We're Off to See the Wizard

“We’re Off to See the Wizard” is the Wizard of Oz tune Lock whistles after Duncan ends a meeting in his cabin. Ava recognizes the melody and uses it to imagine the journey ahead, turning a moment of danger and uncertain leadership into a quick exchange of dark humor.

Recognition and Context

Duncan closes his knife, puts it away, and orders everyone to move; the meeting is over. His quiet authority makes plain that he, rather than Ava or Alistair, is in charge while the group remains in his cabin. As Lock hands Ava her stocking cap, he whistles softly. Ava recognizes the tune as the part that goes, “We’re off to see the wizard.” The allusion arrives at the threshold between planning and action, as the group prepares to leave Duncan’s territory.

A Comic Reframing of the Journey

Ava extends the Oz reference by imagining that Venus will not greet them with a hot-air-balloon ride. Lock adjusts her hat and answers with a darker image: a field of poppies; picturing Owen as a flying monkey, he adds, makes the comparison more amusing still. The joke draws on the threats associated with Venus and Owen without making the danger disappear. Instead, the familiar tune gives Ava and Lock a moment of levity as they set out, while the contrast between a whimsical adventure and the group’s peril keeps the exchange edged with menace.