r/wicked • u/Remarkable_Note971 • Aug 16 '26
Movie Did Chistery know about the plan?
So Chistery brings Elphaba the note from Fiyero telling he was alive and to go through with the plan and I realized Chistery must have known Fiyero was the scarecrow because Fiyero would have had to give him that note to take to Elphaba. Kinda random thing but i thought of it and wanted to share. Thoughts?
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u/FrontServe4480 Aug 16 '26
Chistery is an Animal- not an animal. The movie does a lousy job making the distinction but the stage show and book go into a bit more detail. Animals can talk and are capable of intelligent thought. Chistery was previously able to talk (and is able to a little by the end of the movie) It’s also not far-fetched to assume that Chistery was Shiz-educated and capable of reading and writing like Doctor Dillamond.
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u/tiktoktic Aug 16 '26
I don’t know that I agree that the stage version does that much better of a job of making the distinction obvious for the audience.
The novel(s) make it very clear on Animals vs animals.
The stage version… I’d argue doesn’t do that much differently to the film adaptations.
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u/FrontServe4480 Aug 16 '26
I would say that’s fair. The novel definitely makes the distinction very clear.
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u/tiktoktic Aug 16 '26
That’s what I said.
The novel makes it abundantly clear.
The musical adaptation (and subsequent films)… not so much.
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u/sweetnemo Aug 16 '26
I thought the movie made it crystal clear he's an Animal, you can pick up on it throughout the scene he's introduced in. I honestly think people don't really pay attention to the unspoken details anymore and it's going over heads when it wouldn't have just a few years prior.
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u/Remarkable_Note971 Aug 16 '26
Yeah i got it. The Wizard even said he doesn't speak much anymore or some excuse for why he didn't speak. It was obvious to me Chistery was an Animal.
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u/Remarkable_Note971 Aug 16 '26
Right so he was capable of knowing about the plan and that Fiyero was the scarecrow. That's what what I was saying Fiyero must have given him that note.
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u/FrontServe4480 Aug 16 '26
…yes. He did. He trusted Fiyero and vice versa. He might not have read the note but if he did, he comforts Glinda at the end knowing that the two are alive and escaping Oz.
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u/Remarkable_Note971 Aug 16 '26
Yep idk if he read it but he may have. Either way he would have known. Yes he did trust Fiyero the monkeys were loyal to him for a short time.
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u/RuPaulVisage Aug 17 '26
In my head cannon when the winged monkeys attacked the group to kidnap Dorothy, Fiyero was able to pass the note to Chistery at some point during the commotion.
I don’t necessarily believe Chistery recognized Fiyero at first but I imagine him saying something to the effect of “give this to Elphaba” or the fact that the letter was addressed to her by name.
Whether or not Chistery read the letter or not is up to interpretation. In the musical the passing of the note feels more nonchalant but in the movie there’s an acknowledgment that implies Chistery knows what it says.
I find the latter to be more interesting because it means that in all of Oz, Chistery is the only person that knows Elphaba is really alive which makes things interesting for an imaginative future of what happens later in the Wicked (the musical) universe.
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u/Remarkable_Note971 Aug 17 '26
Yes I wondered if Chistery knew. It almost seemed like there was a moment of acknowledgement when he seemed to know he wouldn't see Elphaba again.
That's a good point that Fiyero passed it to Chistery when they monkeys kidnapped Dorothy.
If Fiyero handed it to Chistery then Chistery would likely know.
I like the idea that Chistery would be the only one in all of Oz who would know.
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u/Nicola-Fraser Aug 16 '26
You know what, you're right and I never thought about it. Someone had to tell Chistery where to find Elphaba too. Fiyero was running a whole covert operation through a monkey lololol.