The series received strong critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it scored 93 percent on the Tomatometer with an average rating of 8.2/10, while on Metacritic, it gets 82 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim.

Viewers and critics praised Margaret Qualley’s portrayal of Alex, a character both fragile and resilient, and the script’s ability to blend grief, hope and biting social commentary. Unsurprisingly, Maid was nominated for multiple prestigious awards, including the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards.

Alex, the protagonist, escapes an abusive partner with her young daughter. Yet her escape only traps her in the labyrinth of social welfare bureaucracy. The scene where Alex applies for government assistance, forced to repeatedly prove her poverty, lands a painful blow.

In the United States, often romanticized as a land of opportunity, Maid exposes structural poverty: The poor are forced to continuously validate their suffering, adding mental exhaustion to financial hardship.

Alex’s story resonates in Indonesia as well. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data in March 2024, approximately 9.36 percent of Indonesians live below the poverty line, with female-headed households among the most vulnerable. Many social aid recipients struggle to access assistance due to convoluted bureaucracy, repeated verification or administrative barriers such as ID cards not matching their current address. Maid reminds us that welfare systems should be designed to empower, not to humiliate and keep people submissive.

Beyond poverty, Maid implicitly touches on child marriage. Alex, in her early 20s with a daughter, is portrayed as having been in a relationship with Sean since her teenage years. The emotional, economic and psychological unpreparedness in such early unions breeds violence and helplessness.