The Chosen Season 5 "The Last Supper" Teaser Trailer Observations and Analysis
Updated: 8 hours ago
The Chosen Season 5 “Last Supper” Teaser has finally been released. Although I’m doing an in-depth shot by shot analysis of the trailer on The Bible Artist Podcast [Monday 11/25 at 9:30 PM EST], I also wanted to write up some of my initial impressions here on the blog. You may also want to check out my guide to the events of Holy Week, which also contains some (pre-trailer) predictions about Season 5, or my posts focused on the themes of Season 5 and a potential Season 5 controversy.
The Chosen Season 5 “Last Supper” Teaser Observations & Analysis
There’s a lot that we can learn about The Chosen Season 5 based on this short teaser:
Cinematography
Before we get into the content of the trailer, I just want to call attention to the beautiful cinematography that gets shown off. There are so many absolutely gorgeous symmetrical shots that look like pieces of art. The scale and production value of the costumes, sets, etc. are also very impressive. The Chosen has come a long way from its humble roots.
Music
The trailer is set to a version of the traditional hymn, “This is My Father’s World” by Maltie D. Babcock. We focus particularly on the final verse, which highlights how, even though evil forces are often stronger, God is ruler and Jesus, who died, will ultimately triumph:
This is my Father’s world / Oh, let me ne’er forget / That though the wrong seems oft so strong, / God is the ruler yet. / This is my Father’s world, / The battle is not done / Jesus who died shall be satisfied, / And earth and Heav’n be one.
The Last Supper Frame Narrative
The trailer is formally titled “The Chosen: The Last Supper” – a focus that is evident in the narrative construction of the trailer, which begins and ends with Jesus addressing his disciples during the Last Supper. In the opening shots, Jesus says, “Listen carefully, because I am going to tell you what is about to happen.” This is a very appropriate line to open the trailer with, since it gives us a preview of the coming season. Of course, on a literal level, most of the events of the trailer precede the Last Supper. What Jesus will actually tell the disciples about is his coming death and resurrection (and maybe the judgment on Jerusalem). In the closing shots, Jesus appears to be praying (hands raised, eyes looking up), but the voice-over of Jesus says, “The hour is coming.” This phrase comes up throughout the Gospel of John and refers to the hour of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Jesus vs. The Temple
Immediately after leaving the Last Supper, we’re given a shot of Jesus approaching the Temple with a whip. Although the trailer will cut away to various other events, this is clearly the focal point that we’re building toward. It serves as a kind of frame within a frame, contextualizing and giving meaning to all the other shots that we see. The composition of the shot - Jesus below, looking up at the Temple leaders above, perfectly framed by the crowd and the Temple itself - tells a clear story. Jesus, the heroic underdog, is taking on the high and mighty Temple authorities, who are literal gatekeepers. The rest of the people of Jerusalem are on the sidelines, waiting to see how the conflict will turn out. After the shot of Jesus approaching the Temple leaders with a whip, we get the same moment from a reverse angle, which seems to show another group of Temple leaders that Jesus is walking away from.
Jesus Debating in the Temple
We get a shot of a separate occasion, in which a crowd surrounds Jesus as he has a confrontation with some other figure. This could be one of Jesus’ debates with the Pharisees, Herodians, or Sadducees. Alternatively, I could see it being the woman caught in adultery scene, which I’m also expecting. Not long after this shot, we see a shot of Shmuel standing with Yanni and another Pharisee, flanked by a crowd. Presumably, this is also a scene of Jesus debating, although Shmuel and his friends appear to be onlookers, not the primary debaters.
Jesus Approaching Jerusalem
Jumping back in time, we get a shot of Jesus approaching Jerusalem on a donkey, with a crowd armed with palms awaiting him. We see Jesus enter the crowd as his disciples look on joyfully.
The Elite Leaders Worried
We shift to a shot of Pilate looking out on the city, lost in thought. He may be watching Jesus enter - or this may be at a later time. Regardless, the trailer wants us to understand that Jesus’ entry and confrontation with the Jewish leaders is worrying Pilate. His concern and frustration become even clearer toward the end of the trailer, when we get a shot of him smacking a table. The initial shot of Pilate standing is followed by a shot of Caiaphas (without the Ephod), also looking worried.
Shmuel Suborns Judas
The response of the leaders to their concern over Jesus is to suborn one of his followers (Judas) into betraying him. This will be accomplished through Judas’ relationship with Shmuel – set up in Season 4 Episode 8.
Jesus Mourns over the Temple
Seemingly at the same time that Judas is being brought in to betray him, Jesus mournfully looks out on the Temple at night. Although there is clear beauty (e.g. the choir), we also see hints of corruption, which will be spotlighted later. It’s clear that he regrets the current state of his Father’s house and what must now happen.
Sadness
Jesus isn’t the only one mourning for what must now happen. We get a shot of Shmuel struggling with his decision to help hand Jesus over. We see Mother Mary looking at (Jesus?) with grief, presumably because he’s just shared about how he must die. We also see a confrontation between Thomas and Kafni (Ramah’s father). And a shot of Mary Magdalene, looking a bit like a Cassandra figure (i.e. knowing what’s ahead, unable to stop it).
Jesus’ Whip
Jesus’ grief over the Temple appears to lead him to fashion a whip, possibly the same night as the earlier scene of him looking out on the Temple [Note: this happens at night, which clearly suggests that the show will follow Mark’s timeline, separating the triumphal entry from the cleansing of the Temple, rather than having them on the same day (as Matthew and Luke seem to suggest). During our podcast conversation, Victor and I theorized that Jesus may be fashioning the whip out of Joseph's bridle from Season 3 Episode 3 and Season 4 Episode 8.
The Den of Thieves
Presumably the next day, we see Jesus walking through the bustling Temple. We get a shot of the money-changers and those selling goats in the Temple – the corrupt practices that Jesus directly opposes. We then see Jesus take out his whip and finally see him go full Indiana Jones, as the crowd looks on in shock.
The Destruction of the Temple
Many scholars believe that the cleansing of the Temple is meant to be a prophetic sign, warning of the coming judgment on Jerusalem, which Jesus predicts more explicitly later. The trailer clearly hints at this interpretation. After Jesus begins using his whip, we get a shot of Romans busting through a door, Atticus and some Romans seeking out Simon Z, (a couple intervening shots), and a shot of the Temple Complex going up in flame as a Roman soldier looks on. While the two earlier shots could take place in the main timeline of the show, the shot of the Temple on fire is clearly a flashforward to 70 AD, when the Temple will be destroyed by Rome in response to the Jewish rebellion. Together, these shots are meant to hint at the escalating tension with Rome. And I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Simon Z featured in a flash-forward storyline, similar to the story with Mary Magdalene and Matthew in Season 4.
The Wedding
We see a shot of a circle-dance at a celebration that looks a lot like a wedding (indeed, it appears to be intentionally patterned on a similar shot of the wedding in Cana in Season 1). It’s hard to make out, but the presumptive groom looks like Thomas and he seems to be looking at his diminutive bride (we can only see her white hood/veil) and Jesus appears to be watching in the background. I could see this being a dream by Thomas, imagining what might have been if Ramah hadn't died.
Update: Attendees of ChosenCon have informed me that a longer portion of this scene was shown and that it is a random wedding that Jesus wanders into. As a part of a broader (un)faithfulness theme, I've been expecting a lot of wedding/marriage discussion and imagery, so this makes perfect sense.
Additional Info on The Chosen Season 5 Ending
I normally don’t go looking for explicit spoilers outside of the trailer but I did take a look at the USA Today article that the teaser was released with. Although most of the information was stuff we already knew, the article did answer one key question I’ve been wondering about: when Season 5 will end. According to the article, “the finale occurs before Jesus' arrest.” While this allows for some ambiguity, my initial prediction/proposal appears to be off. It now seems like Season 5 will end either at the end of the Last Supper or perhaps while Jesus and the disciples are praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.
What We Don’t See
A small teaser isn’t meant to capture everything and so the absence of a character or moment shouldn’t be taken as evidence that we won’t see it in the actual show. Indeed, sometimes important images or moments are kept as reveals for later trailers. That said, I think it’s worth noticing what we haven’t seen yet:
Jesus washing the feet of the disciples
Nicodemus
The Garden of Gethsemane (which we may not see)
The Chosen Season 5 Trailer Big Picture Thoughts
Just like the trailers for The Chosen Season 4 focused our attention on two major bookend events – the death of John the Baptist and the death and resurrection of Lazarus, “The Last Supper” teaser invites us to focus our attention on the cleansing of the Temple and the Last Supper as the two primary events of Season 5. This makes a lot of sense. The cleansing of the Temple (which I’m expecting in Episode 2) will function as a primary catalyst for the events of Season 5, setting Jesus and the leaders of Jerusalem on a collision course. Meanwhile, the Last Supper (which I’m now expecting in Episode 7 or 8) will function as a climax for the season, bringing everything to a head. Also, just from a marketing perspective, these two events are the most visually interesting moments to focus on.
Thematically, I think I was spot on when I predicted authority and judgment would be major themes in Season 5. We see both of these at play in the trailer. The beautiful shot of Jesus’ showdown with the Temple leaders, as well as a variety of shots of authority figures like Pilate and Caiaphas all point toward a conflict over who is really in charge. As the song suggests, in Season 5 we will see how “wrong” often appears to hold power and authority, but God the Father is still the ultimate king, who is moving the world to his appointed purposes. And the cleansing of the Temple is very clearly framed as an act of righteous judgment – a point only driven in further by the quick shot of the coming destruction of Jerusalem.
I may add more thoughts on the trailer after I have had more time to process. But I hope these are all helpful for you as you process. Don't forget to jump in the comment section below and share if you caught anything else in the trailer that I missed or if you have any other questions or predictions.
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