The grand mansions on 61st Street in Old New York are throwing open their doors yet again. The Gilded Age is back for season three on HBO and Max! This period drama has always provided all the social climbing, business dealing, and romance the 1880s had to offer. And Season 3 begins by promising more of the same. The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 1 is a well-balanced and satisfying start to the new season.
Writer-creator Julian Fellowes is comfortable writing stories set in the past, and he usually includes the dynamic between the rich and their household staff. From Gosford Park to Downton Abbey, it’s a common theme for him. The Gilded Age is another example. The American setting may be unusual in his work, but the ensemble cast of characters and the intricate drama are not. The conflict between old money and new is timeless. Fellowes knows this and takes advantage of America’s unique milieu.
“Who Is In Charge Here?” is an entertaining jumping-off point for Season 3. The writers put themes and character development in place that will progress throughout the story, and the actors are pleasantly settled into their roles in The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 1.
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“I hope you’re ready for all this.”
The opening image of The Gilded Age Season 3 reminds viewers that the 1880s wasn’t just the era of Old New York; it was the era of the Old West, too. George Russell (Morgan Spector) arrives in Arizona. He wants to buy more land there to expand his railroad across the country. His secretary, Clay (Patrick Page), expresses worry about George overleveraging his fortune. But George is new money, essentially a robber baron, and he isn’t worried. He knows sometimes you have to take bold risks to move forward.
The desert of Arizona is a visually interesting contrast to the early spring snow back in New York. George’s wife Bertha (Carrie Coon) is on a high after winning the war of the opera houses last season. She did that by luring an English Duke to her opera house, which she accomplished by heavily hinting he could have her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) and a large dowry. This will be a problem for Bertha in two ways. The first is that Gladys wants to marry for love. This episode fully fleshes out this problem, as Gladys secretly meets with a rich but ordinary young man. Bertha makes it clear that Gladys will not be marrying him. Gladys pushes back against her mother’s dominance for the first time, and this is good character development for her, since she’s always been quite submissive so far.
The other way Bertha’s plan for Gladys and the Duke is problematic is that George promised Gladys she could marry for love. George is a “my wife” guy, and he has never wavered in his support of Bertha, but if Bertha’s scheming truly makes his daughter unhappy, George might change his tune. That’s a dilemma for another episode, though.
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“None of it is clear.”
As for the old money family that lives across the street from the Russells, Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) is not adjusting well to the fact that her living situation has basically reversed. Season 2 ended with her son Oscar (Blake Ritson) losing the Van Rhijn fortune to a con artist, while her sister Ada (Cynthia Nixon) suddenly found herself wealthy. She had been a spinster for years until marrying last season, only to lose him to cancer shortly after. He left her rich, and now the servants of the house don’t know who they answer to. Agnes and Ada’s topic for butting heads in The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 1 is Ada’s involvement in the temperance movement. No matter how irritating it is for Agnes, Ada needs the purpose it gives her to help with her grief. Anyone with depression will relate when Ada says there were nights she went to sleep and prayed not to wake up again.
Meanwhile, Agnes and Ada’s niece Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) is quietly courting with Larry Russell (Harry Richardson). George and Bertha’s son had been a friend to Marian ever since she moved in with her aunts. The two finally shared a kiss in last season’s finale. Marian is hesitant because she has had bad luck with men in the past. Larry has been worthy so far, though, and honest, too. Including in his partnership with Jack (Ben Ahlers), the footman in the Van Rhijn house who invented an improved clock they are trying to sell to investors. Larry isn’t infallible. This episode proves that when he tells Jack he’ll meet the investors alone first. (Come on, Larry, you need Jack with you for the technical stuff!) But Larry is one of the good ones.
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“Society is not known for its logic.”
Elsewhere, Aurora Fane (Kelli O’Hara), a niece to Agnes by marriage, is blindsided when her husband Charles (Ward Horton) announces he wants a divorce. Society did not accept divorced women at this time in history. Agnes, Ada, and Marian support Aurora, but a resolution seems far off for her. The perception of divorce will no doubt be a big theme this season.
This show examines other areas of social progress. Besides women’s rights, issues of race are raised through the character of Peggy Scott (Denee Benton). She works as Agnes’ secretary, but she is also a writer and activist in the Black community. Peggy comes down with a bad chest cold in this episode. Boo, we don’t like that. And when Agnes’ doctor turns out to be a racist jerk, we HATE that. Thankfully, we have Peggy and Marian’s friendship to enjoy and an appearance by famous painter John Singer Sargent to fangirl over until the next episode. The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 1 strikes a good balance among all the characters and sets up compelling conflicts for the rest of the season. And I’m ready for all of it.
The Gilded Age airs Sundays at 9 PM on HBO and is streaming on Max.
