Though the bickering surrounding Matthew is getting old quickly. Looking for some more intelligent dialogue and mature characters a la Phillip.

I liked the Feast of the Tabernacles... I'm kind of a geek for history like this. Showing Jesus walk by the crucified men was quite the gut punch. I liked the introduction of Simon the Zealot, and the historical background showing the zealots and what they were about. I'll be honest, while Peter is my favorite of the disciples, I've always been extremely intrigued by Simon the Zealot. There's next to nothing about him in the Bible, and yet he was one of the 12.
On the flip side, the paralytic at the pool I had mixed reactions over, but I need to explain why. Oh, and @col-klink, here's a good example as to why I should always avoid spoilers LOL. I knew this episode was going to focus on the paralytic. My mom and I had a lot of discussions leading up to this episode because different scholars believe different things about this guy. Some think that it's another grateful person who received miraculous healing, but some, like my mom and I, think he was so embittered by being paralyzed for so long, he actually went and turned Jesus into the Pharisees. John 5:14-15. Not sure, the scholars debate it, but they obviously didn't go the latter direction in this episode. LOL 
I wasn't terribly impressed with Schmuel in this episode. He was a good deal more foreboding in the first season. Though I've no doubt his character will break away from almost comical to a much more intelligent baddie. I always liked his debate with Nicodemus in.... episode 7 I think it was? AND I don't care much for this sort of attitude they're giving Jesus almost baiting the Pharisees to "stir the waters." Again, might be overthinking it so we'll see where they go.

Matthew's parents' troubled relationship to their son brings me to tears. I wonder where all this will go.

The climax of this episode and of the entire season with the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus was so, so good. It was amazing to see this played out visually—really beautifully done. This is the heart of the Gospel, so talk about a meaningful scene. Wow.

And Jesus calling Matthew as the final scene was A-1. We found that very poignant too. But I'm hoping Peter's chip against Matthew won't go on and on. Still, it's probably leading to a point where there is apologies said and forgiveness given and then they begin to try to work in harmony.

I think this season is better at doing things that you wouldn't expect but which somehow feel believable, since real life doesn't always go as you'd expect, like Philip and Matthew being friends even though they seem like opposites. I think I like the character of Mary, the mother of Jesus, better in this season than in the first. (Not that I disliked her in the first, she just didn't strike me as that interesting.) This sounds horribly racist, but I kind of like the way they portray her as like a stereotypical Jewish mother in episode 3. (One of the first things she does is "volunteer" to help with the food, she worries that her son isn't going to need her anymore, etc.) It's not that I want the characters to come across like Jewish stereotypes. I just think it's interesting because, well, a mother who was Jewish was what Mary was, but we don't usually think about her that way. And I think the show is getting a lot better at the prologue scenes. In the first season, they usually made sense in retrospect, but they were boring to watch the first time. The prologues for these episodes grab my attention right away.

My favorite of the first four season 2 episodes might be episode 3, but I'm not sure. I really enjoyed how it developed the characters, their relationships with each other and their various backgrounds, but it introduced a couple of plot threads that I won't know if I'll like until they're concluded. Since Jesus is my least favorite character, it was nice to have him in such a small role.   Something I think could have been improved upon was the characters laughing at the revelation that some of them had tasted pork. I wonder if it would have been better worldbuilding and more realistic if some of them had been amused and others had been horrified.

Posted by: @fantasia

My mom and I had a lot of discussions leading up to this episode because different scholars believe different things about this guy. Some think that it's another grateful person who received miraculous healing, but some, like my mom and I, think he was so embittered by being paralyzed for so long, he actually went and turned Jesus into the Pharisees. John 5:14-15. Not sure, the scholars debate it, but they obviously didn't go the latter direction in this episode.

I really enjoyed that plotline, but FWIW, I think your mother's idea and yours sound much more dramatically interesting. They should have consulted you.

Posted by: @fantasia

I wasn't terribly impressed with Schmuel in this episode. He was a good deal more foreboding in the first season.

I actually didn't realize he was supposed to be the same character until the others pointed it out. I don't remember him being particularly foreboding in the first season. I thought he came across like a normal person-which I actually liked. It was interesting for the show to portray the pharisees who were Jesus's enemies as normal people, not over-the-top villains. So, if anything, I felt like was too foreboding in his first season 2 episode.

Posted by: @fantasia

AND I don't care much for this sort of attitude they're giving Jesus almost baiting the Pharisees to "stir the waters." Again, might be overthinking it so we'll see where they go.

This show seems like it wants to portray Jesus as being very casual and down-to-earth, of which Itheoretically approve. The gospels don't record that many people thinking Jesus was divine before his resurrection, but some portrayals, in their quest for reverence, make him come across like some kind of holy robot. But I feel like The Chosen is kind of bending over backwards to not be like that. I  have a hard time imagining him weeping for the sins of Jerusalem or driving the moneylenders out of the temple. For that matter, I have a hard time believing he would attract either many zealous followers or zealous enemies. He just seems like a feelgood therapist guy. Even though you really like this take on Jesus and I...don't particularly (I don't hate it; I get what they're going for), I wonder if that's related to what bugged you about that last line.

If I understand your comment correctly, I'll say that I really, REALLY liked the emotional Jesus in the Children's episode, and the fun Jesus in the wedding episode. But the direction they seemed to be taking at the end of S2E4 was almost a challenging, stirring-up-trouble kind of Jesus, which I don't find accurate to how he's portrayed in the Bible. He WANTED the Pharisees to follow him as well, not pick a deliberate fight with them. In fact, every time they challenge him, he instantly disarms them with a parable or counter-question. Does that make sense?

So far I'm liking his storyline. Waiting for the explosion when he finds out Matthew is a tax collector.

I feel like I'm starting to see some signs that others are starting to maybe swing back the other way towards liking him? Wishful thinking? I don't know. We'll see. Clearly the writers want him to be a big hero character, which is fine, just don't want it at the detriment of others.

Very mixed feelings on this one. There were lines of dialogue that I liked and lines I really didn't. They completely missed the opportunity for the line "I must decrease and he must increase." Too bad.

Thumbs up!! He was properly creepy.

Trying to withhold all judgement until I see where they go with this....

The Roman spy/assassin dude. Again, withholding judgement for now. At this point though he seems unnecessary and uninteresting drama.

Yeah.... I um.....was very unhappy with the way the episode ended. Something about Jesus practicing his speech and getting words wrong? What on earth? In that single moment, he lost his perfection, he lost his omniscience, which in my eyes was a huge blunder by the writing team. It really rankled me.

At the end of the day, what bothered me most of all is that this was a 100% fan-fiction episode. Not one single bit of scripture to be found in it. I'm trying to keep an open mind because so much of the lead ups in season 1 were also fan-fiction and I ended up liking the direction they went there, so I'm hoping that will be the case here as well. I didn't hate the episode and there were parts I liked very, very much. But this was definitely my least favorite so far. 
On the plus side, it answered some of the questions I had for S2:E4 and it made me like that episode a lot more. LOL

At the end, I felt a little uneasy about much of it, for reasons similar to yours. Jesus uncertain about his words? Maybe they were just giving us teasers about 'the big sermon' he has coming up, but "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." He's not going to be short on words, in my opinion.

I also expected a different reaction from Mary M. after the demons were cast out, maybe more like, "I've been there, I can relate" to him. But I'm willing to wait and see their direction on this.

This was my least favorite episode of Season 2, which isn't that bad since I've liked Season 2 better than Season 1 so far. But honestly I think this would have been my least favorite episode if it were in Season 1 too.  

A good chunk of this episode seemed like it was setting up a conflict between Jesus and John the Baptist. It's true that the gospels portray their ministries as being somewhat different. But the impression that the Bible gives is that they were both doing what God wanted them to do. There's no indication that John was wrong and Jesus was right, and Jesus being wrong would be even further off! Ultimately, the episode affirmed this, with Jesus telling John that he was doing what he was supposed to do. But it annoys me that the show seemed to be teasing viewers, making them think it was going to imply something unorthodox. That being said, the scene of Jesus sadly watching John leave, knowing that he's heading for a gruesome end, was pretty powerful. Like I said before, I appreciate that this season is trying to show Jesus's sadder side.

I was also annoyed by the scene where Thomas is mad at Matthew because he thinks he's interested in Ramah, even though everything indicates that Matthew's interest is in Mary Magdalene. I'm actually more tolerant of the other disciples' animosity towards Matthew than some other people are. I don't love it but I can understand why the writers felt, given the cultural context, it would be wasted dramatic potential not to have it. But this was Thomas being an idiot for the sake of adding an extra dramatic moment. (It's not like the episode was lacking drama as it was!) I hate that.

The best stuff from this episode was with Simon the Zealot. It was pretty predictable, especially since one of his conversations with Jesus was very similar to a scene with Jesus from the book, The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare, only less dramatic, but I guess I prefer predictable but fine to annoying.

I like the idea of giving Mary Magdalene something more dramatic to do. While she's not my favorite character on the show by a long shot, her actress is really good. And it sounds like the next episode might involve Matthew and Peter reconciling, which would be nice. But again, the next couple of episodes might leave me hating this plotline. Who knows?

So I wasn't a big fan of this episode because it tended be either fine but predictable or courting controversy for its own sake. If the show keeps up that trend, I might stop liking it.

Clearly the writers want (Matthew) to be a big hero character, which is fine, just don't want it at the detriment of others.

What makes you think they want him to be a big hero character? I mean they definitely want him to be a major character, but I don't remember him doing anything heroic so far. (I guess this last episode's cliffhanger sort of sets him up as doing something heroic.) Maybe you mean one of the most sympathetic characters.

Posted by: @fantasia

On the plus side, it answered some of the questions I had for S2:E4 and it made me like that episode a lot more.

What were your questions, out of curiosity? I can't remember anything this episode paricularly cleared up.

Yeah, I don't mean hero character as in heroic, I mean, he is a favorite of the writers and "can do no wrong" (though I did see a Q&A with Dallas Jenkins hinting at some things to come in terms of Matthew overcoming some of his past sins).

Since Jenkins has mentioned that he thinks some fans are too nice to the character of Matthew, maybe the problem isn't the writing so much as the casting. Maybe they needed a less likeable, more annoying actor to play him, so viewers would sympathize more with the characters who dislike him.  

I think the last episode made me understand why this season feels less biblical to you, Fantasia. While Season 1 had extrabiblical plotlines and character arcs for the disciples, it was mostly set before they joined Jesus, which was when they were introduced in the gospels. This season seems like it's giving them ongoing plotlines (like Mary Magdalene going down some sort of dark spiral) during Jesus's ministry which is the main thing the gospels are about. I'm starting to sympathize with you. That does feel more wrong than the first season...but honestly, given the setup of that first season, I'm not sure where else the show could go. I mean it always kind of seemed to me like it was more about the disciples than it was about Jesus. (And if they have to have one of Jesus's followers leave the group and go down some kind of dark path, Mary Magdalene makes the most sense if they want to keep to the biblical record. She isn't mentioned in many places in the gospels and isn't one of the Big 12.) I still really liked the first handful of this season's episodes but maybe by the time it's over, it'll have lost my good opinion. I hope not.

that Photina's change of heart came a bit too abruptly, 'though I fully realize shows can't drag things out.

I really like the prelude where Jacob was building his well. Love these flashbacks at the start of many of the episodes that tie in so well to the current situation.

I have watched (in bits and pieces) episodes 1-3 of Season 2 over the past few weeks on YouTube. In brief, parts that struck me were:

E. 1

*the prelude to episode 1 with the disciples their testimonies, concluding with John and Mary - wow, absolutely loved this! Extremely moving.

*John and James 'clearing things up' with Jesus - well done!

*at the end, Jesus reading in the Temple from Genesis, with John intertwining his amazing John 1 passage - powerful and beautiful! This brought me to tears. I really like the John's character and how George Xanthis portrays him.

E. 2

*a couple of new characters introduced: Philip and Nathanael - I am quite drawn to them both. The latter's distress under the fig tree was very poignant.

E. 3

The long conversation around the fire could have been boring to watch, but the script, the camera's panning, the firelit atmosphere made it gripping. I got frustrated with good ol' Peter for spoiling it all but when thinking about this more, I can see why he has a thing against Matthew. These are sincere questions on his part: just wish he could have done this more graciously, but then, that's not Peter. When Jesus arrived, exhausted, with his mother helping him by washing his feet, wiping his face, the disciples' faces said everything about how they were feeling. Really well done, and very poignant. Convicting too!

David thinks things won't be more exciting than fighting Goliath? It's not like he's been anointed as the future king of Israel or anything. A very weird line in an otherwise cool scene. The OT flashbacks are some of my favorite parts.

I still have mixed feelings on the fanfic storyline they took with her. On one hand, I liked the way it resolved with Jesus, and I liked how Peter and Matthew kind of pulled together to "rescue" her, but the issue for me is that the whole incident was very forced and unnatural. Like, why did she leave in the first place? I did not get that at all. If a recovering alcoholic is confronted with another alcoholic, he would rejoice at his healing, not run away and start drinking again. So the whole thing was very, very strange to me.
And why is everybody so huggy in this show? So much for falling at Jesus's feet in fear and reverence.

I liked their dialogue. Thumbs up from me here.

Poor doubting Thomas, the Bible gives an inch and the filmmakers take a mile. LOL No, I actually liked how he went to Jesus with his concerns about the lack of food, Jesus's response to him, and Thomas's reaction. It's a short little snippet, but I liked it a lot.

This was another somewhat odd scene for me. They changed it just enough from the Bible story to where, again, it didn't make a lot of sense in the show. I have a hard time imagining Jesus would walk into a temple on the Sabbath in the middle of the reading of scripture, and just heal a guy's hand interrupting the whole thing. It was odd.

This was kind of funny.

Was that supposed to be David at the beginning of the episode? I couldn't figure out who it was. I assumed it was setting up something for next episode. It was probably my least favorite prologue this season. Which isn't such a bad thing since I've really liked most of them. Now I guess I have to rewatch the episode to figure out how it was supposed to related to anything.  

I'm a little surprised that you liked the last scene, Fantasia, because I remember you were bothered by how episode 4 (I think) made it seem like Jesus was antagonizing religious leaders for kicks, and that scene honestly struck me as worse in that regard. But I laughed at Peter spitting out the wheat too.  

I don't have much to say about the episode except that I liked it better than the last one but not as much as most of the others this season.