The Chosen: Season 1, Episodes 1-4

**All photos and videos used in this post are courtesy of The Chosen. I do not own any of them.**

Thanks to all you read my last post. I didn't know if anyone would actually take the time to read it. I get passionate about some things and pour my heart into talking (writing) about it, then realize that other people might not care. Lol. 

Sorry for the delay. It took me longer to do this recap than I thought. I kept going back and forth how I wanted to post them. At first, I was going to do one episode per post, but that would take forever, so I'm going to do four episodes a post. Obviously, this post is going to have spoilers, SO, if you think you want to watch the show, I encourage you to watch the episodes first. Like I mentioned before, they have a free app (click here) where you can watch the episodes. I know season one is on Netflix and I think it's also on Amazon Prime.

If you want a detailed recap of the episode scene by scene, I'm sure you can find those online (just Google The Chosen episodes recap). My recaps are gonna kind of be all over the place but if you know me, this won't surprise you. I tend to be all over the place telling a story. Lol. 

If you are a person who doesn't care about spoilers (or if you have already watched the show), keep on reading. But grab some snacks first, because this going to be a long post. 

DESCRIPTION: Two brothers struggle with their tax debts to Rome while a woman in the Red Quarter wrestles with her demons.

We meet a lot of characters in episode one-which is one reason I got confused the first time I watched it. But also, to be honest, I wasn't paying super close attention the first time I watched it (because I thought it was going to be your typical "cheesy Christian" production). 

Here is a breakdown of some of the main characters we meet:
Nicodemus: A leading Pharisee from Jerusalem and a prominent member of Sanhedrin. 
Simon (Peter) and Andrew: Two brothers who are fishermen in Capernaum by day and gamblers the rest of the time. Like most of the Jewish community, they are drowning in tax debt.
Matthew: A young man who is a tax collector in Capernaum, because even back in the 1st century, the government demanded the payment of taxes.
Gaius: A Roman centurion assigned to guard Matthew's tax booth.
Quintus: A Roman magistrate in Capernaum and the Praetor of Galilee (AKA, the one demanding the taxes). Heads up- he's the bad guy you love to hate.
Eden: The wife of Simon (Peter). 
Shmuel: A Pharisee in Capernaum who studied under Nicodemus.
Zohara: The wife of Nicodemus. 

Lilith: A woman suffering from demon possession. 

Rifka: A friend to Lilith.

Jesus: I assume everyone knows who He is. :)

CLIFF NOTES SUMMARY:

The show starts with a flashback to a little girl talking to her father. When she says that she's scared, he has her quote scripture from the prophet Isaiah. "Thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." (Isaiah 43:1)

The scene flashes forward, and we see an adult Lilith covered in blood with no memory of what the demons caused her to do the night before. Meanwhile, the great Nicodemus is touring Capernaum with his wife and is stopped by Praetor Quintus. He wants Nicodemus to help him collect all the unpaid taxes from the Jewish community. 

Matthew is pushed and spit at as he walks to his tax booth, which is guarded by Gaius. He is considered a traitor by his fellow Jews and it becomes apparent he is liked by no one. Simon (Peter) and Andrew struggle with their tax debts to Rome and spend time gambling in hopes of making enough to pay off the debt. This gambling includes fighting with Eden's brothers. Nicodemus is ordered by Rome to go to the Red Quarter to perform an exorcism on Lilith. When it doesn’t work, he leaves saying only God himself can save her. 

When Andrew tells Matthew he is unable to pay his past due taxes, Simon steps in and tells Matthew that he has an arrangement with Quintus, so they don’t have to pay. Simon’s arrangement is to let Quintus know the Jews fishing on Shabbat (Sabbath) but Andrew disapproves, considering it a betrayal to their friends and fellow Jews. 

Lilith has lost all hope of ever being healed and is sitting in a bar. As she leaves the bar, she is followed by a man (spoiler- it’s Jesus). He then calls her Mary (of Magdala), and she stops. It's obvious that no one in Capernaum knew her real name. He quotes the same scripture that her father taught her many years earlier. He then places his hands on her head, freeing her from the demons that have tormented her. This scene is so powerful that I have to show a video and not a gif. This scene is when I decided The Chosen was going to be different than any show I had ever seen.

 

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

When I recommed the show to someone, I always tell them that the first time I watched episode one, I was confused, and it wasn't until the end when I was like, "oh, okay, I think I see what's going on." I know some people will start a show, and if they don't like it within 15 minutes, they will stop watching. KEEP WATCHING THIS ONE. This show is going seven seasons, so they take a bit of time introducing you to the characters. And yes, episode one is a little slow at first, but the show will pick up. Trust me.

Knowing what I know now, I think this episode does a great job of introducing the viewer to the characters. Yeah, when you first watch it, it's a little annoying that you don't quite know who is who or what is going on- but it will eventually make sense. I feel if they had rushed it in episode one, it wouldn't have worked as well. Of course all of this is in hindsight. And, as I stated in my previous post, the writers have added some content and characters that are not in the Bible. They are not trying to ADD to Scripture, they are just trying to make the stories come to life. Another thing I like about this show is that they don't speak in "Old King James" speak. For those who don't know what that means, this is Isaiah 43:1 from the King James version of the Bible: “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” They DON'T speak like that- they speak in "modern" terms and use modern phrases. They do that so people can relate to (and understand) the show. 

DESCRIPTION: Matthew validates Simon's claims with Praetor Quintus. Nicodemus investigates the miracle reported in the Red Quarter, and Mary receives surprise guests at her Shabbat dinner.

New characters in this episode:

Mary: Technically we met her in the first episode as "Lilith", but from now on, she's Mary (Magdalene).

James and John: Two brothers living in Capernaum who run a fishing business with their father. This James will later be known as "Big James". 

Zebedee: Father to James and John.

Barnaby: Friend of Mary Magdalene.

Shula: Friend of Mary Magdalene.

James: Student of the rabbi Jesus. This James will later be known as "Little James". 

Thaddeus: Student of the rabbi Jesus.

CLIFF NOTES SUMMARY:

Mary Magdalene (formerly Lilith) prepares for Shabbat dinner. Matthew confirms Simon’s agreement with Quintus is true. Simon continues to spy on merchants, all while buying them drinks at a local bar. He runs into fellow fishermen James and John, and their father, Zebedee. 

Nicodemus hears about a miracle in the Red Quarter. When he confronts Mary to see that she is indeed healed, he is surprised to hear that someone else was responsible for the miracle. 

Nicodemus leads a Shabbat dinner with the other Pharisees. Matthew approaches what we learn is his family’s home to observe Shabbat with them, but decides not to go in, and eats dinner with his dog. 

Mary hosts her first Shabbat dinner with her friends Shula and Barnaby. She receives surprise guests, two young men named Thaddeus and James. When Jesus shows up to the dinner, we discover they are students of his. After leaving Shabbat dinner early, Simon is approached by the Romans at the Sea of Galilee to spy on the merchants again. 

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

This episode definitely moves faster than episode one. For those who know the Bible, it's kind of exciting to see the disciples slowly introduced. While these back stories in the show aren't necessarily the true backstories of the disciples (because we don't know them), it makes you stop and think who they were before they met Jesus. The first time I watched it, I kept thinking, "This is a Jesus show, and they have barely shown Jesus." Don't worry- they show him more as the show moves on. The show is focused on showing Jesus through the eyes of those who knew him best, so we have to get to know those people first. I also like the humor that they throw in the show. While Barnaby is a minor character, he does bring "comic relief" to his scenes. *Note: This video isn't the best quality, but it was all I could find on YouTube. The actual episodes look better than this.*

DESCRIPTION: Jesus befriends and teaches the group of children who discover His camp on the outskirts of Capernaum.
New characters in this episode:
Some children from Capernaum. 

CLIFF NOTES SUMMARY:

Jesus has set up camp outside of Capernaum. A little girl named Abigail discovers the camp and is intrigued by all the tools and brings her friend Joshua to see it. Jesus befriends Abigail and Joshua, as well as their other friends. The children help Jesus on his work as he teaches them about love, prayer, justice, compassion, faith, and wisdom.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:This is a short episode but I thought it was good. If only we were so eager to learn from Jesus like these children were. :) The timeframe of this episode seems to be the same as the first episode, because there is a scene where the children ask Jesus where he was the day before, and he said he had to go help a woman in need. I assume we are to believe that is when he went to Capernaum and healed Mary Magdalene. Also, episode four picks up where episode two leaves off, so I feel that episode three takes place at a different time (and not right after episode two). That is something super minor, but I still felt like mentioning it.

DESCRIPTION: With his life and family under threat from Rome, Simon spends one last night fishing in a desperate attempt to square his debts. Andrew spots a familiar face waiting for them on the shores of Galilee. 
New characters in this episode:
John the Baptizer: A wandering preacher in the wilderness, who baptizes on the Jordan River. He is the cousin of Jesus. 

CLIFF NOTES SUMMARY:

Simon has a change of heart and misleads the Romans to save fellow Jews from being caught fishing on Shabbat. Shmuel tells Nicodemus about a baptizer on the Jordan River. Matthew tells Quintus that Simon is not reliable, so Quintus has Matthew follow him to keep track of his actions. 

Simon tells Eden they are in danger of losing their house if he doesn’t catch enough fish to pay off his debt. Andrew runs to Simon exclaiming that they are saved, as his rabbi John the Baptizer has identified the Lamb of God, but Simon (who called the baptizer "Creepy John") doesn’t believe him and leaves to go fishing. 

Later, Andrew, Zebedee, (Big) James, and John arrive to help Simon fish, but they catch nothing all night. In the morning, they think the Roman soldiers are there to arrest Simon, but it turns out to be someone teaching to a crowd. Andrew recognizes the teacher as Jesus, who asks to preach from their boat so the crowd can hear him. After the sermon, Jesus tells Simon and Andrew to cast their nets again. They catch so many fish that their boat starts to sink.

         

Simon surrenders himself to Jesus. Jesus calls Simon and Andrew, and James and John to follow him. They join Thaddeus, Little James, and Mary, who were all listening to Jesus teach. After witnessing the miracle, Matthew is shocked by its impossibility. Meanwhile, Nicodemus visits the imprisoned John the Baptizer to ask about miracles.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

The "miracle of the fish" is one of my favorite scenes in season 1. It was so well done. I watched the behind the scenes of the filming of it, and it's just amazing how it turned out. That video is here, but I recommend watching the scene first before you see how they made it. It just shows the quality in the production of the show. It's hard to pick a favorite character in this show (my favorite changes every time I watch it), but this episode is where I really starting liking Matthew. Yeah, he's hated because he was a traitor by being a tax collector (and for spying on Simon). Back in those days, tax collectors were the worst. Not only did they collect taxes that people owed to Rome, but they would charge them more and keep that extra money for themselves. So yeah, not a nice guy. But in this episode you can see that Matthew starts to question what he is witnessing. The wheels are starting to turn in his head. I should mention (because it took me until episode four to figure out) that they are portraying Matthew as having Asperger's Syndrome. This has been met with so much positive feedback by viewers and fans. I have family members and friends on the spectrum, and I like that they have a character that they can relate to. The actor who plays Matthew does a PHENOMENAL job in this role. I know I have given you a lot of videos to watch, but check out this interview with Paras Patel, the actor who plays Matthew. At some point, I'm going to have to do a post or two about the actors who portray these roles, because they are all AMAZING. I'm not just saying this because I like the show- I'm really blown away with the talent they all have. But I'll wait a while. I think after I finally recap all the episodes, y'all will want a break from me talking about the show. :)

Stay tuned for my next post where I wrap up season one with a recap of episodes 5-8. I mentioned before, each season has eight episodes. 

XOXO!
Rachel