In the latest episode of Palm Royale, Maxine Simmons finds herself in a financial and personal crisis. While trying to fund a friend’s charity project, she must also deal with a missing husband and a promising new romance that gets complicated. The episode brings together secret deals, misunderstandings, and a major new character who changes the game for everyone in Palm Beach.
Maxine’s Impossible Task: Finding $100,000 for Linda
A surprising message sets the main story in motion. Mary Jones Davidsoul receives a package, hoping it will help her contact the spirit world. Instead, it is a ham radio that picks up a transmission from Linda Shaw. Linda, who was last seen being flown to Cuba by Douglas, is now traveling the world with a new companion, Choi Guevara. She has been doing humanitarian work and has a new project: teaching children in the Sierra Madre to read.
For this, she needs $100,000 and has asked Maxine to get the money to a secret courier. The courier will use the code phrase “banana slug” for identification. Mary passes the urgent message to Maxine, who immediately wants to help her friend.
However, Maxine faces a huge problem. As the conservator for the Rollins estate, she cannot access any funds because the assets have been frozen by the FBI. She also cannot complete the sale of the Palm Royale club, which requires $3 million. Maxine first turns to Robert for the money, but he refuses, telling her to ask her husband, Douglas, instead. This is impossible because Douglas has been kidnapped and no one knows where he is.
Maxine and Evelyn eventually locate $6 million worth of gold reserves from the Rollins estate. Their hope is quickly dashed when they learn legal issues prevent them from selling it.
Desperate, Maxine and Evelyn Rollins sneak into the Rollins mansion to sell valuables secretly. They are shocked to find the home has been completely raided by federal agents. A receipt left behind shows the FBI valued the entire estate’s contents at only $5,000, a crushing blow.
The New Power Player: Madge Post and a Costly Deal
With all standard options exhausted, Maxine gets an idea from her new romantic interest, Dr. Dusty Magic. He suggests they take the gold to Madge Post, a powerful and mysterious socialite who might buy it. Maxine and Evelyn attend Madge’s square dance event, which serves as the social gathering of the episode.
In Madge’s vault, they discover an unbelievable collection of treasures. This includes 11 of the 12 surviving Romanov Fabergé eggs. To their astonishment, they also find all of Evelyn’s personal belongings from her raided mansion now in Madge’s possession. It is revealed that Madge has a special arrangement with the FBI, buying seized items at a low cost.
Seeing their desperation, Madge offers them a harsh deal: 50 cents on the dollar for their gold. Left with no other choice, Maxine and Evelyn accept. They walk away with $3.4 million, which is enough to finally buy the Palm Royale and send Linda the $100,000 she needs.
The introduction of Madge Post, played by Patti LuPone, marks a major shift in the season. In an interview, LuPone described her character as a woman who needs to maintain control, stating, “I think she needs to maintain control. And I think if there is a challenge, it will be how she’s maintaining control.” She added that her version of the famous heiress has a “side hustle” and would “double down” if her world was threatened.
Douglas’s Kidnapping: A Case of Mistaken Identity
While Maxine scrambles for money, her husband Douglas’s whereabouts become a central mystery. Mitzi, along with Dinah Donahue and Perry, investigate after Douglas goes missing. Dinah visits the home of Pinky and Raquel, where she hears strange noises. She discovers Douglas tied up and gagged, with Raquel mentioning plans to “kill the pig” in two days.
Believing Douglas is to be murdered, the trio form a rescue plan. They decide to use Madge Post’s square dance as a distraction, assuming Pinky and Raquel will attend. During the party, Perry will sneak away to free Douglas.
However, this plan is based on a critical misunderstanding. When Perry reaches the shed where he thinks Douglas is held, he finds only a literal pig. Raquel was talking about slaughtering an animal, not a person. It turns out Douglas has been held by the FBI the entire time as part of an investigation into Pinky.
Robert learns about the kidnapping from Mitzi and tells Maxine. Maxine then confronts Pinky and Raquel at the dance, offering them the Dellacorte mansion in exchange for Douglas’s release. They laugh in her face, denying they ever had him. By the end of the night, the FBI releases Douglas, having concluded he did not break under their questioning and that their real target is Pinky.
Romantic Entanglements and Heartbreaking Misunderstandings
Episode 5 also explores several complicated relationships, particularly for Maxine. She goes on two dates with Dr. Dusty Magic. On their first date at the movies, Dusty leans in for a kiss, but Maxine pulls away, giving the excuse of having popcorn in her teeth. She later explains she likes him but wants to wait until at least their third date.
Their second date is at Madge Post’s square dance. It is here that Maxine discovers Dusty’s other role: he is the secret courier Linda sent to collect the $100,000. After giving her the “banana slug” code phrase, he respectfully kisses her on the neck, and she invites him to meet her by her pool later.
Feeling finally free from Douglas, Maxine prepares for the evening with Dusty, noting this would be her first time with anyone other than her husband. In a twist of bad timing, Douglas arrives at her door at that exact moment, freshly released by the FBI. As Maxine tries to push him out of the house, she accidentally falls on top of him. Dusty arrives, sees them together, and misunderstands the situation. Heartbroken, he says goodbye and leaves.
Other characters face romantic complications, too. Robert and Tom enjoy a secret date at the empty FBI offices. As Robert leaves, he is stunned to see Reginald, the “Prince of Luxembourg” he was once involved with, by the pool. Tom was the officer who arrested Reginald last season, setting up a major conflict.
The episode also gives a moment of clarity for Evelyn. After her fallout with Maxine over the seized assets, she worries her working-class partner will leave her now that she has less money. She is reassured to find that his feelings are not tied to her wealth, giving her a genuine moment of happiness.
Key Takeaways and What the Episode Reveals
- Linda’s New Life: Far from being a prisoner, Linda is free and engaged in global activism. Her request for money is for a literacy project, showing her continued evolution as a character. Executive producer Jayme Lemons teased that Linda is on a journey to “find true love and maybe some missteps along the way”.
- The Power of Wealth: The episode introduces Madge Post as the true powerhouse of Palm Beach. Her deal with the FBI and her ruthless negotiation with Maxine and Evelyn show that real control comes from understanding how to manipulate the system.
- A Season at Its Midpoint: This episode marks the halfway point of the 10-episode season. With Douglas free, Maxine financially set but romantically stranded, and new threats like Reginald appearing, the stage is set for major conflicts in the second half of the season.
The next episode, Palm Royale Season 2 Episode 6, will be released on December 17 on Apple TV+.
