Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Scamboy

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Season 1, Episode 5, “Scamboy,” kicks the narrative into high gear as Paula moves past the point of no return. It’s a masterclass in cultivating tension and opening the floodgates, as it were, to the larger mystery at play. As usual, and this should go without saying at this point, Tatiana Maslany is king. She deftly steers this ship and makes the story as exciting as it is. 

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, “Scamboy” 

Paula is such an intriguing protagonist. She’s far from perfect and makes bad decision after bad decision in this series, and all these choices push her further down a dangerous rabbit hole. It’s maddening as a viewer—you want to reach through the screen and give Paula a good shake.

However, this show reminds us that women are allowed to be imperfect. They don’t have to be palatable or likable to be worth rooting for. Maslany endears us to Paula, flaws and all, and she’s an interesting lens into this world of blackmail and murder. 

One has to wonder if Paula is a glutton for adrenaline. At the beginning of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Paula seeks pleasure from the younger Trevor as she mourns the loss of her own youth. Paula is in her 30s, so she’s not old by any stretch, but society tells us women that we might as well have one foot in the grave when we hit 30. We’re essentially put out to pasture. There’s a deep unhappiness within Paula and an inability to sit metaphorically still, so she feels impelled to shake things up. It’s a wholly relatable urge. 

Pleasure in the Kill

Paula drags Geri and Rudy into her escapades as she meets Sky at the motel. “Scamboy” pulls back the veil on Sky, Ash, and the late Trevor’s ambitious business venture to turn that motel into affordable housing for college students. Of course, the shady Dennis is involved, and once again, Paula almost has a terrifying run-in with Trevor’s murderer. 

Dennis clearly loves innovative kills, and he takes pleasure in slaughtering his victims — even Trevor, whom he seemingly loved. It’s a clever meditation on how women’s pleasure is shamed and suppressed, while men’s pleasure is encouraged to flourish in the bright light of day. They can find passion in whatever they choose. 

Sky’s death is nightmare-inducing. It’s also easily one of the most creative deaths on TV. Foam insulation in the mouth? Talk about horrifying. What I love about the scuffle between Paula, Sky, and Ash is how messy it is. These aren’t skilled warriors on the battlefield; these are characters in fight-or-flight mode. They’re not used to throwing punches. Paula grabs what she can to wield against her would-be captors to avoid Dennis inevitably killing her. Hey, nail guns are great weapons. 

The Devil You Don’t Know 

Meanwhile, Mallory proves she’s resourceful as all get-out. She leverages her already lofty position as a lawyer to stack the deck in her and Karl’s favor. She’s not afraid to play dirty in “Scamboy.” While she’s not a literal killer like Dennis, Mallory is a killer in the courtroom. She’s the threat Paula can’t see right now, which potentially makes her more dangerous. 

The overarching narrative really takes flight in Episode 5. Dennis knows that Paula is well aware that he killed Trevor. She’s the loose end he must tie. Ash fled the scene of Sky’s murder, making her a loose end, too. Gonzales and Baxter will undoubtedly link the gruesome motel scene to Paula. And Karl is this close to discovering Paula’s role in all this, which will jeopardize her objective of keeping Hazel in New York. The pieces are falling into place. “Scamboy” is the tipping point that Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed needed. 

Stray Observations: 

• That Karl scene with Gonzales and Baxter — Jake Johnson’s Nick Miller jumped out in the best way. Hilarious. 
• So, it seems Dennis did fall for Trevor against his better judgment. Never mix business with (maximum) pleasure (guaranteed), dude. 
• Who is Cecilia to Dennis? Tech support? Bri (also known as Brochacho)? Jennifer? The higher-ups giving Dennis grief are slowly emerging from the shadows. It seems they use Dennis to blackmail powerful people to get what they want. 
• This series is definitely pushing Geri and Rudy together. The playful banter is primed for romance territory. 
• Paula buying a gun will undoubtedly come back to bite her in the ass. 

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

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