In the end, when Glinda tells the citizens of Oz that the Wicked Witch is dead, she is lying. Elphaba is alive—with a scarecrow, in a hidden tower, or perhaps in the shadows of the Emerald City. But the romance is over. The green girl has learned what Glinda cannot: that in Oz, to love is to be wicked. And to be wicked is to be free.
When Elphaba gives Glinda the bottle of green elixir to fix her hair for the Ozdust Ballroom, we witness the turning point. The "popular" blonde, who represents surface-level civility, is disarmed by the "wicked" green girl’s raw vulnerability. There is a moment in Act One that is more romantic than any kiss in musical history: The Ozdust Ballroom. Elphaba arrives wearing the ridiculous, pointed hat Glinda gave her as a cruel joke. Everyone laughs. Elphaba, knowing she is the punchline, begins to dance—not for them, but for herself. It is a dance of isolation, a solo funeral for her dignity. Sexy Wicked Melanie
Elphaba asks Glinda to let her go. She asks Glinda to carry the legacy. And Glinda, who never stops loving Elphaba, agrees to marry into the system that killed her. In the end, when Glinda tells the citizens