Palm Royale's 4th episode - "Maxine Rolls the Dice"

The episode starts with a flashback to a 1949 event at the Dellacorte mansion with an audio of Maxine saying everyone has money but not everyone is truly rich. Maxine knows the importance of secrets but for her marriage, she's willing to tell him. She wants to tell him about her financial whims and his disinheritance but the strength of this stance dissolves. Unaware that Norma can hear her, Evelyn visits her to search for the key. Realizing this, she hugs her and says she misses her before asking about the key. Despite her search and their communication through eye blinking, she is unsuccessful.

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Douglas says he would be having his last flight. He believes there's no point in still working when he has her and everything else. Worried, Maxine searches for Linda saying she needs her new best friend. She's panicking because she's a liar, squatter, thief and worse, they don't have the inheritance anymore. Linda encourages her to tell him but Maxine says he's never been more in love with her. Linda consoles her saying she won't get caught and if she does, she may not go to jail. Maxine appreciates Linda saying they really are best friends to counter Linda's previous objection.

Getting home, Detective Rick Cosnett (Tom Sanka) serves her some papers requesting her presence at court. She arrives at court nervous and curious until Robert arrives. He filed for conservatorship for Norma and stated reasons Maxine is opportunistic about Norma. She needs clarification about the concept and the judge (Nicolas Coster) simplifies it by saying, "he who's the nurse, gets the purse." They insult each other airing their opinions and more. After the court is adjourned, Maxine says it's tacky to bring the law into things and he explains his reasoning. He thought she stole the missing item from him as she stole from Norma and did this to protect Norma but Maxine's unawareness lets him believe it's not her. He realizes and then asks Linda why she stole the Rolodex from him. She says she has a secret she doesn't want to get out and she will destroy it because "secrets destroy people". They are cordial again after agreeing it should be with her rather than Maxine. She asks if he wants to meet her father and he agrees.

Before leaving for Raquel's Old Havana Night event and fundraiser for Batista refugees, Douglas tells her he quit his job. Raquel's event is absolutely beautiful and engaging which Maxine believes through her amazement. Evelyn summons her and they discuss. They talk about her search for the key, their impressions of each other, and more. Evelyn hates Raquel's party which signifies the existing and upcoming developments. She says already she feels her casting out. This ties to Linda's point in the second episode about the rigidity of the Palm Royale. Evelyn believes there is a "rise of the common criminal" as Raquel's recently released husband, Pinky (Roberto Sanchez) is involved. Before Maxine is whisked away, Evelyn expresses her appreciation for her husband in her time of loneliness. Eugene known as Skeet (Bruce Dern) is her husband in the same facility as Norma and she talks about the frustration of caring for an ailing spouse. Dinah interrupts them to steal Maxine away. Evelyn tells her not to treat her as if she's invisible and she tells Evelyn to not be invisible then. I was surprised by this but I remembered in episode 1's brief of the ladies, that Dinah was set to supersede Evelyn. After they leave, Evelyn is shown enjoying the "tacky shit parade" she reviled.

Dinah updates Maxine about her and Eddie. Believing it's romantic and won't actually happen, she says that Eddie wants to kill Perry. She says that she's happy Douglas and Perry reunited because they bring out the worst in each other which helps her avoid scrutiny. They were close in prep school and reunited with his return to Palm Beach. They are also potential business partners due to his interest in a real estate deal Perry has in the works. Maxine rushes to Douglas to avoid even more financial whims. She realizes with Robert that Raquel is wearing one of Norma's necklaces she sold and they rush to get it back. He succeeds but Maxine gets him arrested for stolen jewelry which is ironic, to say the least. She utilizes this arrest to request Norma's conservatorship for herself and Robert is bailed out by Linda. She is granted it on the condition that Norma is taken care of in the home.

She brings Norma home with Douglas and informs him about everything. He considers killing Norma due to his disinheritance but Maxine stops him. She did this because keeping her alive is important to her condition. She says since she is in charge of everything she could pay them salaries for caring for Norma. It was at this moment it dawned on me that they are truly horrible. She says they could care for Norma through timed flipping and this example allows her to find the key to the safety deposit box.

With her discovery, she meets with Evelyn to uncover the Rolodex in the safety deposit box. They talk about her relationship with Penelope after Maxine defends her choice to be called Linda and it is obvious something may be missing. They access and search the safety deposit boxes but there is no Rolodex to be found and this angers Evelyn who leaves. Alone, Maxine hears a sound in the empty box and she finds a hidden gun and invitation. This invitation alludes to the painful truth that Douglas is Penelope's old fiancé who ran out on her. Distraught, she looks for Douglas, instead she finds Norma trying to say something with no success in understanding.

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Apple TV+'s 2024 show, Palm Royale focuses on the determination for betterment through class and acknowledgement implemented in the story of Maxine Simmons. Kristen Wiig is Maxine Simmons, a woman dedicated to joining the distinguished Palm Royale club and The Shiny Sheet to improve her social standing to where she and her husband belong. Created by Abe Sylvia based on the book "Mr. & Mrs. American Pie" by Juliet McDaniel, new episodes will be released on Wednesdays to stream the 10 Apple TV+ episodes.

I wrote about the other 4 episodes in my "Palm Royale 1st 5 episodes" article.

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