Trigger Warning: Article mentions domestic violence/assault
Netflix’s miniseries Maid tells the story of a young woman who leaves her abusive household in search of a better life for her two-year-old daughter. The series portrays a heartbreaking but beautiful exploration of generational abuse, trauma, addiction, family and the frustrating catch-22 of government systems.
A brief summary:
The show’s protagonist, Alex (played by Margaret Qualley), leaves her boyfriend Sean (played by Nick Robinson) one night when a latter punches a wall during a fight. Alex flees Sean’s trailer home with her daughter Maddy and $18 in her possession. She turns to housecleaning as a way of earning income, but is hit with the brutal reality of the meagre salary she earns on her first shift (just $37.50). Throughout the series, she is faced with more problems as she loses her car (her only form of shelter) in an accident, goes to court in a custody battle against Sean and balances being a daughter and a caretaker for her mentally ill mother.
Maid triumphantly tackles the topic of domestic violence without ever showing the protagonist being slapped, choked or raped. Unlike many shows that talk about these issues, this one never steps into the misery porn territory. The show focuses on Alex’s journey as a survivor rather than as a victim. The fact that it starts with her leaving tells us exactly what we’re strapped in for –– a story of resilience and hope. While Alex shines as a strong and independent woman, Maid is not shy to show her vulnerability. It quietly reminds the watcher between scenes that Alex is still a young person in her early twenties.
When it comes to domestic violence, Maid drives home the point that abuse does not only come in the form of physical violence. Emotional abuse is abuse nonetheless. In the beginning, Alex has a hard time grappling with the fact that she has been abused, constantly telling people that Sean never physically hit her. Because of her opinion on the matter, she does not apply to live in a DV shelter at first. It is heartbreaking to watch her slowly learn and define what she went through as abuse. The frustration I felt when Alex returns to Sean and slowly succumbs to his manipulative tactics was enormous. However, I had to remind myself that leaving one’s abuser is usually not a singular event. The first time is not always the last. It is a painfully brutal cycle that is so difficult to break.
Alex’s relationship with her mother Paula (played by Qualley’s real life mother Andie MacDowell) also plays a major part in the show. Like Alex, Paula raised her own daughter by herself after leaving Alex’s father. Paula is shown to be a carefree and absentminded artist, when in reality, she appears to have an undiagnosed mental health disorder that leaves her in a seemingly permanent state of mania. Paula left Alex’s father as he was physically abusive to her. At the beginning of the show, she lives in an RV with her boyfriend before finding out the man she has been dating (and later gets engaged to) was a conman stealing from her. Alex had to take over the role of caretaker for her mother when she also became homeless. The conversations they have are painful to listen to as one watches how hard Alex tries to understand and sympathize with her mother.
Dealing with poverty is extremely difficult. When you are a single mother without a home, you start to find out that the system has been stacked up against you for you to fail. Alex realizes that it has been set up to trap her under the poverty line. One great example of this is when she finds out that in order to get a job, she needs to send her daughter to daycare. However, she can’t afford daycare and is provided the option of applying for daycare grants. Unfortunately, she has to prove she has a job in order to qualify for daycare. The catch-22 system has trapped Alex. It is impossible for her to do anything.
Although the series has a “happy” ending, the journey to get there is very much less so. Alex bounces from one dangerous situation to another, sometimes making bad decisions. She is not a flawless supermom. Her mind is always crowded with the struggle to find a place for her and her child. However, the struggle is overpowered by her will to push forward and her love for her child.