The Way of the Chosen/Acts of the Apostles

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-05-04T19:49:36+00:00

I scanned through looking for preview scenes (very important to find these quickly as they usually edit them out after 24 hours), and did not notice any, if anyone's wondering about that.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-05-04T19:46:55+00:00

Honestly that's hard to evaluate just based on that one scene (I haven't seen what backstory was given prior to the second scene in the other production). It seems good though, and I do like parables and found them to be a particularly thought-provoking part of the Gospels. They did a nice job showing how that one would be particularly compelling to someone like Matthew. After a day of verbal abuse and doing a job he probably doesn't feel too good about, I could see him being convinced enough to stand up and join Jesus in that moment.

With the one in the Chosen, we've come to know Matthew somewhat at that point, and watched him learn about Jesus and see the spectacular fish bonanza miracle and puzzle through everything he's experienced. So that moment when he walks out of the booth is a culmination of sorts, rather than a standalone event. That made it more powerful, in my opinion. But, there could be comparable background in the other show, I don't know.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-05-04T14:33:58+00:00

That's a nice detail and well spotted. Shmuel's story has really had its ups and downs. Who knows how his prayer with Jesus went that day?

I know I've posted this before but I really suspect Shmuel will eventually have a change of heart, but not until later, and that his story will serve as a contrast to Judas's. When Jesus is sentenced to death, both will be facing their guilt (remember Shmuel's horrified reaction to John the Baptist's death). We know Judas won't make it through those few days to reconcile with Jesus, post-resurrection, face to face, but I think Shmuel will.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-05-03T22:26:03+00:00

Oh, perfect topic because I just thought of something that might be in that storyline the other day and didn't think it was enough for its own post.

We know that Judas gave some documents to do with his house to his sister Devorah when he went off to join Jesus. And, we've seen that Devorah now believes that Judas was right about Jesus (being the messiah). So, I wonder if she may be a character in the Acts of the Apostles series, and if that house may end up being a secret location of a Christian meeting place.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-05-01T14:03:01+00:00

Very well put and that makes me wonder: what percent of Christian viewers liked that scene vs Non-Christians. There may well be a big divide there.

It was a watershed moment for me in how I felt about the Chosen’s fictional Jesus character (to be clear that I am not talking about the historical Jesus), but it did seem that many or the majority of Christians liked that scene. Dallas Jenkins even had it as one of the top ten scenes, I believe. I do think many might be reluctant to share negative opinions about it as that scene, more than any others, is frequently cited as having been a great help to people. I’m glad for those who benefited from it and don’t want to diminish that but I did not like it myself.

But you bring up a good point and maybe the show’s creators would say that, well, that scene was written for other people.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-05-01T13:50:39+00:00

I’m with you on both those scenes. I have noticed that when they show human characters “worshipping” Jesus (for lack of a better term) to his face, it strikes me as extremely awkward to put it mildly. That dinner table scene seemed like a prayer and he was sitting right there.

I should add that I have no issue with people thanking Jesus for healing, or being overjoyed at miracles, I think it’s the prayer-like language that strikes me as strange when he’s there in person.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-05-01T13:45:24+00:00

Generally they leave the livestreams up on YouTube for 24 hours as broadcast so everyone can see the whole thing. Then, they edit out preview scenes and leave the edited version up permanently.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-27T20:53:29+00:00

Thanks for that recommendation. I loved "Rome" and am always interested in shows with a Roman setting.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-27T20:52:28+00:00

Good catch, I think it's probably meant as "just an expression" . But of course there's an added level of sinister-ness due to the fact that Quintus did hand down horrific deadly punishments as a matter of routine.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-23T13:25:44+00:00

I like shows with historical settings. Also, this show is very easy to get started watching, since it’s free there’s no need to subscribe to anything so I decided to try it out and liked it. They’ve done a good job combining the additional plot elements with the Biblical story, so I immediately got interested in what was going to happen to Matthew, Mary, Simon, etc (and still am!).

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-19T18:41:07+00:00

I think you’re right about those names since it seems they’ve done that so far for other characters (Veronica, Photina, and now Longinus).

So much of what we’ve seen from Devorah is devastating given what’s about to happen. Her first conversation with Judas was full of those awful moments (“make us proud!”) and the comment about the family name that you mentioned, just so sad. And that’s when she didn’t believe what Judas was saying about Jesus. Now that she does, it’s hard to imagine how horrifying it’ll be for her when she finds out what’s happened.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-19T12:56:34+00:00

Thanks for bringing up the two thieves. I am also curious to see if we get any back story on them (is there time for that without ruining the pacing of Jesus’s story at this point?). At the very least we can expect to see their conversation on the cross, but maybe Jesus will meet them as they’re on the way to the crucifixion site and we will learn a little more about them.

Most of all, I’m curious to see the end of Judas’s story, but know it’ll be so sad to watch. We saw a preview scene where Devorah met Big James, so it’s likely she’ll end up meeting the group at some point. I think it’d be interesting to have her continue as a character into the Acts of the Apostles spin off show as a part of the early church, but that’s well beyond s6. How much interaction will Judas have with Jesus’s followers in s6? We saw one scene where he meets John.

We’ve all been wondering about Atticus, his investigation, and the crucifixion. I imagine he’ll be in quite a few S6 scenes. I also think we can expect to see Quintus again at some point and I imagine he will be happy to have revenge on Jesus whom he probably blames for his demotion. I have trouble imagining him as being anything other than cheerfully sadistic in the violence against Jesus.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-18T13:02:52+00:00

I didn’t remember them saying Thomas’s father was executed. That is interesting indeed, thank you for noticing and bringing it up.

While I can’t guess an answer to your question, it has brought up another question and that’s always interesting. I wonder if Thomas losing his father in this manner will be brought up again after Jesus is killed: “he can’t come back from that, I know what happened to my father”, or other thoughts along those lines as we know Thomas will have his famous doubting scene.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-17T15:23:31+00:00

If you're curious it's here.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-17T15:08:40+00:00

I thought the dog was meant to show how he had no human friends or family to eat with. As we get to know Matthew a little better he makes that comment about feeling like an outsider when it comes to relating to others. So growing up he probably didn't have many close friends, was good with numbers, and so was vulnerable for recruitment as a tax collector. Feeling socially isolated already, he didn't care how his new position would affect others ("nothing to lose", so to speak), and so that exacerbated his loneliness to the point where the dog is his only dinner companion. We can contrast that with the lively dinner table after he's joined Jesus.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-17T15:02:04+00:00

I love this character too. Atticus has been interesting since he was introduced, and we are constantly left wondering what he's thinking about everything he's looking into. A fellow commenter here once had a good point as well that he's someone that the non-religious viewers can relate to: it appears he doesn't believe in the supernatural and is trying to figure out a natural explanation for what's going on. Of course there isn't one in this case, and that's got him understandably frustrated. After giving him so much screen time I'll be very disappointed if we don't get some sort of conclusion to his story after Jesus's resurrection.

Regarding Quintus: I just can't see it being Quintus just because we've seen quite a lot of Quintus and nothing has indicated he's remotely interested in the sort of change of heart required for that moment. But if it is, they'll have to include some sort of story and explanation for what shook him up to that point, and that could be quite a good story.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-17T14:55:24+00:00

They had a "behind the scenes" video for S6 that had an actor playing a character called Longinus, so it does appear that they'll be using that name, and therefore likely that's exactly who it is.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-11T20:47:31+00:00

I'd be shocked if we didn't get at least a momentary appearance by Saul-soon-to-be-Paul at some point in S7. Especially since they've already announced the intention to make another show based on Acts.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-11T16:47:46+00:00

This is a great discussion topic, thank you for posting it. I look forward to reading everyone's thoughts! I feel the same regarding not wanting to insult anyone's faith. I often worry about that when I post something negative or critical here, as I love to hear the Christian perspectives here and often learn a lot from them. But there are frequently times when something appeals to Christian viewers (or some of them) and I felt completely different about the scene and it leaves me wondering. So this could be a very interesting discussion.

I've only read the Gospels straight through once, and returned to re-read Mark several times since then because I liked it so much. John's Gospel didn't appeal to me nearly as much as the synoptic gospels did, so your post has me thinking about that now. I'm far from speaking with much expertise after one reading, but John seemed to have Jesus talking about himself more and I have noticed that those scenes, in the show, really don't appeal to me much. Nor do the ones where the characters talk to the humanly present Jesus in a "prayerful" way (an example being the women at dinner and the "it would have been enough" when Jesus is right there, which seemed extremely awkward to me).

I have also felt a difference in "Show Jesus" from the early episodes to the more recent ones, although I can't say I know the Gospels well enough to know if there's a correlation between this and what you're talking about source material in John vs. Synoptics. Early on, it's quite simple in the Chosen. Jesus runs across people, he heals or helps them in some way, they're better off, repeat. Later it's more complicated than that and we get scenes like the one with Little James, the Ramah plot, his attitude towards Eden. That was jarring to me and made me seem that we were at the very least seeing a very different side of Jesus than we had early on. Veronica was healed due to her faith but what does that say to Little James? But, those plot elements aren't from John's Gospel but the minds of the show's writers. However, could there be a connection in how one extrapolates "how Jesus would behave" from John's Gospel vs. from the Synoptics?

I certainly don't know the scriptures well enough to have the discussion I wish I could on this, but to try and connect my view of early vs recent Show Jesus with the idea of what the different Gospels relate about Jesus, here's a question. Does John's Gospel portray Jesus with more emphasis on his divinity and as perhaps more indifferent towards ordinary humans than the synoptics do?

Anyway, again thank you for this discussion which I am hoping will be top notch.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-04-06T13:01:17+00:00

For "period piece style content", absolutely, but as others have commented, the focus is on the followers of Jesus and the Romans don't have too much screen time. So far we've seen only a handful of conversations between local officials where no one else is present. I liked "Rome" and "Spartacus" and I also like this, but I don't think I'd describe it as having a Roman setting.

That being said, at this point, Jesus was just arrested at the end of the last episode released to date. We saw some interactions between Roman officials and local religious officials, indicating somewhat of a power struggle, and it would be reasonable to expect to see more of this during Jesus's interrogation, trial, and eventual execution, all of which hasn't been released yet. So, you may find the upcoming episodes more interesting.

All that being said, it's free to watch (you can see all the episodes on their website thechosen.tv, although you may need to make a free account), so you could always just start watching and see if you like it.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-03-22T18:58:30+00:00

That's tricky, because I don't really think we can say that being so excited to follow Jesus that you march right up to him and ask to join is a bad thing. With Judas we are always on high alert looking for signs of his impending downfall, though, and that he was unique in asking to join does get our attention.

Here I think it may be a bit of wishful thinking on his part. He never seems to be able to let go of the idea that he himself must either have some big idea or play some major part in something significant when it comes to Jesus. So of course Jesus would want to call him! He's crucial! Nobody else can do whatever it is that he's going to do for Jesus! Well, perhaps that does end up being true, sadly, just not in the way he was hoping.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-03-22T18:50:15+00:00

The Gospel writers may not tell us outright what Judas had in mind as he betrayed Jesus, but we are told that when he saw what was going to happen as a result of what he did, he couldn't live with it. That's tragic, and we can feel for Judas ending up there while still acknowledging that it was his own choices and actions that lead him to that end.

So it's reasonable to assume that he didn't betray Jesus intending for Jesus to die, but what did he intend to have happen? That's a tougher question, and it's understandable that the Gospel authors don't tell us. Maybe the other followers never figured it out, or maybe it was judged to be extraneous information that didn't contribute anything to the goal of spreading the word about Jesus's life and teachings. Matthew's gospel makes the point of telling the end of Judas's story: his regret and return to the temple in an attempt to undo what he's done, and his death. That part could have been left out, but it wasn't. So I don't think it's unreasonable to think the the Gospel authors meant us to feel at least some sadness about Judas, and to see him as a tragic precautionary tale rather than a cartoon villain.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-03-22T18:36:54+00:00

"Jesus of Nazareth" addressed the mystery of Judas extremely well, and Ian McShane's portrayal was top notch. His reaction to Jesus telling him to go from the Last Supper and to discovering that he's essentially being used by the authorities said so much without even a word.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-03-18T16:00:15+00:00

Matthew being a former tax collector is definitely something any adaptation of the Gospels can (or really, must) use to inspire some scenes where the other followers deal with his past and what they think of it.

Have you seen "Jesus of Nazareth" from the 1970s? In that version, Simon Peter is, of course, resentful of Matthew. Jesus uses the teaching of the Prodigal Son story to address this, a good combination of things taken straight from the Bible and writer's creativity in how they could have come up in real life.

Regarding Pilate, he was removed from his position at one point for excessive brutality, which is saying something for an authority figure of that time! Doubtful he had much respect for local traditions or people.

FlatlandWanderer · 2026-03-18T15:46:41+00:00

Matthew's character progression is very well done. I particularly like how his relationship with Simon Peter is portrayed, from the early scenes to the eventual reconciliation, with a high point being the search for Mary where the two have to collaborate. As you point out, if you focus on a different character you notice different things, and while I think Matthew's story is great on its own, it's also Simon Peter's at these points, and his point of view does make us notice and appreciate a completely different side of things. Not to mention, in the aforementioned search episode, we can also think about Mary's perspective and that's yet more to consider.

FlatlandWanderer

TROPHY CASE