Palm Royale

I've gone back and forth between liking and not liking this show. On one hand I really wanted to like it, as the cast, wardrobe, and sets are so good. And I do think the show can be hilarious at times. The show can be a bit over the top, which can be off putting. But I can usually can over silly little plot oddities, but the ending to this first season was just downright awful. It's like the writers of this show wanted to make an Uber Shonda Rhimes drama laden version of the white lotus, with over the top humor. It's bizarre, but I did enjoy most of it. They're just trying way too hard. And again, what an absolute dumpster fire the final episode is.

This had potential but the pacing kills it right off the bat. They talk and talk and talk and nothing happens. And then they repeat the talking and plot points ad nauseum.

Whole episodes go by and nothing happens.

The characters are annoying and unlikable. And what's with the CGI faces of these old actors?

Kristine Whig seems to be in every scene. There's no relief from her. The acting in general is lousy, and the entire whale scene is stupid and disgusting.

The women are a bunch of parasites and we're supposed to find them amusing? And what's with the group of frumps in the book store?

Total waste of time.

The show starts off slow but hints at strong story and character development. The stunning outfits, beautiful landscapes, and talented cast drew me in initially. None of the characters are likable but I guess that's the point and I don't mind it.

However, by the fifth and sixth episodes, I found myself wishing for it to end. I would scroll through my phone and feel like I didn't miss anything important. The plot becomes repetitive and tedious. Although we get to understand Maxine's story to some extent, it's hard to feel emotionally invested. I really like how invested she is into this role and everything she and others wear in the series.

1969 was a period of great unrest in the US, with the unpopular Vietnam war, student protests on the streets, and the women's movement on the rise. All this under the presidency of the conservative, Tricky Dicky (Richard Nixon). But that didn't mean a thing to Maxine Simmons, who at the time was so determined to infiltrate Palm Beach high society at any cost, while the world was crumbling around her.

The viewer will squirm and cringe with great amusement as Maxine digs herself so deep into a mess, and then attempts to climb out of that bottomless hole by any means necessary in this farcical series that takes a swipe at the lives of deluded filthy rich housewives of Palm Beach. To help it along, it is the performances of Kristen Wiig and the dynamic supporting cast that make this a pure delight!

Overall it is taking too long to tell a simple tale that feels a little drawn out, even after three episodes. Maybe best suited as a feature length, but it is still enticing enough to see how far Maxine will go to conquer the upper-class social scene, and hopefully make a mess of it all.

I've only watched a few episodes, but it's a fun look back at the social scene back in the 60's. I'm old enough to remember much of the clothing, furniture, cars which are all very realistically depicted. Times were a bit more innocent on the surface, but lots of interesting things happened behind the scenes which would now be considered "politically incorrect". It's almost what I would call a dark comedy back in a time where people openly flaunted their wealth.

It's not totally believable, and obviously fiction, but still fun to watch and there are quite a few big names in the cast. Carol Burnett looks great and there are a few other actors which I haven't seen in years like Julia Duffy of Bob Newhart fame, Ricky Martin (who looks great), and Laura Dern.