The new Apple TV+ Kristen Wiig-led comedy series Palm Royale has already featured plenty of surprising plot twists in its first four episodes.
Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Palm Royale episode 4.
The Apple TV+ period comedy series Palm Royale featured a huge plot twist at the end of its third episode that was further explored in episode 4. Palm Royale is based on the book Mr. and Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel. The series was created by Abe Sylvia, best known for The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Dead To Me, and features many changes from the 2018 novel. Palm Royale revolves around Maxine Dellacorte Simmons, a woman desperate to break into Palm Beach high society when her wealthy aunt-in-law falls into a coma.
Saturday Night Live alumna Kristen Wiig leads the Palm Royale cast as Maxine, with an impressive supporting cast to back her up that includes Allison Janney, Laura Dern, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Ricky Martin, Carol Burnett, and many more. Dern takes on the role of Linda Rollins, previously known as Penelope, a new friend of Maxine’s who, unlike her, has no interest in being part of Palm Beach high society despite being born into it. Palm Royale has already drawn comparisons to The White Lotus due to its cast, characters, and interesting storylines.
Douglas & Linda Were Engaged
Their marriage was supposed to bring their families together
As each episode of Palm Royale passes, more is revealed about the mysterious Linda. Maxine first met Linda in Palm Beach when she approached her about joining her feminist organization, something Maxine wasn’t initially interested in. Eventually, she befriended Linda and was surprised to learn that she’d once been a part of Palm Beach high society under the name Penelope Rollins. Linda is the daughter of the wealthy Skeet Rollins and the stepdaughter of socialite Evelyn Rollins, though she doesn’t get along with the latter.
However, there’s much more to Linda’s backstory in Palm Royale than could have been predicted. At the end of Palm Royale episode 3, Maxine found an old invitation for Penelope/Linda’s wedding to Maxine’s current husband, Douglas Dellacorte Simmons. Through conversations with her husband, Evelyn, and Linda, Maxine learned that they’d been engaged roughly 20 years ago, but their relationship wasn’t borne out of love. Rather, it was a tool to bring the famous Dellacorte and Rollins families together.
Douglas & Linda’s Wedding Day Ended In Tragedy
Linda accidentally shot her father
While Douglas and Linda were engaged in Palm Royale, they never actually got married. Beyond not being fit for each other, their wedding day ended in tragedy, with Linda accidentally shooting her father. Different characters had theories as to why Linda shot him, but only she knew the truth. Evelyn believed she was trying to shoot her and missed, while Linda confessed to Maxine that she’d been trying to shoot Douglas and had accidentally hit her beloved father, partially paralyzing him.
Douglas may not have had feelings for Linda, but she believed she loved him and wanted to make their relationship work. When she learned that he was sleeping with other women, she confronted him about it, only for him to call her crazy. Consumed by Dougie’s gaslighting, Linda literally found herself going crazy and assumed the moans she heard from her father were coming from Douglas and one of his mistresses, causing her to shoot.
Fortunately for Linda, the poorly hidden secret never resulted in any punishment. Norma took care of everything, putting the information in her famous Rolodex for blackmail, but keeping her secret safe. In exchange for silence, Evelyn finally married Skeet and Douglas left Palm Beach for Chattanooga, where his mistress Maxine was waiting for him, unaware of the double life he’d been living. Though the crime seems to be in the past in Palm Royale, the truth tends to have a special way of coming back when you least expect it.
