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If Wicked (Part One) was the big gay Emerald City pre-game, Wicked: For Good is the tear-streaked 2 a.m. Uber ride home where you’re replaying every friendship, every ex, and wondering why Jonathan Bailey is allowed to look like that in a PG movie.
Jon M. Chu’s sequel picks up with Elphaba in exile, branded the Wicked Witch, while Glinda polishes her crown as the smiling face of a very shady regime. Critics are already calling the film darker and more emotional than the first, with a heavier focus on war, propaganda, and broken friendships.
It’s still a glittery studio musical… but the vibes this time are very “fascist Oz” meets “gay feelings you can’t quite say out loud.”
The Story (Spoiler-lite)
No spoilers, promise:
Elphaba is hiding in the woods, fully in “wanted terrorist” mode.
Glinda is the state-approved Good Witch, selling optimism while the Wizard’s machine grinds on.
Oz is on the brink; mobs form, talking animals are being silenced, and everyone is picking a side.
Where Part One soared on discovery and college-crush energy, For Good leans into fallout: choices have consequences, friendships get messy, and the show we all know from Broadway finally clicks into place around The Wizard of Oz. For some critics, it’s an epic, heartbreakingly tender continuation; others think it’s a bit of a stretched-out second act.
Either way, the emotional core is absolutely the relationship between the two witches.
So… How Gay Is This One?
A bunch of queer critics already called the first movie out (in a loving way) as fundamentally queer:
Out magazine flat-out said the central story “has always been a love story between its two female leads,” and even clocked how Fiyero flirted with everyone at Shiz, regardless of gender.
AIPT described Wicked as a queer story about an othered woman standing up to a fascist regime, with queerness, racism, and xenophobia all baked into the metaphor.
The Queer Review reminded us that Oz is “a queer old place,” full of camp aesthetics, gender-nonconforming fashion, and a Fiyero who catches the eye of every student, plus Glinda’s gay best friend Pfannee swooning over him.
Autostraddle has already treated “For Good” (the song) as basically a love ballad between Elphaba and Glinda.
For Good doesn’t suddenly turn into a canon lesbian rom-com, but it does double down on those currents:
Ariana Grande has been out here saying Glinda’s love “goes beyond gender,” hinting that Glinda might be “a little in the closet” and that the sequel explores more of her queerness.
Jonathan Bailey (our now-canonically gay Fiyero) has talked about how the story’s allegory of being “othered” and resisting oppressive systems resonates deeply with queer people.
On screen, that translates into:
Even more charged beats between Glinda and Elphaba — the hand touches, the held gazes, the “you’re the only one who really sees me” energy.
A clearer sense that Elphaba’s difference is a stand-in for any identity society tells you is wrong: queerness, race, disability, you name it.
If Part One felt like a queer college crush, For Good feels like the breakup and reconciliation you still think about five years later.
Jonathan Bailey: Sexiest Man Alive Meets Emerald City
Let’s be honest: a solid 30% of Philly gays are buying tickets purely for Jonathan Bailey in tailored Oz military drag.
Since the first movie, Bailey’s Fiyero has basically become the Wicked heartthrob. Early reactions to the sequel call him “the heartthrob of a lifetime,” and at least one critic (quoted and gleefully shared on Reddit) joked that he’s basically too sexy for a PG certificate, smouldering his way through the love triangle.
On top of that, he was just named People’s Sexiest Man Alive 2025 — the first openly gay man to get that cover, with multiple outlets celebrating him as a “Wicked heartthrob” finally getting his due.
Some entertainment coverage has been full-on thirst posting about his smoldering Fiyero, his “kit off” moments, and the way he makes even simple looks (or those now-infamous glasses in other roles) feel indecently charming.
In For Good, that presence matters. His Fiyero isn’t just the pretty boy stuck between two witches — he’s an openly gay actor, bringing all that history and visibility into a blockbuster that’s already a safe haven for theater gays, baby queers, and anyone who ever related a little too hard to “Defying Gravity.”
Does the Movie Actually Work?
Short answer: yes, especially if you already care about these characters — but it’s not flawless.
What works:
Cynthia Erivo is a force of nature; critics are consistently praising the emotional heft she brings to Elphaba’s final choices and the ache of a friendship falling apart under political pressure.
Ariana Grande feels more grounded this time; Glinda’s perky façade cracking under guilt and complicity hits harder in a world that looks awfully familiar.
The finale and the big emotional numbers are being described as “epic” and “heartbreakingly tender,” with some critics calling the payoff sheer musical greatness.
What doesn’t fully land:
A lot of reviewers feel the movie shows its “second-act problems” — there’s a lot of plot to set up Dorothy, the Lion, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the iconic Wizard ending. That can make the middle feel a bit like Oz homework.
Some think it’s a “stretched-out finale,” emotionally satisfying but structurally overstuffed.
From a PhillyGayCalendar point of view, though? The bar is honestly:
Do I get big feelings about complicated friendships? ✅
Do I get camp, costumes, and witches serving looks? ✅
Do I get an openly gay Sexiest Man Alive smoldering at center screen? ✅✅✅
That’s basically a win.
Should You See It (and With Whom)?
Yes. See it with your queer bestie, your musical-theater ex, or the friend you’ve secretly been singing “For Good” with in the car since college.
Ideal Philly plan:
Drag brunch in the Gayborhood.
Walk over to a Center City theater.
Cry quietly during the last duet so no one sees… and then immediately argue in the lobby about whether Glinda and Elphaba are “just friends.”
Is Wicked: For Good perfect? No.
Is it big, emotional, queer-coded as hell, and starring an out gay Sexiest Man Alive? Absolutely.
For our community, that’s kind of the point: it’s not just about flying; it’s about who’s up there with us.
