To Whom It May Concern: Fairy Stories, Friendship & the Land of Oz

A classic tale gets applied in a modern context, and sets up a core theme of the Signed, Sealed, Delivered series. 

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One of the great things about Signed, Sealed, Delivered is that there's always something else to unpack. Today, Kirsten W unpacks the Wizard of Oz connections embedded in To Whom It May Concern and adds some new context. 

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Recently my family rewatched To Whom It May Concern. As part of the Signed, Sealed, Delivered Series, the episode chronicled the story of a former soldier (Buzz) who is haunted by a tragic wartime event, and struggles to place himself in the world amidst family and friends. Because this episode occurs toward the beginning of the SSD canon, Buzz’s journey is viewed alongside the POstables’ own developing friendships. But the episode also alludes to a well-known fairy tale. During my family’s recent watching, one specific line in the episode showed just how much the fairy tale informed the modern-day story. When Theresa Capadiamonte (famous figure in the postal world) finishes her performance as Glinda in a community show of The Wizard of Oz, we hear her say her goodbyes to the POstables. She says something singular to Oliver: “I think I’ll miss you most of all.” At that point in my family’s viewing of the episode, my mom commented that Dorothy (as played by Judy Garland) said the exact same thing in the movie rendition of The Wizard of Oz. I had forgotten that—in fact never would have noticed it—but my mom knew the original movie better than I did (it pays to have multi-generational viewings of SSD). Of course, that set me to thinking about the particular reasons for sharing bits of fairy-tale in the midst of the episode’s storyline, and the exact connections to a well-known literary and film story about a girl and her friends in a fairy-tale place called Oz.  

Author’s Note: In the process of analyzing the impact of the genre of Fairy Tales on this specific episode of SSD, I unearthed more thoughts than could be managed in this post! Let’s just say that an original postscript with further notes on fairy tales got rather long, and turned into a separate post! Watch for it—it’s filled with lots of input from other well-known story-crafters, and speaks to all of us as creators, writers, and artists.

To Whom It May Concern & The Wizard of Oz

Theresa Capadiamonte lives life with passion, whimsy, and a flair for the dramatic; she takes nothing for granted, is not afraid of big dreams, and brings light and life to the POstable world. Her character has a fairy-tale optimism, tempered by a real aptitude for dreaming big and having the spunk and work ethic to follow up on those dreams. Thus, Theresa Capadiamonte is the perfect character to provide a window into all that fairy-land has to offer, with its fantastical adventures of uncertainty mixed with satisfying happy never-endings. In the case of “To Whom It May Concern,” that fairy tale window is a link to another well-known world, the land of Oz. By the last scene of the episode, a literary commentary exists between the POstable world and Oz. As a result, the story draws close connections to the often-bittersweet nature of relationship and life, giving us a multicolored blend of nostalgia and bits of fantasy, and a hint of what J.R.R. Tolkien called “faerie”—all a curious melding of loss and belonging. 

The Connection to Oz

Frank Baum wrote a series of books based on Dorothy’s adventures in the land of Oz, and the first book of that series, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, was the basis for the well-known 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. Though the movie departs (majorly at times!) from the book’s storyline, key elements of the original story remain, including: friendship discovered and grown amongst unlikely characters, the satisfaction of teamwork, and the journey of serving one another. You might even call the defeat of the Wicked Witch of the West and the subsequent triumph of her broom’s delivery to the Wizard of Oz part of an elemental theme: making important deliveries for the good of all. There are no more fitting concerns for our POstables than these.

When this SSD episode occurs, the POstables are just beginning to learn about friendship and teamwork (how could we forget Oliver’s notable line about Shane being “brazenly manipulative”?). Shane is so new to the team she has no desk—of necessity, Oliver recruits Norman to create one. Rita has dreams she is choosing to keep hidden away. And there is the issue of a letter needing to be delivered to an illusive recipient. The journey of the POstables is not unlike the story of Dorothy and her friends in Oz, as they learn to care for one another, to understand each others’ weaknesses, and to join in a common cause.

There are two notable scenes within this SSD episode that draw our attention to the link between the world of the POstables and the world of Dorothy and her friends. The first is the scene where Theresa Capadiamonte is rehearsing for her role in the upcoming play, The Wizard of Oz, and Rita is standing in for Dorothy. The second is the already-mentioned ending scene, staged after Theresa ’s performance in the play, which we will discuss in more detail for its unique perspective of theme and story.

Rehearsal

In this scene, Rita and Theresa are specifically reenacting the moment where Dorothy is instructed on how to get home. (It is the point in Dorothy’s story where she has missed the balloon ride—her only hope of return to Kansas—and is despairing she will ever again see the farmhouse where she lives with her Aunt and Uncle.) In the midst of their rehearsing, Theresa bungles a particular line. She says to Rita-as-Dorothy, “Everything you need, Dorothy, is right there on your shoes. No, no. In your shoes. No. On your feet.” Though, the missed line is a point of bewilderment to Theresa , it also highlights Dorothy’s quandary in finding her way home. As the scene soon reveals, it is not in Theresa ’s nature to stay in a bewildered mood for long. When Shane presents the next problem, Teresa’s response is—“There are no problems, darling, only opportunities in disguise.”

Because of Theresa ’s dialogue and the ensuing scene with Buzz, we in the audience are left to wonder about home and belonging, and how we go about finding it; Theresa ’s words, and the illusion to Dorothy’s predicament and revelation are the perfect context for exploring the nature of Buzz’s transformation and return “home.” The last part of the scene shows us Buzz’s preparation (his shave, haircut, and new clothes), just as the “rehearsal” captures the scene of Dorothy’s preparation—and foreshadows real-life Teresa’s (yet unknown) transition from the postal service to the stage.

After The Performance

If the scene capturing a rehearsal initiated our anticipation for home (finding a place of belonging), the ending scene inaugurates the real performance, the moment of return and realized belonging—the moment of coming “home.” This is Buzz’s story at the graduation, and it is Teresa’s story through the lens of Dorothy’s adventure in Oz. When Theresa performs the role of Glinda in the community performance of The Wizard of Oz, she discovers her joy in the role, a joy that leads her to make a decision to leave the postal service. The POstables are appropriately surprised, and the place of congratulation abruptly becomes the place of departures. As in “rehearsal,” we are set up yet again to frame the story through a familiar scene; this time, we begin to see that we are more deeply influenced by Dorothy’s story than before. 

The ending scene is crafted as if to invite the POstables to be actors in the same setting and situation as Dorothy herself. Glinda, the Good Witch, walks to greet them; we glimpse the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Lion in the background; even Toto runs through the scene. We are as it were in Oz itself (as we find ourselves at the end of Baum’s story), taking leave of good friends and at the same time discovering friendship. It is a defining place, the stage of goodbyes. It teaches us about the value of others, and causes us to recognize our own belonging. At this moment, we look back on the episode, and all the SSD story that has come before, and can see the journey of the POstables in the light of one of its beauties—the valuing and cultivating of friendship.

Home is a complicated thing. The word speaks of family and friendship and belonging, but it also has its own history of grief and goodbyes. Buzz’s hope of helping others was impacted by unforeseen and uncontrollable events; his friend was hurt, and positive growth in the region of his work seemed to be at an end. The circumstance held Buzz captive with regrets: he thought himself eternally responsibility for devastation. In Dorothy’s case, the entire premise of her story is structured around the occasion of a loss (there has been a tornado, and her family ends up needing a new barn). But loss and the course of suffering often cause us to live deeply, like nothing else can do. It is interesting to see how Dorothy's story ends—a determined attitude of thankfulness in (what’s most important) the existence of her family, and a renewed vision of the value of home. And the end of the SSD episode shows us a renewed vision for Buzz’s story too. Theresa ’s departure, then, is a mirror to reflect all these things—an entry point into Dorothy’s story even as it speaks to Buzz’s journey and final discoveries (think of Buzz’s Purple Heart, in context with the Wizard’s gift to the Tim Man). The scene with Teresa and the POstables uses the wonder of the suggestion of a Fairy-type world such as Oz to highlight a “technicolor” perspective of life, by coloring the discovery of home not only with the shades of departure, but also the hues of dreams hidden and unrealized. Finally then, Teresa’s words become the resolution for the journey forward (the place we find ourselves at the end of every good story, asking ourselves what we will choose and what we will become). 

Teresa’s Gifts

So what does Theresa tell the POstables? She is like Dorothy, the Wizard, and the Good Witch all at once. Theresa invites them into the story of Oz, to learn the same lessons the story’s characters learn. And she sows the nuggets of Baum’s story all throughout her words. When the Wizard gives his gifts at the end of Baum’s story, he gives to the Scarecrow brains, the Tin Woodman a heart, and the Lion courage. When Theresa tells Oliver that he has received a 100% score on his performance report, she says that “It was always right there in your power.” This is an allusion back to the rehearsal scene, and the Good Witch’s lesson to Dorothy. But there is something else. To exercise that power, Oliver had to get out of his office. Just like the Scarecrow had to get out of his cornfield. This mirrored the gift of the Scarecrow’s brains. Next, Theresa tells Shane to “dance a little”—Dorothy’s silver shoes. Then Theresa tells Norman and Rita to look after their dream, “whatever and whoever it is,” and to “have the courage to embrace (the future).” The Lion’s courage. Finally, Theresa says “Please, take care of your hearts, because from them flow the wellsprings of life, and life is so beautiful! Don't waste a moment of it.” The Tin Woodman’s heart. 

Theresa’s journey was meaningful. She could have followed her acting dreams long before, but there was a beauty to her faithfulness in the postal service that had a particular influence on the POstables. Her presence in “rehearsal” and her performance led the four friends into a world of wonder where the fantastical spoke to the real world and colored it with a brighter picture than is otherwise seen—a picture of friendship and home. Theresa urged the POstables to cultivate friendship, that kind of belonging that comes from appreciating one another, challenging us to step outside of ourselves and look to the care of others. Friendship enables each of us to experience the true value of “home.” We have seen it before and we see it again: unexpected journeys make the greatest stories, especially when one travels with friends.

At the end of Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in a chapter called, “The Good Witch Grants Dorothy’s Wish,” there are a few lines of dialogue that demonstrate the effect of friendship forged along the path of an unexpected journey.

"Your Silver Shoes will carry you over the desert," replied Glinda. "If you had known their power you could have gone back to your Aunt Em the very first day you came to this country.”

"But then I should not have had my wonderful brains!" cried the Scarecrow. "I might have passed my whole life in the farmer's cornfield."

"And I should not have had my lovely heart," said the Tin Woodman. "I might have stood and rusted in the forest till the end of the world."

"And I should have lived a coward forever," declared the Lion, "and no beast in all the forest would have had a good word to say to me."

"This is all true," said Dorothy, "and I am glad I was of use to these good friends. But now that each of them has had what he most desired, and each is happy in having a kingdom to rule beside, I think I should like to go back to Kansas."

I almost titled this blog, “On Coming Home.” Home is the end of Dorothy’s story, and the end of Buzz’s story too. Home is where our hearts are safe, where simple things like fairy tales are our delight, and where the bright hope of belonging lives. Seeking home is life’s long adventure. In Frank Baum’s story, Dorothy returns to Kansas. Theresa ’s “Kansas” is the stage. But Buzz’s story is the most real, and—graciously in this episode—the most generous in its portrayal. Perhaps the POstables do not have what each “most desired,” with “a kingdom to rule beside,” as in the land of Oz. But they have not lost the most important thing. A few episodes later, in The Treasure Box, Norman says (in a line that could have come out of a fairy tale), “Friends don't leave friends locked in bank vaults. And we're friends. Right?” Shane responds with the essential truth, “Yes, Norman. We're friends.”