Palm Royale Season 1 Episode 9, “Maxine Makes a Splash,” opens with a flashback to the beginning of the relationship between Norma (Carol Burnett) and Robert (Ricky Martin). She sits alone at a table in the center of the club’s dining room. He brings her a perfect martini, and she invites him to sit and join her.
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She asks him who he is, as he’s been serving her martinis all season, but she knows nothing about him. He tells her a bit about himself, including the fact that he’s estranged from his family in Puerto Rico. She sympathizes and asks if he’d consider helping her out with some tasks around the house. If he could be completely discrete, he’d have a very comfortable living space. Robert considers for a moment and then draws a line over his lips and smiles.
Palm Royale Season 1 — Photo Credit: Apple TV+
B*tches of B*tches
Out in the water, Maxine (Kristen Wiig) clings to driftwood and calls for help. As she pontificates about her M.I.A. so-called friends, Evelyn (Allison Janney) and Eddie (Jason Canela) are kissing passionately in his condo. On the sunbathing deck at the club, Axel (Paul Sand) proposes to Dinah (Leslie Bibb). Dinah accepts tearfully.
In prison, Robert makes a call while Douglas (Josh Lucas) paces. The phone in Linda’s (Laura Dern) room rings as she packs, but she doesn’t pick it up. Robert hangs up and tells Douglas she’s not answering.
Palm Royale Season 1 — Photo Credit: Apple TV+
Maxine continues talking, addressing a seagull she’s named Bernadette. Meanwhile, Douglas tries calling home. Mary (Julia Duffy) answers, explaining that she brought Norma back from the boat party because Maxine abandoned her and Douglas needs to get home right away. Then she hangs up, eating the chocolates on Norma’s platter and telling her they aren’t good for her.
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“Thank You, Sweet, Small, Baby Jesus in the Sky”
Out in the water, Maxine looks up and sees a capsule with three parachutes attached falling from the sky. It splashes down next to her. An astronaut, Grant Herkimer (Avi Rothman), emerges from the capsule. He tells her to swim to him for saving. She tries to invite him to the Beach Ball.
Officer Sanka (Rick Cosnett) finds Robert and Douglas in their cell. When Douglas comments Maxine’s probably worried sick, he turns on the TV, where Maxine is being interviewed with Astronaut Herkimer about being rescued out in the water. Herkimer says the White House will have to wait until after the Beach Ball he’s been invited to. Maxine adds that the President is welcome to come as well if he likes.
At Eddie’s house, he rolls out of bed and turns on the TV. Evelyn is dismayed to see Maxine being interviewed with Herkimer. Eddie offers to cook dinner for her. While she’s considering, Dinah bangs on the door. Eddie tells her it’s truly over between them, and she tells him he needs to move out of the condo she’s paying for. Returning to the bedroom where Evelyn’s hiding on the floor beside the bed, he apologizes and repeats his offer, amending it to doing it at her place. As she no longer has a house either, Evelyn puts off answering.
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Stoned Mabel Taken Again
In the Dellacorte mansion, Mary rages about Maxine’s luck as she sits Norma up in her bed. Noticing Stoned Mabel on the table, Mary comments on its value and picks it up, intending to take it in lieu of the money Maxine owes the Fibs.
Just then, Maxine returns home. Norma is aghast. Maxine finds Mary and asks if she knows where Douglas is. Mary says she’s been busy taking care of Norma. Maxine asks if she needs to talk to her about the fibrosis donation, but Mary says they’re square as she shoulders the bag containing Stoned Mabel.
Sitting in a VW Bug, Douglas thanks Mitzi (Kaia Gerber) for bailing him out of jail. She feels awkward. Robert, squished in the backseat, understands but needs Douglas to get out so he can get out so they can talk. Left alone, she tells him she’s going to take the money he gave her and go to New York to be a model. He wishes her well and gets out. Unfortunately, her car stalls when she tries to drive away.
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Linda Emerges
In the Rollins mansion, the bookstore women’s circle is making counterfeit passports while Mary tries to inspire them to do something to get their cause the attention it deserves. Linda tells Virginia (Amber Chardae Robinson) she’s off to Peru, but everyone’s welcome to stay as long as they’d like.
Palm Royale Season 1 — Photo Credit: Apple TV+
Evelyn arrives and orders everyone out. Linda deflates her a bit by telling her that she’s already paid Douglas off.
At home, Maxine discovers the wine Evelyn ordered in place of her champagne. Douglas and Robert arrive, and Maxine shouts at Douglas for not saving her when she was out in the ocean. She apologizes to Robert, who feels uncomfortable knowing he’s keeping her secret about Douglas’s affair with Mitzi. Douglas tells her to go upstairs and relax. She shouts at him that she’s throwing the biggest party of her life in 48 hours, so she can’t relax. As she heads upstairs to rehearse her dance number, she mutters angrily.
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Ann’s Mishap
Mitzi sneaks in the front door to tell Douglas her car won’t start. They hear Maxine scream from upstairs. All three rush up and find her crouched over Ann Holiday’s (Mindy Cohn) body. Robert checks and finds a pulse. Douglas goes to call for an ambulance when Maxine notices that Mitzi’s there too.
Palm Royale Season 1 — Photo Credit: Apple TV+
As the ambulance takes Ann away, Mitzi tries to make an exit, but Maxine insists that she stay with them until the Beach Ball so she can help her with the musical number. Maxine overrides Douglas and Mitzi’s preferences, directs Mitzi to give Douglas a clear coat to stop him from chewing his nails, and then jumps into the ambulance to ride to the hospital with Ann.
Upstairs, Robert is clearing up the papers that Ann was looking through and finds the cocktail glass from which she drank the poisoned Grasshopper. Mitzi does Douglas’s nails like Maxine told her to do and asks Douglas if he has affairs often. He claims she was his first and that Palm Beach brings out the worst in him.
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Maxine sits with Ann in the hospital. Astronaut Herkimer walks by and notices Maxine there. He offers to accompany her on piano for her musical number. She breathlessly accepts.
Rehearsals
At the mansion, Maxine rehearses and blocks her number with Herkimer on the piano and Douglas setting up the stage. She and Herkimer discover that they are both orphans from Tennessee. Douglas isn’t happy about their connection. He pulls Maxine aside to discuss how he doesn’t like Herkimer. Sanka arrives just then and introduces Secret Service Agents Clune (Richard Whiten) and Stevens (Adam J. Harrington). They inform Maxine that President Nixon has accepted her invitation.
Palm Royale Season 1 — Photo Credit: Apple TV+
The Secret Service agents discuss the timeline for the President’s visit and then ask Maxine about her signature on the petition Linda had her sign the first time they met. Maxine swears she had no idea what she was signing and vows that she is not a feminist. She mentions that the women’s circle is living across the street at the Rollins’s mansion now.
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Robert and Sanka sit at Norma’s bar and discuss how Sanka called in the raid on the bar where Robert and Douglas were arrested for being gay. Sanka admits he doesn’t always love his job, but there’s a time and place to speak out.
The agents also call Douglas on his recent arrest for homosexuality with Robert. Maxine is shocked. She asks if this means that Nixon won’t attend. The agents assure her he really wants to meet the astronaut.
Friendly Advice
At Ciel Chapman, Dinah is fuming that Maxine’s astronaut news is upstaging her engagement. In consolation and congratulations, Grayman (Dominic Burgess) offers her the dress he was designing for Evelyn for the Beach Ball. Dinah wonders why she isn’t happier. Evelyn walks in and insists that they talk.
After the agents leave, Maxine confronts Robert and Douglas about the arrest. Robert begins to explain, and Douglas covers by saying they were meeting to plan a surprise for Maxine. She accepts this explanation and then heads upstairs to prepare for her visit to Ciel Chapman.
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Evelyn asks Dinah about taking on a lover. Dinah complains about the expense of it. Evelyn looks worried. Maxine arrives and announces that Nixon will be attending the Beach Ball. Mary speaks out about his missteps as President but is ignored by the others.
Palm Royale Season 1 — Photo Credit: Apple TV+
Evelyn pulls Maxine aside and tells her that she needs money to keep her new lover, and unless Maxine lets her co-host the Beach Ball for half the proceeds, she’ll call in a bomb threat, and that’ll nix Nixon’s appearance at her party. Leaving Maxine, she tells Grayman that her custom gown will be paid for by Maxine and leaves.
Sanka leads a raid of the Rollins house. They arrest everyone, including Virginia. As they’re leaving, Mary drives up. Virginia catches her eye and silently indicates she should keep driving.
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The Weight He Carries
Linda visits Robert in his pool house. She tells him about her plan to go to a Peruvian ashram for a year or more. She offers to take him with her. He says he needs to stay with Norma. He feels at fault for Norma’s condition because they fought the day before her embolism. He’d stayed away out of spite, and when he returned, he found her on the floor. She’s given herself the embolism by trying to give herself an insulin shot. A bubble in the insulin caused the embolism.
Linda admits Palm Beach is beautiful, but he’s not safer with Norma, no matter how he feels. He intends to stay until the outside world finds him.
At Ciel Chapman, Raquel (Claudia Ferri) congratulates Maxine on getting Nixon’s attendance. She wonders if he’ll join the new club Pinky (Roberto Sanchez) and Douglas are planning. Raquel reveals the new club will be located at the Dellacorte mansion.
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Maxine asks Douglas at home if he’s given away the house. He admits that he’s made some decisions he hasn’t shared with her yet. She accuses him of constantly messing up and leaving her to clean up.
Mary’s Crazy
Linda returns home. Mary’s waiting to tell her that everyone’s been arrested. She recalls the “paddy wagon” her late husband used to take her away a couple of times a year—a padded wagon. She tells Linda it’s all Nixon’s fault and they should kill him when he arrives at Maxine’s party. Linda cautions her that crazy isn’t a good look in Palm Beach.
Palm Royale Season 1 — Photo Credit: Apple TV+
Linda tries to talk her down, threatening to call the police if she doesn’t act more reasonably. Mary takes it down a notch, sitting and pulling her satchel onto her lap. As Linda leaves, Mary pulls Stoned Mabel from her bag and knocks her out with the statuette.
Signals
Maxine finds Herkimer playing the piano by himself. They talk about feeling nervous before big events. He admits that he feels like an imposter a lot. He offers to teach her to play piano. As she picks up the tune, he leans in and kisses her. When she doesn’t reciprocate, he asks if he reads the signals wrong about her doomed marriage. She insists that she loves her husband.
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Disappointed, he leaves for some fresh air. Maxine, sitting alone at the piano, sheds tears at the situation. Meanwhile, Eddie’s packing to move when Evelyn arrives, dressed in her Beach Ball gown, and invites him to a party.
On a Deadline
In the hospital, Ann awakens with a gasp. The nurse tells her they need to check her pancreas for a tumor because her body was flooded with insulin. Ann asserts there’s no tumor and gets out of bed.
Palm Royale Season 1 — Photo Credit: Apple TV+
Douglas helps Maxine with her Beach Ball dress. She tells him she’s never felt worthy all her life. He assures her that he’s always known she’s a star and that he’s the one unworthy of her. He’s been trying to keep up for 20 years. She tells him he’s a good man, that she loves him and that he needs to know that.
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He sits down and tells her that he didn’t actually sign the house away because he doesn’t have that authority. Only she has that power. Relieved, Maxine tells him she doesn’t want to think about it tonight.
He picks up a box and shows her the tiara inside. He puts it on her head. She mentions the guests will be arriving soon. Before he leaves, he declares his love for her again.
Palm Royale Season 1 — Photo Credit: Apple TV+
“In Good Time, My Boy”
Downstairs, Robert finds Norma’s wheelchair empty. She’s standing by her portrait, having a drink. In clear speech, she greets him and tells him not to tell anyone that she can walk and talk. She has something special planned for the party but won’t tell him what it is yet.
Palm Royale streams on Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
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