The Gardener – Series Review | Netflix

THE GARDENER on Netflix is a new thriller series from Spain (org. title: El jardinero). It has just six episodes, which is good. I just wasn’t crazy about it. Mostly because I feel there was potential for so much more. Read our The Gardener series review here!

THE GARDENER is a new Netflix series from Spain (org. title: El jardinero). This thriller series about a hired killer, who isn’t in touch with his feelings, has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver on what I expected, so I wasn’t too impressed with it.

It’s described partially as a “romantic drama” but also billed as being comparable to Dexter. Both are actually true, while neither is entirely successful. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad series. It just wasn’t what I hoped for or expected, either.

Continue reading our The Gardener series review below. Find it on Netflix from April 11, 2025.

A killer posing as a gardener – or vice versa?!

The Gardener (org. title: El jardinero) is about the young man Elmer (Álvaro Rico) and his mother La China Jurado (Cecilia Suárez). Together, they run a garden center, but the job that really pulls in the money is their murder-for-hire business.

When Elmer was just a young boy, he was in an accident that left him incapable of feeling emotions. In that sense, the comparison to the iconic Dexter Morgan is fairly easy. Of course, for Dexter, it was the trauma of seeing his mother killed before his eyes that triggered him.

For Elmer, it’s actual brain damage, and to help him, his mother has taught him how to “fake it” as a “normal” person. Again, not unlike Dexter’s adoptive father, Harry, who taught him how to live by the code to control his “dark passenger”.

However, this is where the comparison ends. Elmer has no dark passenger and no need to kill anyone. He just doesn’t feel anything, so killing is easy. Though he would much rather just focus on his plants and gardening.

While he is a killer – to make money for Mommy’s dream of buying a house in Mexico – Elmer’s true nature is to create and nurture plants.

Love changes everything

Of course, the fact that Elmer has a caring streak when it comes to plants should be a clue to his mom that maybe his brain damage could be mended. When Elmer is tasked with the murder of Violeta (Catalina Sopelana), a charming nursery school teacher, he falls in love with her.

Obviously, this shouldn’t be possible, but after feeling queasy and fainting, something has changed in Elmer. And his mom is not happy about this.

After all, she has a business to run.

Even as I write this, I feel like The Gardener sounds really great. Right up my alley, as it were. Unfortunately, it drags on for too long in many respects. The police detectives are interesting characters, and I like that we get to follow them as well.

Still, something isn’t “gelling” properly for me. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but one thing I did realize, while watching The Gardener on Netflix, is just how much of a difference the voice-over in Dexter makes.

We know his thoughts and can follow his logic, and so we get under the skin of Dexter Morgan. I still don’t feel like I connect with Elmer in any way.

Watch The Gardener series on Netflix now

Officially, this new Spanish Netflix series is labeled a “romantic thriller”, which seems fair. The Gardener was created by Miguel Sáez Carral (Raising Voices). The six-episode fiction series was also written by Miguel Sáez Carral alongside Isa Sánchez (When No One Sees Us).

Directing on the series are Mikel Rueda (Veneno) and Rafa Montesinos (Perdida / Stolen Away), with executive producers Miguel Lorenzo and José Manuel Lorenzo (Tell Me Who I Am) at the helm.

I’m sure horror fans will delight when the song “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” starts playing early on. I cannot hear that song without immediately being transported to the world of Insidious. Unfortunately, even hearing that song put me in a mood that did not relate to this series’s story.

Watching the singer of the song, however, is quite creepy. Just click the song title above to see the singer performing it live on YouTube. Obviously, this rendition is perfect for horror as his persona is a whole vibe. And purposely so, I might add.

I’m afraid I must admit I expected something more (or just different) than what The Gardener delivers, so this affects my overall impression. Check it out on Netflix now, and watch with an open mind. Maybe you’ll have more fun with it than I did.

The production and execution are top tier – unlike others – which is always a good starting point. Also, keep your eye out for the star of The Platform, Ivan Massagué, in this series.

If we gave half stars, I would give this 2½ out of 5, but we don’t. And 2 stars is not quite enough, so we land on a small 3-star rating.

The Gardener premieres globally on Netflix on April 11, 2025.

Details

Creator: Miguel Sáez Carral
Directors: Mikel Rueda & Rafa Montesinos
Writers: Miguel Sáez Carral & Isa Sánchez
Cast: Álvaro Rico, Cecilia Suárez, Catalina Sopelana, María Vázquez, Emma Suárez