Wicked: 15. Uprisings Summary & Analysis

Nanny and Elphaba take a walk through the orchard. Nanny asks why Sarima’s family calls Elphaba a Witch, but Elphaba claims not to mind. Nanny then shares news from Colwen Grounds: the Eminent Thropp has died, and Nessarose has since taken up the title, now serving as head of the family. Nanny says Nessa is doing well—devout as ever, firm, and “adept” enough not to upset the Wizard. The word “adept” reminds Elphaba of Madame Morrible’s attempt to recruit her, Glinda, and Nessa at Shiz. She wonders how much of all their paths were—and are still—shaped by that spell. Nanny also mentions that Glinda visited Colwen Grounds years ago and enchanted Nessa’s sparkling shoes so she could move freely without help.

Nanny then bluntly asks if Liir is Elphaba’s son, and Elphaba admits she doesn’t know. When she first arrived at the mauntery, she was put into a year-long sleep, so it’s possible she gave birth without knowing. The maunts gave her Liir when she left, saying only that she must take him with her. He had always stayed on the periphery of her life, and she never questioned who he truly was—she never had reason to. After this talk, Nanny treats Liir more affectionately, making Elphaba ashamed of her own lack of maternal feeling. Until his near-death, Elphaba wasn’t even aware of where Liir slept each night—on the floors of the other children’s rooms—nor did she ever wonder.

Liir only speaks to Elphaba about what happened in the fishwell once. He says a Carp told him that Fiyero was his father and that Irji, Manek, and Nor were his siblings. Sarima, overhearing this story, laughed it off as a dream, though Elphaba sensed she knew it was the truth and just couldn’t accept it. For her part, Elphaba feels no guilt about Manek’s death. Later, Nanny tells Elphaba about a new school in Munchkinland that forcibly indoctrinates children to serve the Wizard. Horrified, Elphaba looks through the Grimmerie for a spell to overthrow a regime. But instead, she finds an illustration that seems to depict Mother Yackle.

The effects of Manek’s death manifest gradually: Sarima’s sisters worry that Kiamo Ko will never again have a strong protector like Fiyero, since Irji seems too “feckless” to fill that role. Sarima grows more withdrawn and reclusive, and Nor and Irji drift apart. Nor begins wandering the summer countryside by herself, something she once would have done with her brothers. One day, she happens upon a group of Gale Force soldiers. Hoping to be brave like Manek once was, she invites them to Kiamo Ko without realizing the trouble it might cause.

When the soldiers reach Kiamo Ko, Elphaba opens her window and warns them not to come closer, threatening to turn them into rats. Outside, Sarima greets them politely, while Elphaba makes it clear she doesn’t trust them—and neither should Sarima. The men, led by Commander Cherrystone, say they’re only here on reconnaissance, surveying the Thousand Year Grasslands before moving on. Liir quickly takes a liking to Cherrystone, following him everywhere, despite Elphaba’s instruction to stay away. Elphaba argues often with Cherrystone during their stay and hates every moment the soldiers are there.

Nanny later tells Elphaba that Melena had wished for sons because the family title of Eminent Thropp passed through the female line. Melena never wanted that life for herself, nor did she want it for her children. Nanny also reveals that a woman named Yackle had given her pills to ensure Melena’s next child wouldn’t be born green, and that Turtle Heart may have been Nessarose’s father. The name Yackle stuns Elphaba—she wonders if this is the same Mother Yackle she once knew. She even considers visiting Nessarose to relieve her of the Eminent Thropp title if Nessa doesn’t truly want it.

One day, while the soldiers are out, Nor steals Elphaba’s broomstick to clean up their barracks. While using it, she finds that it moves on its own accord—it’s magic. She mounts the broom and it begins to levitate, carrying her out a window as she clings to it in fear. From her tower window, Elphaba yells for Nor to come down immediately. Later, curious about the broom’s power, Elphaba experiments with it herself. At first, it resists her control, but with some time and effort, she learns how to fly.

Elphaba receives a letter from Frex, sent to Nanny but with a message for her. In it, Frex explains that Nessarose has led a revolt against the Wizard, resulting in Munchkinland seceding from Oz. Though Nessarose is managing the role of Eminent Thropp well, Frex worries she isn’t as suited for leadership as Elphaba might be. Resolving to visit Colwen Grounds, Elphaba tells Sarima and the others she’ll be isolating in her tower for several days and secretly sets out in the middle of the night for Munchkinland in the east.

After a week of flying only at night, Elphaba reaches Colwen Grounds and is shocked by the size and grandeur of her ancestral home. Frex, thrilled to see his daughter, greets her immediately, and the two warmly catch up. He admits that he wanted her to come to help steady Nessarose’s more radical tendencies, which he believes are fueled by “religious voices.” Elphaba feels disappointed, having hoped her father wanted her there to claim her birthright as the eldest daughter. She also laments that Nessa was given the sparkling shoes, but Frex says Elphaba already had more than Nessa ever would—her own voice and her own convictions.

Exploring a small chapel on the estate, Elphaba notices that Nessarose has painted over most of the old religious imagery. When the sisters finally reunite, Nessa isn’t as surprised to see Elphaba as expected. She explains that everyone assumed Elphaba had died after disappearing, and during that time, Glinda and Nanny helped her cope while her faith “saw her through.” One afternoon, Elphaba watches as Nessa holds court with her citizens. An older woman asks for help with a maid who plans to run off with a woodcutter, Nick Chopper, leaving the woman to manage all the work alone. Nessa enchants the woodcutter’s axe to cut off one of his arms next time he uses it, and the woman pays Nessa with two Sheep and a Cow.

Elphaba is horrified that Animals like these Sheep and this Cow are being treated like property, but it doesn’t seem to trouble Nessarose. Elphaba is also shocked that her sister has begun using magic in the name of the Unnamed God. She calls Nessa the “Witch of the East” and dubs herself the “Witch of the West.” Later, Elphaba sneaks out to speak with the Sheep and Cow, hoping to free them. The Sheep won’t talk, and the Cow explains they’re mute now—they’ve chosen not to speak. The Cow warns that freedom is just as dangerous as captivity these days for Animals and predicts that Nessa will one day sacrifice them, though Elphaba insists her sister, a “strict unionist,” would never do such a thing.

As Elphaba and Frex catch up, Frex casts doubt on Nessarose’s leadership, insisting Elphaba is better suited for the title of Eminent Thropp. He claims that Nessa “hides behind her devotion the way a terrorist hides behind his ideals.” Elphaba firmly says she doesn’t want the title or its responsibilities. Passing a farmer wearing a straw man sigil, Frex explains the symbol comes from pagan rituals tied to human sacrifice that resurfaced during the Great Drought. He says that Turtle Heart was a victim of this sacrifice and that he and Melena had loved and “shared” Turtle Heart in a polyamorous arrangement. Elphaba asks Frex to return with her to Kiamo Ko, but he refuses, unwilling to leave Nessa alone.

Nessarose offers Elphaba the chance to stay at Colwen Grounds, serving as her partner in leadership when she’s away, but Elphaba declines. She shifts the conversation to Madame Morrible’s old binding spell, asking Nessa if she remembers. Nessa admits it sounds familiar but believes Morrible’s words were only a prediction, not magic. Feeling unsettled, Elphaba decides to leave, to Nessa’s dismay. As she departs, she tells Nessa she will “wait for her shoes,” a grim joke about the will that promises Elphaba the enchanted slippers after Nessa’s death.

Flying back to the Vinkus, Elphaba reflects on her visit, wondering “who is in thrall to whom” as she tries to piece together the strange ties between the Wizard, Madame Morrible, Nessa, Glinda, and even Yackle. When she reaches Kiamo Ko, only Nanny and the animals are there. Nanny explains that soldiers invaded after Elphaba left and forced out Sarima, her sisters, Nor, and Irji in chains, claiming a battalion was coming that could put them in danger. They didn’t bother taking Nanny or Liir, though Liir has since run after them. Nanny says Sarima’s sisters fought hard against the soldiers. Furious, Elphaba swears she will get them back.