I'm trying to come up with a criticism for this show in an attempt to temper my emotional reaction to the finale, and the show as a whole. And it's not that I can't find flaws in the show because it has its flaws. This is a very cookie cutter type of show, with a clear villain, and a heroin with a very sympathetic plight, and it employs many of the tropes of a typical lifetime movie in its dispensment of melodrama. However, what elevates Maid over some of the more standard heart wrenching made for TV movies is the maturity of the writing, the richness and complexity of its characters, and the meta-deconstruction of the experience of domestic abuse, as seen through the eyes of our protagonist.
Maid adeptly takes the viewer through the process of domestic abuse. Alex faces adversity at every corner as she must navigate being a single mother, working a hard minimum wage menial job, engaging with the social welfare system, handling her mother's eccentricities and her ex-boyfriend Sean's repeated attempts at emotional manipulation and legal wrangling.
Ultimately due to Alex's inability to completely separate from Sean, he's able to creep back into her life and endear himself to her once again, in what I view as a very painful but necessary part of this series as a whole. Honestly, I was taken in by this, I admit to it, I was rooting for Alex and Sean to reunite, I wanted to see Sean's redemption, not because it makes sense thematically in any way (it wouldn't), but because I felt the earnestness of his character and wanted to believe he could change if he knew what was on the line. It's important I felt this, because this is the part that elevates this series above being a glorified hallmark card. In empathizing with, and even rooting for the abuser, after said abuse occurred, we are privy to a brief yet telling glimpse into the mindset of an abuse victim, where the moral lines are greyed and tolerance of awful treatment often prevails
This series could have gone in a different direction too. If the writers wanted to strike a more realistic tone, they could have gone darker. Alex could have stayed with Sean, even after repeated abusive incidents, and he could have ultimately hurt Alex or Maddy, or worse. This is the ultimate reality for many victims of domestic abuse. There's no escape, there's no handsome single father willing to give you a car, wanting to date and take care of you, there's no legal recourse or sympathetic employer, willing to see your humanity and lend a helping hand. There's just the person you love and your abuser, and they're one and the same, and whatever happens as a result of that abuse is destiny, because you are powerless to prevent it. And even if you do manage to escape, you are irreparably damaged by the experience. Bleak? Absolutely, but reality is often a tough pill to swallow, and for most victims of domestic abuse, there is no 'happy ending'.
Sean finds some small measure of redemption in releasing full custody of Maddy to Alex, though its clear his path ahead is long and hard. At best, he can hope to achieve what Alex's father, Hank, has; a new family and years of sobriety. But ultimately, like Hank, he has to accept that his relationship with Alex can never be fully repaired.
Part of me wants a second season of this show, just because I'm so invested in the characters, but obviously that's ridiculous since they'd have to change the name of the show from 'Maid' to like, 'Single Mother College Student'.
So, also, this is the first thing I ever reviewed on IMDB, and I am a perpetual lurker, so it says a lot that this show moved me to the point of getting off my lazy, fat ass (technically I'm still sitting) to write a review.
Bravo to everyone involved in this production, and my hats off to the real life mother / daughter team of Margaret Qualley and Andie MacDowell. Quite the collaboration! Cheers!
Maid adeptly takes the viewer through the process of domestic abuse. Alex faces adversity at every corner as she must navigate being a single mother, working a hard minimum wage menial job, engaging with the social welfare system, handling her mother's eccentricities and her ex-boyfriend Sean's repeated attempts at emotional manipulation and legal wrangling.
Ultimately due to Alex's inability to completely separate from Sean, he's able to creep back into her life and endear himself to her once again, in what I view as a very painful but necessary part of this series as a whole. Honestly, I was taken in by this, I admit to it, I was rooting for Alex and Sean to reunite, I wanted to see Sean's redemption, not because it makes sense thematically in any way (it wouldn't), but because I felt the earnestness of his character and wanted to believe he could change if he knew what was on the line. It's important I felt this, because this is the part that elevates this series above being a glorified hallmark card. In empathizing with, and even rooting for the abuser, after said abuse occurred, we are privy to a brief yet telling glimpse into the mindset of an abuse victim, where the moral lines are greyed and tolerance of awful treatment often prevails
This series could have gone in a different direction too. If the writers wanted to strike a more realistic tone, they could have gone darker. Alex could have stayed with Sean, even after repeated abusive incidents, and he could have ultimately hurt Alex or Maddy, or worse. This is the ultimate reality for many victims of domestic abuse. There's no escape, there's no handsome single father willing to give you a car, wanting to date and take care of you, there's no legal recourse or sympathetic employer, willing to see your humanity and lend a helping hand. There's just the person you love and your abuser, and they're one and the same, and whatever happens as a result of that abuse is destiny, because you are powerless to prevent it. And even if you do manage to escape, you are irreparably damaged by the experience. Bleak? Absolutely, but reality is often a tough pill to swallow, and for most victims of domestic abuse, there is no 'happy ending'.
Sean finds some small measure of redemption in releasing full custody of Maddy to Alex, though its clear his path ahead is long and hard. At best, he can hope to achieve what Alex's father, Hank, has; a new family and years of sobriety. But ultimately, like Hank, he has to accept that his relationship with Alex can never be fully repaired.
Part of me wants a second season of this show, just because I'm so invested in the characters, but obviously that's ridiculous since they'd have to change the name of the show from 'Maid' to like, 'Single Mother College Student'.
So, also, this is the first thing I ever reviewed on IMDB, and I am a perpetual lurker, so it says a lot that this show moved me to the point of getting off my lazy, fat ass (technically I'm still sitting) to write a review.
Bravo to everyone involved in this production, and my hats off to the real life mother / daughter team of Margaret Qualley and Andie MacDowell. Quite the collaboration! Cheers!
