REVIEW OF THE CHOSEN BY EARS TO HEAR

THE Chosen: The Last Supper Part 3 Review

April 10, 2025

Image Credit: 5&2 Studios

With only the finale left to prove itself, The Chosen: The Last Supper might just be the series’ strongest outing yet. Part 1 delivered the show’s best premiere to date, Part 2 masterfully followed up on its events while setting the stage for the conclusion — all while offering deeply compelling character work. Now, the table has been set, and Part 3 brings us to the finale.

The Last Supper’s finale is my most anticipated in the series yet, but even with the season’s solid start, I couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. Last season followed a similar trajectory, but ultimately ended with a whimper, leaving all the momentum for this season. Once again, we find ourselves standing at the edge of a monumental moment, as naturally we are leading up to the biggest moment in The Gospels and the focus of the next season: the crucifixion. Yet even before that, Jesus’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane presents fertile ground for a climactic, emotionally resonant finale that both concludes this season’s themes and sets the stage for what’s to come.

Did showrunner Dallas Jenkins deliver this time?

Let me respond like a tried-and-true evangelical: heck frickin’ yeah.

Episode Six, the first of the final three, begins as previous episodes have — with an excerpt from the Last Supper — before continuing the lingering conversations teased in the previous chapter. At this point in the story, we’re just 24 hours away from Jesus being taken into custody. If there’s one word that defines this season, it’s weight. The crucifixion has loomed over the series more heavily with each passing season, but here it feels like a dark cloud overhead — ever-present, inescapable.

Sure, next season will undoubtedly carry even more gravity. But within Scripture itself, Jesus’s prayer at Gethsemane is the final breath before the plunge — the last intimate moment between Jesus and the Father before the path is set. If there’s any measure of this season’s success, it’s the growing knot in my stomach that tightened with each passing scene… all the way to the final minutes.

Without diving into spoilers, I’ll say this: these final episodes close an era of The Chosen in ways I didn’t expect. I’ll continue to respect viewers who are unable to make it to theaters by avoiding major spoilers outside of what’s directly depicted in Scripture. The biblical foundation for these episodes is drawn from Matthew 26:1–50, Mark 14:1–45, Luke 22:1–48, and John 13, 17–18:1–3. I’m including the Last Supper itself here, even though parts of it have appeared in earlier episodes, as the supper itself is chronologically reached.

A theme that stood out early on was how different groups interpret Scripture — some with humility and a genuine desire to follow God, others twisting it to serve their own ambitions, ultimately becoming the very thing they claim to oppose. But hey, good thing we’ve evolved past that today, right?

Image Credit: 5&2 Studios

Before I dive into the good stuff, I’ll mention a small nitpick. While this season has taken a massive leap in set design (something I praised back in Part 1), there was one odd remnant from the show’s earlier, humbler days. In one scene, we see papers with Hebrew Scripture scattered about — but the text looked clearly printed, too modern and polished for anything from the first century. It’s minor and forgivable, but it stood out, especially against the backdrop of an otherwise visually top-tier production.

As usual, there are some standout performances in these episodes. I haven’t yet given a proper shoutout to ELIJAH ALEXANDER as Roman cohortes urbanae Atticus Aemilius Pulcher — but he’s easily one of my favorite original characters. Alexander’s charisma makes Atticus a scene-stealer, and we finally get to see more of what makes him tick. Part of what makes Atticus so compelling is that you never quite know what side he’s on. He’s so charming that it’s tempting to think he might be an ally to Jesus’s followers. Credit to the writers, who’ve crafted an original character that’s just as compelling as any biblical figure in the series — sometimes more.

There are plenty of other strong performances, but what stood out most in these final episodes was how many of the disciples were given their own meaningful moments. It’s a satisfying reward for longtime fans, and it left me wishing that each of these interactions could’ve been expanded into their own character-focused episodes.

On a personal note, I was especially happy to see Thaddeus (Giavani Cairo) finally get his moment — perhaps the most significant of them all. Every disciple has had their spotlight throughout the series, but Thaddeus has often been sidelined. As the first disciple to follow Jesus in the show, his moment here feels like a fitting bookend to the journey so far — and serves as a perfect juxtaposition for the final scene of the season.

As I’d suspected, the Last Supper was presented to us in pieces across the three episodes, with each portion building toward the full picture. The final episode moves beyond the meal and into the Garden of Gethsemane. On that note, while each piece of the Supper was intentionally paired with a thematic element (for instance, Jesus washing the disciples’ feet coinciding with deep character moments), I almost wish we could’ve seen the entire Last Supper presented uninterrupted — maybe as a bonus episode. Each scene was so well done, it would have been incredibly powerful to see it all at once.

Once the disciples reach the garden, the weight truly settles in. We’re really here. Too often, depictions of this moment in the Gospels feel like just another checkbox. Even in repeated readings of Scripture, it can become so familiar that the significance gets lost. The Chosen earns it. This moment feels important not just because of what’s happening, but because of the journey we’ve taken to get here.

Image Credit: 5&2 Studios

This is also where the season’s increasingly prominent spiritual elements culminate. I realized during this final episode that the visions we’ve seen — used more liberally this season — function in place of the Old Testament scenes that served as “pre-scenes” in earlier seasons. Because the Last Supper itself now acts as each episode’s prelude, those Old Testament echoes are woven more naturally into the story rather than prefacing it. Whether intentional or not, it’s another example of how The Chosen has matured in its storytelling, leaning into thematic cohesion.

One moment that truly moved me came when Jesus returns to find his disciples asleep in the garden. After a moment of disappointment, he looks upon them — and sees them as children. As a parent, this hit hard. In my own relationship with God, nothing has deepened my understanding of His love more than fatherhood. God has reminded me again and again that He looks at me not with disappointment, but the way I look at my own sons — with an abundant love too deep for words. That scene captured it perfectly. It’s yet another example of how The Chosen, while an artistic adaptation of the Gospels, mirrors how a pastor might teach: here’s the historical context, here’s how it connects to the Old Testament, and here’s how it applies to you.

Of course, the moment is sold by Jonathan Roumie’s performance. At this point, is it even a review of The Chosen if I don’t sing his praises? It’s just so dang true. It could be easily argued that Jesus’s time in the garden is the pivotal moment for an actor’s performance. Not to minimize what is to come, but the set design, special effects and the prosthetic department will be crucial in selling those moments in addition to the performance. But here, in the garden, it’s all on Roumie to embody “sorrowful, even unto death.”

“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’” — Matthew 26:39–41

Likewise, Judas’s defining moment is here, and Luke Dimyan plays it with heartbreaking nuance. He’s a man torn by his own vision of the Messiah — desperate to find his place, only to tragically fulfill it in the most ironic way possible.

These episodes are some of the hardest to write about — not because there’s little to say, but because they’re best experienced firsthand. And hopefully, that speaks for itself.

Hats off to Dallas Jenkins.

Conclusion

It’s official — The Chosen: The Last Supper isn’t just the best installment of the series so far. It might be the finest biblical depiction ever put to screen. Not only does it bring key Gospel moments to life, it gives them the proper emotional weight through years of careful buildup and character work.

9.5/10 — so that next season still has room to top it.