Muted – Netflix Series Review

MUTED on Netflix is a new crime, thriller, and mystery series from Spain (org. title: El silencio). If you’re a fan of Elite (also on Netflix), you’ll know a few of the actors in the series. Find it on Netflix from May 19, 2023. Read our full Muted series review here!

MUTED is a new Netflix series from Spain (org. title: El silencio). I do tend to really enjoy Spanish productions, so I was looking forward to this one. Also, it’s a crime story with both mystery and thriller elements to keep it all very exciting.

Unfortunately, I’m a bit baffled by the core concept; I simply don’t buy it. The premise feels both flawed and forced which isn’t the best starting point. To put it mildly. However, some steamy moments and a brooding guy at the heart of it all are bound to draw viewers.

Continue reading our spoiler-free Muted series review below. Find the limited series on Netflix from May 19, 2023.

A mystery within a mystery

While this is a crime and thriller, the entire plot is driven mostly by a mystery. After the brutal opening scene, there’s a time jump. It’s six years later and Sergio Ciscar is released from prison. He’s on parole after having served most of the sentence he got for killing his parents.

The official plot states that “During that time, Sergio hasn’t said a word nor has collaborated with the justice system”. However, as you’ll quickly discover, this is overstating the whole “muted”-element of the story quite drastically. Another plot description state that “Sergio hasn’t spoken since the day he murdered his parents”. Again, not really true.

Sure, he doesn’t speak to police or prosecutors. Apart from that, Sergio speaks to damn near everyone. So, for me, the first mystery is how the story is described as something it clearly is not.

Then we get to the core story which involves a psychiatrist with a huge setup. One that involves people practically stalking Sergio while he’s on parole. And also, they’ve installed cameras all over his home and workplace.

The reasoning is supposedly so the motivations for the crime can finally be discovered. One would think there is a better way of going about this. Ana Dussel is the young psychiatrist desperately seeking to unravel this mystery. She clearly has more than a normal interest in this. You can try to guess why and there’s a good chance you’ll get there – or close.

Her team is also officially in charge of determining his potential danger. Watching him like an animal in a zoo – out of a cage, but still not free. Actually, this is an intriguing idea, but I just cannot buy that any sort of funds would be used for this.

The cast of El silencio on Netflix

If you’re a fan of the popular Netflix series Elite, you’ll recognize a few of the core actors in the series. First, the main character, Sergio, is portrayed by Arón Piper. In Élite, Arón Piper portrayed Ander Muñoz, but you might also recognize him from the Chilean 2023 Prime Video movie Sayen.

I can’t really speak to Arón Piper’s performance in Muted for the simple reason that I think his character is way too stereotypical. He’s broody and moody, prone to anger, and yet irresistible to certain women. No, scratch that, I’m certain Arón Piper delivers exactly what the role requires.

It’s just a complete miss for me – just as it was in The Mess You Leave Behind. I hope for his future career that he’ll move on to playing characters that differ from this cliché soon.

WANT MORE WITH ARÓN PIPER

Be sure to check out The Mess You Leave Behind (El desorden que dejas) series on Netflix >

Other key characters in Muted are portrayed by Almudena Amor (La abuela), Cristina Kovani, and Aria Bedmar (Acacias 38). Also from Elite, you’ll see Manu Ríos in a key role.

Watch the Muted mini-series on Netflix!

Aitor Gabilondo is the creator of this new Netflix mini-series. Previously, Aitor Gabilondo created the HBO mini-series Patria (2020) and the Netflix series Unauthorized Living (2018-2020). He is also one of the directors on the series along with Gabe Ibáñez and Esteban Crespo.

I think Muted had quite a bit going for it on paper. And had it actually been focused on the official plot – with a main character who refuses to speak altogether – then it could’ve been interesting. As it stands now, I feel like too many elements of the story were forced.

One final pet peeve: I don’t understand how the character Sergio belongs in anything “Juvenile” in the present. I mean, he goes to juvenile prison for just over six years and still belongs there? Are we to believe Arón Piper (born in 1997) is portraying someone only 11 years old in the flashbacks?! Sorry, that’s just too much of a stretch for me.

And sure, that might seem like a minor thing, but his age and sentencing are very connected, so it is key to the story. That’s why it bothers me. The opening sequence of the Netflix mini-series, however, is amazing.

The Muted mini-series (org. title: El silencio) is on Netflix from May 19, 2023.

Details

Creator: Aitor Gabilondo
Directors: Aitor Gabilondo, Gabe Ibáñez, Esteban Crespo
Screenwriter: Aitor Gabilondo
Cast: Arón Piper, Manu Ríos, Almudena Amor, Aitor Luna, Ramiro Blas, Cristina Kovani, Aria Bedmar, Mikel Losada