The Chosen Season 1 Episode 5 Review: The Wedding Gift
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.
As The Chosen settles into a routine, the show becomes more focused but less exciting. The episodes have become more cohesive, yet somehow more tedious. Alas, when the audience knows exactly where the story is headed, it seems like a much longer journey.
The Chosen Season 1 Episode 5, “The Wedding Gift,” retells the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine. It is obvious within the first 15 minutes where our destination is going to be, and it’s slightly interesting to see how we are going to get there. Unfortunately, the nearly hour-long episode feels drawn out by the time the credits roll.
Early on, Simon and Andrew are walking and discussing Jesus. What plans does He have for them? Did they pack appropriately?
They have no clue what lies ahead of them, but they act out of faith instead of sight.
This proves to be the central theme of the episode. Numerous times and countless characters look to Jesus for guidance. They do not understand everything that Jesus stands for, but somehow they know He can help them.
The disciples trust Jesus to guide them on this new journey. Mary is certain that Jesus’ mission is of the utmost importance. Even Thomas follows Jesus when He asks him to fill the empty wine jars with water.
None of these people know ahead of time what exactly will happen when they refuse to lean on their own understanding. All they perceive is that their life choices have led them to this place, and they have nowhere else to go.
What do you do and where do you go when your life has hit a dead end and all seems hopeless? The answers usually boil down to reaching out to someone with greater knowledge than yourself. In this case, that person is Jesus.
Eventually, Simon and Andrew join the other disciples and Jesus. They say their hellos and warm greetings before Jesus tells them they are going to join a wedding party.
Again, everyone seems confused. After all, they don’t even know the happy couple.
In retrospect, this journey to the wedding seems a bit strange. Jesus has no intention of performing a miracle ahead of time and only does so under Mary’s wishes.
They travel quite far to just mingle. In fact, I don’t even recall Jesus interacting with the newlyweds.
Nonetheless, Jesus and the disciples arrive at the wedding in due time joining the celebration and festivities. It all seems to be going well until Thomas and his partner realize there are almost double the guests they intended.
Too many guests equals not enough wine. Not enough wine equals a bunch of unhappy campers.
Often in life, things rarely go as planned. A flat tire takes a large chunk out of our paycheck or an unexpected illness falls on us moments before we leave for vacation. They aren’t always the biggest crises, but they seem huge at the moment.
It’s enough to knock the wind out of your sails, humbling you at what could have been a great moment. Any idea is thrown out to fix the situation — but quick solutions are sometimes only bandaids.
Thomas thinks about over-salting the food so the guests want water instead. It could work, but it’s far from a foolproof plan. His reputation is on the line, after all.
The time ticks down, and Thomas runs out of options. He must confess the situation to the others. This proves to be his saving grace.
The first step to getting help is admitting you need it. Waiting until everything falls apart often puts you past saving. It’s harder to work with debris than it is to repair stress cracks in the foundation.
John: If you think He needs my help, you’ve heard nothing.
Jesus steps in and does exactly what we waited for the entire episode. While the miracle itself fails to achieve the dramatic flair, the tears of relief on Dinah’s face, played by Leslie Steele, are enough to send shivers down my spine.
The moment of tension erupts into pure joy as faith is awarded the long-awaited prize.
Scattered throughout the episode, Nicodemus speaks with John the baptizer who is confined in jail. Nicodemus has many questions for the man, but the two are less than trusting of each other.
Their bickering gives bits of knowledge here and there but does little to advance the plot. It feels like the segments are only here to ensure the viewer doesn’t forget about the characters. One can argue that this is shown for character development, but it seems ill-fitted at the least.
While The Chosen has improved since Season 1 Episode 1, it is still far from my favorite show. It’s hard to imagine anyone binge-watching in a rush to find out what is going to happen next. Instead, it feels like a show to turn on when you’re caught up with everything else.
Disappointing isn’t quite the word to describe it, but it leaves one feeling unfulfilled.
What did you think of this episode of The Chosen? Who is your favorite disciple? 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.
One thought on “The Chosen Season 1 Episode 5 Review: The Wedding Gift”
Maybe if you read The Book your reviews would change. I can’t even read your comments anymore. But felt I needed to disagree with you. As do the millions of people who enjoy this series. Keep watching though. You might see things differently.
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