The latest episode of Palm Royale delivered one of its most chaotic twists yet, centered on a funeral for a person who was very much alive. In Season 2, Episode 7, “Maxine Plays Dead,” Douglas Delacorte, played by Josh Lucas, experiences a massive emotional breakdown after believing his ex-wife Maxine has died, only to discover she staged the entire event. In a recent interview, Lucas explained the intense shock and pain driving his character’s shocking response.
The episode begins with a body discovered in the Palm Royale pool, leading everyone in Palm Beach to assume it is Maxine Simmons, played by Kristen Wiig. A newspaper headline bluntly declares, “Maxine Delacorte is Dead”. Douglas is given an urn containing what he believes are Maxine’s ashes and attends a funeral service, heartbroken and mourning his ex-wife. Meanwhile, Maxine is hiding inside the very casket meant for her.
The service erupts into chaos when the casket is opened and Maxine is revealed to be alive inside. A veiled figure approaches, initially thought to be Norma Dellacorte, but is revealed to be someone else, causing Maxine to blow her cover. For Douglas, the emotional whiplash is devastating. He goes from delivering a heartfelt eulogy professing his love for Maxine to facing the crushing realization that her death was a ruse.
His reaction is one of deep hurt and betrayal. Visibly disappointed, Douglas tells Maxine, “You would’ve let me believe that you were dead. Just let me live my life in peace”. This moment strips away his earlier grief, exposing raw anger and pain.
In an interview, Josh Lucas detailed the complexity of Douglas’s feelings. He described his character as completely lost and terrified by the experience.
“He’s untethered, he’s lost, and he’s terrified,” Lucas told Variety. “He’s in such pain. He’s just devastated… And then you think, is it because he loves her so much or is it because he’s totally a narcissist?”
This confusion is central to understanding Douglas. Lucas suggests that even after all their problems and their divorce, Douglas’s love for Maxine is real. He believes that when Douglas met Maxine, he “truly fell in love” and saw her as someone who saved him from the shallow world of Palm Beach. The actor sees them as “soulmates” and “kindred spirits,” both schemers trying to make something of their messy lives. However, Douglas’s own actions, including his infidelity, have repeatedly destroyed their relationship.
Lucas often compares Douglas to a well-meaning but destructive pet. “He’s a Labrador puppy, who is having the best time destroying the house but then realizes, ‘Oh my God, I destroyed the house!’”. This childlike quality explains both his genuine love and his capacity for causing immense chaos and pain.
Despite the public humiliation and hurt, the episode ends with a complicated connection between the former spouses. They meet by the pool later that evening. Douglas hands Maxine an urn, which she believes contains her own ashes. He reveals it actually contains the ashes of her twin sister, Mirabelle. Maxine, touched by the gesture, empties the ashes into the hot tub.
Douglas then reveals he is leaving for Switzerland and needs Maxine to come with him to sign away her claim on a baby trust. Maxine asks him if he meant what he said about his feelings during the funeral eulogy. The episode concludes with the two sharing a passionate kiss, and Maxine agreeing to go to Switzerland with him. This moment suggests that their chaotic, deep connection is far from over.
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This dramatic funeral caps off a season full of shifting power dynamics and schemes. Season 2 has seen significant characters like Laura Dern’s Linda exiled to Cuba, reframing her role as she watches the Palm Beach drama from the outside. Patti LuPone also joins the cast as the formidable heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, a woman who treats wealth as morality and is determined to maintain control.
The season continues to explore the vapid yet high-stakes world of Palm Beach high society in the late 1960s, where characters are desperate to belong while largely ignoring the major social revolutions happening around them.
Palm Royale Season 2 is streaming now on Apple TV+, with new episodes released weekly.
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