If she’s going to murder someone, it should be the right person.
Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Palm Royale.
The Big Picture
- In
Palm Royale
, Norma’s problems would not be solved by killing Maxine, who has come into her house and taken control of her money. - Norma wants revenge for Maxine and Douglas’ arrival in her home, but her hate is focused on the wrong person.
- The person responsible for wasting her money isn’t Maxine but her estranged nephew, Douglas, who is recklessly using her money for illegal purposes.
Palm Royale tells a complex story with many mysteries yet to be revealed, but one thing is clear: Norma (Carol Burnett) is a victim. The series focuses on Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons (Kristen Wiig) and her attempt to make a place for herself in Palm Beach High Society using her husband’s family name. While exposing the many scandals of the social elite, the Apple TV+ series introduces many colorful characters, but Norma is one of the most important. As the uncontested queen of Palm Beach, she ruled by fear, but her embolism left a power vacuum. While Norma was incapacitated, Maxine showed up with her husband and Norma’s estranged nephew, Douglas (Josh Lucas). Claiming to be there to take care of Norma, the couple has moved into her house and taken control of her money without her consent, blowing most of the fortune. And now that she is healing, Norma understandably wants revenge.
However, she’s focused on the wrong person. Norma targets Maxine, but she isn’t the person responsible for wasting all her money — Douglas is. Douglas recklessly used the Dellacorte fortune for illegal bribes, coming dangerously close to ruining his aunt. Maxine’s desperate attempt to raise her social standing requires money, but she’s also continuing Norma’s reputation by ensuring the Beach Ball happens as Norma planned and, therefore, bringing in money. Maxine isn’t innocent, but she is far less of a threat to Norma than Douglas. If Norma is going to exact her revenge, she should focus her energy on Douglas, not Maxine.
Palm Royale
Chronicles a woman reconstructing her identity in the 1960s after being dismissed by her husband and her entire social circle.
- Release Date
- March 20, 2024
- Creator
- Abe Sylvia
- Cast
- Kristen Wiig , ricky martin , Josh Lucas , Leslie Bibb , Laura Dern , Allison Janney
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Seasons
- 1
How Does Norma Plot Revenge?
Though Norma is well enough to know what is going on, which Maxine and Douglas don’t give her credit for, Norma is still not fully mobile, so her plan has to be simple. She took a revolver from the crowd while she was alone and kept it in her purse. Throughout Episode 7, “Maxine Bags a Prince,” Norma conceals the weapon, waiting for her opportunity. As they attend Skeet’s (Bruce Dern) funeral, Norma takes action, luring Maxine away from the crowd, supposedly to take her to the bathroom. With the noise from the bagpipes which Norma expected, no one would hear the gun going off, and Norma’s immobility would make her an unlikely suspect, allowing the woman to get away with the murder and free herself from Maxine.
However, when Norma has her opportunity, the plan goes awry. Maxine gets lost looking for a bathroom, and rather than finding a secluded place perfect for Norma’s crime, the two women walk in on Robert (Ricky Martin) having sex with “the Prince of Luxembourg” (Ben Palacios), shocking Norma, who was seemingly unaware of Robert’s sexuality. Not only does this prevent Norma from killing Maxine at the funeral, but as he takes her home, Robert discovers Norma’s plan, hiding the weapons in the house, so she won’t get another chance. Robert tries to convince Norma that Maxine isn’t so bad, but Norma remains unconvinced. Yet he is right. Maxine is not the biggest problem Norma needs to face.
Douglas Is the Real Threat to Norma
Douglas is entitled, reckless, and a far bigger threat to Norma than Maxine. Maxine may be the legal caretaker, but Douglas is the one who wasted most of the fortune. Becoming business partners with his old school friend Perry (Jordan Bridges), Douglas used huge sums of his aunt’s money to grease palms and bribe people to get their apartments off the ground. This backfires when Perry’s business becomes the subject of an investigation in response to Linda (Laura Dern) and her friends leaking the secrets Norma saved. Douglas’ illegal activity put the Dellacourte fortune in such a dangerous situation, getting the assets frozen. Douglas should be the focus of Norma’s anger because he is the worst offender.
Beyond Douglas’ literal crimes, if Norma is going to get out of her situation, Douglas has to be removed. It’s Douglas who has a family connection to Norma, giving him a better claim on the money than Maxine. Without Douglas, Maxine would not be tied to Norma in the first place. Killing Maxine would not solve Norma’s problem because Douglas would still be there. Though she does nothing to stop him, Maxine is wary of Douglas’ spending. Douglas expects to inherit Norma’s money and, therefore, believes spending it is no issue. Maxine is not the root of the problem, though Evelyn (Allison Janney) revealed that Norma blames Maxine for stealing her nephew. Norma should be more concerned about Douglas and what his carelessness will do to her than Maxine.
Maxine Isn’t Innocent, But She’s Not the Biggest Obstacle for Norma
Maxine has used Norma’s money for herself, but she’s not as bad as Douglas. Maxine has stolen, lied, and blown a fair portion of the Dellacorte money in her attempt to fit in with the filthy rich. Maxine didn’t know Norma until showing up in Palm Beach, and she pawned Norma’s things for money to reach her own goals, but Norma should be able to admire her work. If nothing else, Norma should recognize their similarities. Norma isn’t an innocent woman, as she uses blackmail to hold her place in society, just as Maxine will do anything to become a member of society. Maxine plans to continue with Norma’s famous Beach Ball, which could make them allies. Norma is not able to plan the party on her own, but if it is canceled, she will lose her crown. Besides, the Beach Ball will help replenish the Dellacourte fortune.
Maxine has her faults, and she has taken from Norma. Admittedly, Maxine should be stopped but when comparing the two, Douglas is worse. Maxine is better to the old woman than Douglas. While Maxine is selfish, she does look after Norma or at least make sure someone is there to take care of her, but Doug, who has known and supposedly cared for Norma all his life, barely interacts with her. Maxine is manipulative and self-centered but has not committed the most significant crimes against Norma. Realistically, Norma is only going to get one chance to kill those who have wronged her without raising suspicion, and she needs to focus on her primary target.
This article was originally published on collider.com