Looking back, Palm Royale delivered one of its most enthralling episodes last week, setting a lofty standard for Season 2 that was unlikely to be matched by "Maxine Solves a Murder". But fear not, for while it may not quite surpass the demented comedic intensity of its predecessor, it still offers much to savor, much to laugh at, and a compelling setup for the rest of the season involving Maxine and Norma, also known as Agnes.
A very, very long time ago in the show's timeline - the show's words, not mine - Agnes and Norma were training to be nuns. But the latter fell down a flight of stairs, and her family fortune had to go somewhere, didn't it? What might have started as a reluctant assumption of an identity has, over the years, calcified into something more than that. It is, presumably, harder to let go of that identity than it was to claim it in the first place, especially once one has gotten used to all the copious upsides it provides.
This story is being told by Norma - yes, technically Agnes, but it's just easier if I keep saying Norma - to Robert, who it turns out she wasn't plotting to kill after all. She was simply giving him his medication. But she does remind him that his life depends on his discretion, which is a pretty unambiguous threat to kill him if the story of the poor diabetic girl who made good ever leaves that room. In the meantime, she's throwing a party.
It's a party that Evelyn isn't invited to, which Mary takes great pleasure in reporting to her. The humor peaks when the Feds turn up to raid the place on account of Evelyn supposedly harboring a fugitive. She immediately tries to rat Mary out to the authorities, but they're looking for Linda since her escape from captivity in the previous episode has solidified her perceived guilt and left Evelyn's considerable assets vulnerable to seizure. Mary is therefore off the hook and no longer hiding out in the tunnels.
Meanwhile, Maxine discovers a portrait of Douglas's mother Stella via those very same tunnels and decides to divorce Douglas and get out of Dodge. But she has to lurk around Palm Beach for a final day before she leaves. In typical Maxine fashion, when Douglas demands Stella's engagement ring from her finger, she attempts to remove it with her mouth and inadvertently swallows it, leading to a recurring gag about her being fed prunes to try and grease the wheels of its reappearance. It's just one of several indignities Maxine suffers in this episode. Another is described by Douglas as a "betrothal portrait party," a tradition among the founding families of Palm Beach to have a portrait published on the front page of the world's newspapers when one of their number is getting engaged.
As Maxine assists a furious Evelyn in safeguarding her assets by withdrawing them all as the conservator, the trio—including Dinah—brainstorms over Norma's potential misdeeds, one of which is the heinous act of killing Dinah's late husband, though this theory is largely disregarded when it's floated. The crux of the matter lies in the fact that Norma must have had an accomplice to eliminate as many people as she has clearly done, and the prime suspect is Sidonius, her right-hand man. There may be a serial killer on the loose, and serial killers have a tendency to pocket trinkets from their victims, which could explain why the ring Maxine swallowed doesn't match the massive emerald one depicted on Stella's portrait found by her.
In Palm Royale Season 2, Episode 3, Maxine and Evelyn pursue different leads. Maxine attempts to unlock the safety deposit box at the bank, while Evelyn follows Sidonius around, both endeavors proving less fruitful than anticipated. The safety deposit box yields only a note for Maxine from Norma, and despite Evelyn's suspicions that Sidonius might be moving bodies around, he is found to be deeply in debt, which inspires the ladies to purchase the Palm Royale, which he has remortgaged, in order to consolidate power in Palm Beach.
However, achieving this is easier said than done, as Norma is always one step ahead. Even after Maxine discovers her trophy room and trinkets—including Axel's cufflinks—she makes the mistake of confronting her instead of alerting the authorities. Norma is ready for this and stages her own death by gracefully sliding through a trap door and disappearing. Now, Maxine finds herself in a bind; she may have solved one murder, but she's suddenly on the hook for another.
