The Gardener: Netflix’s Haunting Thriller About a Hitman Who Falls in Love
Netflix’s Spanish-language thriller “El Jardinero” (“The Gardener”) centers on Elmer Jurado, a man with brain damage who works as a contract killer with his mom, La China. After a childhood accident that renders him unable to feel emotions, she molds him into the perfect assassin, which she disguises with their landscaping business.
That all changes when Elmer falls for Violeta, sparking an emotional awakening that jeopardizes their life of crime. The series has been praised for its placid visual style, many lyricism, and tangled mother-son dynamics that set it apart from the crime thriller parade, echoing “Dexter” and “Barry” but suffused with eerie quiet.
Fiction or Reality — the Story Behind “The Gardener”
All of “The Gardener” is fabricated. It is not a true story. Sáez Carral and his co-creator, Isa Sánchez, invented all the characters and events of the show. There don’t appear to be any real-life assassins known to operate behind the cover of a mother-son gardening business.
The sheer amount of detail makes the show feel grounded. The way Elmer tends his plants with the same care he plans his kills seems authentic. The show doesn’t rely on fancy effects or excessive gore. Instead, it depicts these dark moments with a measured, matter-of-fact approach.
The writers utilize familiar true crime tropes — the cold-blooded killer, the morally complicated parent, the childhood trauma — but with a twist. Elmer’s love for his target and deep connection to plants make the story feel fresh and unpredictable.
The show’s subdued register allows it to feel anchored. There are no swell music cues or camera pans to unveil the characters. The violence occurs in silence, which makes it that much creepier than if it were loud and graphic. That realistic idea might lead viewers to question what’s behind the story, but “The Gardener” sprouts wholly from the writers’ creative minds.
Elmer’s Condition And The Brain Science Behind It
Elmer’s emotional detachment also has real brain science roots. A car accident at the age of six injured the right frontal lobe of his brain, the show explains. His mother would tell us he “lost the ability to feel emotions” because of this injury.
This is not fictionalized television drama. Brain injuries, particularly to the prefrontal cortex, can alter how individuals process emotions. Doctors have researched actual patients with similar damage who exhibit diminished emotional responses, poor impulse control, and difficulty with empathy.
This condition isn’t used for shock value on the show. Elmer’s deadpan stares and monotone voice appear like the hallmarks of a neurological disorder, not merely a bad guy. His quiet, empty responses disturb viewers because they seem plausible in the real world. The show delicately treats Elmer’s gradual return to feeling prompted by meeting Violeta.
The transformation is gradual and slow; there are no sudden changes—just traditional shifts in his personality and demeanor that could be how brain recovery unfolds. Such attentiveness to neurological nuance helps anchor fictional characters to scientific reality.
Here’s The Style That Makes “The Gardener” So Unique
What differentiates “The Gardener” from much crime is how it looks and feels. Thrillers generate tension through fast cuts, dim lighting, and bombastic music, but this show does the opposite.
The camera moves slowly. The hues are soft and pastel, even during scenes of violence. The gardens Elmer looks after are gorgeous, peaceful places, making for an unsettling counterpoint to the grim tale. When people in the show die, it is quietly, almost gently.
This quiet method renders the violence more unsettling than if it were noisy or bloody. It’s like a nature documentary that sometimes cuts to something horrible. The silence forces viewers to pay more attention.
The visual style is reminiscent of art films more than your typical Netflix shows. Every frame is meticulously arranged, like a painting. This slow-moving pace challenges the viewer to linger with uncomfortable moments rather than zoom past them.
When Elmer begins to feel emotions, the visual style subtly changes. The colors warm up., and the camera becomes a little less stable. These minor adjustments convey his inner metamorphosis without a lot of exposition. This judicious use of the visual medium helps “The Gardener” distinguish itself in a streaming field saturated with similar projects.
The Mother-Son Relationship: This is the Darkest Heart of the Story
The most interesting aspect of “The Gardener” is not the murders or the romance. It’s the twisted relationship between Elmer and his mother, La China. Their relationship treads a troubling line between parental love and manipulation.
La China does not take Elmer for physical or emotional treatment. Instead, she makes him the perfect killer. She exploits his condition for her ends. But she also loves him in her twisted way.
The series does not portray La China as a one-note villain. Cecilia Suárez plays the character with warmth and genuine concern for her son. Her voiceovers convey a mother who thinks she’s protecting Elmer from a cruel world by teaching him to master it through violence.
When Elmer falls for Violeta, La China’s jealousy reveals the toxicity of their relationship. She hates having lost her dominion over him. At times, their relationship approaches romantic, crossing lines that make the viewer uncomfortable.
The show doesn’t pass judgment on this twisted family dynamic. It’s just how trauma is passed down,” she said. La China’s past influenced how she raised her son. That complicated depiction of family damage lends “The Gardener” more emotional gravity than your run-of-the-mill crime thriller.
The Love Story: Can a Killer Learn to Love?
However, the story moves forward only due to the romance between Elmer and Violeta. However, things are flipped when Elmer meets her and starts feeling feelings he presumed impossible. This love story sparks these intriguing questions: Can people change? Is emotional attachment stronger than CNS damage?
The show approaches that relationship impressively delicately. Elmer doesn’t suddenly become someone else entirely. His feelings evolve gradually, bewildering him at first. They have a strained, uncomfortable relationship because he doesn’t have the normal social skills to express his feelings.
Violeta herself is somewhat mysterious, and the show suggests that she has some secrets. This creates tension—is she really who she claims to be? Is this first love of Elmer based on reality or illusion?
As their romance develops, Elmer must decide between his newly discovered feelings and the life his mother built for him. This conflict is the emotional center of the show. We see him wrestle with his deadly work against his natural impulse toward ordinary human connection.
The love story in “The Gardener” isn’t your average Netflix romance. It’s complicated by violence, familial loyalty, and neurological impairment. This makes it more interesting than a rote “hit man falls in love” story and raises the emotional stakes for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ‘The Gardener’ based on a true story?
No, “The Gardener” is entirely fictional. The characters and events are fictitious, by writers Miguel Sáez Carral and Isa Sánchez. There have been no recorded instances of mother-son hitmen running a gardening firm.
Is Elmer’s brain condition medically accurate?
There is a grain of truth in the show’s portrayal of damage to the frontal lobe. Brain injuries can alter emotional processing and empathy. But the show does play fast and loose with how such conditions function — and how they might be treated or reversed.
How many episodes of “The Gardener” are there?
The first season of The Gardener has six episodes. The series is built to be a contained story, but its ending via the episode leaves space for a possible second season.
Who portrays Elmer in “The Gardener”?
Álvaro Rico portrays Elmer. You may know him from his role as Polo in another Netflix Spanish series, “Elite.”
Will The Gardener Season 2 happen?
Netflix has not formally announced Season 2. The first season resolves many plot threads but ends with a plot twist that, if the show performs well with viewers, allows for further exploration in future episodes.
Final Words
“The Gardener” is a crime thriller that forgoes frenetic violence to embrace a patient, contemplative darkness. It’s about emotional family ties and personal evolution, all transmitted through a turbulent mother-son relationship and an anguishing love story.
Like Elmer attending to his plants, the series unfolds at its own pace, offering a welcome break for those who have had their fill of formulaic crime dramas. The delicate beauty and pervasive darkness make it a viewing experience that washes over you and lingers. Its patience is rewarded with a greater understanding of the narrative driving it.
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