As we are in the thick of this semester, students are looking for ways to destress and to take some time to themselves. For me, one way of relieving stress is through laying on my bed with a fuzzy blanket and finding a Netflix show to watch. In the past few weeks, I have encountered many shows such as Squid Game, the third season of You, and a few more. Of the many shows I watched , the one that really stood out to me was Maid.
Starring a real life mother and daughter (portrayed by Margarat Qualley, as Alex and Andie MacDowell as Paula), the show follows a young mom, Alex, who escapes domestic violence and tries to navigate her new life ahead with her daughter Maddy. Without giving too much away, after Alex runs away from her toxic boyfriend, she struggles to find places to live, gas, and even food. On the screen, the math of how much money Alex gains and loses each time she makes a purchase or earns some money is depicted. On top of having no place to live or no job, Alex has a rocky relationship with her mother, as her mother, Paula, has refused to seek help for her mental state and is a bad communicator especially when it comes to Maddy. Alex has lost trust in many people and is now just trying to care for herself and her daughter, while living out of her rusty car with limited food and money.
Alex eventually seeks help, but it takes some time for her to realize that she was domestically abused. The show illustrates that abuse can come not only in physical forms but also in emotional forms which I think is an important takeaway for viewers. The show also conveys that it is okay to get help, and there are people out there who will help you and safe places for you to go if you are stuck in a situation similar to the protagonist. After Alex finds a shelter, she gets hired as a maid and works cleaning a wealthy woman’s house, making minimum wage and working very few hours a week. She faces a number of other challenges along the way, which I won’t spoil.
Although Alex is lucky and privileged to find a way out and start a new journey by the end of the show, there are still many people who do not have that freedom and remain trapped in domestic violence and/or other forms of abuse. While having no money, almost losing custody of her child, and having no safe place to live, Alex comes across many great people that help her out, and she uses her intelligence and passions to keep moving forward.
So, if you have some time, and would like a way to escape from homework and exams, I would highly recommend binge watching Maid. It is a very impactful and emotional show. I never cry watching TV, but I may have shed a few tears watching Maid. I think it is very important that there are shows that showcase what it’s like to be a person, let alone a mother, in one of these devastating situations. The story opened my eyes to different perspectives and how it is so easy to hide your struggles and not know what someone else might be going through. Perhaps the show will inspire people to reach out for help if they are in one of these situations and help people understand their privileges in society.