Plot holes and Discussion Points

I've noticed many plot holes in both the movie and Broadway musical they I wanted to discuss. (Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen the musical. Some of these plot holes are because the story doesn't align with the 1939 movie. I know it is not a direct prequel, but it still raises some questions.

How much of the story is Glinda telling the people? We have her tell people of Elphaba's unhappy childhood and nobody changes their reaction from celebrating her death. The reaction is still exactly the same at the end of the musical. Glinda obviously didn't tell everyone the whole story. What was her response to the one person asking her if she and the witch were friends?

What was the green elixir that the wizard gave Elphaba's mom? The wizard is a nonmagical man from a nonmagical place. Yet he somehow had a magical drink that could change the color of someone's baby. If the drink was from Oz, how did no one else no about it? How did the wizard have an endless supply that lasted him decades.

Where did the wizard land in Oz? I think this is answered in the book that I have not read. The wizard might have landed in the Emerald City and had an affair with Elphaba's mom before he made his way to Emerald City. However, the movie made it pretty clear that the wizard landed in Emerald City and was immediately claimed wizard. Munchkin land is far away from Emerald City. He would not be able to travel there while keeping his identity a secret.

What kind of government do they have in Munchkinland? Elphaba's father is clearly referred to as governor, yet it is clearly not a democracy. Why would a nonmunchkin serve as the governor of Munchkinland for over 20 years and why would his death make his daughter an unelected official. Nessa is clearly not a governor. She is a tyrant. And why does anyone listen to her? She has no real power.

How does Madam Moribble alter Elphaba's story when everyone knows it was Elphaba who was called to the wizard. The story she tells makes it sound like Glinda was called to see the wizard and Elphaba showed up uninvited. There were definitely people from school around when Madam Moribble retold this story. Also, people knew of Elphaba's stance on animal rights. Why would they not question how she automatically changed all of her beliefs?

What is the timeline of the show? Hopefully the movie will explain this better. According to the play, they are supposedly only a few weeks into the school year when we see Dr. Dillamond's first lesson. That same day Fiyero shows up and invites everyone to the Oz Dust Ball Room? The next morning Dr. Dillamond is taken away and Elphaba saves the lion club. A few days later Elphaba is called to the Emerald City and all that stuff goes down. That means the timeline of Act 1 is what, a month? Act 2 appears to start not so long after, but supposedly takes place years later when everyone is out of school. This raises a lot of questions. What is Elphaba doing during this time? Why has she not looked for Fiyero, visited her sister, or freed the monkeys, all things she was easily able to do in Act 2. What is everyone so afraid of if Elphaba did one wicked thing years ago and never showed herself again? The time gap would have to be 20+ years to match the characters' ages in the Wizard of Oz. Act 2 opens with Glinda and Fiyero's engagement. He runs off with Elphaba before any wedding plans are actually made. The same day or not too long after Nessa is killed. The rest of the timeline is how ever long Dorothy is in Oz.

What do Fiyero's parents and other Winkies think are going on? Fiyero's parents are barely referenced and supposedly still alive at the end of the story. Do they know that their son is working as a guard for Emerald City to hunt down the witch that he is in love with? Does anyone care? His parents are supposedly the king and queen of Winkie Country. How does everyone respond when the prince is murdered by the wizard's guards?

If Glinda is so beloved, why does she have no influence on people? People put all their faith into a wizard they've never seen. If Glinda told people what she actually knew, would they immediately turn against her. No one questioned why she had Madam Morrible arrested in the end. The same could be said about Fiyero. Why was everyone so willing to accept that their beloved prince had switched sides and were they all okay with the wizards guards killing him?

I got a lot more, but I need to take a break from typing. Please feel free to respond to any of these plot holes or add your own. Questions to come:

Do people of Oz not understand how tornadoes work?

Do the witch's interactions with Dorothy and her friends still happen in this timeline?

Where is the witch's crystal ball?

When does Fiyero write the note and why does it take so long to get to Elphaba?

Why does Elphaba wait to capture Dorothy when she is already on the way to her castle?

How does Fiyero become the scarecrow before Dorothy finds her?

Is everything Fiyero does with Dorothy part of his plan to get back to Elphaba?

Why does Glinda give Dorothy the slippers?

How does Dorothy actually get home?

Can Glinda do any real magic?

Does Dorothy choose not to give Elphaba the slippers at her own will?

Why are people suddenly accepting of talking scarecrows and tin men?

Are all Dorothy's friends and all of the winkies present when Elphaba "melts"?

Why does everyone believe in Elphaba's melting?

Is it Elphaba on the horse at the beginning of the movie?

Do any of the Wizard of Oz sequels fit into this universe?