Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Chunnel

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Season 1 Episode 3, “Chunnel,” kicks the narrative into high gear as Paula falls further down the rabbit hole. It’s a solid springboard for the remainder of the season, bolstered by compelling work from star Tatiana Maslany and Murray Bartlett. 

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, “Chunnel” 

What’s interesting is the series’ storytelling choices thus far. Instead of dragging out the unveiling of Trevor’s killer, audiences find out said killer’s identity in the second episode. Instead of keeping the scammer’s identity under wraps, we learn toward the end of “Chunnel” that she’s related to Trevor’s story in some capacity. In this way, the show is subverting plot expectations, common genre tropes, and pitfalls. 

It’s abundantly clear here that the above isn’t high on the list of narrative priorities — meaning, there’s something deeper, perhaps more insidious, waiting to ensnare Paula. That’s not excluding her custody dilemma, which is on the fast track to a trial. While Dennis being out in the wild is a danger, he’s merely a puppet. The show is not-so-subtly hinting at an unidentified, grand Wizard behind the curtain, pulling Dennis’s strings. 

Bartlett is such an asset for Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. He acts his face off during the scene when Detective Gonzalez calls Dennis to inform him about Trevor’s murder (also known as Jeff Thorwald). The way Bartlett immediately snaps out of feigning grief as Dennis to stoic/calculating should be studied. 

An Offer She Can’t Refuse 

Maslany shines as the biting and whip-smart Paula. Of course the fact checker by trade would do her research on, well, everything. She can read between the lines on Karl and Mallory’s Godfather deal. The scenes featuring Maslany, Jake Johnson, and Jessy Hodges are all about digging beneath the surface to discover what’s really happening. This is not a surface-level type of show. 

At face value, Karl and Mallory’s deal might seem like a dream. No rent and a free car? Sign me up. However, it’s a deliberate manipulation tactic to avoid going to court for custody of Hazel. Johnson deftly sheds his affable New Girl persona. Nick Miller he is not. As Karl, he’s grating and, admittedly, quite punchable. 

As Mallory, Hodges is equally manipulative. Mallory wheedles, trying to get on Paula’s good side by being “relatable.” She snags her target without feeling, whereas Karl has trouble controlling his emotions. She’s also the breadwinner and clearly the more dangerous of the two. 

Even Picture-Perfect Contract Killers Make Mistakes

That’s what makes Dennis targeting Mallory and potentially wiping her off the board so interesting. She’ll most likely survive the traumatic event, but it could backfire on Paula somehow, especially with Karl being aware of Trevor. We see repeatedly in “Chunnel” that Dennis is quite meticulous in his work. He covers his tracks, as Gonzalez observed. His plan to identify Hazel with the pink cleats is as ingenious as it is creepy. 

He messes up big time by misidentifying Mallory as Paula. This slip-up proves he’s not as slick or detail-oriented as he seems, which could see whatever organization he works for casting him aside for fresh blood. 

Gonzalez and Detective Baxter prove to be more competent than most feds on TV, although, to be fair, Paula does a shoddy job of covering her tracks. Again, the mysterious Portland incident is teased in “Chunnel.” Apparently, this isn’t Paula’s first murder rodeo. If this resurfaces, whatever it is, it’ll surely hurt her chances of getting custody of Hazel. 

A Metaphorical Minefield 

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed continues to cleverly dissect the macrocosm of misogyny, whether it’s through Paula and Karl’s heated interactions or even how it exists internally in someone like Mallory. How does a woman in her mid-to-late ’30s navigate a world that sees her as having one foot in the grave because she’s not 25 anymore? Really, how does any woman of any age survive when men like Dennis prey on them at every turn? This piece is the thematic undercurrent of this series. 

With Ash learning about Trevor’s murder, Dennis almost killing the wrong woman, Gonzalez and Baxter setting their sights on Paula, and Geri sniffing around, there are plenty of exciting story threads to explore in the episodes to come. 

Stray Observations: 

• Baxter’s going to adopt Trevor’s kitty. Someone has to rescue that adorable cinnamon roll!
• Basic research shows that Boise isn’t as affordable as Karl and Mallory make it out to be. Well, it’s definitely feasible for someone in their tax bracket, but not the average person. 
• If I were Paula and someone else I knew died near me of suspicious circumstances, I would move off the grid. Self-isolation is the way to go. 
• OBG Properties LLC … is this connected to Dennis somehow? Maybe Trevor and Ash were in cahoots with Dennis on some shady business venture. 
• Geri and Rudy are definitely getting together. They give off a “mildly irritated with each other” coworkers-to-lovers vibe. 

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Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed drops new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV.

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