Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Season 1 Episode 10 Review: Everything Everywhere in Queens

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Season 1, Episode 10, “Queens,” is an all-around strong finale — a return to form after the dip in quality in the last few episodes. Tatiana Maslany continues to dazzle, proving why she’s one of the best performers of her generation. 

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, “Queens” 

“Queens” does a solid job tying narrative loose ends, at least in terms of the most pressing ones: the custody battle, Dennis, and Paula’s exoneration. Of course, the Souter Group looms large, and the series cleverly leaves that door open for a potential second season. (And I have no doubt that Apple will renew a show that’s consistently in the Top 10 every week.) 

The finale brings back the Portland incident, providing more context. It’s here that we learn it wasn’t an accident, and that Paula ran over Caleb on purpose. That’s the great thing about this show — there are no “throwaway” story beats. Everything has meaning, if not immediately, then down the line. 

Watching Paula come out on top in “Queens” is utterly gratifying after a season’s worth of her wading through sh*t. Maslany is a revelation during the courtroom monologue. She’s so present and arresting. You believe what she’s saying here. 

On the Top 

In a delightful role reversal, Paula finds herself in a much better place. She won custody of her child, she was exonerated of murder charges, and she has a date with a hot guy.

Her putting Karl in his place is also wholly satisfying. Jake Johnson surprisingly excels at playing the jerk who believes he’s the good guy. Johnson’s performance rings true because he never goes over the top. He doesn’t play Karl like an a-hole; that’s just a natural side effect for the character. 

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed also gives us a romantic rug pull in “Queens.” Just when you think that Geri and Rudy are pursuing their innate chemistry, the episode pivots away, bringing another roadblock into the picture. It would be frustrating if this show’s chances of renewal weren’t that high (I’ll eat my hat if Apple cancels it). I’ll be curious to see how the creatives incorporate this pair into Season 2. 

Moving in the Right Direction 

On the law side of the story, Gonzales actually does her job (Dolly de Leon is so great in this role), and digs deeper into the case at hand. She’ll undoubtedly learn about the Souter Group, especially since Paula knows more than she’s letting on. I’m glad Baxter survived, and Leon and Jon Michael Hill have a fun on-screen rapport. 

“Queens” is an entertaining blend of dark humor, action, mystery, and heartfelt drama. All these elements coalesce to form a seamless finale that moves at a steady clip from beginning to end while concluding on a nail-biting — and tantalizing — cliffhanger. 

Stray Observations: 

• Dennis’s face wound makes my face hurt. Hats off to the incredible makeup team for that. 
• Nursing Dennis back to health just to kill him is crazy work. Murray Bartlett smashed it this season, though. 
• I think most people want to be a sung hero, Rudy (and if they deny this, they’re lying). 
• Of course the invisible Vi is back to ruin my Rudy/Geri. Ruri? Gedy? We’ll work on that ship name before Season 2 rolls around. 
• “You’re in the truth business, how’s this for truth? You f*cked with the wrong mom.” What a banger of a line for Paula. That’s a mic drop moment if I’ve ever seen one. 
• It’s the Souter Group behind that text, right? They own Paula now. But who sent the video? My guess is Mallory is involved somehow. 

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Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Season 1 is now streaming on Apple TV. 

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