‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’ review: The power of Tatiana Maslany makes this thriller a must-watch

Cam boy scammers. Piles of corpses. A sinister conspiracy.

From these elements alone, one might think that the Apple TV Maximum pleasure guaranteed is a salacious crime case. It’s not entirely wrong, but it’s true, SO much more thanks to the person who stumbles upon all these dirty secrets: newly divorced mother Paula Sanders (Tatiana Maslany).

What is this Maximum pleasure guaranteed about?

Tatiana Maslany and Brandon Flynn in “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed”.
Credit: Apple TV

When we first meet Paula, she is almost exhausted. She and her ex Karl (Jake Johnson) are on the brink of a custody battle over their daughter Hazel (Nola Wallace). On top of that, she’s finishing a grueling move and her boss, tasked with her fact-checking work, seems allergic to the idea of ​​offering her a promotion.

With all this stress weighing on her, Paula seeks companionship and release with cam boy Trevor (Brandon Flynn). Their virtual conversations are mainly about pleasing each other, but they go deeper than that. Paula regularly tells Trevor about her frustrations with Karl and his work. Between his frankness and his understanding responses, one might think that their intimacy goes deeper than the physical.

Then Trevor gets kidnapped during one of their calls.

From there, Paula must face one of two disturbing realities. Either she just witnessed a bloody crime or Trevor is pulling a scam on her, meaning their connection was just a means to an end. For a woman whose entire life is in flux, neither option is reassuring. Thus begins Paula’s independent investigation into the truth, the sordid details of which collide with her personal life in a relentless spiral of blackmail and violence.

What follows is a dizzying, adrenaline-filled adventure. Maximum pleasure guaranteed shifts from dark comedy to crime thriller to custody drama, sometimes in a single scene. Frenetic jumps and Wynne Bennett’s pounding techno music immerse viewers in Paula’s stressed-out state of mind, while grisly cliffhangers keep the gasps flowing. Anchoring it all is Maslany’s magnificent performance as Paula.

Tatiana Maslany kills it in Maximum pleasure guaranteed.

Tatiana Maslany in “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed”.
Credit: Apple TV

If you’ve watched any of Maslany’s performances, her Emmy-winning clone works in Black Orphanhis devilishly funny turn She-Hulk: lawyerhis smaller but unforgettable role in The monkey – then you must know how to expect excellence from him. She delivers that and more Maximum pleasure guaranteed.

As Paula’s quest for the truth begins, her life splits in two. There’s a part of her that investigates strangers’ homes and buys a gun for protection. Then there’s the part of her that tries to make life as normal as possible for Hazel after the divorce.

Maslany excels in both modes, bringing physical comedy to everything from jumping off the roof to goofy mother-daughter dances on TikTok. But it’s when the two halves of her life intertwine that she truly shines. A time bomb of rage and despair, Maslany ensures that Paula’s anxieties are never far from the surface. Sometimes they burst into fierce monologues directed at colleagues, lawyers or detectives. Even then, Maslany withdraws, as Paula is keenly aware that any emotional outburst on his part could backfire on his chances of keeping custody of Hazel.

Yes, Maximum pleasure guaranteed is filled to the brim with intense twists and turns and juicy conspiracies. But the most infuriating aspect of the show is the judgment placed on Paula as a mother. When Karl finds out about her discussions with Trevor, his immediate reaction is to use them against her in court – and he’s far from the only one hoping to punish her for acting on his desire. No wonder Paula feels like her whole life is chaos. Like any mother, she’s expected to do everything: coach her daughter’s soccer team, host pizza parties, and look impeccable all the time. The moment she tries to do something for herself, it backfires and everyone judges her for it. Meanwhile, is Karl being criticized for his past infidelity? Of course not. Maslany walks the tightrope of Paula’s anger at this double standard and her reluctant adherence to it in spectacular fashion.

Maximum pleasure guaranteed surrounds frayed Paula with an impressive ensemble, ranging from oddities to outright threats. Flynn is a slippery fantasy as Trevor, while The White Lotus” Murray Bartlett shows how scary he can be as the sinister fixer. Elsewhere, Johnson and Jessy Hodges display utter villainy towards Karl and his new wife Mallory. The crew is rounded out by two very different couples. There’s sports betting fanatic Detective Gonzalez (Dolly de Leon) and his lovable partner, Detective Baxter (Jon Michael Hill), as well as Paula’s sarcastic but deeply invested colleagues Rudy (Charlie Hall) and Geri (Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg) The dynamic of the two pairs allows for staggered breaks in Paula’s panic, reinforcing the freewheeling genre tendencies of the series.

Of course, it’s Paula’s show through and through. Maslany and series creator David J. Rosen have created a compelling trainwreck of a character, one that you’ll want to follow to the ends of the earth — or at the very least, to the end of 10 thrilling episodes.

The first two episodes of Maximum pleasure guaranteed are now streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Wednesday.