Apple TV+ ’Palm Royale’ Season 2 Episode 7 Review - A Funeral Full of Consequences

Watching Palm Royale Season 2 Episode 7 felt like boarding a roller coaster that’s equal parts compelling and chaotic, often thrilling and occasionally just a bit too busy. Set largely at the funeral for Skeet Rollins, this episode forces nearly every major character to confront the fallout of their choices, and in doing so, brings a lot of narrative weight into a single setting. It’s an intense hour that delivers memorable character moments, sharp dialogue, and a few narrative puzzles that don’t quite fit as seamlessly as they should.

From the opening scenes at the funeral, the episode makes it clear that Palm Beach society is more like a battlefield than a community. The staging of this gathering — lush period settings, impeccable costume design, and an undercurrent of tension — feels like one of the show’s strongest technical achievements. The direction uses the confined space of the funeral to create overlapping conversations and collisions of personal agendas that are often entertaining, even when they verge on overwhelming.

Kristen Wiig’s Maxine remains the emotional and narrative centre of the hour. After the scandalous public meltdown that left her estranged from parts of the elite world she’s been trying so desperately to join, Maxine returns not as a subdued figure but as someone determined to reclaim agency and dignity. The way her arc threads through this episode — from being the subject of gossip to staking out a position in negotiations with law enforcement — shows a character constantly recalibrating. At times, her resilience feels genuinely inspiring. At others, the sheer number of plotlines she’s entangled in makes her motivations feel overcrowded.

One of the best scenes in the episode comes when Maxine confesses to Douglas that she lost their baby prior to their wedding. It’s a raw, grounded moment that gives real emotional depth to these characters beyond the usual satire and scheming. Wiig plays this with restraint and vulnerability, and it grounds the episode in something genuinely felt, even when much of the surrounding chaos feels exaggerated.

The funeral itself turns into a circus of social maneuvering. We see Norma Dellacorte, nursing grievances and literal firearms; Perry’s legal troubles affecting Douglas’s investments; and other characters like Dinah Donohue pivoting dramatically — in her case, toward hunting for a new husband — in ways that are sometimes funny and sometimes too cartoony for the stakes at hand. The script tries to juggle comedy and drama largely with success, but there are a few moments where the tonal balance tilts into absurdity without much payoff.

One of the episode’s significant contributions to the overall arc is how it deals with deception and identity. Robert Diaz’s romantic entanglement with a supposed prince of Luxembourg, and the revelatory moment when Maxine recognizes this “prince” as a wanted fraudster, brings a satisfying twist. It’s a beat that underscores how much of Palm Beach’s elite world is built on illusion and performance. This reveal also provides a clever narrative pivot: Maxine uses the man’s real status as leverage with law enforcement to negotiate Douglas’s release. It’s a smart move for her character and illustrates her ability to think on her feet, though the moral ambiguity — using someone’s downfall to save another — hangs in the air.

Despite these compelling developments, the episode does sometimes overburden itself with concurrent threads. Some subplots, like Dinah’s exaggerated transformation or certain background threats, feel underexplored and clutter the narrative rather than enhance it. While part of the show’s charm has always been its willingness to pile on situations, here it momentarily works against clarity. There are times I find myself wanting a clearer throughline rather than an ever-expanding web of crises.

The performances help carry the weight of this complexity. Allison Janney as Evelyn Rollins continues to bring a sharp edge and commanding presence, especially in scenes where she negotiates and manipulates for advantage. Laura Dern’s Linda, already a layered figure this season, adds unpredictable energy. Supporting cast members contribute texture and color, even when their individual storylines feel thinly sketched.

Cinematographically, the episode shines. The contrast between the solemnity of the funeral and the absurdity of the interactions plays well visually, and the production design richly evokes late-1960s Palm Beach. Costumes, set details, and camera movement all contribute to a world that feels fashionable and fraught.

Critically, the pacing is uneven at times. The writers pack in a lot — arrests, emotional breakthroughs, identity reveals — and the rhythm sometimes stutters as scenes pivot rapidly from one plot to another. A more focused approach might have given each development more emotional resonance. However, the show’s signature style thrives on brisk escalation, and many viewers will enjoy that whirlwind quality.

Ultimately, this episode feels like a pivot point: clearing the board of some old conflicts while setting up the final stretch of the season. Maxine’s role shifts from reactive to proactive, even as she remains deeply flawed. The blend of humor and drama, while occasionally mismatched, largely serves to highlight the absurd stakes of high society when mixed with raw human vulnerability.

For fans of Palm Royale, this installment offers enough memorable beats — emotional honesty, sharp twists, strong performances, and lavish production — to justify its ambition. There are rough edges and a few narrative threads that feel overambitious, but the episode’s energy and creativity make it a compelling watch. It illustrates why this series can be both engaging and exasperating, often in the same breath, and it sets the stage for what promises to be a fraught and fascinating conclusion to the season.

Final Score- [6.5/10]