I realize my above comments are greatly influenced by a scene from Episode 2 so I should wait on further discussion on Judas.

I didn't realize Chosen was on YouTube, so here's the link in case others would like to see it. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=itvS62kWALA

Since I've gathered that the early episodes of Season 3 are going to be about Matthew's parents and I'd kind of forgotten about them, I've been rewatching some of Season 1 to refresh myself and I've actually been enjoying it more than I remember the first time.

Something I'd forgotten about really liking is Nicodemus's wife. Since her goal is to discourage Nicodemus from throwing his weight behind Jesus and to remind him of everything he'd lose, it would have been extremely easy to have her be this nagging shrew. But she's quite likeable though I'm not sure if the writers or the actress are the ones who deserve credit for that. This means that even though we want Nicodemus to follow Jesus, we can empathize with why he's reluctant to do so. We don't want his wife's life to be ruined either. It's much more dramatically interesting that way. 

So, I saw Episode 2's YouTube premiere. As I suspected, it was much better than Episode 1. 

That being said, I still feel like the show is of rather mixed quality, but maybe that's inevitable. You've got twelve disciples and they've all got love interests and parents, etc. I find it hard to keep track of everyone and their motivations. And some of them I find a lot more interesting than others. But, considering how many important characters the show has to juggle, it's impressive that it's as good as it is. 

Posted by: @col-klink

I'm a little surprised you enjoyed the episodes, Fantasia, because you've said that you were disappointed about how much the show was about extrabiblical drama with Jesus's disciples and it seems like it's setting up Season 3 to be all about that,

For me it's a balance. From the very beginning in Season One there's been a lot of extrabiblical storytelling. From Nicodemus performing a failed exorcism on Mary Magdalen to Matthew being Peter and Andrew's tax collector, there's a lot going on that I doubt actually happened. BUT, with Season one, they didn't divert from the actual Biblical narrative, where what they portrayed I suppose COULD have happened (though unlikely). And then (the most important thing), they reverted to the Biblical narrative where appropriate. Everything fit.

With Season two, I felt like the Biblical narrative was REALLY pushed to the side for the sake of unnecessary drama (Jesus's "arrest" by the Romans, Mary Magdalene going back to her gambling and drinking, etc) and the HUGE blunder of forgetting that Jesus is still omnipotent God in human form when he's practicing and messing up his Sermon on the Mount, those were big turn-offs. Then when it came time to add in the Biblical narrative, they cut the scenes prematurely (like teaching the disciples the Lord's Prayer, they didn't finish it). The focus was all wrong and the scenes/characters were not as believable. 

But Season three has come back around again for me. The scene you mentioned in your spoiler @Col-klink is probably in my top three, not-actually-in-the-Bible scenes because it's SOOO powerful and I think hits on an element of Scripture that all of us on earth struggle with. 

Some other thoughts since I have time to mention them now....

I have several busy weeks coming up as after Christmas is my anniversary, my birthday, my kids homeschool co-op starting back up (I'm teach a few weeks, aaaaaahhhhhh!) so I hope to catch the upcoming episodes as they're released, but I may run behind a few days.

Posted by: @col-klink

That being said, I still feel like the show is of rather mixed quality, but maybe that's inevitable. You've got twelve disciples and they've all got love interests and parents, etc. I find it hard to keep track of everyone and their motivations. And some of them I find a lot more interesting than others. But, considering how many important characters the show has to juggle, it's impressive that it's as good as it is. 

After I wrote the above, I read this and wanted to comment...sorry it's out of order. 

I totally get where you're coming from. And I agree, some characters and their stories are much stronger than others. But without doing a full on Marvel-style series (which I would NOT like), I think it would be tedious to have a strong story with each disciple.  I personally think they're doing a decent job (I would like some more of Philip because I really have liked him so far and he's had the least screen-time), and to their defense, even the Bible has some of the disciples with a name drop and then nothing.  My two cents. 🙂

So, it's almost time for a new episode of The Chosen and I haven't written anything about the last two. Guess I'd better do it now. 

So I haven't been posting in this thread lately because...well, honestly I'd gotten kind of bored with the show. I've felt like this third season has been the weakest one. But I finally gotten around to watching the last two episodes and they were pretty great. 

Wow, it has been over six months since this topic has been active!

We have decided to start showing The Chosen to a group of adults who are burdened with mental illness. I wanted to wait until Jenkins was a few seasons in before we made this decision, but now three Seasons have elapsed, and we feel the show is trustworthy and Biblically sound enough to bring to this community.

I am starting with Season 1, Episode 1 on Monday, September 11, hoping to show one episode each week, with some discussion afterwards, if there is interest. There will be a few exceptions throughout the next four months, such as Canadian Thanksgiving Monday, a vacation, and over the Christmas holidays, but other than that, I hope to be there each week.

I will stress to the group that this is historical fiction, as, while the series is based on the Gospels, there are backstories and current situations, which are found nowhere in the Bible, yet are still plausible. I do believe Jenkins' heart is to keep faithful to the historical accounts in the Gospels, even as he expands in many areas, some of which I like; others which I am not as thrilled about in his speculation. But there is nothing to turn me off completely, that's for sure.

Since I am not a big TV/movie person (I much prefer to read!), this is a big commitment for me, but I am determined to continue to share the truth of Jesus Christ with these dear folk. We already have a strong relationship with this community, as we are heavily involved in various aspects of their lives.

It looks like Season Four will be premiering in the New Year, so we should be able to keep right on with Four once we finish Three, probably sometime in April, I'm thinking. 

What a huge gift for these special friends of yours! There is a lot of emotion in the first season, and seeing Jesus make changes in people's lives, along with seeing something of how they lived, will reach out beyond complete understanding of script.

Posted by: @coracle

will reach out beyond complete understanding of script.

I should clarify: these people are not developmentally delayed. A few of them even have university degrees. These are folk who struggle with mental illness (schizophrenia, for example), but are very capable of understanding. So, I can see some lively questions and discussion happening regarding The Chosen content, as we have also seen occur during and after the worship services we hold there. They will relate in large part to scenes such as Mary Magdalene coming to Jesus in her brokenness, the demon-possessed man being healed, James not being made whole by Jesus (that entire, amazing conversation), etc. I think they will quite enjoy the humour too.

We are eager to begin!

It wasn't intellectual limitation I thought of, but perhaps not knowing cultural, historical, and church backgrounds. 

What an excellent tool for sharing and discussing the greatest Gift! 

Posted by: @fantasia

Just curious if anybody else on here is a fan of The Chosen series? If you haven't already seen Season 1, here's the YouTube link to episodes one and two, and the following six additional episodes should be easy to find.

Most of my friends are fans. I started the first episode but I honestly wasn't super impressed. The plot seemed very slow. I also get slightly annoyed with Biblical adaptions where they add details that weren't present in the Bible. I understand that it's kind of necessary but it rubs me the wrong way nonetheless. 

@azog-the-defiler I suppose it is this generation's version of the huge Hollywood movies of Biblical stories, made in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. They told the story fairly correctly, added material, almost everyone spoke with American accents...

I was sceptical about the concept.  I would enjoy the visually presentation of the Gospels, but was uneasy about the amount of added scenes that would be needed to make the storyteller compelling for television, or rather, a streaming service.

So, my wife and I have stared watching and are currently in the early episodes of season two.  My wife has thoroughly enjoyed the show.  She says the program helps to fill in the "gaps" in the Gospels, helping to form a cohesive story.  I, however, contend the the Gospels include all the we need to know.  We do need to understand context, but beyond that, not much more is needed.

I do watch the shows, but I do not enjoy it as much as my wife.  I find myself constantly trying to figure out if the characters are doing or saying what is actually in the Gospels and what has been added.

I can see the benefits for some people - anything to spread the Gospel cannot be all bad.  So far though, the show has done nothing to strengthen my faith or understanding.

Posted by: @coracle

I suppose it is this generation's version of the huge Hollywood movies of Biblical stories, made in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. They told the story fairly correctly, added material, almost everyone spoke with American accents...

I probably haven't seen those movies. That's good that they told the story correctly in The Chosen. I don't care for the added material though. I've seen too many instances where creative license was taken a little too far. I suppose Angel hired mainly American actors which would explain the accents.

It’s super rare for a movie or series based on a Bible story made by Hollywood to be accurate. Though they do get close on occasion. 

I haven’t watched The Chosen, though I’ve heard good things about it. I even heard how people like to see the Gospels from the Disciple’s perspectives.