Fiyero analysis, because donât we all love my unnecessary rants!!!!!!
Listen, Iâm not stupid, I acknowledge that Wicked was definitely written with misogyny in the back of their head whether they wanted to or not. But am I the only one that didnât think Fiyero was supposed to be a great guy. The musical is called Wicked for heavenâs sake. Everyone has a bit of Wickedness within them. Another thing that the story pushes, is that everyone has to face the consequences of their actions. Which he also did. If he was a perfect man, he would have been completely unharmed by the narrative.
He joined the freaking Regime for goodness sake. Sure he had his reasons. But they werenât enough. He didnât know what else he could do. But again, it still promoted the regime. Jon Chu and Jonathan Bailey have both said that. Heâs only considered good because he chose to change, like Glinda. Yes, he isnât the main character, but he does have an arc, however small and in the background it may be. Jonathan Bailey specifically says that the second movie helps Fiyero solidify his morals, and leads to him finally making a good decision, which is to go with Elphaba. Him and Glinda are similar, but he is more impulsive. He makes decisions quickly. He didnât think he would find Elphaba the way he did with the Wizard. He realized he had to keep her safe. He got himself caught in the process. He sacrificed himself for her, everything he had for her. Because she was what matters. Glinda thinks so too. But sheâs more cautious. She thinks about every decision. And ultimately she places herself first. Which isnât a bad thing. But Fiyero isnât like that. Yes, itâs because heâs her love interest. Heâs there to be there for her. But peel back the surface and thereâs something deeper. Thereâs a man whoâs incredibly flawed. Who cared, but was too scared to do anything. Who avoids problems because theyâre too much for him. But ultimately, someone who hates himself. This is also said in an interview, they say that Fiyero looks around Elphabaâs house. Looks at her lair and the posters, and this dignified lifestyle she has set up for herself in the midst of everything. And he realizes. That no matter what other people say, and no matter how much it might affect her. She continues to love herself. And thatâs something he canât do. So he centers this woman. From the beginning. She is someone heâs never seen. Someone who doesnât reduce him to appearance and status. But someone who reaches further and looks at Fiyero. And he craves that desperately. He wants to be wanted in that way. Just like Elphaba. So he places her first above everything. Above himself, above the animals, above everything good. Because he doesnât just see Elphaba, he sees the girl that saved him from drowning further into himself than he already had.
Does that justify any of his actions. NO! But it provides us with an angle we donât see before. And will I get a bit controversial next. Probably. But itâs my opinion. Refusing to acknowledge Fiyeroâs evident hurt, is, sometimes, a subtle result of misogyny. That men are high and mighty and do not feel complex emotions the way women do. They canât hurt or be objectified, because theyâre too strong for that. But thatâs not true. Everyone has their feelings and their reactions.
Yes, he should have broken up with Glinda, he should have never joined the regime. But he did, he was stupid and focused only on Elphaba, which is why he suffers for it. Theyâre all young. They react to things in different ways, and like what they also said about his character. For someone whoâs never been loved, or even take dancing through life, for someone who knows lust is all people feel when they look at him. To someone whoâs part of a military but still described as a âhandsome swaineâ for Glinda. He is going to want nothing more than to protect the one person who saw him a person. I still think his actions were flawed. But that was the point. If he made every right turn. He wouldnât even be in Wicked. Heâd be in some Disney movie with bland characters.
Let the man be flawed, let him make mistakes, because thatâs what he did, thatâs what heâs like, and his entire issue is people wanting him to be someone heâs not and that they only liked him when he is this perfect, flamboyant, flawless being. But really, he is hurt, damaged, and imperfect. The entire point is that he isnât perfect. So stop acting like he is. But also, stop pointing out his flaws and turning him into some demonic being. He made mistakes and loved too hard. And thatâs what makes him a person.
