The thing about limited series is that you know that eventually, they are going to get to the point. Most don’t take until they are halfway through to get somewhat interesting. They start more interesting.
Palm Royale hasn’t been bad. It’s not even been close to bad. But, what it has been is everywhere. It’s had both its ups and downs and found itself wondering where its footing is.
In episode 4 though, we finally get a look at what it is that they are trying to achieve. Mystery. Intrigue. Secrets.
Yes, we’ve all known that in Palm Beach those things are currency. Yet, as the episodes have progressed, what we’ve been left with is just that knowledge, but not even close to understanding what secrets all of these characters have. We do find out that a lot of them are in Norma’s rolodex. The one that Virginia now has.
When we open this episode it is 1949 and we are at Norma’s house, a wedding, and eventually we hear a gunshot go off in the background. Maxine’s voiceover says, “An untold secret is like a loaded gun. You never know when it will go off. Or who it might hit.”
And you know that at this moment, we’re going to be finding out secrets from the characters in the show.
While the writing of the show is good, it just feels like with this episode, there are some inconsistencies. I forget which era I am in, who means what, and what everyone is trying to project. But I am fully willing to accept that I could be wrong there, because the reality is that, walls are coming down and what we’re seeing is secrets start to come out.
Including Roberts. He’s willing to do whatever to keep his, including going up against Maxine to try and get control of Norma. Conservatorship is such a dirty word sometimes and this is one of the times that it is just that. The two are ruthless and willing to destroy each other over it.
It’s kinda crazy what people will do for money and what these women will do is just absolutely crazy to me. Maxine wins, setting Robert up to get arrested for stealing Norma’s jewels – even though Maxine is the one who stole it.
I have to say, I feel for Robert. I see him trying to keep his secrets and the rolodex holds just those. He thinks Maxine stole it, but he finds out it wasn’t her. I mean we already knew that. It’s kinda sad and heartbreaking to see how this one assumption has done just the opposite of what he wanted.
It didn’t secure his place at the Dellacorte mansion. Instead, it ended his time there.
Linda/Penelope took him in and gave him a place to stay at her store. She knows his secret because of that Rolodex – Norma kept everyone’s secret written on the back of their address card. While we don’t see the back of everyone’s, we do on the back of hers. It says that she attempted murder.
But with whom? Was that the gunshot at the beginning of the episode?
The thing is I don’t even understand how all of these characters are so vicious. But they are. They have a distinct path to getting where they want to be.
But in this town, that means knowing how to stab people in the back. Robert has learned this working at the club. Maxine is learning it.
Douglas embodies it. I thought that he would be a nice guy, but he’s after all the money and seems annoyed by the very existence of his aunt. He just wants to gamble and spend and isn’t bothered by the things that his wife has done. He’s more bothered by the possibility that he won’t get Norma’s fortune when he finds out that it’s going to the cats.
There is not a person in this show that isn’t self-serving. And well, that makes things start to get interesting, but currently, I am just wishing that would move along a bit faster.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- The Havana Nights ball looked like a great time.
- Maxine isn’t as bad as I thought she would be sometimes, but then sometimes she is
- I can’t with Maxine and her lies
- The safety deposit box – I laughed when they couldn’t find the Rolodex
- I about died when found out Douglas and Penelope were almost married
- What the hell was this small gun used for?
- Why would Robert need a sponsor?
- When Norma wakes up, what is she trying to say?
New episodes of Palm Royale stream Wednesdays on AppleTV+.
