Review: Netflix’s ‘Maid’ is an unapologetic portrait of single-motherhood and poverty

Netflix’s adaptation of Stephanie Land’s “Maid” is a modern-day tragedy that highlights the flaws in the system meant to help victims of domestic violence and depicts healing as a rollercoaster rather than a linear path.

The author of the book that inspired the series, Land so eloquently wrote, “When a person is too deep in systemic poverty, there is no upward trajectory. Life is struggle and nothing else. But for me, many of my decisions came from an assumption that things would, eventually, start to improve.”

“Maid” premiered on Netflix last October and earned nominations for three primetime Emmys. The TV show’s creator, Molly Smith Metzler, has writing credits that include “Shameless” and “Orange is the New Black.” 

The limited series chronicles the hardships of a young mother trying to break free from a cycle of abuse. We meet wide-eyed Alex Russell, abusive boyfriend Sean, and their toddler, Maddy, living in Port Hampstead, Washington, in the throes of poverty, fear and misery.

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When she finds the courage to leave Sean, Alex faces a brutal reality: no home, no money, no job, no food, no transportation.

Alex eventually finds a job as a maid . However, the series does not go into depth to the degree that Land’s book had on her cleaning job and its symbolism. Instead, Metzler focuses more on the tumultuous relationships Alex has outside of her cleaning gigs.

Alex’s undiagnosed bipolar mother, Paula Langley is played by Margaret Qualley’s off-screen mother, Andie McDowell. The chemistry makes for an intense and manic performance by McDowell, with Qualley’s character maintaining an unsettling calm compared to her mother’s behavior.

The series puts a spotlight on the loneliness associated with poverty and trauma. Screenwriters chose not to lean on the trope of a savior swooping in to fix things and instead had Alex make mistakes, learn from them and persevere.

A gut-wrenching cinematic symbol of this is when she returns to Sean’s house and slowly gets swallowed in by the couch. Sean’s trailer represented the never-ending cycle of hurt that only she could sever ties from to avoid being sucked in by his control.

The few people who helped Alex were not framed as heroes, but instead filled the gaps to make the story realistic. For example, most mothers will need a lawyer to gain full custody of their child, and with no money, a plot hole needs filling — enter the wealthy lawyer whose house she cleans.

Regardless, Alex is the heroine of her tragedy.

The idealist undertones are well-executed and inspiring. “Maid” is a must-watch TV show for your next binge to remind you that you are not what happens to you, you are what you choose to become.

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