What Is Jibaro? (Love, Death + Robots Explained)

The third season of Love, Death + Robots has finally been released, and many viewers believe that it is the series’s most compelling installment so far. As has been the case throughout the series, the majority of the episodes each include a hidden message, which may be literal or figurative. 

One of the episodes that left a lot of fans scratching their heads was the season’s finale, which was called “Jibaro.” So, what exactly happened in Jibaro, and what does the story’s purpose have to do with it?

So, What Is Jibaro? The story of Jibaro is a retelling of the legend of a Siren who falls in love with a hearing-impaired soldier who is unfazed by her eerie singing. On the other hand, when he has satisfied his requirements with her, he tosses her aside. In reality, Jibaro is a metaphor for avarice as well as unhealthy interpersonal interactions.

You have to understand that the two of them were drawn to each other for all bad purposes. The soldier was solely interested in the siren’s jewels, but the siren was fascinated by the fact that her voice was unable to kill the soldier. As is typical for relationships of this kind, in the end, both of them come out on the short end. Continue reading to get an in-depth analysis of the term “Jibaro” and what it means.

Jibaro: What Does It Mean?

A countryside worker, a local farmer, or a person who does physical labor in the hilly parts of Puerto Rico are all examples of people who are referred to with the term “jibaro” in Puerto Rico. 

On the other hand, in Love, Death, and Robots, it was simply a word that was utilized to establish the storyline. Jibaro, the protagonist, and a deaf soldier live in a remote region of Puerto Rico, next to both a river and a lake, and the setting of the story is described as rustic.

Oscar-winning writer/director Alberto Mielgo may have used this as a metaphor to portray a soldier whose duty is to fulfill his duty, but whose avarice compels him to become involved in matters that are none of his concern.

However, it was never proven, and it would partially make sense if it were true. What we currently understand, however, is that there is a relationship between the word Jibaro and the island of Puerto Rico.

Jibaro’s Love, Death, and Robots: A Brief Synopsis

The story is conveyed not via words but rather through music, dancing, and stunning images throughout the whole show. The story begins in the wilderness of Puerto Rico when a troop of soldiers, who were most probably colonialists, halt at a local lake to relax and refill their supplies. 

Jibaro, who is deaf and serves as the primary character of the episode, is one of the characters who discover a diamond in the marshes.

It doesn’t take long for the other troops to understand that there are valuables in the river, and based on the gold decorations on their horses, plundering is nothing new to them at all. 

But things go horribly wrong when a siren appears from the lake and attacks them. She has entirely immersed herself in gold and jewelry in order to arouse the men’s desire for more wealth.

She begins singing and dancing, and the sound of her voice causes the troops to go into a trance. Most of them end up killing each other, but the remaining few continue to approach the Siren while under the influence of a trance. 

Their heavy armors drag them down to the bottom of the lake, where they eventually perish. Since the deaf knight is unable to hear the siren, he has no idea what is going on and is unaffected by it; so, he flees.

Because it was certainly the first time she’d encountered a deaf person who was unaffected by her song, the Siren is interested and enamored with the deaf soldier. 

Therefore, she follows the warrior along the river, and when he eventually falls asleep, the Siren lies down next to him rather than murdering him as the remainder of the army intended to do.

When the soldier awakens, he is terrified by the siren, and she goes further into the stream, standing on the water above a treacherous waterfall. 

The deaf warrior realizes that she is covered in diamonds and gold so he, enticed by the wealth, begins pursuing her into the river.

The siren walks up to him, and the two of them, smitten with one another, lock lips in a passionate kiss. Nevertheless, the soldier was gravely injured by her razor-sharp fangs and jaws, and it was at this time that the soldier revealed his actual intentions. 

Because he is just interested in her valuables, he knocks out the Siren and then begins stealing the gold and jewelry off her body.

It causes the Siren a great deal of pain since the riches are an integral part of her, much like her skin. The mute soldier tosses her corpse into the river, where it travels down the waterfall, and then makes his getaway with his enormous booty. 

Nevertheless, when the Siren bleeds into the stream, it transports her back to the nearby lake, while at the same time turning the water a brilliant shade of crimson with her magical blood.

When the soldier drags the enormous burden of valuables, he eventually becomes fatigued and stops by the stream to refresh himself, washing his face and drinking some water. 

It was a terrible mistake on his part since the crimson water, which now has magical characteristics thanks to the Siren’s blood, healed the soldier who had been deaf and allowed him to hear again.

The Siren managed to get through, but now she’s covered in blood and unable to dance. She cries in agony, and the soldier hears her, so he follows the rest of his troops into the water, where he drowns because of his heavy armor.

Love, Death, + Robots: An Explanation of Jibaro

Jibaro is a reimagining of the myth of the sirens and how their alluring calls led men to their deaths by leading them into the ocean. Nevertheless, there is a great deal more to it than that. 

In reality, it is a metaphorical picture of gluttony and desire, however, mainly it is a portrayal of unhealthy relationships that exist between couples.

In this narrative, there is no such thing as a “good guy,” hence each of the characters qualifies. Initially, you may get the impression that the Siren is the nefarious character involved in the tale. 

But, as time goes on, you start to feel some remorse for her after learning that the deaf soldier manipulated her and came dangerously close to killing her for his own self-serving motives. Finally, they both got into that “toxic relationship” for incorrect motives, which was the end of the story.

The Siren, along with the other members of the army, had the intention of killing the deaf soldier. 

Yet, the one and only explanation for why she continued to show a desire for him afterward were due to the fact that her voice was ineffective when used against him. 

She fell hopelessly in love with the one man who was out of her reach and became fixated with him.

When the Siren attempted to entice the soldier to follow her into the river, however, he had the ability to quickly escape her clutches. Unfortunately, he decided to become involved in that affair for his own self-serving motives. 

All he was interested in was the Siren’s riches, so he conned her into kissing him, then knocked her unconscious, stole everything from her, and came dangerously close to murdering the Siren in the process.

They’re both tragic characters that don’t win out in the end. The deeds of the soldier come back to haunt him when he gained his hearing as a result of the blood that he spilled into the lake, which ultimately leads to his death.

On the other side, the Siren is left without anything; she is wounded, shattered, and cannot dance longer; she is hanging to life with just a thread. 

Mielgo did an excellent job depicting a destructive relationship, one in which no party benefits from it, and both sides end up sad, damaged, and crushed for their own self-centered reasons.

The director of the film himself claimed that the narrative is the most accurate picture of many unhealthy relationships that exist in today’s world, stating, “We use, and we choose people for a completely wrong reason. And they choose us for a completely wrong reason as well. And we end up all suffering.”