The Housemaid is Watching

Three months earlier, Millie, her husband Enzo, their 11-year-old daughter Ada, and their nine-year-old son Nico move into their new house on Long Island. Millie loves the house and is thrilled by the size of it compared to their former small apartment in the Bronx. It was expensive for their budget, but they bought it at 10% below the asking price, which is miraculous as they were outbid for other houses in lesser neighborhoods with inferior school districts.

Enzo and his friend move the furniture into the house. Nico does not want to unpack, as he is too energetic and excited, but Ada offers to help him, as she is more anxious and diligent about homework and chores. Millie sees someone looking at her through the window of the house across the street, but when she waves, the person disappears.

Millie stands outside and admires the lawn she knows Enzo will be able to rejuvenate. Their neighbor Suzette Lowell introduces herself. She’s a realtor, and Millie wonders why the people who sold her house did not use her. Millie shares that she’s a social worker. Suzette subtly insults Millie’s house for its smaller size and lack of upkeep. When the good-looking Enzo introduces himself, Suzette shamelessly flirts with him, which aggravates Millie. Suzette also refers to Millie as pregnant, which further upsets Millie, even though she likes her curves and knows it’s only the unflattering angle of her shirt that makes her belly stick out. Suzette invites them over to dinner the next night. She also tells them that the family that lives across the street has a son Nico’s age, but the mother, Janice, is a busybody who stares in people’s windows. Millie and Enzo agree they need to install blinds. Millie wonders if moving to Long Island was a mistake.

Millie and her family eat Chinese takeout at their kitchen table. Ada is anxious about the next day, as the family left the Bronx in March, and the kids are starting at a new school in the middle of the school year. Nico is unphased, as he makes friends easily. Nico asks for a pet, but since the yard is not yet fenced, they cannot get a dog. He then asks for a praying mantis, which Millie is disgusted by. Enzo eggs Nico on, as he also wants a praying mantis. They tell Millie that it’s an easy pet and it eats flies, and Millie tentatively agrees as she imagines how horrified Suzette would be at the idea of a praying mantis.

After unpacking their bathroom, Enzo and Millie start to have sex, but Millie feels as if someone is watching them since they have no blinds. Enzo turns off the light and they have sex, though for a moment Millie still feels watched, as if she can make out a set of eyes from the house across the street.

Millie walks Ada and Nico to the bus stop at the end of the cul-de-sac. Janice and her son Spencer also walk to the bus stop. Janice is elderly and keeps Spencer on a leash. Nico and Spencer are in the same class and quickly become friends, though Janice does not seem enthused and asks if Nico is fully vaccinated. Spencer looks pale and smaller than he should be for third grade. Millie mentions having met Suzette, and Janice tells her that Suzette is not nice and that Millie should watch Enzo around her. Millie does not think Enzo would cheat on her.

Before the kids board the bus, Millie tries to comfort Ada but fails. When they leave, Millie tells them she’ll see them at home. Janice is horrified that Millie would let the kids walk home alone from the bus stop, even though it’s just across the street. She tells Millie about a child that was abducted a few towns over, but Millie feels that Janice is overly paranoid. Janice’s husband died and left her enough money to not work; since Millie has to work to help support their family, Janice calls her a bad mother and accuses her of not making enough time for her kids. Aggravated, Millie walks away. She wonders if moving was a mistake.

The kids have a good day at school; Nico makes friends with everyone, and Ada manages to befriend a couple of classmates.

After school, Nico goes in the backyard to practice ahead of little league tryouts. Millie got an apple pie from the grocery store to bring over to Suzette’s; though she tries to make it look homemade, she knows Suzette will be able to tell. Enzo comes home late and covered in dirt. He quickly showers, having forgotten about dinner at Suzette’s. Millie briefly puts the pie in the oven, hoping if it’s warm Suzette will think it’s homemade. She feels a strange need to impress her neighbor.

Millie, Enzo, and the kids head over to the Lowells’ house. The pie is hot from the oven and burning Millie’s hands. Martha, Suzette’s maid, answers the door, standing silently in the doorway, which Millie finds off-putting. Suzette invites them in, commenting on their tardiness despite the family only being five minutes late. Enzo fiddles with his shirt while Millie notices the low neckline of Suzette’s dress and her ample cleavage.

Suzette gives them a tour: The Lowell house was the main house originally, while Millie’s house used to be the animal shed. Nico thinks it’s cool, but Millie is offended. Suzette tells Millie that another of Martha’s families has canceled her services, so Martha can clean for Millie and Enzo. Millie tries to tell Suzette they cannot afford a cleaner, but Suzette talks over her.

Suzette’s husband Jonathan appears. Millie finds his unpretentious demeanor refreshing. She likes Jonathan, while Suzette continues to grate by flirting with Enzo. Enzo offers to landscape for the Lowells.

Suzette serves an elaborate dinner, though it’s clear she did not cook it. She seats herself beside Enzo and Millie beside Jonathan, which Millie finds odd. Jonathan reveals that he and Suzette agreed to never have children, but his attitude leads Millie to conclude that Jonathan may have wanted children and been shot down by Suzette. Enzo and Millie ask about the numerous forks of the table setting, prompting Suzette to mock them.

The group discusses Janice’s bizarre behavior: She once called the police on the Lowells for having a barbecue. Enzo expresses excitement about the grill, and Suzette offers to let him come over and use it. Martha serves a salad that Millie finds delicious, but Suzette mocks her for using the wrong fork. Millie is the only one to thank Martha.

Suzette offers to help Enzo find business in their community, as her role as a realtor will help him find potential clients. Martha then serves the main dish: Pasta alla Norma, a Sicilian dish that Suzette asked their chef to prepare based on Enzo’s Sicilian accent. Enzo tears up while eating, and Suzette asks why Millie’s never made the dish for Enzo, further antagonizing her by again mocking her for using the wrong fork.

At home, Enzo finally notices that Millie is upset. Millie reveals her anger at Suzette’s flirtation, and Enzo laughs it off. He tries to initiate sex, but Millie hears an odd scraping noise she wants to investigate. Enzo tells her it’s just the house settling and they have sex.

Millie has Thursday mornings off, so she tries to relax after the kids head off to school. When she opens the door to get the mail, she finds Martha on the doorstep—Enzo asked her to come clean. Millie calls Enzo, who confirms that he called Martha and that her rate is not high. Millie grabs a banana and eats it in the living room while answering emails. The kids’ school emails almost every day, which Millie finds obnoxious. Millie feels uneasy as Martha cleans because of how Martha stares at her.

Millie takes Nico over for a playdate with Spencer, Janice’s son. Janice demanded a copy of Nico’s vaccination record before the playdate, which Millie provided. Nico wants to bring his baseball bat to practice for Little League tryouts, and Millie agrees. At the playdate, Janice asks if Nico has lice, which offends Millie. Millie tries to leave, which hurts Janice’s feelings, so Millie stays and drinks some juice that she finds disgusting.

Janice tells Millie that no one wanted to buy Millie’s house, so something must be wrong with it. This observation unnerves Millie. Janice also confides that Suzette is the worst and that she mistreats Jonathan. Janice adds that Enzo is currently at Suzette’s house and questions Millie’s trust in his ability to stay faithful.

While brushing their teeth, Millie asks if Enzo was at Suzette’s house. He was, to help with her yard so that she would help publicize his business. Nico tells his parents that Little Kiwi, the praying mantis, is molting. Enzo goes to see it after asking Millie if they’re okay, and she agrees they are, though she does not trust Suzette.

Millie wakes up hearing the scraping noise again. She doesn’t want to wake Enzo since he has to work early, so she goes to investigate by herself. She looks around upstairs and then creeps downstairs, and the noise stops. She cannot decide if the lack of noise or the presence of noise is more unsettling. She tries to convince herself it’s just the house settling and returns to her bedroom.

Millie works on making pasta alla Norma for Enzo, though she struggles to brown the eggplant. Nico wants Enzo to practice baseball with him, but Enzo is not home yet. He goes outside to practice by himself, and Millie hears a crash: Nico hit a ball into one of the Lowells’ windows. Millie takes Nico next door to apologize. Suzette informs them it was a stained glass window, which makes Millie panic about the cost of the damage. Enzo tells Nico he’s not supposed to practice by himself, but Millie reminds Enzo that Nico was alone because Enzo didn’t get home to practice with him. Millie offers for Nico to do chores at the Lowells’ to pay off the window. Suzette acquiesces.

As a social worker, Millie previously worked with children. When the trauma of the children she worked with became too much for her to handle emotionally, she transferred to hospital social work. Her patient Mrs. Green, who has dementia, accuses Millie of trying to steal from her. This triggers Millie, who spent 10 years in prison for killing a boy who was trying to rape her friend when they were teenagers. She feels profiled for her past in prison and worries that the charge nurse Donna will think she really is stealing.

Donna calms Millie down but notices she looks pale, so she takes Millie’s blood pressure. It’s high, and Donna advises Millie to see her doctor. Millie chalks it up to the stress of moving and hopes when things get better, so will her blood pressure.

As Enzo and Millie clean up after dinner, Millie notices Nico didn’t finish his mac and cheese, which is his favorite food. This worries Millie. She also tells Enzo about her high blood pressure. Enzo is concerned, though Millie tries to brush it off. He thinks they should get life insurance policies. When Millie asks why, he tells her that Suzette mentioned it. This puts Millie on edge—they are not dying anytime soon.

At bedtime, Ada asks if Millie is dying—Ada overheard the conversation about life insurance. Millie reassures her that no one is dying and tells her not to worry. Ada then asks for Enzo. Millie kisses Nico goodnight, avoiding the praying mantis in the enclosure near his bed. After putting Nico to bed, she looks out the window and sees Enzo in the Lowells’ yard talking to Suzette. Millie is immediately suspicious—it is 10 pm, and Enzo should be putting the children to bed.

Millie wakes up to the sound of someone breaking in, so she wakes up Enzo in a panic. Enzo reassures Millie that it’s just Martha—he gave Martha a key so she can come clean early without waking them up. Millie is disturbed that Martha has a key to their house.

When she goes downstairs, she finds Martha snooping in the office desk. Martha claims she wanted to leave Millie a note that they’re out of cleaning spray. Millie is still suspicious, especially when she finds a broken vase in the living room. Martha denies breaking it, but Millie accuses Martha repeatedly until Enzo intervenes. Enzo thinks it may have been Nico; Nico admits that when he went downstairs to get a snack in the night, he knocked the vase over. Martha is angry about being accused like a criminal, staring intently at Millie when using the word “criminal.” Millie wonders if Martha knows about her past and is snooping for Suzette.

Millie’s primary care doctor tells her to reduce her blood pressure with medication and stress relief measures like meditation. Millie thinks it’s ridiculous. When she returns home, she runs into Jonathan, who tells her they no longer want Nico helping around the house but doesn’t ask Millie for money to replace the window. Millie tries to flirt with Jonathan to make Suzette jealous, but Jonathan brushes her off, looking back to see if Suzette saw, as he seems to know she’s watching. Millie wonders what Suzette wants and why she’s always watching.