By: Cameron Tyo
March 24th, 2025
Note: This review will contain what some people might consider mild spoilers for Maid
I was a little bored over the weekend. I had no plans, nada, so I decided to go on Netflix for a show to watch. One I could finish in just two days. I looked up what shows I should watch, and that is when I saw many people recommend Maid. Read the show’s synopsis, thought it was interesting enough, and binged the whole series that day without a second thought. Maid is a 2021 Netflix mini-series based on Stephanie Land’s memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive. The show follows Alex Russel (Margaret Qualley) and her journey to become independent from her emotionally abusive boyfriend, Sean Boyd (Nick Robinson). Throughout, Alex must navigate the complexities of government assistance, being with her mostly dysfunctional family, all the while making enough money to fend for herself and her daughter. This is the premise of Maid.
I think Maid does what the series intended to do at its best. Loosely bases itself on the book and, by doing so, creates a story that shows the harsh truth of how abuse victims react and act toward not only their abusers but the world around them. Victimization is shown in such a real fashion. Numerous times, Alex has to go back to Sean’s trailer for his assistance, whether she wants it or not. At one point, she thinks Sean has changed his ways, but things spiral from there. This happens all the time, though. A victim leaves a house and goes to a domestic abuse shelter. Once they return, the abuser says they’ll change for the better. Be sympathetic to their victim. Eventually, the abuse starts again, typically more severe than before. It shows the idea that abusers are sympathetic to other abusers, such as is the case with Sean and Alex’s father, Hank (Billy Burke). It also does a great job of showing the ruthlessness of the courts. In other words, ow the court seems rigged in favor of abusers instead of victims, as seen in the scenarios of the TV show. Especially those of emotional abuse where there isn’t clear evidence that abuse happened.
Sprinkled throughout are scenes that further show how sad the world of domestic abuse can be. Bringing up the fact that abusers will go back to their victims seven times before truly doing anything about it is heartbreaking to hear. But it isn’t only Alex who has her own share of struggles.
I’m sure many people can relate to the events of the show. Not me, but the show seems to represent a general idea of how abuse victims behave.
The rest of the supporting cast have their own struggles, sympathetic or not. Paula Langley, played by Andie MacDowell, who not only plays Alex’s mother but Margaret’s mom in real life, plays a bipolar artist who lives freely, and when her daughter starts to point out problems in her life, she becomes dismissive. Sean is dealing with his alcohol problem, and Hank is working on how to get his daughter to like him again. All these problems seem nuanced, and a lot of these characters might seem like they get introduced like they would in a soap opera, but these problems have a profound impact on them and the people around them.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though, as Alex and the rest of the cast still hold on to moments of hope that they are led to. Alex works as a maid, and while she sure has her struggles and quarrels with people, she makes life-long relationships in the process. The rest of the supporting cast also have their moments where, even in just a moment, they can be truly happy with themselves despite everything happening around them. Nothing is sugarcoated, so when the main and supporting characters finally get to enjoy life, something good happens to them; all you can do is just tear up a little
I liked the acting in this show a lot. I kept watching primarily because of the emotions I could feel through the way dialogue was spoken and how body contact was made. Margaret was able to play Alex so well. You could feel how tired Alex was both physically and emotionally, how desperate she was to do anything to help her daughter, Maddy. You could sense her determination, cleverness, and funniness, which she would show in a few moments, showing that Alex’s life wasn’t done for. I loved the connection between Margaret and the girl playing her daughter in the show. Margaret and Nick were able to play a couple who were separating quickly. Many tense moments between the two showed how their relationship was technically over despite the two never being gone with each other that long. The main reason for this was it was hard for Alex to leave the trailer; her boyfriend had a financial hold on her and such.
Everyone else also did an amazing job at acting, but I’m afraid I already said too much. To be honest, I wish the show was longer. I would’ve loved it to be different things that abusers have had to go through, but maybe that is just because I wanted to watch more of the show.
Maid is a sort of dark show dealing with topics of abuse, substance abuse, and manipulation, but the story itself has a hopeful message throughout the series. You can feel the cycle of fear that plagues the characters; you can only root for them, and you can feel the joy and sadness when they feel like they have fallen into a pit of despair after getting so close to something they’ve been trying to achieve, and vice versa.
If you’re interested, here is the trailer for the series: