The Gardener Ending Explained: What is Violet’s Secret and What Happened to Elmer?
SPOILER ALERT AHEAD. Created by Miguel Sáez Carral (“Ni una más”), “The Gardener” is a Spanish Netflix series that tells the story of Elmer (Álvaro Rico), a young man who lost his ability to feel emotions at age six, which his mother took advantage of to turn him into a hitman. Everything changes when Elmer falls in love with the one who was supposed to be his last victim, Violeta (Catalina Sopelana), a kindergarten teacher who is also hiding a secret. What happened to the protagonists of the “romantic thriller” directed by Mikel Rueda (“Veneno”) and Rafa Montesinos (“El Inmortal”)? The series, written by Miguel Sáez Carral and Isa Sánchez, begins with Elmer murdering a swimmer on behalf of his wife, who can no longer bear the mistreatment she and her young son receive from her husband. Elmer does a clean job and asks her mother, the China Jury (Cecilia Suárez), manager of a nursery that covers a thriving clandestine custom murder business, until they continue with that.
Jurado promises that he should only complete one more job to raise the money necessary to return to Mexico and recover his childhood home. The person who “The Gardener” must disappear is a young teacher. Sabela Costeira requested the service because she believes she is responsible for the death of her son Xoan, even though the police determined that it was a suicide. “The Gardener“(2025) is a Netflix series that introduces us to China Jurado and her son Elmer, a peculiar family that transforms their garden into a macabre setting. After a car accident that leaves China without a leg and Elmer without emotions due to a tumor, both end up becoming hitmen. Your business is to kill on request and use the bodies as compost for your plants. However, everything changes when Sabela Costeira orders them to murder Violeta, the ex-girlfriend of her dead son, Xoan. The problem: Elmer falls in love with Violeta, rekindling her emotions thanks to the benign tumor on her head. From there, the relationship between mother and son becomes increasingly tense as detectives Carrera and Torres try to unravel the mystery of the disappearances in the area.
The Gardener Ending Explained: Why Did Jury Turn His Son Into a Hitman?
When Elmer was six years old, Jurado was a renowned artist who had a toxic relationship with her manager, Tony (Ivan Massagué). After a fight, he escaped in a car and had an accident. She lost a leg, and the boy lost the ability to have emotions. For many years, the mother took it upon herself to help her son cope with his condition. However, she realized that she could take advantage of him when Tony reappeared, and Elmer freed her from her mistreatment. While investigating his next victim, Elmer begins to feel dizzy and disoriented. When he passes out on the street, Violeta helps him, and he experiences a feeling for the first time after his accident. He is comfortable and happy with the teacher, and he likes it. He decides to see her again and falls in love with her. But it is not the only intense emotion Elmer experiences that day. A man named Mon mistreats Violeta and blames her for Xoan’s death. Anger seizes “The Gardener”, so later, he follows Mon and murders him.
When his mother discovers it, he takes him to the hospital, and they discover that the change is due to a tumor in the head. Although the tumor threatens Elmer’s life, he refuses to continue treatment and undergo surgery, as he does not want to stop feeling. He is not willing to forget Violetta. Jurado pressures him to get away from the teacher and accept the medicine in exchange for canceling the deal with Sabela Costeira. Elmer accepts but soon changes his mind. As two officers investigate the recent disappearances and become suspicious of Elmer, “The Gardener” begins a relationship with Violeta and becomes angry with her mother when she discovers that she secretly gave her the medicine. Sabela threatens to go to the police if they don’t complete the job, so Jurado manipulates his son so that he begins to distrust his girlfriend, and they finally separate.
What Happens to China, Elmer and Violeta?
The end of “The Gardener” is a real whirlwind. After Orson, China’s hitman, tries to kill Violeta, she manages to defend herself and kills him in the woods. Desperate, she calls Elmer, who introduces herself and helps her get rid of the body. The situation is further complicated when Elmer discovers that it was his mother who ordered Violeta’s death. Furious, he gives China the money to buy the house of his dreams in Mexico and tries to leave forever. However, Violeta, fearing Elmer, hits him, takes him to an operating table, and removes the tumor without her consent. Elmer thus loses his emotions and returns to being the cold and calculating “Gardener” that his mother always wanted. China and Elmer appear to be leaving the murder business, focusing on their greenhouse, but the feeling remains that Elmer may be faking his apathy.
What Happens to Violeta?
After separating from Elmer, Violeta tries to continue her life, supported by her friends Catuxa and Lua. However, the burden of the Xoan, Mon, and Orson murders weighs too heavily on her. He decides to leave town to start again, but in the final minutes of the series, he returns to ask Elmer for a new favor: he wants to hire him to kill someone. Although it is not revealed to whom he has in mind, it opens the door to various theories, from taking revenge on China to protecting himself from detectives Carrera and Torres.
What is Violet’s Secret?
After Sabela kidnaps her dog, Violeta confronts her and reveals what happened the night of Xoan’s death. The teacher assured her that her ex-boyfriend pressured her to get into her car, then took her to a bridge and threatened to jump if she did not return with him. She challenged him to do it, so he had no choice but to retract, but when he tried to return, he slipped. However, that is not the truth. Tired of her threats and persecution, Violeta pushed Xoan while he blackmailed her into resuming her romance. Everything that happened with Sabela alters the teacher, who feels that she is repeating patterns with Elmer. He pretends to walk away and even gets involved with another man. Elmer witnesses the moment and experiences a broken heart. Jury takes advantage of the disappointment his son suffered to pressure him to finish his last assignment. However, Violeta’s apologies change Elmer’s mind, he decides to move in with his girlfriend. Upon learning of Sabela’s threats, he decides to assassinate Mrs. Costeira. He succeeds, but after a little fighting and some injuries.
What Happened to Violet, Elmer, and the Jury?
As the police get closer and closer to the truth, Violeta realizes what her boyfriend did and decides to escape. Orson, the man Jury hired, finds her but fails and ends up dead. Scared, Violeta calls Elmer, who comes to her rescue. After getting rid of Orson’s body, he tells the teacher the truth. When the police arrive at the Jurado nursery, they find nothing since she took care of getting rid of any evidence against him. Later, he proposes to Elmer to escape together, but he refuses. After the discussion, the young man tries to leave, but his mother knocks him unconscious and forces him to undergo the operation. Although she recovers from her son, her life is not the same again. Jurado left the murder business on request, stayed in Spain, and used the money he raised to invest in the nursery. At the end of “The Gardener”, Violeta reappears in Elmer’s life and asks him to make someone disappear. To whom? To Jury? Or another troublesome boyfriend? Is it a pretext?
The Return of Carrera Torres
Detectives, who throughout the series have struggled between their professional failures and an extramarital romance, receive an unexpected turn of fate. In the credit scene, they find a bag full of bones in the sea, the remains of the victims of China and Elmer, who had been thrown into the ocean to hide the evidence. With this new evidence, Carrera and Torres could reopen the case and have one last chance to solve it.
Has Elmer Really Lost His Emotions?
Although after the operation, Elmer seems to have returned to its version with no feelings, China suspects that this is not entirely the case. Her son remembers everything that happened before he was hospitalized and shows contempt for her, although he continues to work in the greenhouse next to him. The reunion with Violeta in the last few minutes suggests that there could still be some humanity left in Elmer, leaving open the question of whether he is faking his apathy to protect himself or to plan something else.
Will There Be a The Gardener Season 2?
Although Netflix cataloged “The Gardener” as a limited series, the ending leaves many plots open for a possible continuation. Violeta’s new petition to Elmer, the evidence found by Carrera and Torres, and the uncertainty about Elmer’s true feelings are elements that could be explored in a hypothetical second season. At the moment, there is no official confirmation, but as has happened with other productions on the platform, you never know if success could lead to new deliveries.
