The social scheming of Palm Royale took a violent turn as the penultimate episode of Season 2 ended with a shocking gunshot. Titled “Maxine Hears a Confession,” the episode built to a dramatic conclusion back in Palm Beach, where Maxine Dellacorte fired a bullet to save Evelyn’s life. This action served as both a defense of her friend and a personal revenge for a past murder, setting the stage for a tense finale. The episode also delivered major revelations about family secrets and identity, proving that the snowstorm in the Swiss Alps couldn’t cool down the season’s biggest scandals.
The Final Confrontation: Maxine Shoots Jed
The episode’s climax shifted from the Alps to the sun-drenched estates of Palm Beach, where several brewing conflicts came to a head. Earlier in the episode, Mary Davidsoul had fought back against Jed, who was trying to force her to sign over her assets and will to him. Believing she had killed him, Mary struck Jed’s head with a heavy family orb. However, Jed survived the attack and fled through the secret tunnel network connecting the Palm Beach mansions.
His escape led him directly to Evelyn Rollins. Driven by desperation and his plan to control the Dellacorte fortune, Jed broke into Evelyn’s bedroom and violently attacked her, attempting to strangle her in her bed. Just as the situation turned lethal, a gunshot rang out. Jed fell, wounded, and the camera revealed Maxine holding the smoking gun. Her expression was one of horror at her own actions, but her reasons for pulling the trigger were clear and deeply personal.
The assassination of Mirabelle was a part of the bigger scheme that Jed had of acquiring the Dellacorte fortune.
Maxine was acting to save Evelyn’s life in an immediate act of defense. More significantly, she had just learned a critical piece of information: Jed was the man who killed her twin sister, Mirabelle, earlier in the season. Mitzi, who had been entangled with Jed, confirmed to Maxine that he was the shooter, transforming Maxine’s act from simple defense into a long-awaited vengeance for her sister’s death. The episode ended on this cliffhanger, leaving Jed’s immediate fate and the legal fallout from the shooting to be addressed in the season finale.
A Web of Betrayal: Evelyn’s Deal and Robert’s Escape
While the physical confrontation happened in Palm Beach, much of the episode’s scheming occurred amid a raging snowstorm in Switzerland. There, Norma Dellacorte, revealed to be very much alive, was orchestrating a plan to secure the family fortune for herself and Robert. She reached out to Evelyn with a proposition: in exchange for helping ensure Robert married Mitzi, Norma would give Evelyn a share of the valuable baby’s trust fund.
Evelyn appeared to play both sides. She told Maxine that Norma was alive and that a wedding was set for 2 p.m. at the Delacorte Hall, sending Maxine and her allies on a wild goose chase. In reality, Evelyn was following Norma’s instructions to distract Maxine, hoping to secure the money for herself and gain control of Palm Beach. When Maxine discovered the betrayal, she was furious, telling Evelyn she was “dead to her” for lying and attempting to steal from her friends.
The wedding plot, however, completely unraveled due to Robert’s own realizations. Norma, trying to convince Robert to go through with the marriage to Mitzi, made offensive remarks, suggesting gay men like him were not meant to be fathers but were on Earth to marry and assist “helpless women”. This, combined with his desire to reconnect with his estranged son, led Robert to a breaking point. He saw that Norma had always been selfish, using him as a tool for her own goals.
At the supposed wedding venue, Robert announced there would be no ceremony. He declared he was leaving to find his family and his son, finally choosing his own identity and future over Norma’s schemes. His decision to walk away nullified both Norma’s and Evelyn’s intricate plans.
Family Secrets Exposed: Linda’s True Parentage
One of the biggest bombshells of the episode was dropped not in a ballroom but in a quiet Swiss church. Linda Shaw, having finally arrived in Switzerland to deal with the baby’s trust, received a secret note from Evelyn directing her to the chapel. There, she was met by Norma, who asked Linda to call her by her real name: Agnes.
Agnes then delivered a life-altering confession: she is Linda’s biological mother. She revealed that decades earlier, she had an affair with Skeet, Linda’s father. Linda was conceived from this affair, but to avoid a scandal that would ruin both families, the baby was given to Skeet and his wife to raise as their own. This secret adoption explains why Linda’s name is on both the Rollins and Dellacorte family trusts, as Agnes had later arranged Linda’s marriage to Douglas to secure the fortunes.
This revelation was interrupted by Perry, who, after a night lost in the snowy mountains, tracked Linda down with intentions of arresting her on behalf of the U.S. government. Before he could act, he was knocked out from behind by Lotte, Agnes’s mother and Linda’s biological grandmother. The episode ended with Linda, Agnes, and Lotte fleeing together on a sled, a newfound family escaping into the snowy landscape.
Key Revelations and Unanswered Questions
Beyond the central conflicts, the episode provided answers to several lingering mysteries and set up new puzzles for the finale. A major revelation concerned Douglas Dellacorte’s health. Maxine learned that Douglas was not poisoned but suffers from a serious congenital heart defect. This condition also makes him unable to have children, conclusively proving that Mitzi’s baby is not his. The doctor expressed shock that Douglas was still alive, as most with his condition do not live past 50.
This medical fact became key evidence for Maxine. At the Delacorte Hall, she noticed portraits showing all the family ancestors died very young. She deduced that the hereditary heart condition was proof of true Dellacorte lineage. Since “Norma” (Agnes) showed no signs of the illness and was living well into her older age, it was definitive proof she was not a true member of the family.
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Other threads continued to weave through the drama. Ann and Virginia continued their hunt for a Russian spy, with Ann theorizing Norma was the mole, though that theory was later discounted. The episode also provided more context for Robert’s loyalty to Norma; he explained that after he took a bullet for President Nixon, his face was in newspapers worldwide. His estranged son saw him and began writing letters, reaching out to the father he saw as a hero. Robert had been afraid to reveal his true self as a gay man to his son.
As the dust settles from the gunshot, the characters are left to deal with the consequences. Maxine must grapple with the trauma of taking a life, even in defense of another. Evelyn is isolated, having lost both Maxine’s friendship and her husband, Eddie. Robert is on the verge of a reunion with his son, Rafael, who was shown arriving at his door as the episode concluded. With Linda, Agnes, and Lotte now united and on the run, and Jed’s fate hanging in the balance, the stage is set for a finale that promises to resolve the season’s tangled web of money, family, and murder.
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