Palm Royale's realistic feminism problem

Kristen Wiig is Maxine Simmons in Apple TV+'s 2024 show, Palm Royale. Maxine is dedicated to joining the distinguished Palm Royale club and The Shiny Sheet to improve her social standing to where she believes she and her husband belong. Maxine tries to seamlessly include herself in the upper class by associating with the 4 ruling ladies of Palm Beach. This includes Evelyn Rollins (Allison Janey), Dinah Donahue (Leslie Bibb), Raquel Kimberly-Marco(Claudia Ferri), and Mary Jones Davidsoul(Julia Duffy). However, she encounters issues along the way. Maxine utilizes a weak moment of Dinah's to get closer to her. She concocts a car jam between them which startles weeping Dinah still sad about her lover's quarrel. Dinah's determination to compensate Maxine leads them to Dinah's physician. In the clinic, Dinah and Maxine talk. Dinah's poor opinion of Maxine is made known before she opens up to Maxine about her affair and pregnancy. Maxine views Dinah's need for a speedy abortion as an opportunity to gain her help for entry into the Palm Royale. She needs one initial sponsor and a payment to pass the first round which motivates her to help Dinah.

Maxine remembers Linda Shaw (Laura Dern), who tried to encourage Maxine to join her group to support the sisterhood. She barges into the 'Our Body, Our Shelves' bookstore, a safe space for the underrepresented to seek Linda for assistance. Maxine utilizes the familiarity of sisterhood by saying she has a sister in need. Despite the interruption, they assist her. Dinah is assisted by some nurses from an underground collective while Maxine waits with Virginia (Amber Chardae Robinson) from the group. Virginia tells Maxine that she's a feminist after she talks about her worries for Dinah but she laughs at the suggestion of her being a feminist. During recovery, Maxine talks to Dinah about needing her sponsorship. She hoped she would help her as she did her but Dinah does not agree. Angry, Maxine picks Dinah's outfit as promised while taking the time to share that Dinah is unwell. Dinah confronts Maxine who is stuck wearing her dress. She is furious about the effect of Maxine's hint and calls her a "bitch". She says she's fake and asks if there is anything real about her before the appearance of Maxine's pilot and Dellacorte husband, Douglas(Josh Lucas). Dinah is surprised by his existence and intimacy with Maxine who says that their relationship is what she wishes for Dinah and her husband. She tells Dinah that she wants to be a good friend to her but she's making it hard. Dinah sponsors her at the club. During Dinah's recovery, Maxine helped her and she appreciated it by saying she may be the only true friend she has but she rescinded that when Maxine brought up the club.

Maxine encounters several kinds of people and creates several relationships. She has to continuously fight to achieve her goal with or against others. She battles with the ladies vying for 'Queen of the Season' to gain respect and wealth in society. There is no true friendship for her among the 4 ladies. They support and abandon her at times. This aligns with the belief that women can not be truly friends. She cared for her nail technician, Mitzi (Kaia Gerber). They became friends and she supported her pregnancy wholeheartedly before she realized the father. Maxine agrees with the feminist group at times and at other times she disagrees. She joins or uses them at certain times and at other times she abandons them. Maxine used their help to move the beached whale and she helped them during Sylvia's (Crosby Fitzgerald) labour but denied them while exposing them to the Secret Service agents. This exposure led to their imprisonment. Despite the unconscious mention of their location, the exposure aligns with Virginia's retraction of Maxine being a feminist. She told Linda, "Look, I hate to break it to you but Maxine, she's a tool of the patriarchy too." Linda denies this belief but confirms that Maxine is a bit delusional.

Linda, Ann(Mindy Cohn), and Robert(Ricky Martin) support Maxine but Virginia does not appreciate Linda supporting Maxine. Linda apologizes but Virginia is upset with Linda for burning the Rolodex in agreement with Maxine while they agreed to use it. She shares that people assume that Linda is in charge and gave her the money to open the place. She tells Linda not to use her as "a barometer measuring her goodness" and says she knows what she means. Virginia and Linda are the leaders of the group but Linda's whiteness and wealth imbalance their partnership. Linda tries to help underrepresented people in different ways primarily due to the guilt of the origin of her family's wealth but she realizes she knows nothing about Virginia. While Mary who immersed herself in the group sought revenge through assassination, Linda talks to Virginia in the trapped room. Linda's known her for over three years and questions Virginia but she tells her that alliances can't be friends to explain why she can't tell her about her private life. Linda realizes all the other ladies are still locked up and asks why she's free. She says she's got friends in high places and Linda speculates that she could be an undercover worker for 'the man' to round up the feminists among other duties. Virginia doesn't deny it and calls her drunk. It is understandable to keep your public and private life separate from your co-workers but Linda blurred the lines several times. Linda would have appreciated that reciprocity in their friendship but received it in support solely. This distance would be understandable if there was some truth to Linda's speculation but that would be saddening to the other ladies who joined them for community and purpose. The ladies were still in prison without any of their leaders to support them. This ridicules the idea of feminism or any movement with hopes of progress without agreement, unity, or organization.

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