“Maid,” Netflix’s stunning new limited drama series, has wowed reviewers and audiences alike with its touching narrative of resilience.
It boasts a 96 percent Fresh rating on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes and hasn’t dropped off of the streaming service’s daily Top 10 list since its October 1 debut.
Margaret Qualley (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) plays as Alex, a poor young lady with a small daughter called Maddy who leaves her emotionally abusive boyfriend, Maddy’s father Sean (Nick Robinson), when she realizes he’s going to move from punching holes in walls to beating her.
She and Maddy seek sanctuary at a women’s shelter, and Alex finds employment as a maid, which brings her into the houses of the rich in Seattle’s suburbs.
Many things drag Alex down – poverty, the court system when Sean sues her for custody, her untrustworthy bipolar mother Paula (Andie MacDowell, Qualley’s real-life mother) – but her desire to create a better life for Maddy keeps her going.
The limited series seems real in its depiction of attempting to make it in America since it is based on a book written by someone who experienced the show’s tale.
“Maid” is based on Stephanie Land’s memoir “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive.” After leaving an abusive relationship, Land cleaned homes to support herself and her children. In 2019, the memoir was released.
The land has been tweeting images and videos from the time in her and her daughter’s lives covered in the book that inspired the series in parallel with the Netflix show’s premiere, which is a unique spin on behind-the-scenes storytelling. Her life is described as “the actual narrative that inspired #MAIDNetflix.”
However, “Maid” is more of an “inspired by” than a straight reproduction of a genuine story. According to The New York Times, the series, created by “Shameless” writer Molly Smith Metzler, differs significantly from the novel, including major modifications such as adding additional material concerning addiction and mental illness to tiny details such as changing the type of vacuum cleaner utilized.
Stephanie used an Oreck in real life, while Alex in the program used a Dyson. Despite considerable dramatic license, Netflix’s “Maid” is based on a genuine tale.
