‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’ Review: Tatiana Maslany Hits The Spot In This Deliciously Pulpy Thriller

First with Elle Fanning’s Margot in “Margot’s Got Money Troubles,” and now with Tatiana Maslany’s Paula in “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” Apple TV seems to be rallying for flawed mother representation on screen. And it’s acing it, so they should keep ‘em coming.

The streaming platform’s newest series is a dark comedy thriller with a pulpy premise and a provenance that guarantees delivering on its title’s promise. Created by David J. Rosen (“Sugar”) and co-produced by David Gordon Green (“The Righteous Gemstones”, “Pineapple Express”), the dark comedy thriller is led by Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”, “The Monkey”), with Jake Johnson (“New Girl”, “Minx”), Jessy Hodges (“Barry”), Brandon Flynn (“13 Reasons Why”), Murray Bartlett (“The Last Of Us”, “Physical”) and others.

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Maslany is Paula Sanders, a recently divorced single mother who has just moved into a new home. She works as a fact checker for a newspaper that keeps baiting her with a possible promotion. She needs it to win a custody battle for her daughter, Hazel, against her ex-husband Karl (Johnson) and his current wife, Mallory (Hodges). Paula is also into cam boys, or rather, one in particular, Trevor (Flynn), with whom she forms not just a physical, but also an emotionally intimate bond.

That is, until Trevor is attacked on camera during one of their sessions. And Paula, as the only witness, descends into “a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer.” With a sinister figure dogging her every step, and two detectives digging up her past and present, Paula must tread carefully, using the very technology that’s ruining her life to also help save it.

In ten well-paced 30-minute episodes, “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” hits the spot with its deliciously pulpy story, numerous plot twists that don’t feel stretched and grip you tight. The series makes quite the commentary on the use of social media, AI and digital data being misused, and how easy it is for anyone to gain access to your life, all without being preachy and more rooted in the inevitability of this world.

The writing is sharp, and the humor hits in quippy one-liners like “Being profoundly cute is not a business plan” or “Marriage is a marathon, sometimes you puke” as much as in the absurdity and darkness of Paula’s twisted situation, like when she pawns a necklace she took off one of her assailants and buys a gun with the money. The visuals evoke horror à la classic Hitchcock films, with jump cuts from one character’s story to another. Paired with the trippy music by Wynne Bennett, the adrenaline rarely drops.

There’s a web of colorful characters that test your allegiance, like Paula’s co-workers, because none of them are particularly evil (except maybe one?). It would be easy to label Paula as a bad mother because of the impulsive decisions she makes. And yet, Tatiana Maslany’s potent performance, the ways she balances Paula’s quirk and the rage, inspires fierce protectiveness for her character, especially against Johnson’s excellently condescending Karl and Hodges’ perfectly sinister, Mallory.

The scenes where Paula asks for the promotion she deserves, dancing with her daughter, taking a moment for herself amidst all the chaos while dancing in her apartment alone, or even when she finally lets her rage out in a way that’s measured yet powerful, are testaments to Tatiana Maslany’s acting prowess.

“Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” plays within its genre’s sandbox but manages to deliver an engaging, gripping watch that’s a great addition to Tatiana Maslany’s acting credits.