Inspired by Stephanie Land’s memoir, the Netflix miniseries Maid explores poverty and abuse with a talented cast and complex characters.
Netflix’s miniseries Maid features a talented cast and complex characters. Inspired by Stephanie Land’s memoir, the show follows Alex after she flees in the night from her abusive partner. Taking their young daughter with her, she struggles to figure out how to support them both. The system seems set up against her since Alex needs a job in order to secure housing and childcare but cannot get childcare without a job, which is difficult to attain when she has nowhere to sleep. Kate eventually lands a job with a cleaning service, but her problems only seem to multiply.
Stephanie Land appreciated the choices the showrunners made while fictionalizing her memoir, especially Maid‘s exploration of more than one perspective. Land explained (via Seattle Times) that while her book was limited to her own true story, Maid could bring in and focus on other characters as well. The show tries to highlight not only Kate’s difficulties supporting herself and her child, but also her ex’s struggles with substance abuse, other victims of domestic violence, and many other issues.
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