Aahana Swrup
At the end of season 1, ‘Unchosen’ finds a conclusive and satisfying ending for its central protagonist. Rosie, a woman who was brought up in a stifling cult, the Fellowship of the Divine, finally manages to escape the community alive and with her young daughter, Grace. Along with the church’s oppressive rules, she also leaves behind her manipulative husband, Adam, and Sam, her illicit lover who had quickly fallen into the trappings of the cult for his own personal benefit. Fortunately, despite leaving behind everything they’ve ever known, Rosie and Grace manage to find a safe place for themselves to start a new beginning.
As for the Fellowship, the cogs set in motion since Sam’s arrival dismantle the existing power structure, leaving the already vulnerable and exploited community open to further danger. As such, even as Rosie’s narrative comes to an end, the narrative leaves open certain doors for future expansion about the fate of the seemingly doomed church. Although Netflix hasn’t picked the show up for another season yet, at the time of writing, a renewal isn’t entirely out of the cards for the project. In the event of the same, a possible season 2 could be on the horizon as early as 2028.
Unchosen Season 2 Could Extend the Storylines of Sam and Adam
Season 1 of ‘Unchosen’ concludes the central plotline, which revolves around its protagonist, Rosie, a mother and a wife, who realizes the truth of her oppressive cult and decides to orchestrate her exit. However, the finale presents an open-ended conclusion for the storylines of Adam and Sam, the two deuteragonists of the tale. Like Rosie, her husband, Adam, was also born and raised in the Fellowship and is being groomed for a leadership position. However, he is also struggling with a personal secret of his own: his sexuality. On the other hand, Adam is a convict fleeing arrest who happens to stumble across the Fellowship and slithers his way into the community.
Most notably, Sam uses Adam’s struggle with his homosexuality against him to cement himself as a trusted member in the upper hierarchies of the cult. By the end, both men realize the wrongs that they have committed against Rosie and decide to do penance with the simple act of letting her go. However, regardless of Sam’s brief moment of humanity, he hasn’t been entirely reformed in his ways. While he allows Rosie to slip through his fingers, he refuses to give up on his other ambition: taking over the Fellowship of the Divine. He has already rendered the former leader, Phillips, futile, and he has the right leverage to keep Adam under his thumb. Thus, in the short span of a year, Sam becomes the new leader of the Fellowship. In a potential season 2, we could pick up after this revelation and explore the impact of the convict on the community.
Unchosen Season 2 Would Likely Feature Some Familiar Faces
Even though ‘Unchosen’ season 1 revolves around Rosie, it’s more than likely that a possible season 2 might not include the protagonist in its narrative. By the end of season 1, Rosie’s arc comes to a satisfying end. She has managed to escape the cult with her daughter by her side and has found safety in Miriam, another former member. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if her path never again entangles with the Fellowship. Thus, the future involvement of Molly Windsor (Rosie) and Olivia Pickering (Grace) in a potential continues remains ambiguous. Alternatively, given the spot in the narrative where the story ends, characters like Adam (Asa Butterfield) and Sam (Fra Fee) are more likely to reprise their roles.
In a conversation with Collider, Fee spoke about the possibility of his return to the project. He said, “I would love to continue his (Sam’s) journey simply because I hadn’t come across such a brilliant character in so long, really, and I would just love to explore him further. But (as you said), it’s a very satisfying end to the show, and if it were to end here, it’s quite a satisfying one. But you know, like anything, if you know these shows, if it’s a big success, you know they’ll want to carry it on, and I think Julie (Gearey) probably has some ideas up her sleeve already.” Additionally, other members of the cult community can also be expected to return. This includes Mr. Phillips (Christopher Eccleston), Hannah (Alexa Davies), Anthony (Rory Wilmot), Mason (Ethan Davidson), and more.
Unchosen Season 2 Can Delve Further Into Adam’s Personal Conflict
‘Unchosen’ season 1 focuses on the journey of emancipation for Rosie, who realizes the flaws of her church and decides to escape its violent clutches. Therefore, if the show continues to retain a similar thematic storyline at its center in a possible continuation, Adam’s storyline could potentially take center stage. One notable difference between the latter and Rosie remains the fact that she was only ever a victim without being directly complicit in the oppression and subjugation of another. However, despite being a victim of homophobia, Adam is also a perpetrator of systemic misogyny and abuse.
In season 1, Adam betrays his brother, Isaac, and continuously harms his wife and his daughter. Although all of his actions are driven by his desire to overcompensate and prove himself due to internalized homophobia, the harm of his actions isn’t any lessened for it. Thus, Adam occupies a morally gray role in the narrative, which could become an interesting new avenue for the show to explore. Similarly, Hannah is another morally complicated character who could take the center stage in the future. Given her situation as a single mother of four, season 2 could possibly focus on her own escape from the cult, leaving the organization’s power dynamics to evolve as a secondary plot point.
Read More: Is the Fellowship of the Divine a Real Cult? Is Mr. Phillips Based on a Real Cult Leader?
