# Easy Answers for Fictional Dilemmas **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2025, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080 "2025-04-15T20:26:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/221 "2025-04-24T19:12:37Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > That comic was by Andy Weir, who also wrote _The Martian_. Wow! I didn’t know that! I did say the writing was great. It is now available in dead tree form too. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/222 "2025-04-24T21:17:57Z")
With better art than the original ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/223 "2025-04-24T23:10:34Z")
> [@solost](#): > > > [@Sitnam](#): > > > > Sure, but she very easily could have failed and lost the shoes to the witch. It wasn’t like she gave Dorothy any help, she had to find friends from unlikely places all on her own. > > > > But hey, Glinda could have just splashed some of that Munchkin City Center pond water on the Witch and it would be over without Flying Monkey civil war. > > > [@DocCathode](#): > > > > One of the first things we learn is that indeed Glinda is a selfish schemer who lied to Dorothy about a variety of things and used her to fulfill her own goals. > > Yeah, the very fact that Glinda made Dorothy go through the whole quest rather than just tell her to click her heels together and wish for home _right from the start_ is, to me, prima facie evidence that she was shamelessly manipulating Dorothy for her own ends. Um, Glinda was down south in the land of the Quadlings and didn’t encounter Dorothy at all until near the end of the book. Unless you’re talking about some dumbass adaptation of the book that someone once tried to make. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/224 "2025-04-24T23:18:19Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Um, Glinda was down south in the land of the Quadlings and didn’t encounter Dorothy at all until near the end of the book. > > Unless you’re talking about some dumbass adaptation of the book that someone once tried to make. As I said earlier > [@DocCathode](#): > > Are we going by the Judy Garland film? Baum’s original books? Wicked? The abilities and motivations of folks in Oz change significantly based on the answer. I haven’t read the original book in a very long time. I remember it being far superior to, and much weirder than, the Judy Garland film. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/225 "2025-04-24T23:37:43Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > One of the first things we learn is that indeed Glinda is a selfish schemer who lied to Dorothy about a variety of things and used her to fulfill her own goals. This was the point in one of my wife Pepper Mill’s stories in the now-defunct ezine **Teemings** ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/226 "2025-04-25T00:24:13Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > “You killed half of my enemies already and you leaving Oz with the shoes will take the other half’s power with it. Suits me. Bitch, you can leave now. Click your heels together.” Glinda, 10 minutes in. Dont confuse the film- which cut out the Good Witch of the North’s part entirely with the canon- the books. Dorothy didnt meet Glinda until much later. > [@DocCathode](#): > > Wicked? That isnt set in Oz at all. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Um, Glinda was down south in the land of the Quadlings and didn’t encounter Dorothy at all until near the end of the book. > > Unless you’re talking about some dumbass adaptation of the book that someone once tried to make. Right. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2025, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/227 "2025-04-25T00:55:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > That isnt set in Oz at all. I don’t really care for the musical. The songs are good and the singers gifted. But, they changed way too much. I lost my copy of the book about 50 pages or so from the end. The book obviously changes some things. But it is definitely written by somebody who read Baum’s books. It is not canonical. But I would disagree that is not set in Oz. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2025, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/228 "2025-04-25T02:33:20Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I haven’t read the original book in a very long time. I remember it being far superior to, and much weirder than, the Judy Garland film. In the original book the Wicked Witch of the West captures Dorothy and keeps her as a slave for some weeks or months; until finally while scrubbing the floors Dorothy perchance flings a bucket of water on tWWotW. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/229 "2025-04-25T17:22:55Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > With better art than the original Actually, I liked the original art. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2025, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/230 "2025-04-25T19:57:35Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I lost my copy of the book about 50 pages or so from the end. The book obviously changes some things The Wizard may be a humbug but he is not a Hitler. It changes so much that it cant be Oz, maybe some alt oz universe. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2025, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/231 "2025-04-25T22:07:55Z")
In the original book sequel _The Marvelous Land of Oz_ it turned out that the Wizard had usurped the throne of the Emerald City from the then-infant rightful heir, the princess Ozma, giving her into the custody of an evil witch who magically disguised her. Maybe the Wizard felt he had to take the reins of power given that two Wicked Witches were at large but it was definitely a shit move. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2025, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/232 "2025-04-25T22:35:21Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > In the original book sequel _The Marvelous Land of Oz_ it turned out that the Wizard had usurped the throne of the Emerald City from the then-infant rightful heir, the princess Ozma, Well, yes, but Baum wasnt big on continuity- in _Ozma of Oz_ The Wizard had no part in the abduction. And in later books, Ozma and the Wizard are friends- (wiki) _The Wizard returns in the novel [Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_and_the_Wizard_in_Oz) . With Dorothy and the boy Zeb, he falls through a crack in the earth; in their underground journey, he acts as their guide and protector. Oz explains that his real name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. To shorten this name, he used only his initials (O.Z.P.I.N.H.E.A.D.), but since they spell out the word [pinhead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcephaly) , he shortened his name further and called himself “Oz”.[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_of_Oz_(character)#cite_note-4) When Ozma rescues them from the underground kingdoms, he recounts his story of becoming the ruler of Oz, and Ozma explains that before the witches usurped her grandfather’s throne (an occurrence happening long before the wizard arrived), the ruler of Oz had always been known as Oz or (if female) Ozma.[[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_of_Oz_(character)#cite_note-5) Ozma then permits him to live in Oz permanently.[[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_of_Oz_(character)#cite_note-6) He becomes an apprentice to [Glinda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glinda_the_Good_Witch) (the most powerful magic-worker in Oz). Ozma decrees that, besides herself, only The Wizard and Glinda are allowed to use magic unless the other magic users have permits._ So- kinda, sorta, reconned at least. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/233 "2025-04-26T18:29:38Z")
Regarding LotR and the Eagles… I do wish people were a bit more sympathetic to how poor a job the movie (which most people are talking about when they ask why they didn’t just fly straight to the volcano) did explaining the situation. “Why didn’t they just fly straight there” is an _entirely_ reasonable question given what we see on screen. It also has reasonable answers that fit pretty well into the lore. But I’ve definitely seen people on the internet (not on the SDMB of course where we’re all genteel and polite) respond with some fairly serious eye-rolling disdain. Regarding Nazis ending up with the ark, obviously it’s all fictional so who knows, but my vague knowledge of the old testament god is that it would be entirely in character for him to say “ok, here’s a powerful object, I’m giving it to you, but if you lose it, that’s on you”. One can also certainly imagine that if the supernatural did exist, and if the Nazis were super into it, they might get huge benefits from studying the ark even without being able to literally carry it in front of their armies and auto-win all battles. Certainly I think “Indy should have stayed home, there’s zero risk if the Nazis had gotten the ark” to be overcertain. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/234 "2025-04-26T20:38:38Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Regarding LotR and the Eagles… I do wish people were a bit more sympathetic to how poor a job the movie (which most people are talking about when they ask why they didn’t just fly straight to the volcano) did explaining the situation. > > “Why didn’t they just fly straight there” is an _entirely_ reasonable question given what we see on screen. Not really. You see the Nazgul flying and Frodo and Sam being beat to the ground when the Eye passes over them briefly. So, you can put two and two and realize that the full force of The Eye would daunt nearly anyone, and that the Nazgul would attack the Eagles. Maybe the Nazgul, combined with the Eye win- and the whole ball game is over. You also see Frodo unwilling to give up the Ring- so the Eagles would have to drop/push Frodo in with the Ring. Not the kind of thing they would do. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/235 "2025-04-26T21:28:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Maybe the Nazgul, combined with the Eye win- and the whole ball game is over. Sure, but I think you’re kind of missing my point. In the movies, so much is made of how hard it is to get into Mordor. One does not simply walk in there, etc. Sam and Frodo’s journey there is SO epic and long and so forth. And at the end of the movie, after all that, they’re just lying there, and… oh, hey, instant seemingly fast travel. My point is not that there is zero textual support in the movie that might allow one to come up with reasons why the Eagles couldn’t have taken The Ring one or the other. My point is that, purely watching the movie, it’s an incredibly jarring apparent oversight. And I’ve seen enough people, presumably intelligent people who were paying attention, jump on it and question it, that it’s hard not to think that the overall movie-watching experience of the audience as a whole wouldn’t have been improved with a snippet or two of dialog, _somewhere_, to make it clear that, yes, the people who made the movies have thought about it, and, yes, there are perfectly good in-universe reasons why it’s impossible. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/236 "2025-04-26T23:58:13Z")
[![](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/q_70,fl_lossy,dpr_3,h_85,w_100,c_scale/v200/6672e38b-7226-446a-8e08-ee28155e2bd7) ](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/q_70,fl_lossy,dpr_3,h_85,w_100,c_scale/v200/6672e38b-7226-446a-8e08-ee28155e2bd7) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/237 "2025-04-27T00:33:09Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > And at the end of the movie, after all that, they’re just lying there, and… oh, hey, instant seemingly fast travel. Because Sauron is dead, his power is gone, so the Eagles can enter. And yes, there is support- you saw Frodo couldnt give up the Ring. They’d have to drop frodo into Mt Doom. You watched that happen- so you then KNOW Frodo wasnt gonna give up the Ring. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/238 "2025-04-27T02:07:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Because a musical that ended right then and there at the festival would be too short? This is an application of what I call the “John Ford Rule”. When _Stagecoach_ was released, journalists went to William S. Hart for comments. William S. Hart was an early cowboy star/director who was famed for the “real life” setting and characters in his (mostly silent) movies. Hart pointed out that during the exciting (and stunt filled) chase by Indians across a dusty plain, the Indians could have simply shot the horses and then picked off the occupants at their leisure. The journalists then went to John Ford for his comment on this plot problem. IIRC, Ford replied: “ **Because then the picture would be over.** ” ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/239 "2025-04-27T12:59:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And yes, there is support- you saw Frodo couldnt give up the Ring. They’d have to drop frodo into Mt Doom. You watched that happen- so you then KNOW Frodo wasnt gonna give up the Ring. But that was after months of Frodo being exposed to the Ring. Corruption like that seems like it takes time to really build up. If Frodo had only had it for a few days, it likely would have been easier for him to give it up. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080/240 "2025-04-27T15:59:38Z")
Time and proximity to Mount Doom were both factors. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-answers-for-fictional-dilemmas/1017080.md?page=13)