The Chosen One (El Elegido) is a Mexican fantasy TV series released on Netflix on August 16, 2023. It is based on the comic book series American Jesus by Mark Millar and Peter Gross. The six-part series is directed by Everardo Gout and has a runtime of about 35-45 minutes.
The cast of the series includes Bobby Luhnow as Jodie, Dianna Agron as Sarah, Lilith Amelie Siordia Mejia as Magda, Juan Fernando González Anguamea as Tuka, Jorge Javier Arballo Osornio as Hipólito, Alberto Pérez-Jácome Kenna as Wagner, Patricio Serna Meza, Carlos Bardem, Alfonso Dosal, Sofía Sisniega, Eileen Yáñez, Tenoch Huerta and others.
The Chosen One Review
The series takes off with the scene of a woman being beaten up by someone but she fights back and runs away with her baby. She is seen crossing the American border to Mexico and is always on the lookout to see if anyone’s following her. However, something strange happens when a police officer catches hold of her but lets her go after taking a look at the baby. Playing with a mysterious necklace, the baby with the blue eyes has a mystical aura around him and you get the sense that he is not an ordinary child.
Starting a new life in Mexico, Jodie grows up well but has to take some kind of medication, probably for anxiety or to calm him down. He is friends with Tuka, Wagner, Hipolito and Magda, on whom he has a crush. They are a creative and curious bunch of kids, looking for ways to make money by doing some tricks. Thus, when Tuka brings up the story told by his uncle about encountering a Siren in the sea, they decide to find it themselves.
Although they don’t get a hold of the fabled creature, Jodie feels a sense of power/energies around him, while crossing the deserts. Soon enough, while going back empty-handed, a truck crashes down from the bridge on top of Jodie. Despite standing right under the bridge, he doesn’t endure a single scratch but the driver gets badly injured, almost hanging on to his life. The incident assures Jodie that there’s something more to him and even other people start recognising him as a miracle or the embodiment of Christ.
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His mother Sarah had always gone out of her way to ensure that Jodie never realises his special abilities but when destiny knocks hard on his door, there’s nothing that can stop him from getting lured to the whispering shadows. This creates a rift between the two as Jodie realises that even his existence is inexplicable. As he finally accepts the power that resides in him, more miracles are witnessed by the people, completely believing in him being an incarnation of Jesus. Yet, there’s something unsettling about him.
Here the subject of faith and religion comes up. If a person like Jodie claims to be a prophet like in the Holy Scriptures, then what would the masses do? Will they accept the new Messiah or shun them? The episodes in between also shed light on greedy human nature, and how they literally pressure/threaten the Messiah to free them of their pain or ailment, even bring back the dying person. Also, how humans have interpreted and evolved the religions, as per their ethical beliefs and shun anomalies like queer people.
Despite doing his best to serve the people who have started worshipping him, Jodie is yet figuring out his own identity and indulges in sinful things. These are the moments that make you anxious and question his true identity. By the fifth episode, one starts wondering what is even happening and want to know the mysterious voices calling on him. Only in the final 10 minutes, the big revelation puts everything in place and you start backtracking everything that happened so far. And to give you a *spoiler*, Jodies isn’t really a Saint, to say the least.
If you are familiar with the comics, then the series might not feel too long, as compared to someone getting into it for the first time. However, I would suggest that sitting through the 6 episodes is definitely worth it and take note of small/weird things, as it will all make sense eventually. Also, the brief glimpse at the end makes us hopeful that there’s more to come and it’s just the beginning.
Rating: 3.5/5
The Chosen One is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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