Diksha Sundriyal
The third season of HBO’s ‘The Gilded Age’ takes the Russells through a tumultuous journey that tests their bonds to the extreme. Meanwhile, other characters try to ensure their own survival by forming bonds that benefit them the most. One such person is Oscar Van Rhijn. He is always on the lookout for something that propels him further in society, especially since he lost all of his and his mother’s money to a scam by a woman. Interestingly, the finale of Season 3 brings him back in touch with an old acquaintance who might give him exactly what he has been looking for. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Oscar Knows Mrs. Winterton From Her Days as Turner
Before becoming Mrs. Enid Winterton, she was known as Turner, the lady’s maid for Bertha Russell. This was back in Season 1 when an ambitious Turner was employed by Bertha to help her find her way through the society’s ladder, which did not approve of new money people. With Turner’s experience as the lady’s maid of an old-money woman who passed away sometime ago, Mrs. Russell believed she could learn things that no one else could teach her. And for a while, this system worked. What the lady of the house didn’t anticipate was that her lady’s maid would be just as ambitious as she.
Behind Bertha’s back, Turner gossips about her, speaks degrading things about her, and even tries to seduce her husband. Another thing that she does is collude with Oscar Van Rhijn. At the time, Gladys Russell is poised to make her debut in society, and being one of the richest heiresses around, it is anticipated that men will be lining up to woo her and hopefully marry her. Oscar, whose mother lives right across the street from the Russells, is also keenly aware of this opportunity, and to get an upper hand on his competition, he finds an inside man in the Russell house. He locks in on Turner after coming across her in the park and then pays her to give him information that can help him win over Gladys and her family.
This exchange of money for information means that Turner and Oscar get to know each other rather well, which is also when he picks up on her disdain towards the Russells, particularly Bertha. However, while she looks down at Bertha for being new money, the maid also sees her employer’s rise in society as a sign that she herself could be there someday. And that is what she eventually does when she marries Mr. Winterton, who is much, much older than her. Apart from having his wealth, she also gets his name, which gets her invited to all sorts of social gatherings, but once he passes away, all of that seems to dry up, until Oscar proposes something that would benefit them both.
Oscar and Turner Make a Mutually Beneficial Agreement
In the third season, Oscar lacks money but enjoys the power and connections of his family name, which can be estimated by the fact that his mother is eventually invited to become the vice president of the New York Heritage Society simply because she will bring her last name to the organisation. Meanwhile, Turner, who is now Mrs. Winterton, has all the money in the world, courtesy of her husband, who passed away, not unexpectedly. She had talked about his declining health during Gladys’ wedding, and he passed away some time later. This means that while she has his last name, his friends and acquaintances are under no obligation to keep in touch with her anymore.
At the end of the day, Oscar wants money while Turner wants connections. When Oscar sees her at the opera sometime after her husband’s death, he approaches her with the intent to convince her to let him manage her money, which would be quite a profitable venture for him. However, when he realises that her husband’s death has left her on the outskirts of society, he offers to use his name and connections to draw her back in. When he successfully convinces Bertha to invite her to the final ball of the season, Turner realises that Oscar could give her the standing that she lost on her husband’s death.
During Bertha’s ball, Oscar doesn’t beat around the bush and proposes a marriage in very clear terms. This would not only get him Turner’s money, but with him getting married, he would also dispel any rumours about his sexuality and his status as a perpetual bachelor. Since he and Turner have known each other since her days as a maid, there are no secrets between them, so to speak. In fact, Oscar is one of the few people around whom she can be exactly who she is and doesn’t have to put up any pretences. He can say the same about her, which is why they make a perfect match.
Oscar and Turner Could Become the Next Power Couple of The Gilded Age
Since Season 1, George and Bertha Russell have been portrayed as the power couple of New York. They are both ruthlessly ambitious and are ready to go to any lengths to get what they want. This works rather well for them until the third season, when Bertha’s ambition leads her to forcefully marry Gladys to the Duke, which does not sit well with George and makes him reconsider what he really wants when it comes to his marriage. Since the third season ends on an uncertain note for the Russells, the fourth season will continue to focus on the deepening chasm between them, which will create a vacuum that will most likely be filled by Oscar and Turner.
In a lot of ways, Oscar and Turner reflect what George and Bertha had, except for love. Oscar might not have the kind of money George does, but he does have similar lofty ambitions. Meanwhile, Turner’s ambitions to be a major figure in society reflect exactly what Bertha had at the beginning of the show. If they join forces, then there is a good chance that with the Van Rhijn name and the Winterton wealth, they will make some significant strides, and with the Russells fighting amongst themselves, they will have quite an advantage. Moreover, with Bertha struggling to keep her house in order, Turner will relish her own rise in society even more. This would prompt Bertha to fight for what she has earned even more, setting the stage for a rivalry that would be particularly entertaining in the next season.
Read More: The Gilded Age: Who is the Leak in the Russell House?
