It feels like we already know all the warnings about using the internet with its blurred boundaries around privacy, even if it’s impossible to protect every detail. In her new role in Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) reminds us that we can still be far too trusting – especially once we start to feel comfortable.
This new dark comedy follows Paula (Maslany), a recently divorced mother struggling to gain custody of her daughter. What seems like a typical mom’s routine – she even coaches her daughter’s youth soccer team – takes an unexpected turn when the cam boy she regularly chats with is attacked during one of their on-camera sessions. Her initial shock quickly turns to frustration when the police tell her it appears to be a scam. And sure enough, the calls keep coming.
What could anyone really know about Paula if she only logs on to chat with this guy from time to time? Their interactions are not purely sexual. Paula also uses their sessions as a form of therapy, opening up about her personal life. Moreover, her apartment, like anyone else’s, is filled with small details that reveal pieces of her daily routine and her daughter’s life. But even if you lived in the most sterile apartment imaginable, a single screenshot of your face could be enough for someone to find information about you online. No matter how carefully you guard your personal data, online anonymity is never guaranteed.
Paula is not the scam’s only victim. Behind the request for a few thousand dollars lies a much larger scheme, one she begins to unravel from a web filled with danger, threats, and even death. Her experience as a newspaper fact-checker gives her the skills to know where to look and which details matter, especially once she realizes her case is in the hands of two detectives who seem far uninterested in finding the truth.
You could say Paula is one of the unluckiest people in the world. How else does someone end up tangled in this dangerous world while dealing with a brutal custody battle fueled by her ex-husband’s new wife, who also happens to be his former mistress? Maybe she really is unlucky, or perhaps she just has a knack for making complicated situations even messier. Either way, Paula’s mama bear instincts kick in, and soon she’s digging up even more buried secrets.
Paula’s bad luck also extends to the people she meets. I hated some of the characters in Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, but not because they are poorly written, quite the opposite. Their many layers make them feel deeply human, even when they behave reprehensibly, doing whatever it takes to achieve their personal, professional, or financial goals.
So whenever Paula – who is far from perfect herself – lets her guard down, there is always someone ready to scam, sabotage, exploit, or use her for their own benefit. It is a bleak, but all too recognizable, portrait of human nature. At the same time, some of these characters have the chance to redeem themselves once they realize they were wrong. Is winning worth destroying someone else in the process? This show repeatedly asks, inviting viewers to reflect on their own actions and what they’re willing to tolerate from others.
One of the most brutally honest aspects of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is the way it explores loneliness and how we deal with it today. With no friends, no partner, and a new city to navigate, Paula finds companionship in a cam boy. It is one of the many modern ways we connect with other people, expanding the possibilities for human interaction. But money often means it’s just an illusion of human connection, repeated until the brain accepts it as real.
More than a thriller, this Apple TV series also dives into deeply contemporary issues and examines them from surprising perspectives. Additionally, Tatiana Maslany is outstanding here, but that should come as no surprise to anyone who saw her brilliant work in Orphan Black, where she brought an entire roster of wildly different clones to life.
