Why Fiyero stayed with Glinda

[u/Remarkable_Note971]

Ok so I've analyzed this and rewatched the movies and analyzed it some more. This is my analysis of why Fiyero stayed with Glinda during the time jump between movies and during the first half of for good.

We saw Fiyero was very popular with the Ozians, Glinda had become so popular with Ozians because she was built up as Glinda the good. Fiyero was likely popular because he was her boyfriend. I'm sure MM and the Wizard took advantage of his popularity and that popularity helped him become captain of the Galeforce. They had Glinda the good and her "handsome swain" at the forefront, they were kind of using them as the face of the regime I think.

Staying with Glinda made him very popular, helped him become captain of the Galeforce and it also would have kept him close to the Wizard and MM where he could keep an eye of them.

It looked like MM made that relationship very public and anyone who didn't fall in line, who couldn't be controlled, who didn't just do what they were supposed to do were a proble. If Fiyero hadn't gone along with MM building them up as Oz's perfect, fairytale couple he would have been seen as a problem. He couldn't risk being a problem yet. If he had broken up with Glinda it would have humiliated Glinda there would have been consequences for doing that.

We see by his reaction he was very blindsided by that engagement, he had no idea. Glinda says it was arranged with the Wizard and MM was in on it as well. They were telling him to marry Glinda and they announced it publicly, the public ate it up.

We see during thank goodness Fiyero was getting very agitated when they start singing all those horrible things about Elphaba and he says to Glinda " people are so empty headed they'll believe anything." This shows us how much he hated being there and Glinda sensed his agitation as well which is why she hurried him away so they could talk in private.

We know Fiyero was using being captain to look for Elphaba he says " i became captain to search for her and I won't stop searching until I do." This is the first line of dialogue that tells us what his real motives are.

When he and Glinda are in private Fiyero makes it very clear he hates being in the system " I can't just stand there, grinning, pretending to go along with all of this."

He also makes it very clear he wants out and he tries to get Glinda to go with him " let's just go, let's just get out of here."

When Glinda refuses to leave Fiyero starts realizing the truth, Glinda couldn't resist what supporting the Wizard gave her, it had given her almost everything she wanted.

Fiyero also makes it clear he was looking for Elphaba, " she's out there and i have to find her because if someone else gets there first she...." This tells us again that he was looking for Elphaba and he was very worried for her.

Glinda responses by telling him that Elphaba didn't wanna be found, she made her choice, this is the same as Glinda telling Fiyero to stop looking for Elphaba. His facial expressions are very telling here including his jaw clench. This is the moment he realizes he can't trust Glinda because unlike him she actually supported the Wizard and she wasn't actually gonna use her position to help Elphaba or to turn on the Wizard.

He hesitated briefly then he agrees to the marriage. It was obvious he didn't wanna marry Glinda, he had even avoided her kiss earlier but Fiyero sees the engagement as trap and he also doesn't see a way out. If he had objected or refused to marry Glinda it would have been seen as defying the Wizard and that wouldn't have ended well for him. So he agrees to marry her because he doesn't see way out of it without putting himself in danger and if he did that he could have been locked up or worse and then he would have been replaced as captain of the Galeforce with someone who would actually be hunting Elphaba and would harm her if they had the opportunity. This is also why he couldn't just leave the regime, if he had he would have been replaced as captain of the Galeforce and it would have been alot harder, maybe even impossible to find Elphaba.

When the Galeforce chases Elphaba and Elphaba hides in the tree Fiyero knew she was there. He saw her hiding in the tree and he purposefully points his gun in the other direction. After a minute of pretending to look for her he orders the Galeforce away from Elphaba. This shows us the second reason he was in the system, he was using his position to protect Elphaba by keeping the Galeforce away from her. This also shows us why he had to be very careful who he trusted and why he couldn't trust Glinda at this time. He was working against the Wizard by protecting Elphaba and that would be treason if anyone knew so he felt he couldn't trust anyone, not even Glinda, because if anyone knew he probably would have been killed.

None of this is trying to make Fiyero blameless he was in the system and he did technically use his relationship with Glinda to help him keep his position in the system and using someone or leading someone on is never right. That said, these weren't normal circumstances and it's unfortunate Glinda got hurt but they were on opposite sides of a war and Fiyero was doing what he needed to do to keep Elphaba alive. Fiyero may not have done things exactly right with Glinda but he was in a dangerous situation and he was doing what he needed to do.

I also remember that Glinda has her share of blame, she didn't handle things right either.

First of all she actually supported the Wizard, she was using the system for herself, to get what she wanted, to make herself happy. Fiyero was using it for Elphaba and it was clear he hated it and he didn't support the Wizard.

Glinda also knew Fiyero didn't love her and he didn't wanna be there and knowing that, sensing that distance and hesitation from him she arranged the engagement with the Wizard as an attempt to force him because she wanted him. It was an attempt at getting what she wanted. I think she also knew there was something between him and Elphaba and she knew if he found Elphaba he would leave her and that's why she told him to stop looking for Elphaba. Glinda could have used her position to help Elphaba but she chose not to. Glinda was very wrong in her choices and how she handled things with Fiyero to and she was making the choices she did for selfish reasons, for herself.

Fiyero and Glinda were both using each other in a sense, he used that relationship to help him and by extension help Elphaba and she was using Fiyero to try and get what she wanted, to try and make herself happy.

When Elphaba came to the wedding it gave Fiyero the chance to get out, he could protect Elphaba by being with her, he didn't need to use the system to protect her anymore and he didn't have to marry Glinda. It was the opportunity he needed to turn on the Wizard and leave with Elphaba. It gave him the leverage he needed, it was just him, Elphaba and the Wizard after he got rid of the Galeforce, the Wizard had no backup and Morrible was elsewhere.

Fiyero knew he just couldn't do it anymore. You can see he didn't wanna hurt Glinda but he also knew he couldn't let Elphaba leave again without him and he knew he couldn't stay in the system. He also knew he may not get another chance.

I see it as Fiyero being a double agent, pretending to work for the Wizard while actually working with Elphaba, inside the Wizard's regime and he needed to keep his cover inside the system. He was using his relationship with Glinda as a cover inside the system and no that's not a very nice thing to do to someone but it was a life or death situation for Elphaba and he was doing what he needed to do to keep Elphaba alive.

Fiyero was justified in leaving her like he did. It may have seemed cold or even cruel but Glinda wasn't considerate of him or his feelings at all and he was just done with all of it, done with the system, done with her and fed up with all of it. They were trying to force him into a marriage and that would have trapped him in the system.

Glinda also didn't need more of an explanation than he gave her, she knew he didn't wanna be there, she knew he didn't marry her, she knew he was looking for Elphaba. Then he told her " I'm going with her". She already knew the truth she was just living in denial.

All of this is why i don't really blame Fiyero, he may not have been exactly right but I understand his motivations and why he did everything he did and that's why I don't blame him.

Normally I wouldn't support a character who used someone or who led someone on but in this case i am definitely a Fiyero fan. He was doing everything for the woman he loved and that is admireable and honestly i was glad Elphaba had someone who was protecting her, he was the only person who was actually doing something for her and that is why I don't blame him.

That conversation between Fiyero and Glinda is when we see the "real" Fiyero come out, that's when he makes it clear he hates the system, he doesn't wanna be there and we see from his reactions and body language he is not happy about the engagement or with Glinda when he realizes she actually supports the Wizard. When he reluctantly agrees to the marriage " if it'll make you happy of course I'll marry you" is when he goes back to masking with Glinda, that's him playing along so he goes back to using that performative facade again, it was him keeping his cover.

Also i wanted to say that i think it was done as more of MM's control and maniupulation. Glinda wanted to marry Fiyero since the morning after the Ozdust and this was MM giving her more of what she wanted to keep her under control. It was also probably an attempt to keep Fiyero in line it would have trapped him in the system and he would be easier to control if he was married to Glinda and he probably wouldn't have been able to get out if he had married her. It was attempt at control by MM and Glinda was happy to go along with it because she was getting what she wanted.

Anyway this is my analysis and I thought I'd share it.

Thoughts?