The Chosen Season 5 Last Supper Episode 5: Recap, Review, & Analysis
- Kevin Keating
- Apr 6
- 14 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Episode 5 of The Chosen Season 5: Last Supper (Part 2) follows the disciples as they struggle to come to grips with Jesus’ predictions about his suffering and death, while also giving us a window into the deliberations and scheming among the Pharisees, Chief Priests, and Scribes. The Chosen Season Episode 5 also contains a couple big “reveals” that are sure to please fans. But be warned: SPOILERS AHEAD. Below, I’ll provide a detailed summary of what happens in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 5, as well as a review and analysis of the episode’s key themes and messages. Also be sure to check out my reviews of Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, as well as and my Bible study and discussion guide for Episode 3 and my discussion of The Chosen Season 5 Episodes 3-5 on YouTube.
What Happened in Episode 5 of The Chosen Season 5: Last Supper (Part 2)
The Last Supper Cold Open
The Last Supper opening sequence begins just after the revelation that one of the disciples is going to betray Jesus (Matthew 14:18, John 13:21). As Jesus prepares a wine cup, some disciples approach and ask, “Is it I, Lord?” (Mark 14:19), while others debate amongst themselves over who it could be. Judas points out how angry Thomas has been about Ramah and questions whether it could be him, but Simon Z astutely recognizes that Judas has been angry too. Even Thomas seems to question himself, but Jesus assures him that he has been faithful despite his anger. Andrew insists that Peter couldn’t be the betrayer and he couldn’t be the one either, since he introduced Jesus to Peter, but he casts shade on John for seeking a seat at Jesus’ right hand again.
Jesus finally quiets the disciples and reminds them of his teaching about greatness and servant leadership (Luke 22:24-27). Peter asks Jesus what he expects them to do with the big revelation. Jesus assures them that they will understand more in the future and will one day sit at his table judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 21:28-30). That raises the question whether the betrayer will get to judge a tribe, but Jesus tells them they can sort that out. Taking the cups of wine, they dip their fingers and release ten drops, corresponding to the ten plagues of the Exodus, leading into the Dayenu from Episode 4.
The Religious Leaders in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 5
As the main episode opens, Yanni and other religious leaders are walking with Ananus, son of Annas and brother-in-law of Caiaphas, discussing the situation with Jesus. Barnaby overhears their conversation and mocks Ananus a bit, noting that his father chose to give his brother-in-law the family inheritance as well because of his limp. Ananus thinks everyone is getting stirred up over nothing – if Jesus fails to deliver real change, the painful realities of life under Roman taxation will snap the people out of their fixation. He feels Caiaphas lacks an understanding of human nature and hopes that when he mismanages the situation, his father will regret the decision to pass the priesthood onto him.
When Ananus arrives at Caiaphas’ house, the tension between the two is barely veiled and Caiaphas’ wife (Ananus’ sister) has to urge her brother to cooperate. But Caiaphas reveals to Ananus that his visit is unnecessary – he’s already decided to arrest Jesus. When the religious leaders object that there’s no time to find Jesus and conduct a proper, lawful trial before Shabbat and the festival, Caiaphas dismisses their concerns and assures them that his operatives are scouting out where to find Jesus as they speak.
Later, the Sanhedrin continues to debate what to do with Jesus. As the House of Shammai presses for a harsher response, Shimon begins to express doubt, since he can sympathize with the impulse to adapt practices to the changing world. Ironically, Shmuel recites the same verse Simon Z uses for Jesus, “Zeal for your house has consumed me” (Psalm 69:9), although Yussif points out that David’s own practices would probably draw the ire of the Sanhedrin. Caiaphas finally steps in and declares that their only hope is to arrest Jesus quietly. As he prays for God to help them, he ironically draws attention to how God’s “eternal word” has been slandered and his “holy temple” has been ravaged, while accusing Jesus of being a necromancer and a sorcerer. As Caiaphas finishes his prayer and dismisses the assembly, Shmuel feels torn, realizing that he knows what to do in order to arrest Jesus quietly.
That night, Shmuel arrives at Caiaphas’ home and reveals that after Caiaphas prayed, he realized he knows a potential asset who can lead them to Jesus. Pleased, Caiaphas asks him to bring in the asset and agrees to handle whatever may be necessary. Following orders, Shmuel brings Judas to Caiaphas’ home.
The Disciples in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 5
As Jesus and the disciples return from Bethany, they pass the fig tree that Jesus cursed and Peter is surprised to see that it withered overnight (Mark 11:20-21). Jesus chides Peter for being surprised at this and explains that he performed this sign to show them that prayer can move mountains and do impossible things (Mark 11:22-24). The tree is also a symbol of the Temple, which he came to, hoping to find fruit only to discover that it was lacking in anything good. He warns them all to expect tribulation, hatred, and death in the coming time, and predicts once again how he will be delivered up on Passover, crucified, and die, although the disciples are surprised by this since executions are usually not allowed on holy days.
Back in Jerusalem, the disciples continue to struggle with Jesus’ words and comfort one another, although Judas stands apart from the others. Peter insists that Jesus is just having a hard time and doesn’t mean the things that he just said. Andrew suggests that it may be a test and Simon Z wonders whether it could be just a warning to prepare, but John insists that they are blind and deaf (see John 12:38-40) for not understanding what’s happening. Matthew suggests that they take Jesus at his word, but Thomas pushes back that this would mean accepting that they’ve been deceived and that Jesus is not the Messiah. Judas argues that Matthew and Thomas may both be right in some sense: maybe Jesus will indeed be delivered up, only to use his divine powers at the last minute to evade death, strike down his foes, and usher in the Messianic Age. The disciples erupt into heated debate. Insisting that he hasn’t wasted the past three years for a fake Messiah, Simon Z goes outside – and almost runs into Atticus and a group of Roman soldiers patrolling the streets. He follows Atticus and sees him capture Kafni.
Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene is passing through the streets of Jerusalem and is suddenly accosted by a group of men led by the Mysterious Watcher. He promises that they don’t want to harm her and intend to help her. To do so, however, they need to put her in a hood and take her somewhere. She agrees and gets in their cart. Initially it looks like they may be taking her to the home of Caiaphas, but this turns out to be a trick of editing. It turns out that they’ve actually arrived at the home of… Nicodemus.
Pilate and Atticus in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 5
Claudia, visibly exhausted and out of sorts, sits on her bed, listening to her personal musicians play calming sounds over and over. In the next room, Pilate is trying to work but grows frustrated and bursts into her room and asks what’s wrong with her. Claudia isn’t able to clearly articulate what she’s experiencing in her dreams but knows that something bad is going to happen in the city and urges Pilate to take her to Caesarea. Pilate insists that he can’t leave the city during such an important time, nor does he want to send her away on her own, since it would reflect poorly on him. Claudia realizes she doesn’t want to leave him alone in Jerusalem anyway, given his history of violence – a comment that frustrates Pilate, who insists that she’s never had to make difficult choices before.
Leaving the room, Pilate finds Atticus waiting for him. Atticus reveals that the Pharisees plan on arresting Jesus. Pilate tries to dismiss this concern, hoping that he can just fine the Pharisees, putting them back in their place and recouping some of his lost revenue. But Atticus gets in Pilate’s face, rebuking him for not taking the situation and his duty seriously. He explains to Pilate that he has a plan to deal with things but that a time is coming when Pilate will need to take the reins and do his duty.
Later, Atticus takes a troop of Roman soldiers to raid the home where Kafni and his rabble rousers are staying. Although Kafni surrenders, one of the men fights back and is brutally beaten down by Atticus.
The Chosen Season 5 Episode 5 Review
Apart from the big reveal at the end, Episode 5 is a slower episode that seems to be setting the stage for the final act of The Chosen Season 5. Even so, it has a lot going for it:
Last Supper Cold Open: I’ve been predicting that Judas would deflect suspicion from himself by pointing to Thomas’ anger over Ramah. The show does this well – while it certainly does raise suspicion, I appreciate how some of the disciples are able to see through deflection. Thomas’ moment with Jesus is particularly strong – I like how he seems to genuinely be questioning himself and how Jesus reassures him that he has been faithful despite his anger. I also enjoyed how this moment opened back up the tension between the sons of Zebedee and the sons of Jonah.
Performances: Richard Fancy continues to deliver a compelling performance as Caiaphas. His arrogance and conniving are quite interesting to watch. Elijah Alexander is a forceful presence as Atticus. The way Shaan Sharma as Shmuel moves between fierce certainty and internal struggle is great. Luke Dimyan does well at capturing Judas’ alienation and desperate desire to help others see his point of view. And, like I mentioned above, Joey Vahedi does a great job in his opening scenes.
Solving Biblical Problems: As Christians read the Gospels, they often struggle to make sense of the behavior of the disciples. We’re told that Jesus predicted his suffering and death multiple times – and yet the disciples still seem shocked when it happens. Episode 5 does a great job of showing some of the different ways the disciples might have explained away Jesus’ predictions. The show also presents Judas with a plausible motivation and theory for his own actions. Yes, we know that Judas received money. But we also know he quickly abandons his money. Moreover, if you’ve seen someone literally walk on water, you probably aren’t going to betray that person simply for cash. The show has slowly built up the idea that Judas: 1) is convinced he was chosen to contribute his own wisdom, 2) believes he sees things even better than Jesus, 3) believes the other disciples don’t understand him, and 4) believes in taking matters into his own hands, even if it means crossing ethical boundaries. His final decision here feels believable and understandable – while still being evil.
Irony: Episode 5 contains some delightful irony: Judas' insistence on contributing something to Jesus' ministry, Caiaphas' prayer about the eternal Word being blasphemed, Shmuel asserting that Judas is an answer to prayer, etc.
Coherence: In earlier seasons, I used to complain about a lack of season-wide unity. Stories that really would have worked better as a season-long plot (e.g. the triggering of Mary’s trauma, her fall, and restoration) were sometimes jammed into just an episode or two. I haven’t called attention to this yet, but I do want to praise Season 5 for being the most unified, streamlined season so far. I appreciate how this has given storylines the room that they need to breathe and also allows events to run in parallel with one another.
The End Reveal: I’ve been hoping and suspecting that the show would bring back Nicodemus, while also avoiding spoilers. As soon as Mary started looking for help back in Episode 4, I thought it might be Nicodemus because of her connection to him in Season 1. I’m glad the show is circling back to their relationship and I’m looking forward to seeing his role. The fake-out set up for the moment was also fun, although I wish they had misdirected us just a bit more. I would have loved it if they really leaned into the idea that Shmuel might kidnap Mary to get information. Of course, we all know what’s going to happen but having a moment of doubt is fun.
I do think Episode 5 struggled in a few areas:
Treading Water: Other than the big ending, it doesn’t feel like much is happening in Episode 5. The disciples struggle to make sense of Jesus and worry amongst themselves – which they’ve already been doing for the past couple episodes. And the religious leaders debate what to do in response to Jesus – which they’ve also been doing for the past few episodes. Watching the episodes back to back to back really highlights this.
Convoluted Politics: I continue to find the maneuvering between Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin, and now Ananus to be a bit convoluted. That’s not to say that I think The Chosen Season 5 is historically inaccurate in this regard. If the show could restart in Season 1 with the same budget it has today, slowly building these characters might be worth it. Given the rather limited time the show has to introduce us to many of these characters and their motivations, relationships, and perspectives, I think a little more streamlining would have been helpful. The issue is amplified by the similarity of many names (e.g. Ananus and Annas; Shimon, Shmuel, Shammai) that can make characters blend into one another. I also think a lot of the characters begin to sound pretty similar (e.g. Caiaphas has contempt for the Pharisees’ understanding, Annanus has contempt for Caiaphas’ lack of understanding, etc.). Perhaps that’s part of the point. Even so, the amount of time we spend on a bunch of very similar baddies that we barely know takes time away from the characters we are more invested in.
Theatrical Experience: I said it back in Season 4 and I’ll say it again: I think three episodes is a little too much for a single theatrical experience. Two episodes feels like the sweet spot. Of course, I know most people wouldn’t want to pay for four separate showings and another separate showing would also delay the public release another week. I actually miss the Season 3 model, where only the two opening episodes and the two closing episodes were in theaters. Generally, the opening and closing episodes of each season are the big moments, which really warrant a theatrical experience. But I’m not sure if the season-wide theatrical showing genie is going back in the bottle.
Key Themes of The Chosen Season 5 Episode 5
Again, I’ll be updating this post later with my thoughts on the key themes of the episode. A couple I’ll probably highlight:
Humility, Arrogance, & Misplaced Zeal
Jesus’ warning that one of the disciples will betray him functions as a test that reveals the underlying character and values of his followers. Those like Thomas who genuinely question themselves and their capacity for sin are shown to have proper humility and have their faithfulness affirmed. At the other end of the spectrum is Judas, who falsely maintains his own innocence by making defamatory insinuations about Thomas. But Judas isn’t the only one who demonstrates poor character. Andrew is so concerned about maintaining his family’s high status within the movement that doesn’t really seem to engage in humble self-examination. The discussion of the betrayer devolves into a battle over status. Consequently, Jesus has to remind the disciples that status in his kingdom doesn’t function the way it does in the world. Those who arrogantly assert their greatness are made low, while those who humbly serve others are ultimately exalted (Luke 22:24-27). The Apostles will indeed be exalted to position of status and authority in the Kingdom, but only insofar as they have joined with Jesus in humbly undergoing trials and tribulations.
Episode 5 gives us a plethora of examples of arrogant behavior. Caiaphas and Ananus show utter contempt for one another and for the Pharisees. Each of them thinks that he has special insight and is unwilling to listen to and engage with the ideas of others. Meanwhile, in the Sanhedrin, Shmuel displays an arrogant attitude with respect to theology and biblical interpretation – he isn’t willing to even entertain the good points made by Yussif and Shimon. Pilate, likewise, is unwilling to listen to the concerns raised by Claudia and arrogantly dismisses her, assuming she has never been forced to make hard decisions before. His arrogance is also on display in the off-handed way he dismisses the situation surrounding Jesus.
Many of the disciples also reveal their arrogance in response to Jesus’ predictions. Andrew, Peter, and Simon Z all try to come up with rationales to explain away the plain meaning of what Jesus said. Judas is willing to accept the general framework of what Jesus said but reads into it his own ideas. Instead of humbly standing beside Jesus in tribulation or seeking further clarity from Jesus or through conversation with the other disciples, he arrogantly assumes that he knows what’s going on and how to bring about his desired end. Matthew and John are some of the only disciples humble enough to simply accept Jesus’ words at face value, even though his predictions go against their built in assumptions and expectations.
Most of the characters who act arrogantly in Episode 5 are not doing so in bad faith. Caiaphas genuinely seems to be convinced that he is carrying out God’s plan. The same is certainly true of Judas and Shmuel, who believes he is living out Psalm 69:9. The problem with these characters isn’t a lack of zeal for God; it’s a narrow-minded certainty and an unwillingness to reexamine their own assumptions, interpretations, and values.
The reemergence of Nicodemus at the end of the episode is quite fitting for an episode focused on the conflict between religious/intellectual arrogance and humility. In The Chosen Season 1, Shmuel functioned as an exemplar of religious arrogance and narrow-mindedness, while Nicodemus was generally characterized by religious humility and openness, particularly as the season progressed. In spite of that openness, Nicodemus’ decision to not follow Jesus ultimately resulted from his inability to let go of his status and comfort in order to follow Jesus.
Trust vs. Doubt
The Last Supper cold open also sets up a tension between trust and doubt that pervades the episode. Jesus’ warning about the betrayer immediately causes the disciples to doubt one another – and even his own leadership. But one of the reasons why Jesus predicts his betrayal is so that the disciples can eventually recognize that he was in control of the situation the entire time and deepen their trust in him. Although they want to understand more now, he has to challenge them to await further clarity.
The fig tree incident is, of course, all about trust. Jesus is reminding the disciples of what they can achieve (i.e. moving mountains) if they trust God to answer their prayers (Mark 11:22-24). He’s also warning the disciples of what they will become if they fail to trust God and give in to doubt. The fruitless fig tree is cursed to wither into nothingness. In the same way, the religious establishment in Jerusalem will be cursed on account of their lack of faith and will ultimately shrivel away (c.f. John 15:4-6).
Unfortunately, the response of most of the disciples is not to trust Jesus. Some doubt the clear intent of his words and try to explain them away by claiming that he’s having a bad day. Others are willing to accept what he’s saying will happen but begin to doubt their decision to follow him for the past three years.
Ironically, Caiaphas exemplifies greater trust than many of the disciples. Even though some of the Pharisees doubt that they will be able to find and arrest Jesus in time, Caiaphas is convinced that this is God’s plan and is willing to entrust the plan’s success to God through prayer. And, in an even greater irony, Caiaphas’ trust is rewarded. Even though what he asks for seems impossible, he receives the exact guidance that he prayed for through Shmuel and Judas.
What did you think about Episode 5 of The Chosen Season 5? I’d love to hear your reactions, questions, and theories in the comments below. Also be sure to check back soon for more content!
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