A Deleted Wicked Scene Reveals If Boq Really Loved Nessarose

This article contains potential spoilers for “Wicked: For Good.”

The grand finale of “Wicked” sees Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) making peace with her own passionate sense of self-worthwhich causes the magical prodigy to finally soar above the Emerald City and proclaim that no amount of fear-mongering will shatter who she is. At the same time, Glinda (Ariana Grande) anxiously accepts her position as the official propaganda mouthpiece of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). The dual parting of ways presents a compelling cliffhanger that precedes what we already know leads to tragedy.

The framework for the Elphaba-Glinda dynamic is so front and center, however, that it almost makes you forget there’s another emotional cliffhanger that’s arguably just as important to the upcoming sequel “Wicked: For Good.”

When we last see Ethan Slater’s Boq, he’s among the evacuating students at Shiz University, while Marissa Bode’s Nessarose discovers her father, the mayor of Munchkinland, having a heart attack. If you’re familiar with the famous Broadway production, you have an idea where these two are heading, but in the event you haven’t, their endings don’t exactly serve as the best foundation.

When Boq arrives at Shiz, he’s immediately smitten by Glinda’s presence. She recognizes his infatuation, but doesn’t share the same sentiment. In order to make flirting with Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) just a little easier, she cleverly convinces her admirer to ask wheelchair user Nessarose out to the Ozdust Ball as a favor to her. Their interaction at the dance illustrates how they see one another, but a deleted scene provides an even greater emphasis on the tragedy of their romantic partnership.

The deleted scene in question takes place at the train station prior to Elphaba leaving for the Emerald City. Being the caring sister that she is, Elphaba recognizes a worried look on the face of the Munchkinlander currently dating her sister. She practically sees right through him. But rather than lying when Elphaba inquires about his true feelings for Nessarose, Boq is surprisingly candid. He says that he doesn’t love her, but at the same time, doesn’t want to hurt her by telling her the truth.

There’s a resentment in Boq’s face and voice that Elphaba is off to meet her hopes and dreams, while he’s settling for what he can get. He can’t change how he feels about his affection for Glinda the same way Elphaba can’t hide her affection for Fiyero, an accusation that catches her off guard. Although Elphaba tries to brush it off, it only makes Boq feel that much more alone, as he believes they were actually being transparent with one another.

It’s understandable why director Jon M. Chu would want to trim things down considering “Wicked” already borders on three hoursbut this is one of those cases where I have to wonder why this was excised. It’s a great follow-up to Governor Thropp (Andy Nyman) putting the pressure on Boq to take proper care of his daughter.

With the film as is, the greatest indication that Boq doesn’t really have strong feelings for Nessarose takes place at the Ozdust when she questions why he asked her out. She has an inkling it was out of pity. For a brief moment, it appears that Boq could tell the truth. But when he sees Glinda actively choosing Fiyero, he asks Nessarose for a dance. It’s darkly funny in how obvious his seemingly passionate decision is based in being with someone rather than no one.

We can only really gleam what lies ahead in “Wicked: For Good” based on how the second half of the stage production plays out. There are sure to be tweaks and deviations, but the pieces we do have paint a not so-happy ending for the unlucky couple.

As Elphaba carries around the moniker of the “Wicked Witch of the West,” Nessarose’s tyranny as the ruler of Munchkinland ultimately earns her the title of the “Wicked Witch of the East.” In the stage production, she ultimately strips the rights of Munchkinlanders, ensuring that Boq will never leave her side. This will no doubt cause an even greater strain on Boq to put on a happy face. There’s already some foundation to Nessarose’s indifference with helping others throughout “Wicked” — notably during her silence amid Elphaba’s ridicule at the Ozdust.

We also know that Boq will become the Tin Man that accompanies Dorothy Gale on her yellow brick journey to meet the Wizard of Oz. The show depicts Elphaba using her magic on the silver slippers to make Nessarose walk again, which leads Boq to believe he can finally be free to pursue Glinda. A love potion gone wrong, however, accidentally shrinks his heart. In an effort to save him, Elphaba can only really muster the form of a metal man. It’s yet another reason why having their deleted scene would make a great companion piece to what she ultimately does here. Add Madame Morrible’s swirly summoning of Dorothy and her Kansas home to Oz on top of that, and we have ourselves a dead witch sister to bring the Nessarose/Boq courtship to its inevitably tragic conclusion.