Content Warning: This article contains discussions of violence and suicide.
Netflix’s Muted ended with a cliffhanger death, carefully concluding most of the storylines introduced by the Spanish psychodrama but leaving one mystery in particular unsolved. Originally titled El Silencio, Aitor Gabilondo’s miniseries entirely revolved around Arón Piper’s Sergio refusing to talk to the authorities after the double murder of his parents, which they concluded was at his hands even if he always refused to tell them his side of the events. Sergio’s selective mutism was proved by his relationship with the evangelical priest Natanael, whose greenhouse program to reintegrate convicts eventually granted Sergio’s early release.
Muted season 1’s ending finally clarified all the mysteries regarding the night of Sergio’s parents’ murder, but the pursuit of the truth had a significant impact on Ana, whose behavior became even more erratic as she decided to visit Sergio, despite the secret nature of her investigation. By bringing Noa back into Sergio’s life, Muted solved all the mysteries surrounding the death of Sergio’s parents, but it created a bigger one involving Ana, whose connection to Noa could not be ignored, especially as Noa unsuccessfully tried to use it to distance Ana from Sergio’s influence in Muted’s chaotic ending.
Muted’s Ending Drops Conflicting Hints About Who Really Died
It’s Still Unclear Who Falls From The Balcony At The End Of Muted
Muted episode 1 had Ana establishing clearly that the reason for their secret investigation was Sergio being a “malignant narcissist” that would have enjoyed knowing Ana’s team was watching his every move. However, despite the straightforward setup, Ana still began trusting Sergio’s motivations, to the point that she went to him and botched her investigation to express her support while also trying to make his wishes come true by bringing Noa to him.
Her steadfast trust in him and refusal to go with Noa when she asked, along with Ana’s decision to follow Sergio on the balcony, point to Ana falling to her death in Muted’s ending. However, Sergio might also be the person falling from the balcony in Muted’s ending, especially as his whole purpose in the miniseries had been to contact Noa.
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Meeting Noa and learning that she remembered everything yet didn’t share his worries essentially confirmed that no one but Ana was on his side — and most importantly, the only person he cared for, Noa, wasn’t. This would count as a good reason in Sergio’s mind to choose to jump from the balcony over returning to incarceration.
Sergio pushing Ana would play into Ana’s initial evaluation of him.
Still, the camera’s grainy picture showed just one figure standing on the balcony at the very end of Muted, pointing to Sergio being alive and Ana falling to her death. After all, he lingered on the balcony, even after pushing his mother and father. Moreover, Sergio pushing Ana would play into Ana’s initial evaluation of him, having Muted turn him into the dangerous and manipulative criminal Ana always believed he was.
Noa’s Memories Finally Reveal The Truth About Sergio In Muted Episode 6
Sergio’s Sister Proved He Was Still Dangerous
Looking for Noa had Sergio travel all around Bilbao’s locations in Muted, sure that his sister would have shared his memories of the events, and he longed to be reunited with her. Noa’s revelations to Sergio and Ana finally shed the truth about everything that happened six years earlier, proving Ana’s theory that Sergio’s mother was administering drugs against his wishes but also confirming it was Sergio who killed both his parents. This made his reinsertion to society potentially dangerous, like Ana initially theorized.
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Nevertheless, Noa’s speech didn’t convince Ana to leave Sergio, as she seemingly refused to see him as a danger. This development in Muted further proved how dangerous Sergio truly was, as his manipulative skills essentially convinced Ana, who was supposed to analyze him from afar, to give him the benefit of the doubt. What’s more, he managed to convince her to do her best to find ways to free him, even if that wasn’t supposed to be Ana’s role.
Noa’s truth revealed the difficulties of Sergio’s relationship with his mother, but it also cemented Sergio’s involvement in the murder and the existence of his violent outbursts. That alone should have changed Ana’s mind about trusting Sergio, but she didn’t, going as far as following him on the balcony where he killed his parents.
Cabrera’s Corruption Doesn’t Fully Solve The Mystery Behind Sergio’s Drugs
It’s Unclear Whether Sergio’s Medication Helped Him
Subcommissioner Cabrera never found Ana’s investigation worthwhile, doing his best to discredit it and stop it every step of the way. His corruption was evident when he paid people involved in the investigation to stop it, and from his secret talks, it was clear his interests weren’t aligned with the research. Learning about the laboratory connection between the drugs Blanca secretly administered to Sergio and the contact Cabrera often met highlighted the reasons behind Cabrera’s tampering with the investigation. Still, neither their secret talks nor Ana’s investigation ever revealed whether those drugs helped Sergio or not.
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The Muted season 1 finale showed Cabrera being punished for his manipulations, but the psychodrama never revealed whether the non-approved drugs helped Sergio. Noa’s reveal and Blanca’s belief that Sergio not taking one of his doses caused his violent outburst that eventually killed Blanca and her husband seemed to imply that the drugs helped Sergio. However, being administered against Sergio’s wishes and being non-approved essentially transformed him into Blanca’s test subject rather than his son, whom she supposedly loved and cherished.
Natanael’s Death Stops Him Using Vulnerable People
Silvia’s Actions Kept The Mystery Of Sergio Going
Natanael’s murder in Muted episode 5 could have shown Sergio’s cruelty in all its might, but Natanael’s wife Silvia jumping in to kill Natanael with Arantxa protracted the mystery about Sergio’s villainy. Still, Muted season 1 often hinted at Natanael’s interest in involving convicts in his greenhouse not being genuine, and his forcing Arantxa to exchange sexual favors for her records to be expunged confirmed Natanael’s abuse of those under his care.
Silvia killing him guaranteed that Natanael couldn’t do what he did to Sergio and Arantxa to others, especially if Silvia were to inherit the greenhouse after Natanael’s death, protecting all vulnerable people under their company’s care.
Only Sergio’s Brainwashing Would Explain Ana Turning Against Her People
Muted episode 1 established early on that Ana saw Sergio as a dangerous criminal rather than a victim of the system. Still, by Muted’s ending, her perception changed completely, and she believed Sergio’s tale that he was only protecting Noa from their abusive mother. While it was never clear whose side hid the truth, Noa telling them what happened dispelled Sergio’s story and what Ana believed of him. Nevertheless, Ana chooses to remain with him, and her behavior can only be motivated by Sergio, who effectively brainwashes her in Muted.
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Noa still went to Sergio and Ana — not to comfort Sergio but to convince her mother, Ana, to believe her. Noa’s failing and leaving confirmed Ana being under Sergio’s spell, even if the reasoning was flimsy, as Ana only saw herself in Sergio because they were both seen as exceptionally gifted but also as outcasts during childhood. The assumption that Ana jumped to her death after choosing Sergio over everyone else in her life would only make sense with Sergio brainwashing her and Ana seeing how that destroyed everything she held dear, thus making her choose suicide.
The Real Meaning Of Muted Season 1’s Ending
Muted Is Sergio’s Serial Killer Origin Story
The meaning of Muted’s ending differs depending on who dies at the end of the Netflix psychodrama. Sergio’s own investigation into Noa’s new life eventually brought him to a reunion with Noa, which revealed how everything he believed about his parents’ murder was false. Noa’s unwillingness to build a relationship with him, along with facing the truth and finally seeing himself as the villain, could have brought Sergio to kill himself by jumping over the same balcony from which he killed his parents.
Sergio using the weaknesses of the psychiatrist who had to evaluate his safe return to society would cement him as a serial killer.
Even his contrite expression before hugging Ana could have hinted at that. Nevertheless, Muted’s premise of Sergio as a remorseless, dangerous villain who used his selective mutism to do his bidding would also work, but only if Sergio pushed Ana over the balcony in the finale. After all, Ana believed Sergio went against all the suggestions of everyone she knew, and Sergio using the weaknesses of the psychiatrist who had to evaluate his safe return to society would cement him as a serial killer and a dangerous mastermind.
The position of who remained on the balcony almost exactly mirrored Sergio’s after his parent’s murder, making Ana the likely victim, and Muted the origin story of Sergio as a dangerous killer.
How The Muted Ending Was Received
Critics & Audiences Dismissed The Netflix Series
The Muted Netflix series received mostly negative reviews upon its release. The critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes was a very low 29% negative, and the audience Popcornmeter score was only slightly higher at 34%. When it comes to the critical scores, most reviewers didn’t like the way the series ended. A good example comes from The Guardian film critic Jack Seale, who wrote:
“Muted is more like a black hole sucking in the occasional drifting nugget of narrative, destroying each one without trace. Rarely has such a serious-minded miniseries made so little sense.”
Audience reviews also noted the ending being a big reason for counting off the score. One audience member gave the series two stars and wrote, “It’s not totally bad BUT there are so many WHYS… that are not answered. The main one being, why is any of this important and why should I care. The answers in the story line aren’t enough for anyone to care.“
There was also a Reddit thread where people were discussing the Muted ending. Redditor maubes said the entire series was “bafling.” For the ending, they said, “I have to agree that it was Ana who died which makes the ending all the more ridiculous. She died so that some kid could get out of a juvenile detention center 9 months early. On top of that, it’s all meaningless because the answers to all of her questions was living under her roof the entire time.“
Muted is a Netflix dramatic thriller series that follows a man named Sergio Ciscar, who was incarcerated for six years after the murder of his parents. Now living under surveillance in secret by a young psychiatrist, Sergio attempts to locate his missing sister. At the same time, the truth behind the murders come to light, casting doubt on Sergio’s guilt.
- Cast
- Aron Piper , Almudena Amor , Cristina Kovani , Manu Rios , Ramiro Blas , Aria Bedmar
- Release Date
- May 19, 2023
- Seasons
- 1
- Showrunner
- Gabe Ibáñez
