Palm Royale Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Maxine Makes a Splash

Palm Royale Season 1 Episode 9, “Maxine Makes a Splash,” finds Maxine scrambling after her impromptu sea swim while more secrets are buried beneath the surface. It tones down the silliness somewhat from Palm Royale Season 1 Episode 10’s outing while injecting more heightened stakes into the overarching narrative. 

The Beached Whale in the Room 

As if dealing with a beached whale, luring it back into the ocean by mimicking whale sounds, and getting pushed into the sea by a 90-year-old woman wasn’t enough, an Apollo 11 astronaut saves Maxine. The series leans into its innately wacky storytelling style here, and it’s a blast and a half. 

Kristen Wiig always brings her A-game, and “Maxine Makes a Splash” is no exception. She fully commits to every choice she makes. There’s a quiet confidence in her style of comedy, and she never goes too over the top past the point of believability. 

Maxine, Maxine, Maxine

For much of this season, Maxine fights tooth and nail to become worthy of being crowned Palm Beach royalty. However, “Maxines Makes a Splash” grants us glimpses of Maxine’s true essence. This really bubbles to the surface in the awkward kissing scene with Herkimer. (Seriously, how did he not stop after noticing she wasn’t into it?)

Earlier, Dinah tried to persuade Maxine to take a lover. But after drunkenly locking lips with Robert, Maxine’s guilt came rushing to meet her. Even after clicking with Herkimer, Maxine loves Douglas too much to cheat on him (which he doesn’t deserve). 

They All Hide 

As Linda notes later in the episode, everyone is hiding something in Palm Beach. Sacrificing your identity and concealing your true self for ultimate power is the crux of Palm Royale. “Maxine Makes a Splash” drives this theme home as our main characters’ facades crumble around them. 

It’s why we see every scene and character through a hazy, dreamlike filter. It’s also why these characters have undergone intense airbrushing and de-aging. This is to challenge our perception of what’s real.

We don’t see these characters as their true, unadulterated, unfiltered selves. Perfection is the currency in Palm Beach. “Maxine Makes a Splash” handles this aspect well, utilizing its cheeky brand of comedy to satirize the uber-wealthy and youth-obsessed. 

The Carol of It All

Carol Burnett is a goddess on Palm Royale. Over these nine episodes, she’s had maybe one page of dialogue, but she incessantly steals scenes without uttering a word. She proves that she’s still the Queen of Comedy. Now that Norma has teased her nefarious plans for the Beach Ball, we’ll undoubtedly get more comedic goodness from Burnett. 

Palm Royale Makes a Splash 

“Maxine Makes a Splash” leaves plenty of narrative questions for the season finale. We don’t get many answers save Norma/Robert’s friendship origin story, so here’s hoping Palm Royale doesn’t drop the ball and leave too many loose ends flapping in the beachfront breeze. 

In addition to Wiig and Burnett, the outing boasts hysterical performances from Allison Janney, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, and Julia Duffy. Ricky Martin also delivers the goods while continuing to be a grounded, calming presence in this series amid the abject chaos. 

Everything flows together seamlessly as we barrel full steam ahead toward next week’s Beach Ball. May it be as unhinged and silly as this show always is. 

Stray Observations: 

• I love that Kristen Wiig’s real-life husband, Avi Rothman, appears on this episode as Astronaut Herkimer. Their chemistry (up until that awkward-as-hell kiss) is palpable. 
• Did anyone else get The Little Mermaid vibes when Maxine clung to a piece of driftwood while talking to a perched seagull? I half-expected Wiig to burst into song. 
• Douglas is most certainly a cheat, but his pettiness regarding Herkimer is hilarious. Gee willikers, indeed!
• I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if Mary attempted to kill Richard Nixon at the Beach Ball on next week’s finale. I also wouldn’t be shocked if Maxine learns about Douglas and Mitzi’s (seemingly) one-night stand. 
• Allison Janney’s hair and makeup are reminiscent of Agnes Moorhead in Bewitched. Janney expressed appreciation for Moorhead’s role on the sitcom in this 2016 article. She even has her hair styled like Endora. So, the resemblance certainly must be intentional. 
• Kristen (with a Southern drawl) sounds like Amy Sedaris when she yells. I don’t make the rules. 

What did you think of this episode of Palm Royale? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Palm Royale drops new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV+. 

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