The Chosen: The Last Supper – Part One, Episode 1(Recap/Review)

The opening episode reveals that The Chosen is confident and ready to deliver an engaging, emotionally rich season that maintains the high standard audiences have come to expect from the hit show. 

Recap/ Review

The faith-based genre is thriving these days. Much of that success is due to Dallas Jenkins and The Chosen. The gospel adaptation has grown from a grassroots, crowd-funded novelty to one of the biggest, most influential television series in the world. As a testament to its growing popularity, the new season has once again been given the theatrical treatment. The opening episode reveals that The Chosen is confident and ready to deliver an engaging, emotionally rich season that maintains the high standard audiences have come to expect from the hit show.   

Adapting the Last Supper

The fifth season is called “The Last Supper,” and each episode is structured around that pivotal event. Both episodes of Part One open with a flash forward depicting a portion of that monumental meal. It’s a bold creative choice to unfold the title event periodically throughout the season rather than building up to it as the season’s climax. But the decision pays off. Christ’s teachings around the table add to the drama and establish important thematic parallels to other events in the episode.     

The Last Supper has been adapted frequently. In fact, the latest season of The Chosen is not even the first time this month that the biblical narrative has been depicted cinematically (the Chris Tomlin-produced The Last Supper film was released several weeks prior). But The Chosen distinguishes itself by approaching the event with an almost suffocating intensity. The episode’s attention-grabbing opening is moody and atmospheric. The weight of the coming days are evident in Jesus’ demeanor, and his words reflect the increasing stakes as his earthly ministry—and The Chosen series— moves toward the end game. 

Joy and Sorrow

That ominous tone of the flash forward opening sequence offers a stark contrast to the narrative events of the main timeline, which begin four days earlier with Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The joyous cries of “Hosanna” and the hooting and hollering of the disciples provide an internationally jarring juxtaposition to the intensity of the Last Supper. Many cinematic depictions of these events have shown a solemn Jesus heading toward the cross. But here, audiences see Jesus enjoying the moment with his disciples (with Judas the most enthused by the praise).  

It’s a gloriously crowd-pleasing “hero moment” when Jesus declares to the priests that even if he stopped the crowd from praising him, the very stones would cry out for him. 

All About Jesus

Jesus has always been the show’s most important character, but not always its main focus. As implied by the name, The Chosen has largely been told through the eyes of his disciples. Yet as the Cross approaches, Jesus takes center stage, and actor Jonathan Roumie proves he’s up for the challenge.   

The theological concept of the hypostatic union (Jesus as both “fully God” and “fully man”) is impossible to convey cinematically, and adaptations typically prioritize one over the other. Since its inception, The Chosen has navigated this paradox admirably. This episode may be among the show’s finest work in that regard. A scene depicting Jesus’ public teaching—which features both a heavenly voice in thunder glorifying him (John 12:28-30) and a fit of consternation that renders Jesus nearly speechless—captures the complexity of the union.   

One of the episode’s standout moments is one invented for the show. Jesus stumbles upon a wedding and joins in the festivities. When he is finally recognized and asked to explain his presence there, he responds, “I was out for a walk, and I suppose I got swept up in your joy.” It is a beautiful picture of Christ being drawn to simple joy and love.   

The moment effectively leads into the episode’s closing moments, as Jesus gazes upon the temple with righteous anger (though the “Cleansing of the Temple” narrative must wait until the next episode). Jesus is filled with fury and wrath, but also with lament and sorrow. The pain and anguish that will be heaped on Jerusalem is more pertinent against the backdrop of the simple joy of a wedding.    

Conclusion

The episode ends with Jesus preparing a whip (temple vendors beware!) and the promise of what is sure to be a dynamic, action-packed season.  

The Chosen has done much to endear itself to audiences through the years, and this episode hints that the best may be yet to come. The show is not without faults, and clunky dialogue and acting still rears its head from time to time. But despite some imperfections, The Chosen remains the gold standard for Bible adaptations, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.  

Miscellaneous Thoughts and Observations

• John and Mary M. are both standouts in this episode. Having the two of them demonstrate the most understanding regarding the foreboding implications of Christ’s words feels consistent with their characters in both the show and the biblical text.  

• The show has used modern music in the past, but I was not a fan of the rock music that played while Jesus was riding into Jerusalem.   

• Some of the invented storylines for Thomas’ character have been controversial, but the show is doing a good job of adding context and nuance to the “doubting Thomas” moniker. 

Read our recap review of Episode Two HERE.