Fictional – "Wizard of Oz: The Great and Terrible" (Part 3 of 3)

Podcast: Fictional
Hosts: Jason Weiser, Carissa Weiser | Nextpod
Date: October 15, 2025
Adapted from: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Overview

In the compelling conclusion to their three-part adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, hosts Jason and Carissa Weiser bring a modern, irreverent, and at times surprisingly dark lens to the classic tale. This episode follows Dorothy and her friends as they confront the truth about Oz, receive their "rewards," and journey to the enigmatic Glinda the Good, ultimately exploring the nature of power, illusion, and the meaning of home.

Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

1. Aftermath of the Witch's Downfall (00:12–05:40)

• The Winkies are liberated and celebrate Dorothy as a hero, while the Tin Woodman is painstakingly repaired and revived by the Winkies' tinsmiths (00:55).
  • Quote: “He was patched and polished and he was alive in a relative sense.” (01:52)
• The Scarecrow is swiftly rescued, re-stuffed, and both are reunited with Dorothy, highlighting the makeshift, sometimes absurd nature of their existence (02:20).

2. Dorothy’s Accidental Power and the Golden Cap (04:40–08:30)

• Dorothy finds the golden cap, unknowingly wielding the power to summon the flying monkeys.
• The Queen of the Mice helps her understand the cap’s significance (06:26).
• The monkeys, once agents of chaos and oppression, reluctantly assist Dorothy and share their tragic backstory of magical subjugation (07:40).
  • Quote: “Once, many years ago...there was a beautiful sorceress named Gaelette...she would kidnap a boy and raise him up in her palace to be both wise and good looking so she could marry him...” (08:00)
• The audience is presented with a layered look at abuse of power and generational trauma.

3. Return to Emerald City & Confronting Oz (09:45–26:55)

• The group arrives in Emerald City via the flying monkeys—tense, given past aggressions.
• They wait three days before Oz agrees to meet them, communicating in the guise of a disembodied, booming voice (12:25).
• The group demands their promised rewards, but Oz equivocates, trying to buy more time (13:42).
• In a classic "man behind the curtain" moment, Toto exposes Oz as a fraud—a ventriloquist and balloonist from Omaha (15:55).
  • Quote: “You're not a wizard, Oz.” (Dorothy, 16:46)
  • Quote: “You're more than that. You're a humbug.” (Scarecrow, 17:00)
• Oz justifies his deception by philosophizing about stories, power, and manipulation:
  • Quote: “When you tell people what they want to hear, you don't have to do much to deceive them. They do most of the work for you.” (Oz, 18:35)
• The hosts analyze how Oz’s authoritarian tendencies parallel the witches’ rule, but cloak themselves in self-serving narratives:
  • Quote: “They would bludgeon each other to death with the truth...I call it taking responsibility.” (Oz, 22:12)
• Oz reluctantly agrees to grant the group their requests, provided Dorothy keeps his secret (24:54).

4. The Farcical Gifts: Brains, Heart, and Courage (27:00–32:40)

• In a montage blending humor and dark comedy:
  • The Scarecrow receives "brains": a head full of bran mixed with pins and needles (27:22).
    • Quote: “I have given you a lot of brand new brains.” (Oz)
    • The Lion marvels: “He’s very sharp now.” (28:04)
  • Tin Woodman gets a heart of silk stuffed with sawdust, after Oz literally slices open his chest (28:42).
    • Quote: “I feel so grateful I now have a heart I could be proud of.” (Tin Woodman)
  • The Lion drinks a mysterious (alcoholic) potion for courage:
    • Quote: “Compared to the other ways of getting courage, a little burning…was nothing.” (Oz)
    • Quote: “Full of courage!” (Lion, after drinking, 29:42)
• The hosts ironize on the thinness of these solutions and the manipulation behind granting them.

5. Escape Plan: Balloon Disaster (32:40–36:25)

• Oz reveals he is escaping Oz with Dorothy in a patched balloon, to avoid retribution by witches, the city's “truth,” and possible royal claimants (34:13).
• At the crucial moment, Dorothy is separated from Oz by the balloon’s premature lift-off—abandoned yet again (36:05).
  • Quote: “Please! After everything she had done, she only wanted to go home.” (Dorothy, 36:12)
• The Emerald City mourns Oz as a great leader, rewriting history in real time.

6. Quest for Glinda the Good—Through Surreal Lands (36:45–50:12)

• Dorothy learns the flying monkeys can’t cross the desert and seeks out Glinda in the South.
• The group traverses surreal locales—enchanted forests, a literal Great Wall of China (made from actual china/porcelain), and a fragile village of porcelain people (39:30–42:01).
• The Lion slays a monstrous spider to become “king of the beasts” (44:12).
• With her last cap wish, Dorothy has the flying monkeys ferry the group over the land of "Hammerheads,” odd creatures who attack intruders with extendable necks (47:08).
  • Quote: “That was the last time you could summon us,” said the King of the Flying Monkeys before departing, now free from Dorothy’s command.

7. Meeting Glinda and The Power of Small Kindnesses (50:30–1:02:40)

• Glinda welcomes Dorothy, more impressive and ambiguously “good” than expected.
• She requests the golden cap in exchange for sending Dorothy home, then uses her power to free the winged monkeys, demonstrating true benevolence:
  • Quote: “You’re free. Free forevermore.” (Glinda, 1:00:52)
• Glinda finally reveals Dorothy could have gone home at any time using the silver shoes, had she known their power (1:01:40).
  • Quote: “You only need to knock your heels together three times and they can carry you anywhere in the world.” (Glinda)
• Dorothy is simultaneously amused and heartbroken, reflecting on how her journey changed not only herself, but everyone she met.

8. Bittersweet Goodbyes and Homecoming (1:03:00–end)

• Touching farewells between Dorothy and her friends, underscoring genuine growth and affection.
• Dorothy returns home to a changed Kansas and family, her journey complete. Emotional resonance returns focus to what “home” really means, with a hopeful coda about change and reconciliation.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Oz on Deception:
  “When you tell people what they want to hear, you don't have to do much to deceive them. They actually end up doing most of the work for you.” (Oz, 18:35)
• Dorothy's Doubt:
  “You're a bad man.”
  “I'm a good man. A great man. Ask anyone. I brought peace to this country.”
  (Dorothy and Oz, 23:14)
• Lion’s Courage—With a Hangover:
  “Does being courageous make anyone else really thirsty and give them a headache in the morning?” (Lion, 50:01)
• Glinda’s Emancipation of the Monkeys:
  “You’re free. Free forevermore.” (Glinda, 1:00:52)
• Dorothy on the Journey’s Meaning:
  “If she had left the moment she arrived, the Scarecrow would still be on a fence post, the Tin Woodman still frozen in the forest and the lions still cowering. The monkeys would still be under the thrall of the cap, and the people of Oz still under the thumb of a con man.” (Dorothy, 1:02:18)

Insights & Meta Commentary (1:05:00–end)

• Host Jason Weiser reflects on the temptation to interpret Oz as allegory (political, economic, social) but resists, preferring to focus on character, psychology, and the seductive nature of power.
  • Quote: “Allegories...attempting to add more to stories actually kind of flatten them out. I just think he's an authoritarian con man.” (Jason, 1:07:12)
• Emphasizes that the true heart of the story is how deeply illusions, hope, and disillusionment shape us—and how real goodness (as embodied by Glinda) can break those cycles.

Episode Structure & Timestamps

• 00:12 – Aftermath of Witch's Death: Winkies celebrate, Tin Woodman and Scarecrow revived
• 04:40 – Discovery of the Golden Cap and the truth about the monkeys
• 09:45 – Return to Emerald City; three-day standoff; Oz exposed
• 15:55 – Oz’s confession; debates about the meaning of power and manipulation
• 27:00 – Brains, Heart, and Courage awarded in cynical fashion
• 32:40 – Oz’s escape plan; balloon lift-off and Dorothy left behind
• 36:45 – The group’s bizarre southern journey: animate forests, Great Wall of China, porcelain village, and monstrous spider
• 50:30 – Arrival at Glinda’s castle; trading the cap, freeing the monkeys
• 1:01:40 – Silver shoes’ true power; Dorothy’s goodbyes and return home
• 1:05:00–1:09:00 – Jason’s meta commentary and thematic wrap-up

Tone and Style

Jason and Carissa employ a wry, conversational retelling, blending humor, pathos, and real-world analogies:

• Casual asides (“Lol. Look how weird the story is.”)
• Empathetic yet critical examinations of characters’ choices
• Modern reflections on the story’s enduring themes and the dangers of flattening classic tales into mere allegory

Final Thoughts

The episode delivers an emotionally resonant, contemporary reimagining of Oz—one that mines the story for both its psychological depth and timeless social questions. Ultimately, Fictional emphasizes that the true magic of the tale lies not in spells or illusions, but in the messy, bittersweet process of growing up, letting go, and finding one's way home.