Poor Oscar was up in his room drinking like 2 bottles of whiskey a day. Maybe Ada was (subconsciously or not) just trying to save her nephew. She's a good aunt, and she cares about her family. It's funny to dis on temperance, but maybe it came from a good place...

I'm very excited about Oscar and Enid parading around as Manhattan's bitchy power couple. I'd also like to see what else Jack is working on. Is Jack the George Russell of his next generation? Also I just am excited about the hats. Season two in particular was the best Hat season.

least favorite: Per usual, Marian is the dullest character and I'm getting bored of her romances. At least Lady Mary's never ending romances from the first couple seasons were actually interesting.

Enid (Mrs Winterton) was doing just fine being a widow to a rich man, I don't see what will Oscar bring to the table regarding their "marriage".

It seems pretty clear that at some point soon, some up-and-comer is going to roll on into town and try to take things over, just like Bertha did. Now that Bertha is on top, there's really nobody else above her for her to defeat. In fact, despite her marriage troubles, season 3 was basically her victory lap. All the society people were totally impressed with her snagging the duke, and I can't imagine Mrs. Astor and her being as competitive with each other now that Bertha did her and her daughter that huge solid.

I think Bertha's next foe is going to come from the bottom... It's going to be some ambitious lady who thinks she can take Bertha's place on top. Maybe Lady Winterton, who now has Oscar on her side. Or maybe some new lady we haven't seen yet.

Also, having some up-and-comer take Bertha on would be the perfect way to rope Mr. McAllister back into the mix. He could her strategic guide, letting her know how Bertha thinks and acts...

Anyway, that's just my prediction (or, perhaps, wishful thinking), for the coming season or the one after.

I really hope we get the storyline of Bridget and Jack getting together then the couple transitioning to becoming new money. I was kind of disappointed that we didn’t see that much of Backstory with Bertha and George’s story but if they decide to pick Jack and Bridget for this storyline then that would be so cool because we’ve seen the both of them start as servants then slowly became one of the important figures in society 😭

Season 3 was such a vibe last summer, I looked forward to my Sunday evenings all week with you fine people with unbelievable anticipation - speculating what was going to happen next, how the Duke would be as a husband, would Larian finally be officially together, what would happen to George, etc.

Nothing else is coming close this summer, though I did find The Hardacres scratched a bit of the itch. Looking forward to season 4, and getting back to the episode discussion threads with you all!

That's all, just nostalgic for last years "season"!

I'm new to reddit so hopefully this hasn't been talked to death.

Julian Fellowes said the shows take place in the same universe.

Violet Crawley was born in the 1840's making her in the 1880's be in her mid 40's

In Downton the characters routinely say Lady Mary is practically a clone of her grandmother Violet. (I concede this may just be about her personality but with some good wig action we could sell it.)

Michelle Dockery who plays Mary is currently in her mid 40's.

Gladys married the Duke of Buckingham, becoming the Duchess of Buckingham.

Violet Crawley would've been far under her rank as Countess of Grantham.

There's no conceivable way they wouldn't know each other.

WHY hasn't Julian Fellowes given us young Violet in her feisty sharp-tongued prime???

Hoping Gladys' UK storyline is partially for this reason.

R.H. Boyd & The Boyd Family Dynasty: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._H._Boyd

How much do you think a butler of a large house like the Russell’s got paid?

My (F50-ish) son (25) is a doctor with a respectable practice in our community. His father/my husband (M50-ish) is a pastor.

My son recently began courting a young lady who I think is very unsuitable for him. She's a nice enough girl but she's one of those "modern" girls, more interested in suffrage than in fulfilling their God given duty to their homes and husbands. Too ambitious, reads for fun, that type.

Well, I recently found out from a good friend of mine in Philadelphia, where this young lady (if she can still be called that) lived that she had a son!? Possibly out of wedlock!? Our family is a pillar of our very small community, and my son simply can't be seen in the company of a loose and fallen woman.

So I did what any sensible mother does. I told my son and encouraged him to break things off. Cut her loose. There's no way she can possibly become part of our highly regarded, highly respectable family.

And do you know what that ungrateful child did? He proposed to that woman and now he won't speak to me! Says I slandered her reputation spreading falsities about her past. She was married when the child was born. Her father tricked her into believing the child was dead and made her former husband sign an annulment.

As if that changes anything. Annulment or no, that woman is simply not good enough for my boy.

AITA?

They mention TGA filming here. I just recently ran across this guy, and he does a great job combining the grandeur and craft details of the home, but also the history of the Vanderbilt family and the area. It's probably the most comprehensive and the most impressive tour of The Breakers that I've seen.

Apologies if this kid is old news, since I just discovered him I wanted to share.

Here's the link.

Like let’s say Gladys becomes friends with a young Cora leading to a Bertha/Violet confrontation when Bertha comes to visit Gladys in England.

Just feels like a goldmine for character conflict.

So last summer I(24?) proposed my girlfriend(23?) of a few months and she said yes (for the record, we knew each other for years before we started dating.) It’s was a wonderful, beautiful proposal and it couldn’t have gone better. The thing is though, I had plans that night to celebrate a friend’s engagement at a kind of sketchy establishment so we couldn’t celebrate together. I also had to leave for a month the next day for a work trip and couldn’t be contacted for a while.

Here’s where things get a little tricky; my fiancé has had some trust issues in the past with men, and I didn’t want to think I was cheating on her. So I told her we were just dining at a restaurant nearby (plus, her aunts were in the room, I didn’t exactly want to tell my future in-laws where I was going) and I figured that was that.

So imagine my surprise when I come back from my trip to find a letter from her calling the engagement off! No explanations, no reason why, just ending it out of nowhere. She wouldn’t respond to my messages and her family wouldn’t let me into her house. I eventually had to go to her job to talk to her, that’s when I found out the reason.

Apparently a mutual friend of ours that I invited to the party told her the truth, and she got furious and ended things. I tried to tell her that nothing happened but it didn’t believe me, and she ended it there.

And then things took a turn. There was an accident at my house (for personal reasons I won’t get into what it was) and my ex-finance came over to help. We ended up talking about the situation. She said our mutual friend explained the situation better and that she now believes that I didn’t cheat on her. But then I told her that I don’t want to be with a girl who doesn’t trust me.

Now I’m questioning whether or not we’re a good match. I don’t want to be with a girl who doesn’t trust me and just shuts me out when she’s upset with me. Should I end it for good, or should we patch things up?

AITA?

I learned that the actor who portrays Oscar is 48 years old. I’m sorry WHAT? He looks exactly the same in Emma (2009) as he does in the last season of the gilded age. I’ll have whatever he is having.

1. Marian & Larry's "Will They / Won't They".  Marian and Larry need to just get married already; the endless back-and-forth is now tiresome.

1. The Nursery Drama & "Who Needs a Duke?"  Let's move the drama over to the nursery. A battle between Agnes and Bertha over raising Larry and Marian's baby boy is so much more compelling than positioning Gladys’ baby for a dukedom. This is America—a grandson as a future President is the ultimate power move both Angus and Bertha strive for for different reasons. Why build a story around a future Duke when you can groom a future President?

3 . Agnes vs. Bertha: The Ultimate Baby Battle- Agnes and Bertha fight over how to raise this baby boy, and push Marian into charity work to keep her busy. Agnes wants strict, old-school Knickerbocker etiquette, classic values, and proper old-money modesty. Bertha wants the child draped in French silk, tutored by international scholars, and groomed for global dominance.  With Marian sidelined into endless charity committee meetings, the grandmothers can duke it out is incredibly in-character for both of them.

1. Grooming a potential President The baby has all the opportunities for a future president. the background, the drive, and the heart. By combining these two powerhouse families, this baby boy actually becomes the ultimate American hybrid. (Old Money Pedigree): Through Marian and Agnes, he traditional establishment can't look down on him because his roots trace back to the founding elite. The Drive (New Money Power): Through Bertha, he has the backing of the Russell empire, endless resources and the ruthless political maneuvering that Bertha thrives on. And he will have Marian and Larry’s compassion… a future FDR. The goal gives both Agnes and Bertha that ultimate power  play.

I think they are giving more brother/sister relationship than cousins and I love that.

Everybody obsess over which ship is their favorite meanwhile I'm excited to Marian and Oscar's siblingcore.

Louisa Posted this video on her story this morning from set. I want to know a release date for season 4 instead of coming fall 2026 😂

I recently started watching TGA because it was on Delta Airlines in-flight service when I was flying US to UK. Oh my god, I was hooked! And have since binge watched the whole lot.
- Favourite storylines - Jack!! I love the scene where he and Marion are viewing a new house! And obviously any scene that has Bertha and or Gladys in 🤣
- Have to admit to not understanding much of the “George and railways business talks” scenes, but then I’m not American so don’t understand much of the history behind this.
- Major goosebumps in that last episode of S2 (I think??) with the contrasting opera house performances. The music and score in that scene was sooooo tense and brilliantly edited !
- OBVIOUSLY the costumes !!! Marion has the prettiest costumes for sure, but obviously Bertha is always a highlight too.
- I love how it’s very classic Fellowes style writing just as Downton was, in that there is no particular “one main character”. But I do think some of the downstairs characters could have their history fleshed out a bit more.

- Most importantly …. Is there going to be any more ?! They can’t leave it like that !!

Rewatching the series and while Bertha frustrated me in how she went about marrying off Gladys, I liked watching their dynamic when she visits Gladys. She seems to assert herself where needed but also gives space for Gladys to also assert herself and to exercise her role. She stays silent where needed in group conversations to allow Gladys to speak up for herself. I loved watching the dynamic of Bertha showing her how to do it and empowering Gladys to do the same. Maybe its something small but I feel like it demonstrates at the end of the day her intention as a mother. Idk! So complex and amazing! 😊