#and Elphaba pushes back like: how about you make everyone ELSE stop being such shits?

[ace-and-ranty]

Here's a thing that really stood out to me about Nessarose in Part 1. Don't remember if that was in the musical, but.

She tells Elphaba: "No, you shouldn't have."

And it really startled me, because. Let's rewind. Here's what happened: Elphaba walked out ahead of her father and sister, not sure why, startled the heck out of everyone by... being there... did her little "Let's get this out of the way" speech. And was slightly snide to Galinda who was being an absolute git to her.

Her father catches up, and snaps at Elphaba to "Stop making a spectacle of yourself".

Elphaba tells Nessa, "I shouldn't have popped off like that". And at this point, I was fully expecting Nessarose to say some inane soothing shit, like, "It's all right, let's forget it", or whatever, except no. She agrees. She agrees with their father that Elphaba:

A) Existing B) Defending herself by being kinda prickly

is Elphaba making an spectacle out of herself.

And this is immediately following her getting the shoes, in front of Elphaba, and immediately before she starts gushing on how this is her second chance, with no thought whatsoever that her sister is still stuck at home, alone with a father that hates her, and, I imagine, incredibly dull prospects for life.

It's like. Elphaba has been thought to make herself small and responsible for Nessa. But Nessa has also been taught to expect it. She expects Elphaba should put her well-being first. There is not a single moment of asking Elphie if she will be okay at home. There is never an attempt to step up to help her. Nessa has been brought up with the unspoken familial dynamic that it's Elphaba's fault she's in that wheelchair, and thus Elphaba's responsibility to atone for it, forever.

Which I imagine could make for a very juicy fall out between them in part two. Because how dare Elphaba put the well-being of Animals before Nessa's?.