Palm Royale Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Maxine Rolls the Dice

Palm Royale Season 1 Episode 4, “Maxine Rolls the Dice,” kicks the glitzy, glamorous narrative up a notch with hilarious performances from Carol Burnett and Kristen Wiig. It’s still head-scratching why Apple markets this series as a drama since there are countless humorous beats. 

Maxine Rolls the Dice 

Bruce Dern’s character, Skeet, says it best: when on death’s door, you learn to confront the truth. The truth is an enigma, though — Palm Beach’s royalty carefully constructs their empires on foundations of secrets and lies.

Even Maxine, a “nobody,” refuses to look the truth in the face as she fights tooth and nail for social relevance. As we learned last week, no one wants the world to know her more than Maxine Dellacorte Simmons. Well, the manicured, perfectly coiffed version, that is. 

The Performances

Kristen Wiig slips comfortably into this role; she makes every joke and gag land. She plays the ingratiating, relentless, yet endearing Maxine to perfection. Despite Palm Royale‘s over-the-top, decadent nature, Wiig’s performance feels grounded and nuanced. 

Carol Burnett finally gets more screen time in “Maxine Rolls the Dice,” and it’s glorious. The comedy legend is so adept at her craft that she makes even a nonverbal blinking scene hysterical. She’s as pitch-perfect as ever. 

Josh Lucas truly gets to let loose in episode four. His dance moves during the Havana Nights scene are as cheesy as they come. Even though it would be unsurprising (and disappointing) if the writers turned him into a philanderer, there’s something likable about Douglas. 

Allison Janney is the queen bee as Evelyn. Like Wiig, she’s comfortable in this role. Nobody does a better catty, calculating mean girl than Janney. Ricky Martin has a natural, magnetic onscreen charisma as Robert and a fun back-and-forth with Wiig’s Maxine. It’s also great to see consistently stellar Julia Duffy in a hilarious supporting role. 

While every actor delivers solid work, Palm Royale hasn’t given Amber Chardae Robinson, a series lead, much time to shine. We still don’t know much about Virginia. Given some of the feminist and racial themes this show addresses, it feels disingenuous not to let us into Virginia’s world. Here’s hoping she gets a meatier storyline soon. 

Choices

Our cast’s very specific choices, no matter how minor, really take this series to new heights. For example, Mary punctuates her not-so-subtle threat to Maxine via her dance moves. Evelyn grooves in her chair after Dinah pulls Maxine away. Maxine’s face falls immediately after Dinah calls Perry and Douglas’ camaraderie “the worst.” 

These choices never overpower the comedy or what’s on the page. Instead, they elevate the script’s innate humor. 

The Dance Floor and the Dialogue

The dance sequence featuring Maxine and Robert racing to get Norma’s ruby necklace from Raquel possesses inexplicable high-stakes, beautiful and seamless choreography, and detailed camerawork. It’s easily the best scene in the show thus far. The sheer campiness and vibrant color palette capture Palm Royale‘s bouncy energy. 

On another note, one of the few weaknesses in “Maxine Rolls the Dice” and the episodes preceding it is the dialogue. It’s a mixture of modern-day terminology, and ’60s speak. For example, nobody in 1969 would say “generational trauma,” triggered,” or “safe space.” Conversely, Perry calls Maxine a “pip,” which folks wouldn’t use today. 

While some might argue the series implements modern slang to examine current events, the series already tackles timeless topics of racism, misogyny, war, and socio-politics. The series should commit to one or the other to immerse us in this world. 

Moving Forward

That aside, “Maxine Rolls the Dice” moves the overarching plot along nicely. It’s not at a breakneck pace, but it isn’t at a crawl. The series strikes a perfect pacing balance. 

Additionally, the writers ensure we get to know these characters (save Virginia, which they hopefully remedy) and firmly cement their place in the narrative while planting fun story developments along the way. Plus, the attempted murder component spices up Maxine’s shiny, jewel-encrusted beachfront paradise. 

Stray Observations:

• Douglas is the ultimate himbo — change my mind. 
• I’m not usually a fan of nepotism, but it is kind of perfect that Bruce Dern, Laura Dern’s real-life father, plays her dad on the show. 
• Since Norma’s Rolodex confirms Linda tried to murder someone on her wedding day, who do we think it was? My money is on her almost-husband, Douglas. 
• I love the moment Robert and Linda share in the bookstore after he says, “People like me.” She knows he’s gay without him explicitly stating it, even offering book recommendations. It’s a sweet character beat that deepens their friendship (despite her stealing the Rolodex from him). 
• The Cindy Crawford genes in Kaia Gerber are strong, especially during the Havana Nights scene. Side note: it seems like Mitzi might contribute to the seasonal narrative after all. Whether that’s in a stereotypical, derivative “cheating” plot remains to be seen. 

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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