elphaba truly dies from the bucket of water within the ebook and Fiyero by no means resurfaces, so not solely can we safely assume that the Wizard actually did kill him, however he does not change into the Scarecrow. See why Chu is adapting the musical and never the ebook? The ending of the ebook is definitively sad — even with Elphaba defeated and useless, Oz is plunged into political turmoil for years thereafter.
Dancing Via Life affords some clues about Fiyero’s future
Fiyero’s huge musical quantity in “Depraved: Half One” — which Jonathan Bailey completely crushes — is the prolonged tune “Dancing Via Life,” wherein he extolls the virtues of residing an ignorant life freed from pondering and considerations. If you realize that Fiyero’s destiny within the musical is that he turns into the Scarecrow, you may need to look and hear extra intently to the lyrics of “Dancing Via Life,” which provide enormous clues about that consequence.
The entire tune is kind of actually about not pondering, however a ton of the lyrics straight level to not having a mind. “Dancing by way of life, skimming the floor / Gliding the place turf is clean / Life’s extra painless for the brainless / Why assume too exhausting when it is so soothing?” Fiyero croons early within the tune, repeating this sentiment in varied methods: “Life is fraughtless whenever you’re inconsiderate / Those that do not attempt by no means look silly.” Actually, one might argue that Fiyero is talking in metaphors, however should you take him actually, he is saying that one of the best ways to expertise your one valuable life is to cease pondering completely, which he is pressured to do when he loses his mind and turns into the Scarecrow later within the story.
A pivotal scene involving poppies straight references the Scarecrow
Keep in mind how Fiyero and Elphaba save a lion cub from merciless experimentation and mainly kick off their relationship within the course of? The entire motive that they are capable of get the lion cub safely out of Shiz within the first place is as a result of Elphaba, incensed by the concept the lion cub can be tortured in entrance of her and a room full of scholars, by accident performs a spell that sends poppies flying all through the classroom … and the flowers put everybody to sleep. Everybody, that’s, aside from Fiyero, who stays utterly aware and ensures that the lion cub makes it into the woods and out of hurt’s approach, incomes a scrape on his face for his bother.
Why does this relate to Fiyero’s future standing because the Scarecrow? You might do not forget that, in “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion find yourself passing out in a area stuffed with — you guessed it — poppies. The Scarecrow, although, manages to remain awake for some motive, by some means resistant to the spell forged by the Depraved Witch of the West — or, as he is aware of her, Elphaba. Within the stage musical, Elphaba manages to briefly blind your entire class except for Fiyero — in order that they each rescue the cub in that model as effectively, however Jon M. Chu’s alternative to alter the scene and contain poppies might be a really clear clue so far as Fiyero is anxious.
“Depraved: Half One” is on the market to hire or purchase on demand now.