“Maid”, a heart wrenching yet heartwarming story, beautifully incorporates an all too familiar theme of domestic violence and poverty featuring Alex, a young woman desperate to protect her daughter.

The series begins with Alex expressing her concern about her child’s safety after her husband drunkenly finishes an argument by punching the wall next to her. At that moment, something internally clicked as she instinctively knew she couldn’t and wouldn’t risk her daughter being raised in an abusive environment. When she was sure her husband was asleep, Alex snuck out of the house with a backpack and her two-year old child to complete an incredibly difficult journey.

This 10 episode Netflix series follows Alex’s story as she faces an overwhelming amount of obstacles but miraculously overcomes them. She suffers from constant emotional abuse from her husband, Sean, who proves to be extremely toxic and manipulative towards Alex, constantly blaming and gaslighting her. She ends up moving in and out of houses with no one to fully rely on. Her mother being a selfish (occasionally loving) drug addict and her father, a conservative man who abused her mother, are not much help as Alex goes down a dark and twisted path with her two-year old daughter.

“I absolutely loved this show and admired Alex but absolutely despised Sean. She was incredibly brave to simply take her son and escape in the middle of the night. I wish her mother would be there for her more and it was weird how she seems like she cared for Alex but did not want to help her, especially in the beginning,” sophomore Sienna Fakiri said.@mai

“Maid” is able to realistically portray domestic violence and what it looks like to be on the brink of poverty. Based on a true story and memoir by Stephanie Land each episode has a different challenge that Alex has to face. This series can feel hopeless and distressing at times but Alex manages to pull through each episode, hooking you to the story and leaving you intrigued about what’s to come.

“This show left me wanting to know what Alex was going to do next. She faced so much hardship but ended up persevering. When I finished watching it I felt like I had just watched a real life story of domestic violence and it ended up giving me a new perspective on what it’s like to experience something so horrible, “ sophomore Rosibel Garcia said.

Some may say the storyline is cliche or overused but this show truthfully incorporates what it is like to escape a toxic household. Additionally, Alex’s character development felt so raw and emotional going from this desperate and rightfully broken woman to becoming a strong and forthcoming individual.

All for her daughter, Alex takes a step forward into a dark tunnel in search of a better life. An emotionally deep show with impactful character development, “Maid” is a captivating watch for any viewers mature enough to handle its themes of domestic violence.