The Gilded Age season 2 premiere: Even more delicious New Money pettiness
Give us all of the big-budget, low-stakes soapiness, please
TV Reviews The Gilded Age
If you’re ever questioning if The Gilded Age knows its audience or not, the opening moments of season two should quiet any concerns. We’re welcomed back into the world of 1880s New York opulence with a montage dedicated to the good stuff: the hats. Yes, boxes upon boxes of pure milliner porn, their extravagant, heavily feathered contents soon seen festooning the heads of returning cast members like Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Carrie Coon, and Audra McDonald (a.k.a. every theater kid’s dream blunt rotation).
Though the HBO historical drama—which returns with a new episode written by creator Julian Fellowes and directed by Michael Engler—is always one to serve it where costuming is concerned, the parade of pastel-hued headwear is purposeful. It’s Easter Sunday, and anyone who is anyone is attending mass. Along with introducing us to some new faces, including Robert Sean Leonard as the rector, Rev. Matthew Forte, the services provide a neat way of catching up with our favorite Real Housewives of (19th century) New York City.
Coon’s ambitious socialite Bertha Russell is busy juggling her annoyance over being denied a box at the Academy of Music’s opera house, renovating a palatial vacation home in Newport, Rhode Island, and coping with the fact that everyone on the Internet desperately wants her and her hunky husband—the extraordinarily bearded railroad tycoon George, played by Morgan Spector—to approach them with a saucy “Hey, we saw you across the bar and really dig your vibe.” (Okay, that might just be a very specific subset of Twitter.)
Agnes (Baranski) still isn’t a fan of the Russells, but begrudges Bertha a head nod of acknowledgement at the mass. In the Van Rhijn household, she and sister Ada (Nixon) have received word that Dashiell Montgomery (David Furr), the wealthy, widowed nephew of Agnes’ late husband, has recently moved from Washington to New York with his young daughter. A rich bachelor fresh on the scene? We can already smell the romantic drama.
Speaking of romantic drama, Marian (Louisa Jacobson) is still feeling jilted by her last-season love Mr. Raikes, who is reportedly due to be soon married, and has thrown herself into teaching watercolors to young girls at a nearby private school. (Unsurprisingly, Aunt Agnes is not pleased by this development.) And cousin Oscar (Blake Ritson) is equally emo following Easter mass, having been pointedly ignored by Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga), who he is still pursuing, and spotting his old paramour John Adams (Claybourne Elder) strolling through the streets with another fella. He takes to a bar to nurse his sorrows, where things seemingly start to look up when he catches the eye of another patron—only to return home later badly beaten and robbed. He doesn’t want it reported to the police though: “I have nothing to tell them…I don’t want to be a story in the papers.”
Things are similarly morose in Philadelphia, where Denée Benton’s Peggy Scott is also attending mass but in mourning. After discovering late last season that the child that her father made her believe had died was, in fact, still alive, we tragically come to find out that Peggy’s young son has passed of scarlet fever, an infection that also claimed the life of his adopted mother. Peggy and her parents (McDonald and John Douglas Thompson) are visiting the boy’s adopted family and seeing where he lived all these years, a devastating excursion that has stoked resentments and regrets amongst the Scott clan. It’s not a surprise, then, that Peggy tells her parents that they all need a rest from each other and, upon her return to New York, inquires with Marian about her old posting at the Van Rhijn residence.
We go from Pennsylvania to Rhode Island, where Bertha is touring the grounds of her Newport property with Ward McAllister (Nathan Lane, all Southern twang and mustache wax). She’s curious about the Metropolitan Opera, a shiny new competitor to the Academy of Music, but Ward advises her not to go against the Academy-loving old guard, including Donna Murphy’s Mrs. Astor. (He also drops news of an intriguing new widow in the neighborhood, a Mrs. Richard Blane, who will be played by none other than Tony winner Laura Benanti. Again, drama-club kids are eating this season.)
The premiere ends with back-to-back social functions, each punctuated with a big surprise (or two). The first, an afternoon tea in honor of Dashiell hosted by Agnes & Co., during which Oscar privately proposes marriage to Gladys, who is attending much to the chagrin of her mother. “I’m happy to be hen-pecked as long as you’re doing the pecking,” he proclaims, guaranteeing her a life of independence and autonomy (and, you know, having a closeted husband). He tells her to think about it.
And over at House Russell, Bertha is getting the soufflés prepped and the claret decanted for her own tony shindig, a dinner for opera enthusiasts, a.k.a. a pseudo benefit for the Metropolitan Opera. She’s pettily invited fellow Academy waitlisters as well as Mrs. Astor, who is not happy to have been hoodwinked into attending. She’s even less delighted to hear about the Met’s star-studded lineup for its opening season, including the world-famous soprano Christina Nillson…who just happens to be on hand at Bertha’s bash for a surprise private performance for her dinner guests. Your move, Astor!
What kind of unfathomably rich and stupendously trivial adventures will these New Yorkers get into next week? All we know is, there better be more hats.
Stray observations
- That operatic cameo wasn’t the only surprising moment of Bertha’s big dinner. While being served at the dinner table, Flora McNeil (Rebecca Haden) confirms the popular fan theory that George Russell’s valet, Watson (Michael Cerveris), is her father. Her mother had informed her that her dad had fallen down the social ladder, but hadn’t specified exactly how far. Daddy issues abound.
- George “Hot Beard” Russell is dealing with some very topical issues this episode—namely, unions. He and the rest of the railroad owners gather in a meeting of truly spectacular facial hair, each ’do more extravagant than the next, to discuss the workers’ unthinkable demands like [checks notes] an eight-hour workday and safety measures. “For once, we must stand together and introduce change when we decide, not them,” Hot Beard declares. Triggering!
- The Gilded Age has gone full Oppenheimer: A whopping 13 recurring characters were bumped up to series regulars in the already sizable main cast for season two, including Taylor Richardson as Bridget, Debra Monk as Armstrong, and Ben Ahlers as Jack Trotter. That personnel bloatedness risks diluting characters, but so long as we get Christine Baranski being rich, bitchy, and wrapped in expensive fabrics every episode, we’re more than satisfied.
39 Comments
I have “Lady” in my title. Of course I like my hat porn. I don’t like the super wealthy or Jullian Fellows, but I have a love for period attire so this is my guilty pleasure.
I wear hats every day. They aren’t fancy in the least: modest, nice brims. I started doing this a very long time ago because of rashes I’d get. Then I was diagnosed with Lupus and it all made sense. I always hoped to bring hats back, but it’s not going to happen. Women spend too much on their hair and they aren’t going to hide it.
But for those inclined, there are plenty on sale!
Men need more hats that are not baseball caps. I am fond of Bowler hats myself.
Yes. I don’t know how those became de rigueur. 🙁
BB caps are like some midwest mandated uniform, they offer no sun protection for neck and ears. I hate them with a passion.
Also hate them and, now that I think about it, the guys I know never wear them so that makes me feel better about the people I know. Thanks.
Me too, I have three!
you have me by one. My fave is a crushable one from Connor that I steam bent the brim myself.
I respect your attempt to bring back hats. I have this 50 inch brim hat I take with me everywhere. Yeah it messes with my hair but whatever I feel so good walking around with this massive sunblocker.
Impressive. I’d like to see that hat 🙂
There you go. My favorite hat, wear this everywhere.
Niiice. Thank you. I haven’t been able to upload photos else I’d share. That’s some great SPF 🙂
I have a couple photos wearing the hat on my reddit which is just tylerbiorodriguez alongside historical complaining my other passion. I also have a few feathered hats and a white hat with a veil. I love veils with my hats.
I did not anticipate beginning my day by reading the phrase “milliner porn”, but I am thankful that the opportunity presented itself.
Funny connection here, those words go together well in the 18th century. So many milliners in Georgian London were prostitutes, that if you admitted to heing a milliner, people would widely assume you also were also a prostitute in your spare time. Very interesting period.
I swear to god Fellows only knows of two types of people: upper class twits, and their poor put-upon lowest-class servants. Anything outside that and he’s useless. See: Stephen Fry’s detective in Gosford Park.
The Gilded Age has gone full OppenheimerIncluding casting Christopher Denham!
We’re watching this streaming on MAX; has anyone else noticed that this show (both seasons) seems to have a pretty low video quality? We watch lots of other stuff on MAX (e.g. Succession, Doom Patrol) and they look great. I feel like whoever’s doing the encoding/uploading for this show’s video files is using too low a quality setting, or something.
Gosh no, my view is very high def.
I know I’m a month late here, but YES. I’ve been sick this week so I was binging the second season, and I actually made someone else in my house come look at the tv to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. There’s a weird, blurred, fish-eye lens quality to so many of the tight conversation shots! It’s very distracting.
That’s not what I’m talking about, although I have noticed that too; but I think that’s just a cinematography choice (although kind of an odd one). Specifically I’m talking about the actual encoding quality of the image; it was visible in every shot, regardless of what kind of lens or lighting they were using.That said, when ep 2.03 aired, I no longer saw the issue occurring, and went back to look at 2.01 and saw that the image quality had improved. I actually submitted a complaint to MAX after the second episode, so it’s possible that they fixed it (assuming I wasn’t imagining things, or that it wasn’t just a transient issue that was somehow occurring on my phone, desktop web browser, and Google TV devices).
Oh wild, sorry! That’s weird. I guess it has been fixed, then, because it’s only the weird cinematography that I’m seeing. It is a weird and annoying choice.
Wasn’t Bertha determined to building her own opera house?
I am so happy this is back but I wish they would put Gladys in something flattering. Those bunched up blouses under her dresses look awful. I know she’s supposed to be demure but everyone else is dressed so beautifully. I assume we’ll be getting a big reveal of her walking down the staircase looking absolutely stunning at some stage. Fingers crossed.
I actually really like this show. I hope they learn from other tv shows and not end on a cliffhanger. (the Nevers??) New tv shows that look great with low stakes that show the social structures evolving between Bridgerton and Downton Abby are great to have these days. Also my wife did not care when I mentioned that I have been to an Opera at the Met. I am an opera fan she is NOT.
Have you seen the remaining episodes of The Nevers that were not released on Max? I haven’t yet, so I’m wondering if it still ends on a cliff-hanger, or if you’re referring to part 1 conclusion.
I was talking about the part 1. I would love to see the rest of it, is it released someplace?
It’s been on Tubi and the Roku channel, but I have managed to miss it both places. I thought it was available to purchase, but I can only find part 1.
i will go look thanks
I loved Carrie Coon in Fargo and I like the Bertha character, but I do not like the way Coon is playing her. Every piece of dialogue seems stilted, or something, I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’m also on the fence on George Russel’s beard. My wife tells me it had a Twitter account last season. I’ve looked up photos of the actor and while it may not be completely fake, it has to be augmented.
Yes! It really takes me out of the narrative. Like she’s trying to do Long Island lockjaw but it just sounds dumb.
I think it’s an entirely real beard that just looks fake for some reason. Like, it’s just the way his hair grows, extremely dense and yet with a very sharp edge.
If season two shifts to more Carrie Coon and less Marian, I’m there.
I say this as a fan of this show. The low stakes vibe of this series is so strange given the absolute murderous brutality of what George Russell is going to engage in (he’s based on Jay Gould, a notorious exploiter of labor). Anti heroes typically work in a certain kind of drama. Light costume dramas? We’ll have to see. It’s like dropping Tony Soprano in the middle of Downton. The gravity of his evils may be more than this show can paste over.I was also so thrown by the death of Peggy’s son. (And man what a cute kid in that picture!) The mourning was handled so oddly. This is a dead child. But it felt like everyone was weirdly unburdened and primarily focused on others’ behavior around the death, rather than the loss itself. I feel like this show is at its best when its stakes are ridiculously low or when the conflicts pitch toward melodrama (a disgraced father disowned by his newly wealthy daughter, oh my) and isn’t really built to do the heavy labor of dealing with trauma. Even Downton kept things like WWI at the margins rather than trying to tackle deep human tragedy head-on.
Fun fact about Jay Gould, his son visited King Tuts Tomb and promptly died soon after from I believe malaria. I don’t believe in curses but I find that hysterical.
Peggy is the star of this show.
I was so distracted by the opulent costumes that i couldn’t follow the dialogue for the first 15 minutes. This show is a non-stop orgasm fest for my eyes. Add in the delicious pettiness delivered by top-notch actors, what else can i ask for from an hour of escapist tv?
Same. It was swoon worthy hats and dresses and I genuinely couldn’t catch the dialogue.
A detail that nobody notice is the comment that the Pastor says to the sister about the Oyster dishes, Oyster were very popular in those years since the bay was full of them and they were sellingthem as a street food in almost every corner, this created mountains of shells in the streets and they were used as cconstruction material(a bad idea) instead of throwing them to the ocean which woujld have helped tothe oyster population which in ten years was basically extinct in the bay.