Palm Royale season 2 episode 3 ending explained: Did Maxine find evidence against Norma in the trophy room?

The Palm Royale season 2 episode 3 picks up its plot right after the events of the previous episode, where Maxine helped Linda escape. But to her surprise, the feds arrive at Evelyn’s house for the search as she is suspected of being the one who helped her escape. Well, that’s Maxine, but she keeps Evelyn engaged in the episode to solve the mystery about Norma. 

The truth behind the Norma mystery that we see today is shocking. She isn’t the real Norma, who was supposed to inherit her father’s legacy and wealthy lifestyle. Instead, the flashbacks reveal that the real Norma died in an accident after falling from the stairs, and she was about to go to her home when her father died. Now, with no one left to inherit the fortune, little Agnes was sent as a replacement. Agnes is now pretending to be Norma in Palm Beach and has become something that she wasn’t before. 

Palm Royale season 2 episode 3 ending explained: Maxine tries to expose Norma, but lands herself in trouble

The episode opens with Norma giving some sort of medication to Robert, and that’s where we learn that she was not trying to kill him. Instead, it was his proper medications, and she even revealed her little secret of becoming Agnes to Norma Dellacorte, but in return for his life, he needed to keep his mouth shut. 

Soon after, federal agents came to Evelyn’s house with a search warrant. Evelyn thinks they’re there because she hid Mary in the tunnels, but that was not the case. Mary is actually free and even surprises Evelyn by showing up, saying she wasn’t invited to the “festive at Dellacorte today.” Meanwhile, Maxine has signed the divorce papers, which means she is no longer a Dellacorte and must leave Palm Beach. But before she goes, she causes one last bit of trouble: she accidentally swallows the engagement ring.

As Maxine gets ready to leave Palm Beach, she wants to visit Robert, but she isn’t allowed to see him. Douglas is only worried about getting back the engagement ring Maxine was supposed to return, but she accidentally swallowed it while trying to take it off. Dinah is now assigned to give Maxine prunes every hour so that the ring gets out (naturally). 

The Dellacorte house is decorated for the “betrothal portrait party,” a family tradition in which they take a portrait before a wedding. Soon, Evelyn arrives. Maxine thinks Evelyn has found out the truth about Linda, but Evelyn actually suspects Norma of her escape. This gives Maxine some relief. Before getting on with the “Norma thing,” they quickly secure Evelyn’s assets and empty the bank accounts so the federal agents can’t take them, thanks to Linda making Maxine the conservator just in time.

Virginia gives an idea to expose Norma in Palm Royale season 2 episode 3

While they are hiding the gold bar in the tunnels, Dinah says she even thinks Norma might have killed Axel, and later, this turns out to be true. When Maxine looks at Stella Rue’s portrait, she realizes that the ring she swallowed is not the real family engagement ring. This makes her even more sure that Norma is involved in something bad.

They also think Sidonius is helping Norma get rid of people. So they go to Virginia for advice. Virginia tells Maxine that killers usually keep small items, or “trinkets,” from their victims. If Maxine believes that if she can find this “collection,” it will prove everything. She tries to convince Virginia by explaining how Norma tried to kill her twice, once by pushing her off the ship, and another time by putting insulin in her grasshopper drink. But Virginia says she needs real evidence.

As Maxine and Evelyn think about these “doohickeys and doodahs,” Maxine guesses that the evidence might be in Norma’s safety deposit box. She even tells Douglas because he also wants to know who killed his mother. Maxine convinces him to help her get the keys.

During the family portrait, when Ann is arranging everyone’s positions, she tells Norma to move back a little. This gives Maxine a chance to take the keys from Norma. But when she opens the deposit box, she only finds a note that says: “F*** Y** Maxine.”

Douglas leaves because they find nothing, but he again reminds Maxine to return the engagement ring. After he goes, Maxine keeps the keys and opens Robert’s door. While talking to him, she discovers a space in the room filled with trophies. These are the “trinkets” Norma kept from the people she killed, exactly like Virginia said serial killers do. Maxine even finds Axel Rosenhipps’s cufflinks, but Robert says Norma told him Axel died of a broken heart.

Norma outsmarts Maxine in Palm Royale season 2 episode 3

Soon after, Evelyn arrives and tells Maxine that Sidonius is drowning in debt, so Maxine and Evelyn decide they should buy Palm Royale themselves. But first, Maxine takes Evelyn to the trophy room.

Maxine confronts Norma about the killings using her “little swan” story. Norma tells Maxine to go ahead and call the police if she wants. But when Maxine calls her FBI contacts, Norma quickly pulls out her gun, shoots at the chandelier, and screams, “Don’t kill me, Maxine!”

The FBI hears this and thinks Maxine is the threat. Norma then escapes through a trap door. By the end of the episode, Norma is gone, and now Maxine is suspected of trying to kill her. Maxine is nervous, and her prunes are finally working, meaning the ring might come out soon due to nervousness.