Netflix Original Series ‘Maid’: Is It Worth A Binge? We Think So [TRAILER]

The Netflix Original series Maid is based on Stephanie Land’s memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive. The series tells the story of a mother forced to work in one of the hardest jobs out there. Margaret Qualley excels in the role, while Andie MacDowell depicts a flaky “undiagnosed bipolar” artist as her mother. While the series covers a tough subject, it is still entertaining and unusually positive. But is it worth a binge?

Netflix Original series Maid

Many people in this world are forced to work in the hardest and worst jobs out there. Margaret Qualley plays the lead as Alex, 25, the proverbial maid. She leaves her abusive partner in the middle of the night, taking her daughter, Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet), with her. However, they have nowhere to go.

Alex needs to put gas in her car and as the pump works, viewers see her bank balancing shrinking all the way down to $12. This is a shocking circumstance indeed for any young mother with a child. Meanwhile, after spending the night in her car, Alex starts looking for a job. The only problem is that she can’t get a job unless she has child care, but she can’t get child care unless she has a job.

Alex’s mother (and Maddy’s grandmother) Paula (Qualley’s real-life mother, Andie MacDowell) is no help at all. She is described as a flaky “undiagnosed bipolar” artist, who later in the series does attract a certain sympathy with viewers. When Alex finally does get a low-paid job through an exploitative house-cleaning business, this leads to yet more complications and humiliation.

The only thing that keeps Alex going is her daughter Maddy, with whom Qualley has an extraordinary relationship on screen.

Positive depiction of tragic circumstances

Created by Molly Smith Metzler (Orange Is the New Black, Shameless) the series started off low-key on Netflix on October 1. However, the harrowing but entertaining viewing is taking the series on the way to overtaking The Queen’s Gambit as the most-watched Netflix Original show.

While the threat of homelessness is never far away, Alex’s ex, Sean (Nick Robinson) is also in the picture. In fact, he is suing for custody of Maddy and generally being an awful human being. This storyline brings to the screen an awful situation that far too many women are going through in real life.

When Alex heads to a domestic violence shelter, she feels she doesn’t deserve a bed, as Sean hasn’t hit her. However, luckily she does learn better. Abuse isn’t always about violence – it is often psychological.

While the plot might sound horribly depressing, there are cheerful touches to Maid, where mother and daughter enjoy some fun together. It is clear that Alex has a resilient spirit that keeps her going where many people would fail. This offers such a positive depiction of her awful experience that it catches the heart of the viewer with a tear and a smile.

The trailer for the Netflix Original series Maid is included here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGtaHcqsSE8

Readers, have you watched the Netflix Original series Maid yet? If yes, please share your impressions of the series in the comment section below. If not, let us know if you are planning on binging this moving limited series.