Netflix’s The Chosen One (O Escolhido) is a Brazilian supernatural thriller based on the Mexican series Niño Santo. The show follows three doctors sent to the remote Pantanal region of Brazil to administer a Zika virus vaccine to a secluded and religiously devout community. What begins as a simple public health mission spirals into a mysterious and dangerous ordeal as the doctors uncover the community’s dark secrets and its enigmatic leader, “The Chosen One.”
Season 1 Recap
The Mission Begins
Doctors Lúcia, Damião, and Enzo are tasked with vaccinating the residents of Aguazul, an isolated village in the Pantanal. Upon arrival, they encounter resistance from the locals, who refuse modern medicine and claim they are protected by “The Chosen One.” The villagers believe he possesses divine powers to heal and keep them safe from disease.
The team’s skepticism grows as they witness the villagers’ unwavering faith and odd rituals. The Chosen One’s influence over the community becomes apparent when they discover he can apparently cure diseases through mystical means.
The Chosen One
The titular character is a mysterious figure with an almost cult-like following. He claims to have the power to heal through divine intervention, but his methods remain shrouded in secrecy. The villagers believe he is immortal and a savior sent by God to protect them. His presence creates tension between the scientific worldview of the doctors and the villagers’ faith-based belief system.
Conflict Escalates
As the doctors push to administer the vaccine, they are met with increasingly hostile resistance. The villagers see their intervention as a direct threat to their way of life. The Chosen One’s authority grows, and he begins targeting the doctors, challenging their skepticism and forcing them to confront their beliefs.
- Lúcia: A fiercely logical and rational doctor, Lúcia becomes the de facto leader of the team. She struggles to understand how the Chosen One performs his “miracles” and grows increasingly desperate to expose him.
- Damião: A compassionate doctor with a personal connection to the region, Damião is caught between the doctors’ mission and the villagers’ beliefs. His empathy for the locals makes him susceptible to the Chosen One’s influence.
- Enzo: The most reluctant of the group, Enzo is haunted by his past mistakes and feels the psychological weight of their situation. He grows paranoid and increasingly desperate to escape Aguazul.
The Doctors’ Descent
The doctors are drawn deeper into the community’s secrets. They uncover unsettling truths about the Chosen One, including his mysterious past and the possibility that his powers might not be entirely supernatural. However, their investigations come at a cost, as the villagers’ hostility turns violent. They are trapped, unable to leave, and forced to reckon with their conflicting ideologies.
Season 2 Recap
The Chosen One’s Backstory
The second season delves into the origins of the Chosen One. Flashbacks reveal he was once a regular man who came into contact with a mysterious force in the jungle, granting him healing powers and near immortality. His transformation into a spiritual leader was not entirely his choice but was shaped by circumstances and the villagers’ need for a savior.
The doctors uncover these truths while trying to survive their captivity. The revelations about the Chosen One blur the lines between science and faith, leaving the characters questioning whether his powers are divine, biological, or something else entirely.
Power Struggles
Internal divisions arise among the villagers as some begin to question the Chosen One’s authority. A splinter group sees the doctors’ arrival as an opportunity to overthrow him, while others remain fiercely loyal. The doctors find themselves entangled in this conflict, using it as a chance to escape but also inadvertently escalating the violence.
Moral Dilemmas
The doctors face moral and ethical challenges as their scientific rationalism clashes with the villagers’ unwavering faith. They must decide whether to respect the community’s beliefs or to push forward with their mission to vaccinate, knowing it could lead to more bloodshed.
The Climax
The season culminates in a dramatic showdown between the doctors, the villagers, and the Chosen One. Secrets are exposed, lives are lost, and the true nature of the Chosen One’s power is left ambiguous. The resolution offers a mix of closure and lingering questions, leaving viewers to ponder the limits of science, the nature of faith, and the cost of belief.
Analysis and Review
Faith vs. Science
At its core, The Chosen One examines the tension between faith and science. The doctors, as representatives of modern medicine, believe in empirical evidence and logic. The villagers, however, are devoted to the Chosen One, whose healing abilities seem to defy scientific explanation.
- The Doctors’ Perspective:
The doctors approach the situation as a public health mission, aiming to vaccinate the community against the Zika virus. Their frustration grows as they encounter resistance, leading them to question the validity of the villagers’ beliefs. - The Villagers’ Perspective:
For the villagers, faith in the Chosen One is not just a belief system but a way of life. They see him as a divine figure who keeps them safe and healthy, negating the need for outside interference. This faith is rooted in centuries of isolation and the lack of access to modern medicine. - Ambiguity of the Chosen One’s Powers:
The show leaves the nature of the Chosen One’s abilities deliberately ambiguous, blurring the line between supernatural and scientific phenomena. Is he truly divine, or is there a biological explanation for his healing powers? This ambiguity mirrors real-world debates about the coexistence of faith and science.
Isolation and Community
The remote setting emphasizes the villagers’ dependence on each other and their leader, as well as the doctors’ struggle to adapt to a foreign environment.
Respecting Belief Systems:
The villagers’ resistance stems not only from their faith but also from their desire to preserve their way of life. The doctors’ insistence on vaccination is seen as an attack on their autonomy.
Moral Ambiguity:
The series avoids painting either side as entirely right or wrong. The doctors’ mission is noble, but their methods raise questions about consent and cultural respect. Similarly, while the Chosen One’s methods may seem manipulative, his leadership provides tangible benefits to the villagers.
Power and Control
The Chosen One wields immense influence over the villagers, symbolizing how leaders can use faith to consolidate power. His role as a healer and protector gives him unquestioned authority, but it also makes him a target of skepticism and rebellion.
- Charismatic Leadership:
The Chosen One’s charisma is central to his control. He embodies the archetype of a messianic figure, providing hope and stability to a community that would otherwise feel abandoned. - Manipulation Through Fear:
The Chosen One uses fear and mystique to maintain his position. By framing outsiders (the doctors) as threats to the community, he reinforces the villagers’ dependence on him. - Challenges to Authority:
The arrival of the doctors and the discovery of his secrets threaten the Chosen One’s status, exposing cracks in his seemingly unshakable control. The villagers’ faith is tested, leading to internal divisions and power struggles.
The Cost of Belief
Faith in the Chosen One comes at a cost for the villagers. Blind devotion can lead to vulnerability and exploitation, as seen in the way the Chosen One’s secrets are shielded by those who trust him implicitly.
- Sacrifices for the Greater Good:
The villagers are willing to protect the Chosen One at great personal cost, believing his survival ensures the community’s safety. - The Burden of Leadership:
The Chosen One himself is not portrayed as entirely villainous. Flashbacks reveal his internal struggles and the sacrifices he has made to fulfill his role. His transformation into a spiritual leader is as much a product of circumstance as it is a choice.
Character Analysis
Lúcia
- Role: The pragmatic and skeptical leader of the doctors’ mission.
- Analysis: Lúcia embodies scientific rationality and determination. Her arc explores the limits of logic in the face of deeply entrenched belief systems. She begins as a forceful advocate for vaccination but gradually questions the ethics of her methods as she becomes entangled in the villagers’ world.
Damião
- Role: The empathetic doctor torn between science and faith.
- Analysis: Damião’s personal connection to the region makes him more sympathetic to the villagers. His arc illustrates the internal conflict between adhering to his medical training and respecting the community’s traditions. His susceptibility to the Chosen One’s influence adds depth to his character.
Enzo
- Role: The reluctant and vulnerable member of the team.
- Analysis: Enzo’s past mistakes and insecurities make him the most fragile of the doctors. His paranoia and desperation to escape Aguazul highlight the psychological toll of the mission. He serves as a foil to Lúcia’s stoicism and Damião’s compassion.
The Chosen One
- Role: The enigmatic leader of Aguazul.
- Analysis: The Chosen One is both a savior and a manipulator. His healing abilities and influence over the villagers make him a figure of awe and fear. Flashbacks reveal his humanity, showing that his role as a leader is as much a burden as it is a source of power. His ambiguity leaves viewers questioning whether he is a hero, a fraud, or something in between.
Ending Explained
The Doctors’ Mission Unravels
As the doctors (Lúcia, Damião, and Enzo) struggle to complete their vaccination mission, their efforts are thwarted by the villagers’ loyalty to the Chosen One. The community sees the vaccine as a threat to their way of life, believing the Chosen One’s divine protection renders them immune to disease.
Lúcia grows increasingly desperate to expose the truth behind the Chosen One’s powers, while Damião begins to waver in his skepticism. Enzo, overwhelmed by paranoia and fear, becomes unhinged, complicating their mission further.
The Chosen One’s True Nature
Flashbacks and revelations throughout the series provide insight into the Chosen One’s mysterious powers. He is not a godlike figure as the villagers believe but rather a man who encountered a transformative force in the jungle—an enigmatic, possibly supernatural phenomenon that granted him the ability to heal and seemingly stop aging.
This discovery blurs the line between science and faith, leaving it unclear whether his abilities are divine, biological, or a result of environmental anomalies tied to the Pantanal region. The Chosen One himself appears conflicted about his role, torn between embracing his status as a savior and the burden of maintaining his authority.
The Doctors’ Choices
The climax of the series forces the three doctors to confront their beliefs and values:
- Lúcia: Determined to complete the vaccination effort, Lúcia pushes forward despite the villagers’ resistance. Her relentless pursuit of the “truth” about the Chosen One leads to a confrontation that threatens her life and forces her to question whether logic can overcome deeply held faith.
- Damião: Torn between his scientific training and his empathy for the villagers, Damião becomes increasingly drawn to the Chosen One’s teachings. His internal conflict highlights the seductive nature of belief and the difficulty of reconciling it with rationality.
- Enzo: Unable to cope with the psychological strain, Enzo becomes a liability. His desperation to escape and his erratic behavior escalate the tension, ultimately leading to tragic consequences.
The Final Confrontation
The series culminates in a dramatic and violent clash between the doctors and the villagers. The Chosen One’s secrets are exposed, shaking the faith of some villagers while strengthening the devotion of others. The ambiguity of his powers and the fear of the unknown create chaos within the community.
As tensions reach a boiling point, the doctors must decide whether to continue their mission or abandon it, acknowledging that their efforts may cause more harm than good.
The ending of The Chosen One is intentionally ambiguous, reflecting the complexity of its themes. It avoids providing clear answers, leaving viewers to grapple with the same questions as the characters:
- Is belief inherently valuable, even if it is based on illusion?
- Should science always take precedence over tradition and faith?
- What happens when truth is at odds with the human need for hope and community?
This open-ended conclusion invites viewers to reflect on their own beliefs and biases, making the series a haunting and thought-provoking exploration of faith, science, and the human condition.
FAQ
1. Is the Chosen One Divine or Human?
The series deliberately avoids giving a definitive answer. While the Chosen One’s powers appear miraculous, the show hints at possible scientific explanations:
- He may have encountered a unique natural phenomenon in the jungle, such as a rare biological agent or environmental factor that altered his physiology.
- Alternatively, his abilities could be interpreted as divine or supernatural, reinforcing the villagers’ faith.
The ambiguity underscores one of the show’s central themes: the tension between belief and empirical evidence.
2. What Happens to the Villagers?
By the end, the community remains divided. Some villagers begin to question the Chosen One’s authority, especially after the doctors expose elements of his past and the fallibility of his powers. Others, however, cling to their faith, doubling down on their belief that he is their protector.
The villagers’ fate highlights the power of collective belief and its ability to persist even in the face of contradictory evidence.
3. Do the Doctors Succeed?
The doctors’ vaccination mission is largely unsuccessful. The villagers’ resistance and the Chosen One’s influence prevent widespread immunization. However, the doctors succeed in planting seeds of doubt among some villagers, suggesting that change is possible, even if gradual.
4. What Is the Chosen One’s Fate?
The Chosen One survives the events of the finale, but his position as the community’s leader is destabilized. His enigmatic presence remains a source of fear and reverence, but the fractures within the community hint at a possible shift in his authority.
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