Dirty Work: The Witch's Tree in The Wolf Among Us (A Crooked Mile)

SPOILER WARNING: The following focuses on a major plot point for The Wolf Among Us, revealed at the end of Episode 2: Smoke & Mirrors.

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Game: The Wolf Among Us

Episode: A Crooked Mile (Episode 3)

Location: Somewhere in Fabletown

Summary: As the search for Ichabod Crane leads Sheriff Bigby and Snow White to Aunty Greenleaf's apartment, they discover a source of Fabletown's infamous black market camouflage: An ancient Glamour Tree. Her secret exposed, Greenleaf implores Bigby to spare the beloved (and lucrative) heirloom which provides affordable glamour to struggling Fables and vehemently downplays its role in the crimes plaguing Fabletown. Will Bigby enforce the law and put an end to this liability or will he let it slide for the sake of the underdog? This decision forces us to question the ethics of the measures we take to protect others: A hard-line approach against a compassionate (yet risky) one.

More information: Aunty Greenleaf | Fables Wiki | Fandom

Sheriff Bigby walks a hard line to protect the Fables, often from themselves. 

Screen capture: FetchQuester

No Rest for the Wicked

The world is a cruel and unforgiving place for the Fables even without their pasts haunting them. Bigby's torment is no exception: Earning redemption, suppressing his inner nature (in pursuing a "good" playthrough) and thanklessly protecting the lives of people who have fearful reason to suspect his intentions. When Bigby realizes the scale of Aunty Greenleaf's operations, Snow demands burning the Glamour Tree in a déjà vu moment reflective of the dilemmas Bigby has faced throughout the story: Letting a slum landlord off the hook for the sake of his son or granting a lonely friend some leeway. The sheriff must determine how his actions will effect the community in the long-term; while a ruthless Bigby would not hesitate to destroy, a thoughtful Bigby may choose to take stock of the complexity of this lose/lose situation and show meaningful growth in his character arc.

How can Bigby and Snow uphold the law and help their constituents at the same time? Too often these concepts are at odds in Fable and Mundy world, the overarching theme of The Wolf Among Us tearing at the layers of a broken system whose corrupted foundations run menacingly deep. Being a "good" citizen in Fabletown is a privilege for those whose social and financial status afford them the luxury of free-will but are not above temptation from sinister hands working beneath the shadows. Snow and Bigby - naive in their own way - are only beginning to realize how upper and lower classes are entangled in this ugly, fallen society where hero and villain are sometimes undistinguishable from one another.

The Tenements, where vulnerable Fables reside. Screen capture: FetchQuester

Burn the Glamour Tree

The witch makes a desperate plea to spare her sole source of income but Snow holds strong to her convictions: Greenleaf's work is enabling criminals and victimizing Fables. Just as Mr. Toad's use of black market glamour threatens serious consequences if Bigby fails to address them, Greenleaf's clients face a swift demise if their sub-par glamour fails to hold up in the Mundy world and they are confined to the Farm as a "best" case scenario. This isn't the only risk: Cheap glamour is "unreliable" and prone to unsavoury side-effects. 

Bigby is first and foremost an enforcer - it is his duty to ensure the Fables "maintain a low profile" from the rest of the world no matter the cost. And the cost is hefty: The Fables are isolated, displaced, and preyed upon by those seeking to exploit them. Unable to let her moral judgement scrutinize the origins of where her money comes from, Aunty Greenleaf is complicit in fuelling this fire - an "unsupervised and unrestricted" rogue witch who is also an indirect accomplice to two murders as well as Crane's abusive behaviour. 

Greenleaf refuses to divulge essential information during a criminal investigation until the last moment, deeming her untrustworthy (with so many lives at stake, her silence is an act of violence in itself). And if Greenleaf is supplying illegal glamour, what other dangerous substances is she harbouring? The entire operation merits an investigation that Snow and Bigby are ill-equipped to launch at this time, still shaken from the recent string of revelations. Reluctant to suffer more losses, the solution requires immediate action which sends out a clear message to the community: Criminal activity will answer to the law, and the law is Bigby: A sheriff who is aware of the precedent he needs to establish and is prepared to stand by the difficult decisions he makes to achieve it.

Bigby and Snow confront Aunty Greenleaf. Screen capture: FetchQuester

Show Mercy

Aunty Greenleaf's desperation embodies the tragic tale of many Fables: An "invisible" recluse clinging to the underside of an unstable economy and few options left for scraping by. Greenleaf is aware of her role in perpetuating a cycle that threatens to draw more unfortunates in and is willing to weather the imminent repercussions. While this truth could be used to argue against her, it also highlights the helplessness of her situation.

Greenleaf is criminal and victim. While she answers to those who abuse and profit from her vulnerability, her work allows her to "aid" Fables who lack the finances to purchase authentic glamour. She is providing a service that is inaccessible through legal routes, a serious structural flaw for which Snow and Bigby must take responsibility. Destroying the Glamour Tree would cut off an essential supply to Greenleaf and her more susceptible customers who are left at-risk and destitute. The ripple effect could be substantial; as the most marginalised Fables are pushed further into poverty a potential for unrest and rebellion rises and Bigby's problems are magnified ten-fold. 

But the greatest cost is to Greenleaf herself. She pleads with Bigby, begging him to spare the one salvageable resource that allows her to regularly pay rent. "Old hags watch the people they love die," she reminds him in a world where the men are "heroes" and the women lose everything: Dignity, safety, independence, and sometimes family. Her Glamour Tree is her one solace: The sole "bearing" that makes her a "valuable" asset to the community, thus offering some comfort and protection.

And then there is the significance of the ancient tree itself. It has been a timeless fixture of the family that holds sentimental value for Greenleaf, an accomplished horticulturist and alchemist who has devoted her life to preserving its bark, leaves, and twigs for glamour, ointments, spells, and enchanting. Snow's crass ultimatum is reactionary and ill-thought-out (and hardly by-the-book given the lack of a formal hearing); its botanical and magical properties should be investigated and could serve a worthy purpose for Bigby at a later time. Greenleaf is prepared to disclose client confidentiality and risk pushback by exposing Crane: An act of someone prepared to do anything to protect her livelihood. If Bigby truly grasps the severity of Greenleaf's circumstances and wishes to pursue a compassionate path, then he will know when to lay down the iron fist and when to turn away.

Spoilers affecting choice:

Predictably, burning the Glamour Tree results in a harrowing scene where the witch condemns Bigby and Snow for their heartless actions; even Snow appears regretful. Sparing the Tree will bring relief and gratefulness. Either way, Greenleaf will help them further along in the story - the biggest "outcome" of this dilemma is how the player wishes to role-play Bigby's various characteristics and forge his identity within the community.

- Lucy A.

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Sources: 

The Wolf Among Us (Telltale Games); fandom.com