#merrell jackson

Opening shot, Judas/the Baptist is humming on the Brooklyn Bridge and dragging behind him a cart. He’s handsome and I love him

The Tower of Babble is replaced with city chaos, you view the lives of the disciples before they meet Judas/the Baptist and Jesus. I really liked it... it’s like you replace all their takes on God with just their droll day to day, the stress they are going through. It also makes the transition of them all into disciples more,,, joyous. 

Judas the Baptist shows randomly everywhere, announced with the sounding of a shofar.  

Lynne, a college student, shoves her face into a copy machine, and when she looks up, she spots him.  

Gilmer, a model, sees him in the elevator with her. He winks  

Katie, a diner waitress, spots him across a street playing the shofar.  

He replaces the ringmaster in a circus display Robin is looking at and winks.  

He shows up in the backseat of Jeffrey’s taxi, Jerry, a parking attendant, spots him too.  

He temporarily replaces Joanne’s ballet dance partner and kisses her on the cheek. Her face is bemused and intrigued.

The shofar drowns out the music Merrell, a garment trader, was listening to, blasting even when he removes his earbud.

Joanne looks oddly pleased by Baptist’s interruption and distressed when he leaves. Yes bb, I understand completely 

He baptizes them all in Bethesda Fountain! 

Gilmer is late and unsure when she reaches the fountain, Baptist picks her up and spins her around before setting her in the water, it’s adorable 

Jesus?

Baptist just fuckin’ shoves Jeffrey’s head underwater

Oh god, is that Jesus?

Jerry and Baptist get in a water fight, Jerry loses

Baptist screams about his boyfriend

Jesus!!! Baptist looks gayly at this underdressed man. I imagine I had the same expression for this whole damn movie

Seeing your soulmate for the first time:

Realizing it’s him:

“I need rather be baptized by you,” he says with the most overwhelming look of adoration, hhhh.

What an impressive quick-change, Jesus! 

It’s uncertain when the Baptist becomes Judas, I chose to view them as the same entity so— 

Judas looks at Jesus with love in his eyes hhhh as they pull the cart,,, the disciples join them in song 

They are so fucking happy, I love them 

Victor Garber, please stop being so cute 

They find a junk yard and that is their new home, I love these hippies so much

Jerry hops into the hood of a car, tells Merrell to wake him up at noon, he’s disturbed by Joanne because she needs his help with her clothes and— the character dynamics here already!! 

Jesus applies everyone’s clown makeup. Judas’ awkward smile when he does his hhhh. All the while, Jesus tells them that he comes “not to abolish the law, but to complete.” I love how they integrate actual stuff from the bible without it being pretentious

Jesus is a spooky man, I love

Impromptu junkyard jam session in place of Learn Your Lessons Well but keeping the tune

The Pharisee and the Publican!!! Told by Lynne with Black Church flourish, I love this woman

Oh No!! Joanne is in jail!!

Parable of the Unforgiving Servant! 

Judas is like “WAIT A MINUTE” in typical Judas-style, standing on a windowsill. 

Jeffrey throws Jerry in jail, but it’s okay bc Robin sentences him to torture

Day By Day! They start cleaning up the junkyard! 

JUDAS JUGGLING!

Jeffrey and Jerry on a teeter-totter

Jeffrey fucking scales a fence in a millisecond, I love, and then Jerry helps him off the fence, I love

Jesus: So, if someone slaps your right cheek, turn and offer up your left one! Judas: “Oh, Jesus Chri-“ Gilmer: *covers Judas’ mouth* SLOWLY I TURN! STEP BY STEP! INCH BY INCH!

Jesus fucking slaps Judas! WOAH!

Judas almost slaps Jesus but plays charades

Jesus’ stern face is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever witnessed and it’s adorable

Jedas hug!

Parable of the Sheep and Goats! The way they tell the parables is very kid-show-like, you’re right, Mia

Jerry is an impressive vocal magician, they’re all rather good with silly voices actually

Jesus comes back for the goats- JUDAS WAS WITH THE GOATS! SYMBOLISM!

Chanting Jesus’ part from Learn Your Lessons Well in a tunnel,,, hhhh 

Jesus: “No man can serve God-“ Everyone: “WHAT?!” Jesus: “… and money!” Everyone: “OHHH! MONEY!” 

Bouncy bouncy Jesus

“Take me to Tiffany’s.”

Turn Back O Man- sexy song warning against indulgence and war

hhhh the Mae West impression

“Ooo! Stop it!”, Jerry, I love you

“Hard as a rock!”

Jesus draws a heart <333

Jesus’ expressions towards Joanne here,,, he’s like “okay sweetie, calm down the flirting”

All the others’ faces just,,, in the staircase

Jesus and Joanne literally turning back and being forced down the stairs

Everyone just collapsing

“Play it, honey!” I just love her Mae West impression so much

Parable of the Good Samaritan narrated by Jeffrey, I love the instruments he uses to represent each character in the parable

I also just love Jeffrey in general 

They all celebrate the Good Samaritan, but WAIT

Jesus magics up a bird  

“It’s a secret!” 

Judas breaks the fourth wall to tell us what Jesus is trying to say. I think he’s specifically letting the audience in on the secret, which is sweet. Jesus interrupts him and Judas gets sad he was mistaken

TIME TO CHEER JUDAS UP!

FIREWORKS! Judas gets startled

FLOWERS! Judas gets overwhelmed with gifts from the disciples :,))) 

Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, narrated by Judas… 

Judas: “Now, even the doggy-doggies used to come to Lazarus and lick his open running sores.” Jerry: “Blegh!” Judas: “Sorry.”

Hades is,,, ohhhkay that’s how it be

ABRAHAM, I love Abraham

Gilmer: “Remember, my child, that all the good things fell to you while you were on Earth, and all the bad to Lois.” Jerry: “Lazarus.” Gilmer: “Abraham! Glad to know ya! And now it is he who has conciliation here, and it is you who are in ah-goh-knee!”

I love the pronunciation of agony

“Look. If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they ain’t gonna listen to nobody! Even if somebody should rise from the dead!”

Foreshadowing for Jesus coming back from the dead? Or perhaps a refutation of it happening here?

BLESS THE LORD! Lynne is an amazing singer, this is her FIRST MUSICAL!! CAN YOU BELIEVE??

I love her ahhh, this song is so good, and the choreo is so fun, the contrast between the slow and fast parts, I love

All of them falling like dominos and then Lynne and Jesus helping them up

Judas holding Lynne’s leg up in the end pose, these icons

The Beatitudes! Ya know, all those “blessed are (blank), for they (blank)”

Judas kills the mood by bringing up Jesus’ own persecution 

“BLESSED ARE YE!!”

Awkward,,,

This scene:

“It says Keds.”

“No-”

Hhhhh, then it’s the tap-dancing clown sequence. 

Jesus and Judas kinda debate the importance of heavenly rewards vs earthly rewards. 

Jesus says “c’mon, you guys will get to Heaven no matter how tough your lives are!” 

Meanwhile, Judas retorts with the belief that the sun and the sand, those fragments of Heaven found on Earth, should belong to the righteous. 

BUT BESIDES THE COMMENTARY THEY HAVE MAGIC STICKS

Jesus pulls one out of thin air and Judas jumps into frame like SO CAN I!

he,,, can’t

so Jesus magics one into his hand!

hhh and then they just,,, they,,, hhhh

This is such a good song and no I don’t just say that because I ship Jedas,,,

Jesus: “Now, how to to take the spec from your brother’s eye when all the time there’s this great plank in your own?” Judas: “I don’t know, how do you take the spec from your brother’s eye when all the time there’s this great plank in your own?” Jesus: “YOU HYPOCRITE!” Judas: “EWAHEH” Jesus: “First you take the plank from your own eye so you can see clearly to take the spec of sawdust out of your brother’s!” Judas: “WAIT A MINUTE! That’s no answer to the question!” Jesus: “Did I promise you an answer to the question?” Judas: *sheepishly* “hahaha, nope.”

that whole interaction hhh

hhh the “love your enemies” scene, lots of slapstick, poor Judas gets smacked over the head with a balloon. I wouldn't feel so bad for him if he didn’t recoil like it actually hurt, poor baby

Gilmer and Robin, the sweethearts, they watch in confusion until-

oops, they start fighting too

Jesus breaks it all up with “love your enemies” so of course the disciples all start kissing and hugging each other, the darlings hhh

Judas: *to Joanne and Jeffrey, who are dancing together* “may I have this dance” Judas: *dances with Jeffrey* 

We stan a gay icon

Parable of the Sower! Katie tells this one, I just love her voice

Joanne’s giggling as Merrell pecks her leg

Jerry- a vocal magician- dies, can we get an f in the chat

Judas and Jeffrey kill Robin, can we get an F IN THE CHAT

The good soilers are slackers,, maybe that means something

Jesus is so proud whenever they put these things on, this time he asks if they already understand the moral, hhhh

Jesus: “Do you know what the seed is?” Katie: “A baby! :D” Jesus: “Wrong! :)”

Jerry: *dead* “Bye.” Jesus: “Seeya.”

Sorry, I'm just quoting at this point.

Jesus: “-they hear the word but their further growth is impaired by wealth-” Robin: *looks to Judas*  Jesus: “-and cares-” Robin: *looks to Jeffrey* Jesus: “-and the pleasures of the world! They bring nothing to fruit.” Katie: “No fruit, Robin!” Robin: *fake sobs into Judas’ chest*

hhhh the song I simp for,, (gotta be more specific than that) All Good Gifts is so sweet and wholesome, Merrell’s falsetto is soooo pleasing to the ear

He spins into frame and they all ring around him all happy

I just want to hug him tightly

then JESUS’ PART OF THE SONG AND I WANT THEM ALL TO HUG HIM AND--

They’re all like, dancing on big rocks in the background while he says some bible stuff about clothing the grass-- then they come over and AHHH

“We thank thee then, O Father, for all things bright and good”

the harmony is enough to make me start crying

SPECIFICALLY MERREL AND JOANNE HARMONIZING ON LOVE

“I really wanna thank you, Lord!”- AND THEN THE DRUMS KICK IN AND IT JUST GOES HARD

This song has no right to go this hard