The women of Palm Royale are clawing for a sense of power, but what lengths will they go through to maintain it?
With the second season of the Apple TV series underway, the star-studded cast ensemble is back in action, including Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Amber Chardae Robinson, Mindy Cohn, Julia Duffy and Kaia Gerber. Guest stars for this installment include John Stamos, Patti LuPone, Vicki Lawrence and Matt Rogers.
What is ‘Palm Royale’ about?
According to the official synopsis:
Palm Royale is a true underdog story that follows Maxine Dellacorte (Wiig) as she endeavors to find her footing in the cutthroat world of Palm Beach high society. As Maxine attempts to cross that impermeable line between the haves and the have-nots, Palm Royale asks the same question that still baffles us today: How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice to get what someone else has? Palm Royale is a testament to every outsider fighting for their chance to truly belong.
Being on the right side of history
Amber Chardae Robinson returns as Ann, who isn’t who she appears to be but is a character who always goes on about being on the right side of history, something the actor says shifts from Episode 1 to the final chapter of Season 2.
“I think Virginia’s idea of being on the right side of history is making sure that she is doing everything in her power to liberate her people,” Robinson told Blavity’s Shadow and Act during our cast interview. “She knows the reality of the time. She understands where we are, what’s happening around her. This high society does not phase her.”
“She knows the real, and this ain’t the real,” she continued. “And I think she wants to do everything in her power to not only liberate her people, but also liberate others who may be oppressed or stifled. She understands the community and the environment in which she works this season, and she knows how important her role is, no matter how many people try to downplay it, or how many obstacles they try to throw at her, or how they try to little girl her. She knows that her presence in this environment is important, and it will be written down in history,” adding, “There aren’t a lot of people who look like her in this place. There aren’t a lot of people who look like her in this community. She understands that she may be looked at a certain way, but her presence and what she stands for is what she’ll be remembered for, regardless of how people are interpreting her.”
Changing the narrative
Set in 1969 in Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Royale centers on Maxine’s deep desire to break into the high society of the era; however, as the story progresses, the character winds up breaking gender-restricting boundaries.
“I do think that the women find — the definition of power, I think, has changed a little bit in that, I think, we sort of find that, you know, the power within ourselves as women at that time is something that we need to tap into, I think, as opposed to just like having power in the town, if that makes sense,” Wiig, who also serves as a series executive producer, said, along with giving life to the leading character.
“She’s got this mentality of like, you know, ‘Well, why not? Or, well, if that happened, well then just change it,'” Wiig shared. “As much as she’s into sort of the hierarchy of society and wanting to be this sort of cookie-cutter, married, family woman. She really goes for what she wants, and I think that’s something a lot of women in the show and back then probably would have looked at her like, ‘What are you doing?’ a little bit, and she kind of does it without really thinking.”
What makes a person powerful?
At one point in the season, Dinah (Leslie Bibb) tells Mitzi (Kaia Gerber) that “to be safe, a woman needs power.” However, after depending on men for money and a sense of authority, there’s been a shift in the character’s approach to surviving the Palm Beach world.
“It’s the first time in her life that she doesn’t need a man for that reason,” Bibb said. “I really feel like it’s almost like a teenager, like coming into their own. And it’s true, you know? In that time, especially, that’s what you needed; it is about. For her, that’s what she thinks it’s all about, is power. And I think by the end of the show, she quickly realizes that it’s all a facade, and it isn’t, you know? It’s about yourself and knowing yourself and finding a community, and really being seen. Because you can have all the money in the world, and you can be the loneliest person on the planet.”
The power of being seen
In this season of Palm Royale, the layers that make up the relationship between Norma (Carol Burnett) and Robert (Ricky Martin) continue to be peeled back.
“He doesn’t find out her secret until a lot later, but I think she cared for him. He cared for her when she was in a coma,” Burnett said. “You know, at times, he would do her makeup while she was in bed, and fix her hair, and take care of her,” adding, “She adored him, and she took care of him, so he has a great love for her. It kind of gets very interesting when, at the end of the first season, Robert finds out Norma’s secret, and so that is explored quite a bit in the second season.” She concluded, “There are a lot of secrets and a lot of good surprises in store.”
Martin added to the sentiment, noting just how his character is crippled by fear throughout this installment of the series.
“Robert is very afraid in so many ways,” he said. “We know that he doesn’t want to be him right now, but he’s finding himself, and I think he’s trying to find it through love with Tom, and then the security that Norma gives him is also important.” He continued, “I think that he just wants to be happy. He just wants to be free, and Palm Beach is giving this to him, but it’s overwhelming, everything that happens, and he kind of left Puerto Rico wanting something light and simple. He’s not getting it. So, let’s see what happens.”
When does the second season start?
Palm Royale‘s second season premiered on Apple TV on Wednesday, and weekly episodes air until Jan. 14.