So, yes, “Maid” is incredibly triggering for people who have experienced abuse, any kind of abuse. I think it's particularly triggering for folks who have experienced emotional abuse, because it very realistically portrays the thought process — the deep denial that happens when you have experienced this type of abuse.
Alex's abuser prevents her from working by cutting off her phone and taking away her transportation. Common forms of financial abuse include taking money without permission, controlling bank accounts, running up debt, credit card fraud, hiding assets, and preventing someone from making money-related decisions.
But, as this poignant, layered and persuasive drama based on Stephanie Land's best-selling memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive so vividly illustrates, having friends and family doesn't always mean having anyone you can count on.
Sean is an alcoholic. He's emotionally abusive and vindictive toward his ex, Alex (Margaret Qualley). In so many ways, he's the reason Alex finds herself scrubbing toilets and navigating a byzantine welfare system to provide for herself and their two-year-old daughter Maddy.
Family. Another huge part of the show revolves around the struggles that Alex faces with her mother and father — particularly her mother. Alex's mother Paula is an undiagnosed bipolar woman who is in a similarly abusive relationship with a man who uses her for her money and free living space.
While it would be easy for Maid to cast aside Paula as another unhelpful figure in Alex's life and view her solely as an enemy to her daughter's progress, the show also gives us space to appreciate the difficulties Paula has faced throughout her life, from her own experiences with domestic abuse to her undiagnosed ...
Relating her story back to her character Paula, Alex's mother who suffers from bi-polar and with whom Alex has a turbulent relationship, Andie added: "I understand the complexity of a broken person, a person that you love regardless [of] how difficult they are.
So, yes, “Maid” is incredibly triggering for people who have experienced abuse, any kind of abuse. I think it's particularly triggering for folks who have experienced emotional abuse, because it very realistically portrays the thought process — the deep denial that happens when you have experienced this type of abuse.
In playing Paula, the bipolar mother whose strained relationship with her daughter Alex (brilliantly played by MacDowell's own daughter, Margaret Qualley), MacDowell shows us all the highs and lows of a character that can't get out of her own way enough to help her near-destitute daughter—a young single mother trying ...
In the series, Alex doesn't want to accept help from her father because a) they are semi-estranged, and b) she eventually remembers that he abused her mother — but in reality, Land's father was struggling himself after the housing crash and couldn't afford to feed two more people.
It has been nine months since she lost her beloved Gran, who raised her and helped guide her through the world. Molly is somewhere on the behavioral spectrum – most likely with Asperger syndrome (AS) – which has resulted in an inability to pick up social cues and develop social skills.
Initially, Alex was in denial of her status as a victim until the domestic violence shelter opened her eyes to the true nature of her PTSD. In Alex's case, the property damage instigated by Sean punching a wall beside her face serves as a “symbolic violence” that affected her psychologically and socially.
Alex's childhood trauma of watching domestic abuse in her own home resurfaces when her partner Sean does the same to her.
Alex has flashbacks to her own childhood where she would hide during the times when her father would abuse her mother. Eventually, her mother escaped, but the trauma of childhood domestic violence perpetuated Alex's life.
His decision fits with his past, as Alex discovered earlier in the season that Hank was abusive to her mother, Paula, when she was a kid. Alex cuts all ties with her dad over this.
But Sean never physically abuses either Alex or Maddy, which was a very intentional choice in Smith Metzler's storytelling. “I wanted him to be emotionally abusive and have him live in that space of hard to put your finger on if she has a bruise on her, in the court of law it's very clear.
However, it turns out that Margaret and Andie are actually mother and daughter in real-life too - and viewers didn't realise the connection at first.
Episode 5 of Maid begins with Alex waking up to Maddy coughing uncontrollably. The pair end up sleeping together, as Alex looks up and realizes the root cause of this may well be mold.
Andie MacDowell on 'Maid' and What It Was Like Working With Her Real Daughter Margaret Qualley.
When it comes to a Maid season 2 release date, Netflix hasn't renewed the series. Since it's a limited series, more episodes don't seem likely. Since Maid is based on a true story, it includes all the heartbreak, pain, and emotion of Stephanie Land's real-life experiences.
Trauma bonding of the star playing the Maid in the series. She was definitely trauma bonded to her boy friend. The Mum of the maid was probably a narcissist. She never helped her daughter in any way and only sought her own pleasures.
There's cursing, violence and touching on sensitive subjects (alcoholism, poverty, abuse, strained relationships) but not much sexual content. This show raises awareness of many issues and shows the importance of support and kindness.
Alex tells Danielle that though her partner never physically hurt her, he was constantly violent and threatening. One instance Alex shares with Danielle is when her abuser punched a wall near her head while screaming at her.
Andie MacDowell as Paula
MacDowell is not only Qualley's mother in real life but also plays Alex's mother, Paula, on-screen. Though Paula cares about her daughter, she suffers from rapid mood swings (which Alex believes is undiagnosed bipolar disorder) that make her unreliable.
In fact, as the series goes on, you might find yourself rooting for Sean. We learn that Sean was the product of a dysfunctional upbringing and that he earnestly wants to kick his addiction. Moreover, like Alex, he adores his young daughter and truly wants the best for her.