Maid Netlfix

Maid Netlfix

Maid is a Netflix series that is a poignant yet powerful portrayal of life as a single mother and a domestic violence survivor. Watching it was a humbling experience as it continuously sheds light on difficulties involving having to live on a shoestring budget with little to no family support and getting caught up in bureaucratic red tape while seeking government assistance.

The protagonist, Alex is 25 year old mother of a 2 year old who is experiencing emotional domestic abuse which has caused her to have PTSD, yet she finds it difficult to classify it as “real abuse” and is hesitant to seek help and resources right away. She also finds it legally hard to press charges and have someone attest for her due to the nature of DV. She eventually ends up in a women’s shelter where she meets a woman who befriends her and validates her experience by saying these powerful words:

Punching a wall next to you is emotional abuse, before they bite they bark, before they hit you they hit near you, next time it was going to be your face, and you know that.

The show also sheds light on mental illness. Alex’s mother delivers a really powerful performance as parent who needs more parenting than the child.

There is also a very accurate depiction of the Nice Guy Syndrome by a character named Nate who is Alex’s long time friend.

Post her separation from her toxic alcoholic ex, Alex becomes a maid To support herself and her daughter. She ends up snooping into the lives of rich people leading her to discover that money can’t necessarily buy happiness as she walks into the houses of an armistice married couple, a hoarder, a burglar, and an almost divorced rich lawyer. This also gives some validation to what one would refer to as first world problems and show them to be legitimate.

All in all Maid is a story of a powerful and resilient woman who escapes her DV situation (with a lot of difficulty) and goes on to be the first generation college go-er of her family.

If you’re looking to view excellent performances including portrayals of female solidarity and complexity of mental illness and addiction, with a little bit of dark humor, you should check this series out.

My favorite scenes from the show is when Alex finally manages to get an apartment and dances to a Queen song (Don’t Stop Me Now) to celebrate.

Also when she described her happiest day in her writing group…

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