Episode 1 of Palm Royale season 2 is a little bit slow compared to the first season. Something about it felt a little bit different, but I can’t deny that watching Ricky Martin serenading us while Kristen Wiig gave us a full dance performance made the episode immediately worth watching. Palm Royale is a campy 1960s comedy about high society and one woman’s quest to become a part of it. At the end of last season, we were left absolutely flabbergasted with how things ended. The show is frustrating on purpose, but leaving us wondering if Robert would survive or not was especially cruel. But, being such a beloved character, we all know he’s eventually going to wake up. Anyway, with that said, let’s get straight into the first episode of season 2.
Spoiler Alert
Where Is Maxine Dellacorte Now?
Episode 2 begins with Maxine entering the “Palm Royale” and a waiter greeting her with a martini instead of her usual grasshopper. When she asks for Robert, the man is confused. She then walks into the club, and suddenly it’s Robert performing “I’m coming home,” as Maxine begins to dance on the tables. She’s wearing a fancy outfit and begins with a surprised look on her face when she hears Robert is going to be performing. But he was just a waiter? Well now he’s a hero, but soon enough, the performance dissolves into something else, and Maxine is dragged away from Robert, screaming for him. Still, she hasn’t realized what’s going on. As she gets dragged away, we see flashes of what happened earlier, with Robert getting shot and Maxine screaming for him. The performance ends with Robert falling onto the stage after being shot, and Doug telling her that she’s now in good hands as she gets dragged into the loony hospital.
In the meanwhile, Mary makes a run for it while Linda gets arrested for the crime she committed. Ironically, the gun even reads MD, but Tom is ready to throw Linda under the bus because it fast-tracks his promotion. To save her some time, Virginia puts her in the asylum holding too, because it allows her 3 days to figure out what she can do. Tom hates Virginia for obvious reasons. For one, she’s a woman, and two, she’s a much better detective than he is, but most importantly, she’s a feminist. Virginia reminds Tom that her book club was a front for her FBI agenting, but he’s determined to make it look like she was using it for her personal feminist agenda.
Meanwhile, Norma sits next to Robert’s bed, waiting for him to wake up, for one reason only: to find out who told him her real name, Agnes. Virginia visits Linda in her room and tells her that she’s an agent, blowing her cover. She wants Linda to know her fate. On the other hand, Norma reminds everyone at Palm Beach who’s boss. While looking at some stunning dresses, Norma reminds the wives’ club that she’s back and very angry about how they wanted to turn her estate into a club. The conversation is interrupted when Dinah walks in wearing a wedding dress. Dinah tells Norma that she appreciates her approval, especially because she was once the love of her future husband, Axel’s life. Norma tries to ignore the statement, probably because she’s got something to hide about it too, but Dinah herself changes the subject immediately. Turns out, she had Perry declared dead for tax purposes when he disappeared. This allows her to remarry even though she’s technically still married. She’s doing all of this for Perry and her to get back to their regular lives, of course. They’re broke, but Axel is already at his attorney’s to make Dinah the sole proprietor of his estate. Norma decides to host a party for the happy couple, though Dinah hardly thinks it necessary.
After Douglas gives Maxine a lame apology speech, she’s happily enjoying her grasshopper that Robert gave her before getting injected with a dose of whatever it is that’s making her think she’s at the Palm Royale. However, Linda’s here to the rescue, and from her room in the basement, she calls for Maxine, who’s essentially zipped up into a sleeping bag so she can’t run. Linda tells Maxine that they’re at Sunny Tides and wakes her up from her hypnotic state by making her say the words “I’m Maxine Dellacorte, and I drink grasshoppers.” Suddenly things clear up for the woman. Linda tells her to go find out if Robert’s okay in the ICU, which is in another wing not far from where they are. Being the enterprising woman that she is, Maxine gets out of her straitjacket and rushes to find Robert. She even climbs over the wall in the same way she did to get into the Palm Royale the first time she tried to enter it. Maxine finds Robert, but he’s still unconscious, before Norma shows up. The former overhears the old woman telling an unconscious Robert she knows who told him about Agnes. Oh, she also admits she’ll destroy Maxine, but I guess she already knew that.
Maxine calls Doug immediately and starts telling him what’s happening to her in Sunny Tides, but she gets caught and given a sedative again. When Doug comes to see her, she’s got a muzzle on like a dog, and her hands are tied up. Douglas acts all concerned, and then they have a proper conversation once she’s freed. Ironically, Douglas is the one acting like Maxine betrayed him when he’s the one who told his wife that he got a much younger woman pregnant. Maxine can’t even go crazy about it because she’s literally in a “madhouse.” When Douglas goes back home, he hears Norma conspiring with Mitzi about their future plans. Mitzi doesn’t know what Norma’s up to, getting rid of Maxine for good, but she wants what’s best for her baby. Earlier, she was going to leave because she felt like she wasn’t welcome there, considering Doug was talking to Maxine on the phone. But Norma assures Mitzi that she does belong, and she’s going to make it so.
What Happens at the Wedding Party?
Meanwhile, Mary escapes through some underground tunnels, and Evelyn finds her singing birdsong at a hidden door in her house. Mary tries to run away, but Evelyn stops her. Mary asks her if she can keep a secret and admits to Evelyn that she shot Robert by accident. She’s surprised and a little bit disappointed that no one’s looking for her, but she does show some concern about Robert’s well-being. Evelyn promises to keep Mary’s secret and hide her in her basement for the time being.
On the other hand, Dinah visits Maxine at Sunny Tides, and the latter’s happy to see someone be empathetic towards her. Dinah tells Maxine about Axel having left everything to her, but she’s in peril because she’s in love with Perry, who doesn’t have any money. So she’s here to ask Maxine for some advice. Maxine’s advice is “choose love.” Dinah then remembers the story of Dominique de Marche, who faced a similar situation as Maxine, with the whole Mitzi thing, but she got locked up in Sunny Tides forever. She doesn’t want Maxine to fall into the same trap. At the same time, Norma visits Linda and offers her a deal. Testify against Maxine and receive a “get out of jail free card.” But Linda tells Norma that Maxine is her friend. Norma wants Linda to tell the cops that Maxine was the one who planned the presidential assassination. But while Linda’s trying to play nice, Evelyn is making more plans to steal all her money. That would leave Linda completely helpless, and as Dinah says, people will do anything for money, no? At the same time, Maxine meets Dominique in the Sunny Tides lobby.
At the end of episode 1 of Palm Royale season 2, Norma meets with Axel to set things straight while Dinah tells Perry that she’s here for him and that they’ll find another way back to wealth. At the same time, Pinky reminds Douglas that he lost him a lot of money and has to find a way to get it back. Oop, no more freedom for Maxine, I guess. He ends up getting a drink and finding Perry there, who calls Dinah’s decision to break up with Axel stupid. We already know how Douglas feels about “stupidity,” so I guess he’s going to choose to side with Norma. When Dinah finds Axel again to break up with him, he’s dead, and the cuff links she gave him are missing. Are we thinking Norma killed him? How did she do it? I can’t really tell what missing cufflinks would mean. But he could’ve died from shock as well? One thing is certain (well, kind of): Norma is responsible here. Finally, Norma introduces Mitzi as the newest member of the Dellacorte family, and at the same time, Dinah screams for help with Axel. However, back at Sunny Tides, Maxine gets Evelyn to help her break out of the place by using Dominique as a distraction to call her. The episode ends with Robert waking up, saying the name Agnes, and Maxine leaving Sunny Tides.
Is it going to be 3 women living under Evelyn’s household? What about Linda? Will Maxine choose to side against her? I don’t think so, but she’s definitely determined not to feel powerless again.
