![]() ![]() But when Nate eventually seeks to cash in on his support for Alex by asking her out on a date, he's unable to comprehend her clear refusal: "I don't think I can be with anybody right now." He takes Alex and Maddy in, gives them food and housing, and even provides them with a car. The abuse she faces from Sean doesn't happen in a vacuum.Īlex is initially rescued by Nate (Raymond Ablack), a man who is not-so-secretly in love with her and immediately positions himself as her savior. Throughout "Maid," Alex is repeatedly denied agency and entrapped in complex, seemingly inescapable webs created or enabled by Sean, the government, and even two other men who are close to her. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. This experience isn't rare many poor mothers with abusive partners are punished for struggling to parent while facing abuse, living below the poverty line, and receiving no help. Lacking government programs all but force victims like Alex to remain with their abusers in some capacity, or lose housing for themselves and their children - and even lose access to a phone, an income, food, health care, and other basic needs, too.Īt one point, Alex even loses custody of Maddy to Sean, who only gives up full custody when he realizes how taking care of Maddy triggers his alcoholism. Throughout "Maid," we witness the many ways domestic abuse and intimate partner violence can unfold beyond physical attacks. But she can't apply for subsidized housing without a job, she can't get a job without child care, and she can't apply for daycare without having a job. Even crashing at a friend's house is out of the question when Alex learns that Sean had called Alex's friend, and was already on the way over to catch her.Īlex also struggles to get free from this devastating cycle, because of the tangled web that is being a working, single mother in poverty. "That didn't hit me?"Īs the series progresses, we're treated to different glimpses into the barriers that prevent Alex from breaking away from her old life. When she seeks help from a social worker, she's told to file a police report. On top of this, when Alex first leaves Sean, she struggles to even prove to the government that she needs help, because of the lack of physical violence from her abusive relationship with Sean. "Maid" demonstrates how multiple forms of domestic abuse exist, and the illogical barriers and gatekeeping in place that often keep victims like Alex from receiving the help and resources they need.Īt different points in "Maid," Sean controls Alex's finances, her access to a car and phone, her access to the outside world and relationships with other people, and even her access to Maddy, their daughter. And while it's clear Sean has never physically attacked Alex or Maddy directly, Alex quickly realizes a devastating truth that many victims of domestic abuse have often faced: seeking help and being taken seriously might have been easier for her if her partner had been physically abusive. ![]() ![]() Their behaviors expose the many ways women like Maddy can face abuse even when it's not in the form of physical violence.Īs the story begins, Alex flees Maddy's alcoholic father after he punches a wall, sending shattered glass into Maddy's hair and almost hurting her. The limited series' expansive cast of male characters are all uniquely toxic, and even violent on varying levels. Throughout the series, Alex faces the reality that it's not just her boyfriend who's entrapped her, but a range of factors, like the government's lacking support systems, or other men who enable Sean. After fleeing her abusive partner Sean (Nick Robinson), young, single mother Alex (Margaret Qualley) is in and out of shelters and left trying to make ends meet as a house cleaner in order to provide a life free of fear and control for her young daughter Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet). Netflix's new series "Maid," adapted from Stephanie Land's memoir, follows a desperate woman left virtually alone as she tries to free herself and her daughter from an abusive relationship. ![]()
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