Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Further Down the Rabbit Hole We Go

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Season 1, Episode 7, “Flighting,” sees Paula reckon with her actions as the detectives close in on their target — her. The outing plants more narrative seeds in the form of Brian (the tossed salad guy), Jennifer, and the older woman with the packages, and it’s abundantly clear that this mystery is grander than little ole Dennis (sorry, Murray Bartlett). 

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, “Flighting” 

This series has been pro-women from the get-go, and it’s refreshing to see. Paula is messy, complex, and hard to root for, and those aren’t bad qualities to have in a character. After all, women have been forced to appeal to the male gaze for, well, forever.

It’s wonderful to see her be strong and soft while making not-so-great choices. Maslany makes Paula feel so lived-in, so tangible. We all know a Paula. Hell, I think I am a Paula. Maslany is so natural in her performance that it looks effortless; it almost seems like she’s not acting. 

Believe Women

Beyond her performance, though, is Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed‘s continued exploration of society’s refusal to believe women. It’s quite obvious, especially with Geri scolding Rudy for not believing Paula’s story, but sometimes, the message needs to be thwacked over the audience’s head for it to resonate. 

Rudy questions Paula’s recounting of events after she shoots Dennis, escapes, and then returns to the scene of the crime to find it scrubbed clean. He’s incredulous that the older woman is lying about the packages, but as we see in the latter’s phone call with Brian, Paula’s bullsh*t detector is accurate. 

The Great Unraveling 

Our intrepid, sleuthing trio is falling apart at the seams in “Flighting.” Rudy bows out, while Geri lies about not being able to unlock Dennis’s phone, even though Drew successfully carries out this task for her. Geri is clearly writing an article about Paula’s wild trip down the murder mystery rabbit hole, which could drive a wedge between her and Paula. 

We see the weight of all that Paula’s juggling, all those plates spinning in the air, come crashing down in the final moments of “Flighting.”

Things seem to look up for our girl — she snags a date with Steve, the hot soccer coach, for starters. She finally gets a promotion at work, even though it’s only a title change. Karl has reservations about ruining Paula’s life to win custody of Hazel, even though Mallory is on Team Merciless (another intriguing woman character who’s messy; she gives me Margaery Tyrell vibes). 

The Real Murderer Is Out of Commission 

However, our dynamic detective duo arrests Paula for murdering Trevor and Sky, right as Steve makes his way to her apartment with a bouquet of roses. Heartbreaking. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed never fails to conclude an episode with a tasty cliffhanger, making us clamor for the next episode to find out what happens next. Here’s hoping Paula is vindicated. 

Stray Observations: 

• Listen, “Die-ya” is a great name for a dating app for murderers. Capitalize on that, Rudy. 
• Tracking Dennis’s residence (well, what our crew thinks is his residence) via his Amazon orders is a genius move. 
• To be fair, I’m always freezing when I should be flying. It’s my preferred survival mechanism. 
• Is there a better time to have a nervous breakdown than during an aerobics class? 
• I wish I had the guts to demand what I deserve like Paula. 
• Ash uncovered all those flash drives from Trevor’s cash stash. Why keep them? Was he connected with the company that hired Dennis? 

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

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