Man, this miniseries, Landscapers, had a lot going for it. Firstly, it was only four episodes and I learned it was based off a true story that broke fairly recently. It also starred the fabulous Olivia Coleman and the delightful David Thewlis. These are all wins in my book, but sadly, it just never quite lived up to my expectations.
We learn straight off the bat that Susan and Christopher Edwards were convicted of killing Susan’s parents in 2014, but that they still maintain their innocence to this day. Then, we are transported to the past, but not all the way back to Susan’s parents murder. We’re somewhere in the middle where the parents’ bodies are discovered buried in the backyard from fifteen years prior. Susan and Christopher are living in France and struggling, which is when Christopher slips and reveals all to his stepmother. That’s the beginning of the end for this couple really. Although I’m sure their sins would have caught up to them eventually.
In a strange turn of events, instead of running from the police, as they initially intend to do, they turn themselves in. Christopher manages to convince Susan of this plan and they go through with excruciating detail, the events leading to the present. Susan’s parents were in fact both shot, but they have such an elaborate explanation for everything that the two believe they are bulletproof. Um…wrong. Admitting to a murder probably isn’t ever going to set you free. And I know it’s explained that Susan suffered some serious abuse at the hands of her father and the ignorance of her mother, but that doesn’t really give you the right to kill someone and then cover it up for the next fifteen years.
What’s most endearing about this delusional couple is how much they are devoted to each other. Susan feels that she did what she had to do to escape a horrible situation, and Christopher loves her unconditionally. At first I wasn’t sure that he was a good man, and he wasn’t totally, but by the end there’s no mistaking how much he loves his wife. Too much, I’d say, but I can’t say I’ve ever been in love myself, so I guess I wouldn’t know. Regardless, as the series told us straight from the start, their plan and explanations weren’t enough to keep them out of prison, where they still are to this day.
Overall, the series just never quite hooked me. Of course, Olivia Coleman and David Thewlis were great, but it wasn’t enough to get me to love this miniseries. Something I did find really interesting that the series did was incorporate Susan’s love of “cinema” and painted different events in the show as different film genres or films in general, like Rear Window, etc. That was uniquely creative, but it did sometimes confuse the story for me a little bit. I’m sure that was the point – to distort reality, but it wasn’t my favorite technique. All that to say that while I didn’t love this miniseries, doesn’t mean you won’t. If you like true crime with a hint of fictionalized drama, then by all means, check it out!