Picking up nearly right where last week left off, Dorothy is still intent on finding a way to the “Emerald City” and home, but she and Lucas are sidetracked by a mysterious girl named Sylvie when they try to avoid guards on the road. Jack and Tip encounter strange new paths in life after parting ways last week.
Jack as the Tin Man
We’ve got Lucas as the equivalent of the Scarecrow from the classic story, and now, Jack has become the Tin Man. It’s an interesting choice to see Jack, who didn’t understand his growing feelings for Tip, to be the person who didn’t “have a heart,” and for his fall at Tip’s hand to lead to scientific repair that gives him metal body parts.
Stranger in Jack’s story, though, is that a princess take a fancy to him and decides she owns him. He seems to be getting the short end of the stick after Tip accidentally pushed him off a balcony. At least Tip is given a choice, even if it’s not a choice they really want.
Tip gets caught between two witches
It’s bad enough that Tip has been thrust into a world they didn’t know they were born into, but now, Glinda and West are busy fighting over an orphan girl becoming part of their houses. Their interest in Tip does make me wonder if they routinely pick up orphaned young women to be trained under them, or if women can also choose to work for them.
I do love Tip’s outrage when she discovers that as an orphan, she has no chance to make a decision for herself.
Glinda and West give her the options of becoming a nun or a prostitute, and she’s not happy with those being her only options. Any woman would likely share her outrage if they knew others existed; for Tip, that third option was being a boy, but it was stolen, and this life can’t be what Tip imagined at all.
Of course, the question of why both women want so badly to make Tip one of their girls has to be asked.
Is it just because they both want to outdo the other? Or is there another reason?
The beast has a brain and a heart
We’ve heard a lot about the Beast Forever, but most interesting about it is that it comes in many forms: sometimes fire, sometimes water, but this time around, it sounds like it will be a living and breathing thing.
Research says it will have a brain and a heart, which, other than sounding like a nod to the things Dorothy’s companions want when they’re off to see the Wizard, also sounds like it could be a person.
There’s been talk of signs coming from the sky as well, which has me rethinking my original idea that Dorothy is a witch. What if she’s the Beast Forever this time around? How does that work?
Sylvie brings Dorothy and Lucas closer
The mysterious little girl that comes across Dorothy and Lucas in the woods appears to have a few abilities of her own. Turning people to stone and being sensitive to sound makes it obvious that she’s got a little magic in her, which is dangerous in a place like Oz. Perhaps she’s one of the next generation of witches.
Of course, the experience of keeping Sylvie safe and being on the run from guards, who know Lucas as Roan, sees Dorothy and Lucas discussing magic and sharing some music, not to mention a kiss. Will the two still be as close as Lucas learns more about who Roan is in the future?
The verdict
“Emerald City” continues to deliver a fascinating take on Oz with plenty of mystery that I can’t wait to unravel.
4 out of 5 stars.
What’s next
Dorothy finally comes face to face with the Wizard.
