The Chosen Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Jesus Loves The Little Children
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, The Chosen being covered here wouldn’t exist.
After two episodes of drama over substance, The Chosen Season 1 Episode 3, “Jesus Loves The Little Children,” shifts the narrative to the life of Jesus. His interactions with the children highlight his true spirit, fleshing out the character for the viewers to better understand who and what He is.
Unfortunately, we still get the feeling this character doesn’t exist after the cameras stop rolling.
So far in the series, we’ve met Andrew, Matthew, Mary, and many others who are characters with depth. Their interactions seem plausible, if not also defendable when they come up against adversaries. There is no doubt that we would act similarly to them if put in interchangeable circumstances.
Jesus, on the other hand, still feels as though we are watching only His best qualities. His lack of difficulties in life comes off as a very biased biography.
If you know the Bible at all, you understand that Jesus is very aware of his coming circumstances in life. He knows exactly who will betray Him and how He will meet His fate.
As He tells the children about His future endeavors, one would believe it would affect his demeanor. Instead, He continues to lovingly smile at them. Even if I knew that my death would be for the greater good, I’m sure my mood would be negatively influenced while talking about it.
The episode opens with the young Abigail running off to play outside. She soon comes to an encampment where Jesus is staying for the current moment in time. Her curiosity about the mysterious man slowly develops into a need for knowledge.
Similarly to Abigail and the other children, we all have questions in life. Everything seems to become more enigmatic by the day. We live in a world now that celebrates personal opinions and feelings over facts.
Jesus: Adults need faith like children.
Instead of looking for the truth inside of themselves, the children ask Jesus, a greater source of knowledge. This is the basis of nearly every religion — understanding that we are imperfect humans that need guidance outside of ourselves.
The writers, Jenkins, Swanson, and Thompson, do a great job of structuring Jesus’ dialog around scripture. His words often point back to key Bible verses that we either learned in Sunday School or phrases we hold in our hearts as personal mantras. The familiarity of His words brings the viewers a soothing comfort.
Then again, since these are words we already know, we get the feeling that we’ll never make it out of the shallow end of the pool.
Jesus is much more than smiles and feel-good vibes. He got angry, worried, and even tempted. Why not dive into this portion of his manhood?
At this point, it feels like we aren’t going to get much more than a Touched By An Angel or Joan of Arcadia theology based on happy thoughts and positive demeanors. Most viewers seeking this show out want more than that.
Christians want a show that can challenge them and get them deeper into the scriptures, while skeptics are looking for a reason to believe. If both are only getting cookie-cutter answers, there isn’t a reason for either to tune in every week.
Jesus telling the children that everyone has a greater goal in life than just their 9-5 job rings true, but the vague and lifeless delivery does nothing to inspire. We’ve all heard it on countless other television shows, secular or faith-based. But nothing here is making anyone run out and become the spiritual version of a superhero.
In fact, there’s very little to take away from this episode besides a couple of warm fuzzies.
Even the later episodes of The Flash inspired enough emotion to keep a person from turning their back on their misguided friend. They gave us hope for humanity even in the darkest of times. The oftentimes forced pep talks landed closer to home than most moments on The Chosen.
Sure, there are plenty of morals here that can help you throughout life, but a majority of them come across as an information dump. Do this, do that, and don’t forget to cross this off your checklist.
To be fair, although diluted, it is a source of knowledge. Someone that has never known anything about Jesus, the disciples, or the Christian faith, may be able to build some sort of faith structure from the tidbits thrown their way. However, there are much better sources out there.
What did you think of this episode of The Chosen? Will we ever get a more in-depth look into the character of Jesus? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Chosen airs Sunday at 8/7c on The CW.
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Charles E Henning
Charles E. Henning lives in a quaint town of Illinois with his ever-loving wife since 1998. He is new to writing reviews, but has over thirty years of fictitious writing for his own personal fulfillment. His interests range from science fiction to character-based dramas, but he is a sucker for anyone in a cape.