It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment in the season finale of Apple TV+’s Palm Royale where the realization happens that, “Oh, this is not like any finale I’ve seen before.” But when it does, it practically crashes down on you like an anvil from the sky.
(Warning: Spoilers ahead for the season finale of Palm Royale.)
In the comedy/drama/soap opera/Technicolor bonanza, Kristen Wiig plays Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons, a wide-eyed social climber in the 1969 Palm Beach, Florida, social scene—a scene which wants nothing to do with her. Still, she scrapes her way to the top of the high-society ladder, using various wheeling-and-dealings, moral barterings, scams, and a helluva lot of gumption as rungs. Her efforts pay off with what should be her dream come true: Much to the chagrin of Queen Bees Evelyn (Allison Janney), Dina (Lesie Bibb), and Norma (Carol Burnett), Maxine cohosts the event of the season, the Beach Ball, at the Dellacorte Manor.