Warning: spoilers ahead for the finale of Palm Royale.
Over the course of Palm Royale's 10 episodes, we're waiting. We're waiting for one of the snobby, elite women Kristen Wiig's Maxine, a desperately tragic social climber in 1960s Palm Beach, has been courting the approval of to betray her.
The cohort, played in part by Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb and Carol Burnett, wants her out of their beach club and out of their lives, but every time they've knocked her down she's managed to get back up again (because nothing is stronger than a woman with a bouffant and a legacy to secure). But as we reach the finale, and the town's biggest social event of the calendar, a downfall is promised. However, it ends up coming from the last place we expected: Maxine's only real friend, her manicurist Mitzi.
Mitzi, played by Kaia Gerber, has spent much of the season as Maxine's naive, younger confidant. As one of the only other people in Maxine's orbit not occupying the 1%, there's a sense that Mitzi is the only one who really understands her. But in the last few episodes of the season, it's revealed that Mitzi has been having a secret affair with Maxine's husband Douglas (Josh Lucas). And the kicker? She's pregnant. “My first instinct was that I love Kristen so much, and Mitzi loves Maxine so much, so I was just devastated,” says Gerber.
Mitzi's betrayal is the breaking point for Maxine, who was already close to buckling under the pressure of trying to make it through the season unscathed. In the final, explosive scenes of the series, Maxine breaks down mid-performance on stage, taking aim at her fellow socialites and letting the feelings of her husband and best friend's affair wash over her. The night descends further into chaos, and in the crosshairs, Robert (Ricky Martin), the club's former pool boy Maxine's only other reluctant friend, is shot. The show ends on a cliffhanger, although one thing remains clear: social hierarchy will be maintained, and anyone who tries to infiltrate it will be punished.
Here, Kaia Gerber chats with GQ about Palm Royale's ambiguous ending, her response to Mitzi's late-season twist and the potential for season 2.
GQ: First of all, I'd love to know how much hairspray was used to maintain Mitzi's beehives, because they're a feat of engineering.
Gerber: A lot of hairspray and a lot of love. It was like, let's see how big we can get the hair every day. There's a little bit of movie magic – that was not all my hair – but there was like a joke that at the end of the day, I'd come running into the trailer with a pile of hair in my hands. I couldn't wait to get them out.
What was your reaction when you first found out Mitzi was going to betray Maxine by having an affair with Douglas?
When I signed on, Tate [Taylor], who directed the episodes, called me and was like, ‘You know the storyline, right?’. And I was like, 'I literally just found out I got the part, I don't know anything, what do you mean?', and he started giggling. Watching Kristen's performance in that last episode, I was just crying all day. It was a shock for me and I know it will be a shock for people. I've had people come up to me and recently in the past few weeks being like 'We love Palm Royale, and your character is the only one who's not doing anything shady.' And I do think Missy is a good person, but when I hear people say it just breaks my heart.
How do you tally Mitzi's thought process with her decision to sleep with Douglas?
I think Mitzi is naive in a lot of ways, and I can relate to her in a lot of ways. I think, had I grown up with less access to the things that I've had access to, I can see how you end up in a position like she's in. A lack of resources, lack of support, lack of community or people to go to can put you in a bad position, so I really empathise with Mitzi a lot.
I think it's quite evident in the series how much characters who don't have support are exploited by the town's rich folk.
That's exactly what it is. I think, particularly in Mitzi's situation, she doesn't have someone to go to about this. Maybe if she had a bunch of girlfriends to call, they'd be like 'Don't date a married man'. I think that when you are doing something that maybe the society as a whole would deem as bad or shameful, you do not seek advice or comfort or support from anyone else.
How was it to film those final scenes with Kristen where Mitzi tries to tell her the truth?
It was such a hard scene to film because even, like, Kaia to Kristen, I didn't want to say something that would upset her. I had to give her a hug after because I was like, ‘I never, ever want to make you cry’. I think, especially as women, when we hurt other women, it is devastating. If we're not looking out for each other, who is?
It's a pretty sobering ending to the series, despite the farce of it, and you really don't know who to root for in the end.
It's interesting, all the different ways that we as people are corrupt and how it reveals itself with each character. But what I love about this show is that there isn't a clear villain or a clear protagonist, which is so true for life. Everyone is trying to do their best under the circumstances they're under.
The ending is really ambiguous – we don't know if Robert is ok after being shot, and we have no idea what happens to these characters after this. Where do you think they end up?
I just selfishly love Ricky so much. I have no idea what happens at all, but I just know that I love a world where you go to work and Ricky Martin's there. We all want to see Ricky Martin shirtless by the pool.
It leaves the door open for a second season. Would you be open to that?
I would, I would work with these people for the rest of my life if I could. If we're lucky enough to go back, and if people want to see us back, I would be the first one into work.
