‘Palm Royale’ Ending Explained: Ricky Martin Breaks Down That “Insane” Cliffhanger

Maxine Dellacorte Simmons came to Palm Beach, she saw, and she conquered the massively hyped up Beach Ball in Palm Royale‘s Season 1 finale. Well, almost…

For much of Abe Sylvia’s Apple TV+ series — loosely based on Juliet McDaniel’s novel Mr. and Mrs. American Pie — Kristen Wiig’s Maxine was planning the party of the year, with big hopes of impressing her judgmental Palm Beach peers and carrying on Norma’s (Carol Burnett) legacy.

Ahead of the big event, Maxine had her wardrobe in check, her performance down pat, an astronaut set to appear, and even President Nixon confirmed on the guest list. But in Episode 10, “Maxine Throws a Party,” tensions finally boiled over and the dream Palm Royale Beach Ball turned into a nightmare of epic proportions — one that ended with several massive cliffhangers.

Life-changing news is dropped, secrets are revealed, business deals are done, relationships are explored, damning pasts are uncovered, and an assassination attempt gone wrong leaves a fan-favorite character bleeding out in the finale’s final moments. (We told you it was eventful!)

Need a recap of Palm Royale‘s Season 1 finale? Decider’s Ending Explained has you covered. Read on to learn the highs and lows of Maxine’s Beach Ball and hear Palm Royale star Ricky Martin’s thoughts on that “insane” cliffhanger.

Palm Royale Ending Explained: Season 1, Episode 10 Recap

“Had I told you when I was just a little girl that one day I would stand here, not just among them, but above them, you would have said, ‘Lock that woman up. She is crazy.’ But there’s a fine line between mad woman and dreamer. I’ve always believed a person can be anything in this great country of ours,” Wiig (as Maxine) says in a voiceover as Palm Royale takes viewers inside a giant beachfront tent for the unforgettable evening we’ve been waiting for. That’s right. Welcome to the Beach Ball, y’all!

Thrown by Mrs. Douglas Dellacorte, Ms. Evelyn Rollins (Allison Janney), and in conjunction with Ms. Norma Dellacorte, the 50th annual Beach Ball is an extravagant, big budget affair with stunning beachy decor and fabulous wardrobes that exude wealth. As the reluctant co-hosts attempt to put their differences aside, Norma finally tells Robert (Martin) she can speak and admits she’s humiliated by Maxine and Douglas (Josh Lucas) taking control of her life. In an unexpected twist, Norma asks Robert to marry her at the courthouse the next day so she can leave him her fortune when she dies. (In case you’re curious, she clarifies she has no expectations of conjugal rights. She just wants to live together and have fun!)

Before Robert can answer, he runs off to help Maxine. Meanwhile, Evelyn calls Douglas out for hitting Linda (aka Penelope, aka Laura Dern) up for cash, and he tells her the money is a business investment in his new venture with Pinky (Roberto Sanchez) and his wife. “We’re writing the next chapter of Palm Beach. Don’t be a footnote,” he warns. So what’s the myserteous next chapter? A new beachfront club at the site of the Dellacorte mansion. There’s just one problem: Maxine hasn’t agreed to it and they legally need her approval.

While Douglas pressures Maxine to let him announce the new club mid-Beach Ball, the frantic host is busy scrambling to clean up a mess. Her astronaut (aka the reason President Nixon RSVP’d) walked out on her, so like a true friend, Robert agrees to put on the suit, which earns him an “I love you” from Maxine and reminds us their unexpected friendship is one of the greatest parts of this show. To avoid accusations of astronaut fraud, Maxine tells her guests that Grant came down with a nasty case of “space laryngitis” so he needs to keep his helmet down for meet and greets. (In true Palm Royale fashion, of course that ridiculous lie works.)

Some friendships are thriving at the Beach Ball, while others are barely surviving. Dinah (Leslie Bibb) is fuming over Evelyn and Eddie making out. Then the two ladies start beefing with Maxine, who came to town and turned everything upside down. A fed up Maxine tells Douglas he needs to find somewhere else to start his club, but he reminds her Pinky bought up all the surrounding land and if they don’t announce the deal tonight he’s going to cut off his…pinkies. Yikes! As they’re fighting over the house, Douglas mentions they have no kids to leave the land to and the club could be their legacy. His comment hits a nerve with Maxine, who feels guilty for not giving him a child and signs off on the deal.

Speaking of Norma, she’s chatting up Mitzi (Kaia Gerber), who’s down in the dumps and admittedly burdened with a secret — one that Norma assures her she can keep. Yikes, again! With Robert still considering her proposal, Norma tells him he has to choose her over Maxine. Anne arrives to give a presentation on Norma’s life, but first she updates Maxine on her recovery, revealing that after she drank the Grasshopper intended for Maxine, doctors found she had too much insulin in her blood. Maxine’s face drops and she starts putting two and two together…

Before the president arrives, Norma puts Evelyn in her place, saying “You’ll get half of my money over my dead body, Maxine doesn’t call the shots here, I do. And you’re never going to be queen. You’re an outsider.” One verbal altercation isn’t enough. She goes for Round 2 with Maxine, who gently implies Norma was behind her boat accident and Anne’s insulin spike. “Why do you hate me so much? All I ever wanted was for you to think I’m worthy,” Maxine asks. Instead of extending an olive branch, Norma tells Maxine she wants her out of her house, so Maxine drops the bomb, revealing Douglas is turning her mansion into a club.

When a frustrated Evelyn learns her house is empty, she ditches party and rushes home with Eddie, revealing she lost her money and her house and is living in a trailer. After he assures he it doesn’t change the way he feels about her, the two stumble on Linda and Virginia (Amber Chardae Robinson), who Mary trapped before heading to the Beach Ball to assassinate the president. (She also got in, because her bag was weapon free! Hmm…) Evelyn switches into survival mode and refuses to let Linda free until she promises her house and half of her trust fund. The two come to an agreement and Linda races to save the United States from tragedy, and the Beach Ball from scandal — but mostly the first one!

Before the man of the hour arrives, Dinah learns that Perry is wearing a wire because Nixon is trying to get jump on next election and knows Dinah is dating the top Democratic donor. Speaking of Dinah’s new beau Axel Rosenhips, Robert sits down and asks him what happened between him and Norma all those years ago. “Soon after her father passed, Norma found her boarding school roommate dead at bottom of stairs,” Axel said, explaining that the roommate, Agnes, was diabetic. “I followed her to Palm Beach, but she cut me right out. She wouldn’t see me. She was a completely different person.” As Robert’s wheels started to turn, he realizes that perhaps Norma isn’t Norma after all, rather the real Norma’s roommate killed her at boarding school and took her place in life, along with her social status and fortune.

A flustered Robert retreats to his pool house to find Agent Stevens who shares some much-needed wisdom. Turns out he married his high school sweetheart and has two kids. He loves his wife, and being a family man makes his life easier, but if you thought you felt a spark between him and Robert, you were right! The two share a kiss, and Stevens tells Robert if he can fake being an astronaut, he can fake being a husband, causing him to see Norma’s proposal in a new light.

At long last, Nixon arrives and Maxine’s show can begin — but not without another dose of drama. Norma encourages Mitzi to share her secret and when she reveals she’s pregnant, Maxine — assuming Perry is the father — says the mystery man needs to marry her. When Maxine takes the stage and looks down in the audience, however, she sees Mitzi breaking serious news to Douglas and realizes he’s the father. As Maxine cycles through accelerated stages of grief and processes her heartbreak, betrayal, and anger before the crowd, Wiig gives an Emmy-worthy performance of Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?” She sings, she dances, she roasts her peers, and she calls out Douglas for cheating on her in front of everyone.

As Norma watches Maxine’s breakdown with glee, she says, “God this is fun!” and Robert snaps, “I can’t believe I considered spending my life with you, Agnes.” Norma is shocked to hear the name, but before she can fully process the revelation, Linda sprints into the Beach Ball, Nixon stands up to leave, and Mary pulls a gun out of her wig. Just as she fires from a balcony, Linda tackles her, causing the bullet to hit ROBERT instead. As guests flee, Maxine sees her friend bleeding and sobs. She screams for Robert, Douglas screams for her, and Mary flees the scene, leaving police to think Linda is to blame.

So is Robert dead? Will Palm Royale return for Season 2? “Regardless of what happens to my character, I think the audience needs to have another season because it’s so rich,” Palm Royale‘s Ricky Martin told Decider via Zoom. “The cliffhanger is insane and the idea that Kristen Wigg’s character can confront Leslie Bibb’s character eventually and Kaia Gerber’s character in all this, and the fact that Carol Burnett’s character is alive and kicking with the power of a matriarch is just amazing.”

Though Robert’s fate looks grim when the end credits roll, if the series is to return for a Season 2, Martin sounds hopeful about his character’s recovery. “I don’t know if Robert is gonna get married in the next season. We don’t know. But I’m just hoping for many more seasons to come.”

Read Decider’s full Season 2 explainer to learn everything we know about the future of the Apple TV+ comedy. While we wait for more updates, Palm Royale is now streaming on Apple TV+.