Although a huge critical and commercial success in its own right, Evil it also sets up the conflict between Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba and the rest of Oz, including her former classmates, in the second half. Evil depicts the origin story of the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, beginning with her enrollment at Shiz University, where she eventually forms a lifelong friendship with the future Glinda the Good, magnificently played by Ariana Grande-Butera. However, Elphaba didn't have an easy life at Shiz as the laughingstock of the student body before becoming best friends with the queen bee.
EvilThe cast includes Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), Elphaba's sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) and Munchkinlander Boq (Ethan Slater), who have more complex relationships with Elphaba and Glinda with a certain conscience. However, the more secondary characters in Shiz mainly serve Evilthemes, demonstrating how a general population acts amid political turmoil. EvilElphaba's ending throws Elphaba into a new era of rebellion and danger, and there are few people she knows from school who she can count on to help her now.
Pfannee, ShenShen, and the rest of Shiz's student body are panicking about the end of Wicked
When the announcement about Elphaba reaches Shiz, the students are apparently packing their bags and heading home.
The biggest characters among the rest of Shiz's students are Glinda's would-be groupies Pfannee and ShenShen, who were made memorable during their brief time on screen through Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James' respective melodramatic performances. After Elphaba and Glinda reconcile, the rest of Shiz acts more friendly towards her; most of them come to see her off at the train station as she leaves for the Emerald City. However, everyone returns to Elphaba's old exaggerated fear when Madame Morrible's (Michelle Yeoh) announcement labeling her a dangerous fugitive reaches Shiz via radio.
Pfannee, ShenShen, and many other students are apparently leaving school in a hurry because of this. Fiyero also leaves immediately, probably to try and help Elphaba in some way. However, everyone's reaction seems extreme considering that just hours ago everyone was saying goodbye to Elphaba. They all knew her a little; they know that she is, at worst, abrasive (because other people are often rude to her) and that she is passionate about protecting the animals of Oz. However, his inherent feelings towards her never changed.
How Shiz's Reaction Configures Evil: Part Two
The way the rest of Oz talks about the wicked witch borders on the ridiculous, showing the power of propaganda
However, the mass panic in Shiz is, unfortunately, illustrative of how the general population of Oz behaves in the second act of the show, which is presumably very close to Wicked Part Twoplot. The song “Thank Goodness” illustrates the widespread fear, with the Ozians talking excessively about how scary it is that the Wicked Witch is still at large. Which is, again, overly dramatic. No one in Oz has ever seen Elphaba hurt anyone because that's not what she's doing. However, Madame Morrible's propaganda is proving to be very effective.
This contributes to an ever-increasing and out-of-control hysteria, with people adding their own ridiculous rumors to the mix, like Elphaba being able to shed her skin or that water will be able to melt her. The story of Evil it revolves around public perception and someone who is just standing up for what they believe in against a corrupt government that is being persecuted. The film's ending also shows the beginning of how widespread complacency and acceptance of what is being said without proof will affect Oz for years to come.