Based on the bestseller by Stephanie Land titled “Maid:  Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive,” Netflix brought the heart wrenching true story to the small screen where it remained on the site’s “Top 10” for many weeks. Raking in 67 million viewers in its initial release, the series pulled ahead of the mere 62 million screens “The Queen’s Gambit” reached. 

The show follows Alex, played by Maragret Qualley, a recently single mother who escapes from her emotionally and almost physically abusive boyfriend Sean (Nick Robinson), the father of her young daughter Maddy. Each episode showcases the journey to getting back on her feet, with many highs and lows. In her first and most pivotal move through her new profession of working as a house cleaner, Maddy and Alex begin moving in and out of living in her car and a domestic violence shelter. With an absent father (Billy Burke) and a bipolar artist of a mother (Andie Mcdowell), Alex has not had a sense of home for most of her life,  and this trope continues on through the ten episodes. As she encounters and serves to the likes of the highly privileged, she begins documenting her experiences and dives back into her passion of writing. Though she grows, a series of punches continue to knock Alex down. A legal battle with Sean over Maddys custody, losing her job for being late, not qualifying for financial aid, and a car accident are just a few of the many adversities our mom and daughter duo must overcome. 

These factors hook the audience in from the very first episode. We feel every setback, get enraged at every person’s actions, sympathize in the dark moments — it’s as if the audience goes on their individual journey of self realization. Even the show’s immense popularity is an underdog story. In comparison to other Netflix series, “Maid” had relatively low advertising. A true “word-of-the-mouth” explosion, it seems a post-quarantine society yearning for a realistic sob story was near perfect timing in order to set off this explosive chain reaction of popularity. 

A truly captivating story from the start, “Maid” lives up to every expectation on every field, performances, cinematography, and script. Not for lighthearted viewing, it  tackles all-too-realistic themes such as alcoholism, abuse, and mental health. If you can take the grim with the good, a cool ten hour binge is all you’ll need to finish this series that will stay with you months after the first watch. 

Overall, I would give this series a 9/10. It was an extremely strong and compelling work of art, genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever watched. It just missed the mark of a 10/10 for the pacing of the story. Depictions of some characters, like Paula and Hank’s dynamic, fell a little short. Beyond that, it delivered on all fronts and certainly did not disappoint the rising number of avid viewers the show accumulated.

“Maid” is now available to stream on Netflix.