The eagerly awaited Beach Ball finally arrives, and amidst the bustling festivities, a shadowy power struggle simmers beneath the surface. Officially, Maxine and Evelyn share the reins as hosts, yet Norma's shadowy presence looms large. "This was supposed to be my night," she confides to Robert, her voice betraying a mixture of resentment and humiliation as she laments the indignity of being treated like a helpless old woman. Despite her manipulations, it's evident that her vulnerability tugs at Robert's heartstrings.
Fueled by fury over seeing her supposed kin snatch her fortune, Norma unveils a daring plan to Robert. She suggests that after the gala's glitz and glamour fade, they should steal away to the courthouse and wed. The ulterior motive is clear: with their union, her wealth will be secured for him upon her demise. "This is the only thing that will protect us both," she insists, her voice hard as steel.
But my burning question for this climactic episode isn't about Norma's fortune; it's whether Mary will succeed in her audacious plot to assassinate President Richard Nixon. Had I been told at the series' outset that such high stakes drama awaited, my anticipation would have been even more fevered. In fact, I believe the entire series should have been marketed with this thrilling premise at its core.
As Mary sneaks into the gala, the Secret Service frisks her bag, paranoid about avoiding another Grassy Knoll scandal. She smiles mischievously and remarks, "Lucky for you, this is a beach." Her smooth sailing into the event bodes well for her eventual induction into Stephen Sondheim's infamous musical, Assassins, in this alternate universe. Evelyn is delighted to see that Mary has seemingly ditched her hippie compatriots, but Mary reveals that they were all forcibly removed — a revelation that suggests to Evelyn that her former home is now vacant and awaiting her return. "Good to know," she murmurs.
With Maxine's astronaut mysteriously MIA, she pleads with Robert to impersonate him by donning the iconic space suit. She insists that no one will be the wiser, but Robert initially balks at the outrageous proposal. However, realizing that accompanying Norma in the suit could restore some of her lost glory, he reluctantly agrees. But Norma doesn't see it that way; she views it as another example of Robert kowtowing to Maxine's whims. She warns him that if they're to tie the knot, he'll have to choose between the two of them — a bold ultimatum that carries heavy weight, as I'm not sure Robert would make the choice that Norma desires.
Regardless, Norma sets to work at the gala, determined to set things straight. Her sights are firmly set on a visibly distraught Mitzi, and she offers a sympathetic ear. "If you've got something on your mind, I'm a good listener," she says, revealing her skill as a master manipulator. It's a display of her prowess as an artist at work, meticulously gathering gossip and storing it away as ammunition — a talent she's honed for decades, leading us to this pivotal moment. We all know about the affair, but according to Mitzi, that's merely scratching the surface.
Her next destination was Evelyn, who was equally startled to hear her voice and enraged upon learning that she wouldn't receive a single penny from the gala. "You'll get half of my money over my dead body," she snarled, making it clear that Maxine would always remain an outsider in this world. And at this juncture, who wasn't? With the prospect of money vanishing, Evelyn had no reason to stay, so she grabbed her young lover and stormed off—or rather, returned to the seemingly abandoned mansion that had once been her home. But not before spilling the beans to Maxine about Norma's ruse: "She's been playing possum."
As Maxine heard this revelation, the pieces began to fall into place. Her unexpected fall from the boat, Ann's poisoning with insulin... it all clicked, and she realized that Norma had been trying to eliminate her. After confronting her, Norma revealed that Maxine would never be a part of the Dellacorte family, despite her best efforts. But Maxine still held the reins as Norma's conservator—and knowing it would destroy her, she revealed their reinstated plan to transform the Dellacorte mansion into a club. It was a plan that Maxine had initially opposed but had reluctantly agreed to after Douglas guilted her into it, claiming it was the only chance for the childless couple to leave a legacy.
A second blow to Norma's scheme came when Ann—thankfully on the mend—delivered a presentation on her illustrious life. But the real gossip was brewing in the audience, where Robert sidled up to Norma's supposed former flame, Axel, to inquire about their past. He revealed that everything had changed between them when Norma attended boarding school, where her diabetic roommate, Agnes, was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. It seemed like we might have a Talented Mr. Ripley situation unfolding before our eyes, as "Norma" returned a seemingly different person, Axel noted, in case we needed any further clarification.
Speaking of conspiracies, Richard Nixon had arrived on the scene. The series showed him mostly in shadow or from behind, much like the pope in Sister Act. But let's focus less on how he was being filmed and more on whether he was being targeted... by Mary. His only hope was locked away at the Rollins mansion, but fortunately for Linda and Virginia, Evelyn arrived to indulge in some sexy shenanigans with Eddie and stumbled upon them. But let's rewind a bit: why were Linda and Virginia so determined to stop Mary? Why were they suddenly so eager to save an evil man they'd been plotting against for the entire season? And who were Virginia's "friends in high places" that had secured her release from jail in the first place? We started to lose track of the plot threads, but regardless, our two feminist heroes begged Evelyn to free them so they could save Richard Nixon. Evelyn, never one to miss a money-making opportunity, told them she'd only release them if Linda promised with her pinky to give back the house and half of her trust fund. Who would have guessed at the beginning of this show that Linda would be the one scrambling to save Nixon, while Evelyn was happily willing to let him die? Anyway, Linda agreed to Evelyn's terms, and so they were off to rescue Tricky Dick.
Meanwhile, Norma's extravagant entrance occurred precisely at the moment when Maxine was poised to take the stage for her grand performance. She ushered Mitzi to her side, urging her to confess her pregnancy to Maxine. "Do you know what you're going to do? It's entirely your choice," Maxine stated, further emphasizing her feminist leanings, despite her reluctance to admit it.
When Mitzi expressed her desire to become a mother, a sentiment Maxine could relate to with a heavy heart, she advised her to confront the baby's father and demand marriage - assuming the father to be Perry. But as she stood onstage, Maxine witnessed Mitzi doing exactly that - but to Douglas, not Perry.
Realizing the situation, we watched Maxine's facade crumble under the glare of the stage lights, despite her efforts to maintain the grandeur of the pageant queen she embodied. Through tears, she sang "Is That All There Is?" and, between verses, spoke candidly about her orphanage upbringing and her grand dreams of making a name somewhere. However, she veered off-script, calling out to each member of this elite society she had desperately wanted to be a part of - ultimately exposing Douglas's affair to the entire room. She had thought burning the Rolodex would destroy everyone's secrets, but it transpired that the only true way to strip them of their power was to air them all out.
As Norma basked in this chaos, Robert approached her and said, "I can't believe I ever considered spending my life with you... Agnes." It was a devastating blow to Norma, who, in an instant, lost Robert and had her deepest secret revealed. Even the queen bee of this elite society had faked her way in, just as Maxine had. At this point, was there anyone who hadn't?
It was during Maxine's emotional breakdown onstage that Nixon decided he had had enough of the charade and began to leave. As Maxine frantically tried to stop him, Mary reached inside her wig and retrieved a gun. But as she fired, Linda lunged forward and pushed her, deflecting the bullet. Instead of Nixon, the bullet found its mark in Robert. If you had thought a NASA space suit might be bulletproof, you were sorely mistaken - at least in this instance. The bullet struck Robert, sending Maxine into hysterics. He was her only true friend and would have been her sole remaining support after the gala's aftermath. Now, she was left with no one, perhaps even Linda, who the federal agent found on the balcony with the gun. Presumably, she would face the consequences of the shooting, albeit not the one she had actually perpetrated.
A stunned Norma also stumbled into the chaos, now in the complicated position of losing the only love of her life, but also the one person who had discovered the truth about her fabricated existence. It was the most intricate, tangled, and intriguing situation the show had presented all season - and it ended precisely in the midst of it all.
