Emerald City does not hesitate to let the darkness creep into its plot, characters, and scenery. With only three episodes into the show, so many amazing things have been revealed. My favorite this week was Tip, and I can see how this character might grow and change to influence Oz in many ways.
This week, Dorothy got her first taste of magic, and visually, the scenes were breathtaking. The plot was a little slow for her and Lucas, the amnesiac stand-in for the Scarecrow. However, we did get a peek into her mother, Karen, and how Dorothy may be from Oz after all. Also, I love a good mystical transformation scene, and while impractical, the red dress is quite nice.
In Oz, three women kill themselves, and while it is acrobatic and beautiful, it is also far darker than I expected for a show based on The Wizard of Oz. I am surprised, but I only want to encourage Emerald City to test these waters further.
The Wizard has a council made up of only women, which is amazing. I thought a group of men would appear to boss him around, but I was wrong. I want to know more about this dynamic and why he has this council.
His new adviser, Anna, learns that she comes from West’s brothel and feels shame over her situation. The Wizard offers her some advice, “Your past does not define you,” and it weighs heavily coming from a man who fought for his position in Oz. He levels with her, and at this point I recalled that the Wizard is just like Dorothy in the original movie. He has no real power, so I cannot wait to see how they tie that together in the show.
I like Anna, she pushes back at the Wizard, and this week she figured out all his secrets. So much so, that he put her in prison! I hope after her prediction of snow in the summer was correct he will reinstate her and promote her as his top adviser.
Finally, Tip, maybe my favorite person on the show. Tip faces a very pressing dilemma. He identifies and has lived as a boy his entire life, but this week he learned that the apothecarist merely gave him a spell to change him from a girl to a boy. Tip struggles to come to terms with this, a problem I am sure he will face all season. It also pushes Tip to accidentally murder his only friend, Jack. Again, Emerald City surprises me with its darkness. I cannot wait to see what Emerald City has in store for us next week!
Some notes:
The Wizard’s knight’s armor is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. Costume change, please!
Who thought “The Beast Forever” was a good name? It’s so tedious.
[Photo Credit: NBC/Rico Torres]
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