As always, spoilers abound.
As in the last three episodes of this season, we have seen multiple major departures from the original story that are made to appeal to an audience who may be unfamiliar with The Marvelous Land of Oz. We still have Tip bringing the Gump to life and fleeing the Emerald City with the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Wogglebug, and Jack Pumpkinhead, we still have the fight at the jackdaws' nest, and then the flight to Glinda's palace. In summary, the bones are there, but every other detail in-between is completely changed. However, I have spent the past few posts nit-picking every little detail that even deters from the book, and I am going to take a different direction.
Episode 4 is definitely character-driven. We observe a lot of characters fitting into their transformed roles (funny how different the characters are in this adaptations as opposed to their original 1904 counterparts, given that a major theme in the overall story revolves around transformations). We hear a ruthless Jinjur torture Omby Amby, trying to get him to confess where "His Majesty the Scarecrow" has gone, only to get the real answer when Mombi actually forces it out of him through painful mind-reading reminiscent of the tactics used in the mini-series Tin Man (given that there are numerous references to other Oz adaptations throughout the series from the 1939 film to The Wiz, this would not be surprising). Jinjur is definitely not the vain, bonbon-munching conqueror we are familiar with; and it makes her quite terrifying.
However, the biggest character development we witness in this episode involves, surprisingly, the Scarecrow. Even in the darkest moments in season 1 and this season so far, he has always been the happy-go-lucky goofball we all know and love. The moment Tip and his company fly away from the Emerald City, we start to see a transformation in his disposition. He begins to feel regret for not only the citizens he believes he has abandoned (despite the Tin Woodman's reassurances that he made the right choice to leave) and for not being the leader that he felt he should've been. His new melancholy mood only gets worse after the jackdaws fly off with all his straw and he is left without a stuffing for his body. Once they get flying again, he's stuck as a head until they reach Glinda's. This is when it got scary, even for me. He actually started "dying" and his head started losing life. Tip sustains him with the Powder and hope he lasts until they can stuff him again. The moment they get to Glinda's palace, we hear sounds of people running around calling orders and it sounds like an episode of Grey's Anatomy for about 30 seconds.
When the Scarecrow recovers, we get probably the most emotional, and relatable, moment that we've ever had in the series. The Tin Woodman scolds him (and smacks him, to start the mood light before getting heavy) for almost dying and points that the Scarecrow couldn't possibly die unless he actually wanted to. He even asks the Scarecrow if he wanted to die. The Scarecrow explains that he felt like he failed as a ruler and if he couldn't use his brains to rule, what's his purpose in life? I mean, holy shit, this is fucking heavy for an Oz adaptation. This is a Rick and Morty-level existential crisis right here. Jesus, I'm gonna have to lie down after writing this. The Tin Woodman assures him that he doesn't have to be a ruler to have a purpose; that he can be whoever he wants to be.
I really like this scene for two reasons. One, we finally see that classic Tin Woodman/Scarecrow friendship that we haven't seen much of in either season. We have seen glimpses (mostly them telling each other to shut up, as well as the one time the Tin Woodman tells the Scarecrow to get his ass in the Gump made me laugh and strangely aroused). We get to focus on that dynamic that has been celebrated, and often shipped, for a few minutes and our hearts just melt.
The second reason why I live this scene is that it's something we all can relate to. Whoever claims that they were sure of their place in life and has never had a single doubt about it is lying. We all look for that purpose and place to fit into and we often fail a thousand times before we actually find it. It's normal to be scared of that doubt and there's no shame in feeling depressed. Depression is a major issue that many of us face (hell, I take meds for it and absolutely cannot function without them) and for some of us, we do want to end it all; we may not want to actively pursue that suicidal goal, but we often hope, or even wish, that something happens and that the end just comes. But here's the thing, that is the time to reach out to a close and trusted friend and talk to them, and more often than not, you feel a fuck ton better. You're not cured, but you sure as hell feel like you can keep going. And if the Scarecrow, a guy who is famous for being carefree, can feel that way, then I think it's OK if we can feel that way too. We just need a Tin Woodman to talk to.
As you can probably guess by now, I really loved this episode. It hit home for me even more so than the other episodes. It made me laugh like the others, but it also gave me feels (like this week hasn't been full of enough feels between reading JW Krych's The Flight to Oz through tears of joy and the latest volume of Saga [not Oz-related, but it still fucked me up with emotions]). This episode is setting us up for some real shit to happen in the next installment in two weeks. By that time, I think I may be ready, I don't know about you, guys. With this much time spent building up the characters and judging by where we are in the story, the next episode should be good.
This episode is still making me think. If you are having a hard time and need someone to talk to, here is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-8255.
Also, just a heads-up. Updates will be on every Tuesday instead of every Tuesday and Thursday since it's kinda hard on my schedule to get out two every week.
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