Fine Arts 

One year after the sensation of “Wicked,” we are brought back to the world of Oz with “Wicked: For Good.” Through iconic and memorable press tour moments, an almost $100 million marketing budget, and a year’s worth of suspense, this movie has been long-awaited by many who want to see where the witches of Oz are now. 

This duo of movies is based on the Broadway hit musical “Wicked,” composed by Stephen Schwartz, written by Winnie Holzman, and based on Gregory Maguire’s novel. Ideas began to be constructed around 2012, but the work started on the films in December of 2022. Both films, directed by Jon M. Chu, were made in conjunction with one another, with scenes from both movies being filmed at the same time. The first movie, following Act One of the musical, became the most successful Broadway adaptation ever, earning $758 million at the box office worldwide. “Wicked” went on to win Academy Awards for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design, and a Golden Globe for Cinematic Box Office Achievement. Lead actress Cynthia Erivo additionally got nominated for an Academy Award for Best Performance Actress in a Leading Role, and co-star Ariana Grande was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Performance Actress in a Supporting Role. Needless to say, “Wicked” was a huge success. However, this movie was iconic not only for the film itself but also for the memorable moments that came from the press tour. Interviews with the cast of “Wicked” sparked internet sensations, with moments such as an interviewer telling Erivo that people are “holding space” for the powerful lyrics of “Defying Gravity” while Grande holds Erivo’s finger in support. 

The first “Wicked” movie followed Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda, played by Ariana Grande, as they began at Shiz University in Oz. They hated each other at first – more accurately, loathed each other – until they connected and became friends in the Ozdust Ballroom. From then on, they were fast friends, and when it was time for Elphaba to go to the Emerald City upon invitation from the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), she invited Glinda to come along. After meeting the Wizard, Elphaba soon realizes that he has no power and that it was all just a show. The movie ends with Elphaba accepting her power and claiming that she will stop the Wizard through the song “Defying Gravity,” and leaves Glinda behind after their tearful goodbye, leaving everyone to wonder what happens next. 

The press tour for “Wicked: For Good” once again gained massive popularity as more viral moments emerged, such as Michelle Yeoh's "Madame Morrible to Wicked Witch" bit. The marketing budget was about $60 million less than the budget for “Wicked,” largely due to the second movie being able to gain traction off of the first movie’s success. Despite this, “Wicked: For Good” still amounted to over 400 brand deals according to Variety. “Wicked: For Good” has received 48 nominations for its cast, original songs, costume design, and production. Additionally, it made around $522 million at the box office worldwide as of early January 2026. 

“Wicked: For Good” takes place a few years after where the first movie left off, and sees Elphaba back on her quest to protect the animals while exposing the Wizard for his lies. Glinda is now the face of goodness in Oz, with a facade of magic created by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), who is now spewing anti-Wicked Witch propaganda far and wide, possibly being a bigger villain than the Wizard himself. Taking place at the same time as the “Wizard of Oz,” “Wicked: For Good” shows what is going on in the complex lives of the witches behind the scenes while Dorothy makes her way down the Yellow Brick Road. This movie delves deeper into political metaphors, showing how blame is placed on marginalized groups, in this case, the animals, causing them to be captured and forced out of their homes. “Wicked: For Good” also explores the deep emotional ties between the two main characters as Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship becomes strained, but also closer than ever, while also building out the world of Oz and ties together with a circular ending back to the beginning of the first “Wicked” movie. 

The set and costume design remained beautiful while the plot explored darker themes. It kept the peculiar Oz charm, however, maybe saying “clock-tick” four too many times. The addition of the new songs, “No Place Like Home” and “Girl in the Bubble,” added originality and helped differentiate the adaptations from the stage version, creating it into almost its own story. “No Place Like Home” felt very culturally relevant to current events and added an explanation as to why Elphaba won’t leave Oz despite being villainized. Many have critiqued “Girl in the Bubble;” however, I feel like it helped explain Glinda’s emotions and what led her to make her following decisions. Despite the film being about an hour longer than the stage version, at times, certain parts of it felt rushed, or maybe I just wish we got to see even more. Chu created a beautiful wedding scene, as he often seems to do, and Erivo’s performance of “No Good Deed” was outstanding. While the first movie is iconic and memorable, this is a wonderful ending to the franchise.

The Summer I Turned Pretty, Not Dead Yet, Extraordinary, Frasier reboot: these are all multi-season TV shows that started and ended during the three-and-a-half year wait between Stranger Things Seasons Four and Five. With crowd-favorite shows such as Wednesday having released Season Two this August after a three year long wait or Percy Jackson planning to release its final episode of Season Two in late-January after a two year long hiatus, the increased waiting time for seasons of popular TV shows indicates a departure from the original structure of TV. What used to be 20 minute episodes and 20 episode seasons has turned into hour-long episodes and eight-episode seasons. These changes are often attributed to long-lasting effects from the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 Writers Strike, but business strategies and technological development might actually be the leading factors. Arguments between critics and fans alike are sprouting regarding if this change should be here to stay, with our own Highlanders voicing their views on the debate.

In the early days of television, the industry made money by releasing seasons constantly; new episodes every week ensured that shows had a consistent audience. “TV was part of the rhythm of life. It moved with you around the calendar,” TV critic James Poniewozik wrote in the New York Times. In recent years, a development in technology has caused this business strategy to become outdated. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, streaming services were gaining popularity, but didn’t completely dominate the TV industry. However, experts Kelly Scott Madison Media coined the 2020 lockdown as the ‘Great Streaming Boom’; Disney+ subscribers grew by 250%, Hulu by 39%, Netflix by 10%, and Prime Video by 5%. Additionally, while streaming services consumers were previously mainly teenagers, the quarantine popularized this medium among generations. 

During the following years, workers in the TV and film industries began to struggle financially due to the increased control streaming services gained on the industry. In 2023, the Writers Guild of America conducted a writers’ strike to advocate for higher pay, prohibited use of AI, and improved residual payments for streaming content. The delays between seasons are often attributed to this strike, but Senior Culture Writer Louis Chilton, although recognizing that this is one cause, wrote in The Independent saying that “the real problem runs deeper than that.” Chilton believes that this shift in the TV industry was caused by the fact that the old model was no longer an effective business strategy. Students here see the same pattern playing out. Senior Aiden Tynberg, who has watched over 50 TV shows, agrees that the long wait between seasons is merely a business strategy. “If people are forgetting something, they'll rewatch the show, and it keeps people posting on social media more. I think it's an incredible film strategy,” said Tynberg. She specifically attributes this change in television to social media, noting that older actors are advised to join apps like TikTok in order to pull younger audiences in. “It's so smart,” Tynberg said. “It's just very manipulative.” Industry writers echo Tynberg’s point, as Poniewozik also thinks that this change in TV is driven by more developed technology and a shift in business strategy. He notes to the New York Times that “at heart, this is one more way in which TV is becoming like the movies, at least at the big-budget, mass-audience level.” 

Many TV critics denounce this new form of television due to its drastic departure from the original goal of the industry; “It’s not just an annoying trend for the patience-poor among us; it contradicts the fundamental appeal of TV storytelling,” wrote Chilton. He explained that the art form relied upon continuity, and without it, TV shows lose their real structure and meaning, becoming no different than movies. “The prospect of waiting three years to watch eight serialized “blockbuster movies” (to borrow a term from the creators of Stranger Things) is simply not that appealing,” said Chilton. Aside from critics, producers in the industry are also frustrated by the lack of connection associated with long wait times between seasons. “Audiences get connected to a show, and when they’re away from it for too long, it’s easy to fall out of love and forget what attracted you to it in the first place,” ER and The West Wing producer John Wells told Vulture. “You’re building familiarity with the characters, so getting into a pattern is very helpful.” Aside from television losing its core structure, critics also believe that these long wait times sever the connection between audience members and the shows they are watching. Poniewozik reflects on his own frustration in forgetting important plot points, commenting that “rejoining a favorite series is like trying to remember the details of high school trigonometry.”

Though a large number of critics view this change in a negative light due to the lack of adherence to tradition and connectivity, Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers and our own Highlanders seem to have a similar, slightly different opinion. "If TV shows come out every year, it's diminishing return. I like the buildup," Matt Duffer said to Variety. The Duffer Brothers later stated that they never understood the appeal of the original form of television; they grew up only watching movies, and 20 minute episodes bored them. “That's the weird thing, that we ended up in TV, because we had almost zero interest in television," continued Matt Duffer. 

St. Andrew’s students share similar positive opinions on the new form of television, and actually believe that the new model of TV fosters more connection than the old model. Film student Emily Wallingford, despite her personal preferences of watching old sitcoms, likes longer waits in new, mainstream TV shows. “You have a community of people all discussing what might happen or what happened,” said Wallingford. “I think that’s an important thing and it really brings people together.” Aiden Tynberg, a fan of sitcoms as well as the new form of TV shows, praises how seasons of Stranger Things feel like a bunch of movies, saying that the seasons feel “way more developed.” Referring to special effects and film precision, she recognizes that high quality comes with the price of time; “I think it's so worth it to wait, because they always just kill it,” said Tynberg. Long-time Stranger Things fan Senior Grayson Epstein has been watching the show since it came out when she was eight years old with her dad, and has continued this tradition despite almost being an adult. She expressed that she saw other people online who were reflecting on how young they were when they first started the show. “People get so invested in TV shows,” said Epstein. “It’s like you can grow up with the show and the characters.”

Though overall, St. Andrew’s students agree upon the fact that this change should be here to stay, there are a few negatives to this new form. While longer waits usually entail higher-quality scripts, realistic special effects, and further thought-out plotlines, there is an unconsidered factor: the aging of actors. Aiden Tynberg mentioned Outer Banks, pointing out that the actors’ looks change significantly in between seasons. “They’re supposed to be high-schoolers,” said Tynberg. “But now they’re all in their late twenties, and it’s just not passing; they all look like they have kids.” Epstein also noticed this lack of believability while watching Stranger Things, specifically contrasting the writing style with the older actors. “They put in dialogue that would make sense to be said by a kid or teenager,” said Epstein. “Because there’s a woman in her thirties delivering the line, it just misses so hard. It just doesn’t work.”

Though multiple audiences have vastly different opinions, there’s one thing that most can agree on; this change won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. “I think that this is just the beginning of it,” said Tynberg. “Because all these businessmen want to do is just make a ton of money, and this is the best way to do it: making longer episodes.” With Netflix announcing their plan to buy Warner Bros Studio, streaming services are getting progressively more powerful in the industry. Hollywood producers sent a letter to Congress, urging them to stop the deal from going through. “Netflix views any time spent watching a movie in a theater as time not spent on their platform,” the letter stated. As streaming companies push for longer-lasting franchises, films, in a way, have begun to adopt the classic TV-style-structure that relies on ongoing storylines. As television continues moving towards blockbuster-scale storytelling and film leads into serialized formats, the line between the two art forms will blur, potentially losing the distinct qualities that once set them apart.

 When most people picture a day in Austin, they think of weather so hot that they have to jump into the chilly spring-fed waters of Barton Springs to cool off. Although this is the case for most of the year, in winter it begins to cool off and Austin has its own unique charm during the holiday season. The city has bright festival lights, seasonal events, and delicious food. Come explore Austin's most popular holiday traditions, from the best place to get a cup of steamy hot chocolate, to an icy New Year’s Day experience to shake off any lingering past year’s feelings.   

Before we begin the tour, we need something to warm us up! Quack’s Bakery is one of the best places to start your morning on a cold day. It is located on 43rd Street in Hyde Park. From the moment you walk in you are greeted by the fresh smell of pastries and a friendly barista to take your order. Quack’s is known for their delicious hot chocolate, with the right balance of cream, cinnamon, and chocolate. It’s topped with the perfect amount of whipped cream, leaving customers wanting more.This bakery has a welcoming atmosphere of a neighborhood institution that really puts you in the holiday spirit. 

Now that you have something to keep you warm, we will start at Austin's very own Mozart’s Light Show. Located on Lake Austin, a place that is usually used for studying, eating, or casually meeting, this coffee shop transforms for the holiday season. Lights are hung from every tree and walls are filled with bright bulbs. The display of lights is perfectly synchronized with the Christmas music in the background. The kids dance to the holiday music while looking at the lights. The amusement of the lights makes you forget about your goosebumps, and really focus on the vibrance of the colors. Whenever the lights shine they reflect off of the cold water of Lake Austin creating a glow on the lake. Before you leave, you won’t only have memories, but an amazing experience that truly captures the Austin holiday charm. This year Mozart’s is celebrating thirty years in Austin by launching its 2025 festival of lights campaign aiming to donate $10,000 to a total of 4 charities. That is $2,500 for each non-profit. Each charity represents a key focus: Community Service, Arts and Entertainment, Education, and finally Central Texas Wildlife and Conservation. It’s a public vote to anyone in Austin who believes a certain charity deserves this money. The four awardees will receive their check for $2,500 at the closing ceremony for the light show, held on January 3, 2026. This is what makes the light show even more memorable, knowing that all of it is going to a good cause. 

After a while of sitting and looking at the lights, it’s time to stretch your legs for a nice 1.25 mile walk around Zilker Park. It’s not only a walk through a park, it's a walk through a magical light show, the “Trail of Lights.” The entrance captures your attention immediately, with a tunnel filled with big vibrant lights. Each section throughout the trail has its own theme. These bright displays vary from Disney movies, to Santa Claus with his reindeers and elves. The line to sit into Santa’s lap has over 50 kids and parents waiting (most of the time). Along the way there are food trucks with either a delicious treat like funnel cake, or a refreshing cup of hot chocolate. There's more to the Trail of Lights than just giving crowds a fun holiday experience. The Trail of Lights Foundation is a non profit organization dedicated to the production of the Austin Trail of Lights as an annual Austin Tradition. They receive the funds from businesses in the community to maintain the long standing cultural tradition. The Trail of Lights is an Austin institution and has been ranked in the top three largest events in Austin since 2012, so let's keep it that way!

After visiting these two light shows, your eyes need a break! Put on your warm clothes because we are going ice skating! Ice Rodeo is one of the most popular ice skating events in all of Austin. It’s held at the Four Seasons Hotel downtown, which is decorated from top to bottom for the holiday season. The ice skating rink overlooks Lady Bird Lake for a breathtaking view. It is perfect for all ages, and Ice Rodeo offers a fun experience along with the Four Seasons service at your side. There are outdoor dining cabins for whenever you want to take a break off the ice and have some hot chocolate. There's an afternoon tea service offering hot tea, and a delicious display of holiday treats as well. The kid’s favorite is the holiday candy shop, offering candy to satisfy your sweet tooth. Speaking of a sweet tooth, there's a gingerbread display exhibiting a built version of the hotel. All of these highlights are the perfect way to spend a nice winter day with your family and friends while looking over the exquisite Austin skyline.

To finish off our tour around Austin, the best way to do so is jumping into Barton Springs 68 degree water on New Year's Day. From 8:30 AM to 2 PM,  Austinites take on what people call the “polar plunge.” This is organized by the Barton Springs “Save Our Springs Alliance,” a non profit organization, to protect the Edwards Aquifer springs and contributing streams. It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s cold. Brynn Burnham 28’ reflects on this cold dip in the morning of New Year' s Day. “It was freezing, but it was an amazing start to 2026," she said. "I jumped out of the water so fast!”