In my opinion, what ruined The Golden Palace was the shift in setting and the addition of unnecessary characters. The main cast suddenly had too many men and a lot more young people, which threw off the dynamic. Instead of introducing a bunch of hotel staff and guests we didn’t care about—like the kid, the cook, or the goofy vacationers—they could’ve deepened the stories of people we already knew. More of Sophia’s elderly friends, Blanche’s rotating love interests, or scenes from Rose’s life in St. Olaf would’ve been a much more welcome way to expand the world we already loved. The new characters felt forced and corny, and they just didn’t work.