Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Raisins
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Season 1, Episode 4, “Raisins,” reveals what happened in Portland as Dennis and the police zero in on Paula. Quality-wise, it’s a step in the right direction. The narrative really takes off here. The show finally sheds light on the Portland incident while keeping certain aspects of it shrouded in mystery.
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, “Raisins”
This series has mastered the art of the nuanced, messy woman. It reminds us that women are multifaceted and layered. We’re also imperfect. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed makes us root for Paula, warts and all, and paints her as a potentially unreliable narrator.
She’s impulsive and makes rash decisions while under pressure. She’s a wholly relatable, real person, and that’s thanks to the sharp writing and Tatiana Maslany’s impeccable performance. Maslany confidently steers this ship.
In fact, Paula is the only character worth rooting for, even with her flaws and less-than-stellar decision-making skills. “Raisins” makes Karl significantly more unlikable than before. Mallory might’ve saved Paula from going to jail after she committed vehicular manslaughter (whether it actually was VM remains to be seen). Still, Mallory certainly had an ulterior motive at the time. She still has it out for Paula even after swooping in to steal Karl.
Nobody Is Truly Likable — and That’s Okay
These complex, morally questionable characters are a delight to watch on screen. The Portland flashback provides clarity regarding Paula and Karl’s deteriorating marriage. Everything from Karl refusing to engage in roleplay for Paula to his passive-aggressive remarks aimed at her to his refusal to prioritize his daughter over a party tells us what we need to know about him.
“Raisins” further deconstructs his “reasonable, respectable parent” image, allowing us to empathize with Paula. She’s the underdog here, but unfortunately, the deck is stacked against her in more ways than one. It doesn’t help that Dennis now knows she was at Trevor’s house and the cops are on her tail, ready to falsely accuse her of murder.
Dolly de Leon and Jon Michael Hill are fun to watch as Gonzales and Baxter, respectively, even if the characters’ investigative skills leave something to be desired. They’re an entertaining pair.
If anything, Gonzales and Baxter’s willingness to buy Dennis’ alibi over Paula’s actual innocence is a meditation on sexism. An attractive white man will get off scot-free even if he commits murder. Hats off to Murray Bartlett for continuing to kill it (not literally) each week on this show. His “fake crying” as Dennis is creepy as all get-out.
So Many Questions, So Few Answers
“Raisins” sets the stage for what’s to come on Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, and it moves at a steady clip from start to finish. Geri and Rudy are finally getting involved. It’ll be interesting to watch the dynamic between Paula and her coworkers develop.
However, many questions still linger: Who does Dennis work for? What else happened in Portland that Paula withheld from the cops? Why is Mallory so hellbent on burying Paula (she already has her kid and her ex-husband)? With that exciting cliffhanger, we’re undoubtedly in for a wild ride from Episode 5 onward.
Stray Observations:
- Baxter is a hero for saving that precious little pumpkin.
- Did you know that Julia Louis-Dreyfus is Charlie Hall’s mom? Every day, a new nepo baby crawls out of the woodwork. At least Hall is talented.
- Doesn’t Caleb look an awful lot like Trevor? Methinks something was going on between Paula and Caleb in Portland. There’s more to this sequence than we’re seeing.
- Why do the police believe that Paula inexplicably overpowered Trevor? Tatiana Maslany is tiny.
- Jake Johnson is doing an excellent job of making me despise Karl.
What did you think of this episode of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed drops new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.