Diksha Sundriyal
The third season of HBO’s ‘The Gilded Age’ comes to an end with a finale that features significant developments for its characters. A lot of conflicts come to the fore as almost every person is forced to reconsider their point of view, figure out what they really want, and how far they are ready to go to get it. But first, the finale addresses the question of George Russell’s life. The previous episode ended with him getting shot in his office, and this episode begins with him being brought home while soaked in his own blood. SPOILERS AHEAD.
An Unexpected Guest Saves George’s Life
George Russell is taken straight home and laid down on the dinner table. Bertha quickly sends Church to call for their family doctor, while Bannister, who noticed the ruckus from across the street, reveals that Dr. William Kirkland is currently in their house. He mentions that the doctor is not white, but Bertha has no time to consider things like that. She also sends a person to fetch Larry, while George’s lawyer is sent back to the office to take care of the man who was shot before George and died. She also makes it clear that the cops are not to be notified about this incident.
William is in the middle of a conversation with Peggy when Bannister apprises him of the situation, and the doctor immediately leaves for the Russell house. Peggy gets his bag, but when Marian discovers what has happened, she decides to take the doctor’s bag across the street. William takes charge of the situation, and Marian doesn’t bat an eye when he asks for help. While Bertha consoles her husband and tries to keep him calm, William takes the bullet out of his ribcage, revealing how fortunate he is that the bullet didn’t splinter. While the bullet is out, George goes into shock, but fortunately, the worst is over. By the time the Russell family doctor arrives, George has been patched up well enough. At first, the doctor is rude to William and inquires about his educational background. In the end, however, he admits that William has saved George’s life.
Larry arrives shortly after and tries to process what has happened to his father. When George is taken to the comfort of his room, Larry goes back to the hall and finds Marian, who is exhausted from the events of the previous night. He thanks her for being around and helping save her father, and she tells him that she will do anything for him and his family. She also apologizes for not trusting him and reveals that Jack told her that they were together the entire night. Still, Larry points out that when he said the same thing, she refused to believe him, and that does not set a good precedent for their relationship.
Bertha Prepares for the Newport Ball
As the days pass, George gets better, though he is told to take things easy and get a rest. Meanwhile, a private investigator is put on the case to figure out who sent the shooter. While George suspects that Clay may have had something to do with it, concrete proof is needed to clear things up. With her husband still recovering, Bertha decides not to host the ball anymore, but George reminds her that she cannot cancel it without raising suspicion. If his shareholders and his competitors find out that he has been shot, it will affect his business as well as his plans for the railroad, and he cannot afford that at any cost. This means that Bertha must host the ball, and she is all too happy to do it.
Meanwhile, Oscar runs into Mrs. Winterton, aka Turner, at the opera, and discovers that since her husband’s death, she has inherited all his money because he didn’t have any kids. Due to their prior acquaintance, Oscar has no problem talking to Turner and proposing the idea of managing her money, maybe even her life. When the Newport ball is mentioned and he reveals that it will be hosted by Mrs. Russell, Turner expresses her disappointment that, with her husband’s death, Bertha will be under no obligation to invite her. Back at the Russell house, Marian visits George and is happy to see him progress so rapidly. He and Bertha thank her for her contribution in saving his life, but Larry is still uncomfortable in her presence and leaves.
George expresses his wish for the young couple to reconcile, and Bertha seconds his opinion. While seeing Marian out, she tells her about her plan to invite Aurora Fane and Charlotte Drayton to the ball and end the ban on divorced women being active members of society. Though she knows that Mrs. Astor will not favour it, she has no intention to back off. When Marian reveals that she will most likely not be attending the ball, Bertha is visibly disappointed. She commends her for her actions the night of George’s shooting and encourages her not to give up on Larry so easily. Later, Bertha informs Mrs. Astor of her plans, and while Charlotte is delighted at the prospect, Mrs. Astor makes it clear that she will not be supporting the presence of divorced women in society.
Oscar Finds an Opportunity in Marian’s Situation
Marian takes the news of George’s well-being and Bertha’s plan to invite divorcees to her ball back home. When Oscar discovers that she won’t be attending the ball, he sees an opportunity. He makes a deal with Bertha where he will ensure that Marian comes to the ball in return for an invitation being extended to Mrs. Winterton. Later, as he prods Marian to attend the ball for the sake of the Russells, Mrs. Foster from the New York Heritage Society shows up. This time, Agnes cannot dodge her, and she makes it clear that she cannot make any donations. But then, it turns out that she doesn’t want a donation.
Instead, she is there to offer the Vice President’s position to her because of the Van Rhijn family’s legacy. Agnes is moved by this gesture and accepts their offer, but what really pulls at her heartstrings is that Ada talked to Mrs. Foster about it and made sure that the latter met Agnes because she knew how important it would be for her sister. Realising now that Ada is the true leader of the household, Agnes gives up her seat as the head of the house and acknowledges that Ada should be the one to take her rightful place. Later, when they arrive in Newport, Agnes, Ada, and Marian visit Aurora and encourage her to attend the ball, considering the bold risk that Mrs. Russell is taking for her and women like her. They also assure her that they will enter the ball with her to show solidarity with her.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Jack visits his ex-colleagues, who are also the only semblance of family he has. He talks about the arrangement at his new house, how his cook is nowhere near as good as Mrs. Bauer. When he mentions that two young ladies work at the house as cleaners, Bridget wonders if they are young ladies. The next day, Bridget shows up at Jack’s house with the food that Mrs. Bauer sent for him. He is happy to receive his friend and treats her as his honoured guest, reminding her that she is not a servant in his house.
Peggy’s Secret Comes to Light
At the beginning of this episode, when William was at the Forte-Van Rhijn house, it was to confront Peggy about her past, which he had found out from his mother. Due to George’s situation, he didn’t have the opportunity to speak with her then, so he seeks her out before she is to leave for Newport. At first, she and her mother think that he might be considering a proposal, but all their hopes are dashed when it becomes clear that he knows everything about her previous marriage and her baby. Peggy comes clean about it all and gives him the full context of the situation. She also reveals that she was going to tell him about it, but she couldn’t find the right time or enough courage to have this conversation with him.
William is a little shaken up, but he is incredibly polite, especially as he takes his leave. Peggy cries her heart out, convinced that she has lost him for good. While her mother feels bad about this, she also points out that if William cannot accept her knowing her past, then perhaps he never deserved her in the first place. The women then head to Newport, but a heartbroken Peggy decides to stay at home rather than going to the dress shop, which turns out to be for the better, because Mrs. Kirkland shows up there. This time, Peggy’s mother does not hold her words back and calls Mrs. Kirkland out on her prejudice and her sabotaging William and Peggy’s relationship by not allowing them to figure out their private stuff between themselves. Mrs. Kirkland is a bit taken aback by her words, but she is happy about the fact that her son will now drop the idea of marrying Peggy.
On the day of the ball, William is invited to the Russell house, where George gives him a big fat check for her services. While William is reluctant to accept it, George assures him that the amount doesn’t measure up to his life. Back at home, William is commended for saving George’s life, but he is under no delusion that his practice will be teeming with robber barons now. He is also in a dilemma about Peggy, and while his mother tries to assure him that it is the right decision to break up with her, he cannot help but call his mother out on her interference in the matter. He is supported by his father, who tells Mrs. Kirkland to back off and stop sabotaging their son’s life. He also advises William to give a thought to not just Peggy’s situation but also to his own character and actions, and decide what kind of man he wants to be.
At the ball, Peggy is reluctant to stay and mingle, but she is encouraged by her mother not to be bogged down by anything or anyone. Her friends encourage her to dance with another man, and while this happens, William enters the ball. He goes straight to Peggy’s father and expresses his love for Peggy. Once he gets the green light from Mr. Scott, he heads straight to the dance floor, where Peggy is surprised to see him. He tells her that he has talked to her father, and before she can process what’s happening, he proposes to her, and she happily accepts. While Mr. and Mrs. Scott are delighted at this development, Mrs. Kirkland is, unsurprisingly, not so happy.
Bertha’s Ball is a Raging Success
By the time Gladys arrives, George is in a much better condition. She is also delighted to discover that Adelheid has been brought back and reinstated as Gladys’ maid. It is also clarified to her and Hector that no one is to know about the shooting. At the gate, the couple accompanies Bertha in welcoming guests. When Turner shows up and thanks her for the invitation, Bertha welcomes her in a very civil manner. Interestingly, she also doesn’t completely shrug away the possibility of them maybe even being friends in the future. She is happy to see that Marian changed her mind and accompanied Aurora. When Charlotte Drayton arrives alone, Bertha is disappointed, but she is glad that Mrs. Astor’s absence didn’t stop others from coming to the ball. However, this doesn’t last long, as eventually, after almost all guests have shown up, Mrs. Astor’s arrival is announced.
It turns out that despite her strong opinions against divorcees, she couldn’t help but support her own daughter rather than make her feel like an embarrassment. Meanwhile, Oscar catches up with Turner, who is happy with him for securing her the invitation. However, he points out that they can take their collaboration a step further. He offers her his family name and connections in return for his money, but that can only happen if they are married. She is enticed by the idea and asks him to meet her for luncheon when they are back in New York. Meanwhile, George prepares to show up at the ball, but before that, he has a quick chat with Larry about not letting a misunderstanding come in the way of what he has with Marian.
Later, Larry spots Marian in the crowd, and when she goes out to get some fresh air, he follows her outside. He apologises to her, but he also asks her if she will walk out on him again when the next challenge comes. As both accept their responsibility in how things got so entangled between them, it becomes clear that they have moved past this hurdle and are ready to go back to the way they were, while also acknowledging that it will take some time and work to build and sustain their relationship, especially if they are to get married. For now, Larry asks Marian for a dance, and they go back to the ballroom. Meanwhile, Bertha points out to George that Gladys is visibly happy with Hector, and George admits that she is. He also points out that the shooting has changed his perspective about some things, but Bertha doesn’t understand the true meaning of his words until the next day.
Will George Divorce Bertha?
With the ball’s success, Bertha is in a good mood, but it changes immediately when she discovers that George has packed up his things. She is confused because she thought things were finally good between them again. However, George points out that he came to the ball for appearances’ sake, and he didn’t want his absence to impact his business. When she asks him if he will come back to the house in New York, he reveals that he needs time to figure out what he wants. It seems that the near-death experience of getting shot has made him reconsider his priorities in life, which include gauging whether Bertha’s ambition is worth their family’s happiness.
George clarifies that he doesn’t hate Bertha for her ruthlessness, as it is something that they share. However, he is ruthless in business, and his actions are not at the cost of their family. Bertha, on the other hand, forced their daughter to enter a marriage that she didn’t want, and while she may be happy now, George cannot forgive the fact that he was forced to walk Gladys down the aisle even though he knew she didn’t want to. While he doesn’t explicitly use the word divorce, it is clear that he will be taking some time off from their marriage to figure out what he really wants.
Interestingly, Alva Vanderbilt, who serves as the inspiration for Bertha’s character, also got divorced from her first husband. Does this mean that George and Bertha are also headed for divorce? It is clear that the next season will focus on this deepening gap and the differences between them, but it must be considered that the real-life people don’t serve as the strict blueprint for the characters in the show. While Bertha may have forced Gladys into a marriage with Hector, the couple seems rather happy now, especially since he has asked his sister to move out and settle into her own household, and Gladys has accepted that her home is in Sidmouth now.
Their happiness is also reflected in the fact that Gladys happily announces her pregnancy to her mother, who is still processing the fact that she herself may be headed towards divorce. There is no doubt about the fact that the road ahead is difficult for Bertha and George, but considering that Julian Fellows, the creator of ‘The Gilded Age,’ has an affinity for happy endings, it seems unlikely that the power couple, whom the audience has grown to love despite their shortcomings, will be split up. Still, it would be interesting to see how they work through their differences and find their way back to each other.
Read More: The Gilded Age: Who is the Leak in the Russell House?
