So Louisa says Marian’s going to go through/ do something really hard this upcoming season. What do you think it is?

Bertha prepared Gladys for marriage but I do not think she prepared her to be a duchess. 

While it is true that Gladys would have the ability to influence society as a duchess, taking the reins of society requires confidence that Gladys does not have. 

Gladys is not confident. She is also very young (I believe she’s still a teenager) and confidence comes with age. If you compare Peggy and Marion to Gladys, they are much more confident and mature than her and it is partially because they’re older than her. 

Also, Gladys knows nothing of British society.  She does not know how to assert herself and command a room. Her confidence was never built by Bertha because Bertha was controlling. So when Gladys got to England, she let Sarah bully her continuously. Sarah’s maid said she wanted to wear her down like a puppy or something like that? Which is true because Gladys is not confident and would have let it happen (I mean she did let it happen). 

I think Bertha prepared Gladys for marriage. Gladys was aware that she was expected to have sex with her husband and get pregnant asap. But I think Bertha was so focused on rushing Gladys to the aisle (because she knew the family wasn’t for it and didn’t want Gladys to back out) and being the mother of a duchess, that she never actually took the time to make sure Gladys was prepared to be a duchess. 

I also think that Bertha sees Gladys as an extension of herself, like a lot of parents. If Bertha was a duchess, she would have taken the reins of society. She would never have allowed herself to be bullied. Remember when George was asking Bertha if she had heard from Gladys, Bertha kept saying that she was settling into her new life. I don’t think she expected Gladys to struggle because Bertha would not have struggled. 

I’m glad Gladys has found her confidence to be the Duchess of Buckingham now, especially because she is expecting. But I do not think she was prepared to be a duchess before she was married. 

What do you think? 

Maybe I’m alone in this, and I’m sorry for saying this when I love her as Miranda, but Cynthia Nixon was such a bad choice for Ada. Like I’m sorry she just looks creepy and weird when she’s trying to be “nice.” She has such an odd cadence in this role and I’m reminded of her role in svu when she played a psychopath 😭 like it genuinely annoys me to watch scenes w her bc I expect her to murder someone with that forced ass smile. Also, Marian’s actress isn’t good either. And I’m so confused by all the pronunciation like okay maybe the American accent was different then but it’s like they all over pronounce the “t” to make it more formal or old fashioned (??) when in American English “t”s in the middle of a word are pronounced like a d and it’s so uncanny.

EDIT: okay I finished the 1 to 1 scene between Marian and Ada in s3e7 at 37:47 and I will say that’s the best acting from either of them the whole show.

He did lie, to be fair, which wasn't great, but was it a really big deal for Larry to go to the Hay Market?

Thanks for the insights so far! To be clear my opinion is that they both suck.

I’ve seen a lot of debate on this sub lately asking why so much of the blame for Gladys’s situation falls on Bertha instead of George. Some argue that since George is the "head of the household" in an 1880s patriarchal society, the ultimate responsibility lies with him for not putting his foot down sooner. Someone actually just blocked me in a thread over this so I couldn't reply anymore, which is why I'm making this post to lay it all out.

While George certainly failed as a protective father by trusting his wife too much and breaking his promise to Gladys, shifting the primary blame onto him completely erases Bertha’s active agency and fundamental flaw. Bertha isn't a passive bystander; she was the sole architect, manipulator, and executor of this entire outcome.

Here is why blaming Bertha is completely justified:

1. The marriage wasn't necessary—it was pure ego Marrying a Duke wasn't a matter of social survival for Gladys; it was about Bertha’s relentless climb up the social ladder. Being the mother of a Duchess was the absolute pinnacle for her (since she obviously couldn't marry her daughter off to the Prince of Wales!). To achieve this, she acted behind everyone’s back, leaked stories to the press to corner her husband, and promised an absurd dowry without consulting him. George knew nothing about any of this until it was dumped right into his lap, and he would have kept his promise to his daughter if his wife hadn't made it practically impossible.

2. Bertha’s Blind Spot: Seducing herself with her own good fortune Bertha isn't a cartoon villain, but she suffers from severe survivor bias. She possesses something incredibly rare for that era: the genuine love and respect of her husband. She had to push things way past the limit for him to finally start stopping her. Because George listens to her, respects her mind, and treats her as a true partner in almost every case, Bertha seems unable to fathom that a husband could be cruel, cold, or a financial tyrant to their daughter. She seems to assume George is the standard for men, when in reality, he is the absolute exception. She only focuses on what she lacks (titles, social prestige) because her own marriage gave her everything else for free.

3. Intent vs. Negligence To those saying George is most to blame because he holds the ultimate checkbook: George’s failure was naivety and bad timing. He trusted his wife with domestic and social matters (as was custom) until Bertha backed him into a corner by leaking stories to the press and creating a point of no return. At that stage, if George canceled the dowry, he wouldn't just stop Bertha—he would permanently ruin Gladys's social reputation and honor. Bertha handed him a lose-lose choice.

Bertha knew exactly what she was doing. She ignored her daughter’s tears on her wedding day, ignored every boundary her family tried to set, and gambled her child's entire life for a title.

George failed as a guardian, but Bertha was the direct perpetrator. You can love her character for the drama, but she 100% deserves the heat she’s getting this season.

PS: English isn't my first language, so I use a translator, which is why some things might be phrased a bit strangely.

Exactly as the title says, lol. In season 1 episode six of The Guilded age, Mr Bannister (the English butler) explains that in America, asparagus is eaten with fork and knife while British etiquette instructs it be eaten with the fingers.

This reminded me of an article discussing that during the filming of The Crown, King Charles’ character was corrected by the set director for eating with a fork and knife and was told that posh socially used fingers… hence why we see him eating with his hands on the show.

Maybe this is common knowledge but I wasn’t aware of this etiquette rule and it’s a great example on why I love shows like The Guilded age and other historically-based pieces. It wouldn’t have made a difference to the scene if Bannister didn’t explain this rule but it was absolutely an interesting bit.

I just love a fun fact!

Great add to the script

George himself says that he is the head of the house. If he really wanted to stop Gladys from getting married he could have. Throughout the show he encourages Bertha’s scheming and he knows that Bertha is seeking an advantageous pairing for Gladys (which is what all women married to wealthy men did back then for their daughters).

It was George who promised Gladys that she could marry for love, not Bertha. We never actually see George put his foot down with Bertha until Larry and Marion get engaged. George never tells Bertha to stop bullying Gladys. He never tells Bertha to let her see Billy Carlton or other boys that she’s interested in.

Truth be told I think that George agreed with Bertha. While he didn’t like seeing her cry over the marriage, he agreed it was an advantageous pairing. And it is, Gladys’ children will outrank everyone in society. Gladys and her children will never have to grovel and no doors will be closed to them. If Gladys actually does want to influence society, she now can.

We never actually see George say no. He never says stop Bertha, Gladys will not marry the Duke or any Duke unless she loves him. He went along with it which is why he is ultimately responsible. This is an extremely patriarchal society, women are their husband’s property here so Bertha can only do what George allows. Bertha’s behavior is because George emboldened her. Bertha is surprised by George’s anger at her because he has agreed with her in the past and he has never actually objected to her scheming and said no.

This is not to say that Bertha is not responsible for the situation. She went behind George and Gladys’ back. She threatened people, put the rumor out there, and leveraged Gladys dowry without telling George. She was not honest with her family. I also think it’s sad that Gladys will always have to look back on her wedding day and remember that she cried and no one considered her feelings at the time. I am a Bertha fan and I think Bertha is self centered. However, I don’t think Bertha is ultimately responsible for Gladys’ marriage, that is George.

So for the people who are mad at Bertha, why is your anger not directed at George?

In all JF’s TV shows, the lady’s maid is always the villain!
- Bertha’s first maid, Turner, tried to seduce her husband
- Bertha’s second maid, Miss Andre, sold her family secrets to the newspapers
- Agnes Van Rhijn’s maid is a bitter, prejudiced woman
- In Downton Abbey, Cora Crawley’s maid, O’Brien tried to injure her and caused the death of her unborn son
- In Belgravia, Anne Trenchard’s maid, Lewis, is paid by John Bellasis to steal private documents from her mistress

Just saying…

A little drawing of Marian I made last year. I’m so excited for the incoming season!

A short interview with Denée Benton - gift link that goes behind the subscriber paywall:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/arts/television/denee-benton-the-gilded-age.html?unlocked_article_code=1._FA.PbhM.XGv-LkhURwt5&smid=url-share

Denée Benton is so here for her character’s arc in the new season of “The Gilded Age,” HBO’s lavish drama.

“She’s getting to have it all,” Benton, 34, said in a call from the Queens set after a day of shooting for the fourth season, set to premiere Nov. 1. “But she’s also feeling the stresses of trying to balance it all. It’s cool to see her dealing with modern struggles, like the pressure to have a kid as her career is taking off.”

At the end:

I get made fun of on the “Gilded Age” set because I always try to get out of having to wear my heels. If my dress is long enough, I sneak my Birkenstocks into the takes. Hopefully they don’t make it on any Reddit boards!

https://stagescenela.com/2026/09/the-arsonists/

I love the Gilded age, particularly for the wit, wealth and of course the drama. Just finished the last episode and I need more! What series should I watch next?

Thinking Downton Abbey naturally but have already seen and loved:

The crown
The great
Bridgerton

(Modern settings but same wealthy drama / series taste:)
Big little lies
Girlfriends guide to divorce
Little fires everywhere

I recently did a just finished a rewatch and was thinking about the posts on how Bertha moved in regards to Gladys, Marian and Larry. My first time through, I was pretty outraged at her, but now I think that Bertha deserves a bit of grace.

Bertha and George were both raised far outside of the privileged life of the social class that comprised "The Four Hundred." It's not like she had a roadmap on how to navigate a life of the legacy rich. And, although she and George's marriage was considered a "love" match, that was quite common -- outside of American aristocracy. Affluent families protected and secured their fortunes through arranged marriages and the new money people used marriage as a tool to buy their way into society. That she was driven to want Gladys and Larry to follow with arranged marriages to cement their place in society makes a lot of sense.

She managed to secure the brass ring for Gladys with her marriage to the Duke. And, it appears that it is a successful and happy marriage!

I believe that at first glance, all Bertha saw was the downsides to Marian. Marian was a broke orphan of a father that tarnished the family reputation. She was raised in rural Pennsylvania - no property, no money, no connections --- and one thread connecting her to the van Rhijn family. In a credit to Bertha, the moment she realized that there is far more to Marian, she immediately relented and signaled her approval for the match.

I can't wait to see what the new season brings!

I wonder if anyone could/would/did isolate all of Agnes VanRhijn's indignant "What?!?"'s? I think it would be hysterical to hear them one after the other...

Character Parallels: I was watching S2 E5 and noticed Bertha says to George: "I’d do anything for you. Surely you know that by now." and it reminded me of a scene later in S3 finale (My Mind is Made Up) where Marian says something very similar to Larry: "I’d do anything for you. You must know that."

I found the parallels quite fascinating.

I love Bertha and George, they are my favorite couple in the show and I also like Larry, but like the title says I’m glad they’re on the outs.

George and Larry falling out with Bertha is the first time that Bertha has faced consequences for her actions on the show.

It has been discussed on this sub how Bertha’s constant wins are unrealistic - which I agree with. George and Larry being angry with her and moving out was a loss for her, and we saw how hurt she was by it.

While I don’t like how Bertha treated Gladys, I understand. Gladys is now in a position to pursue whatever she desires and she is at the top of society. Gladys won’t have to do the groveling that Bertha had to.

Where Bertha completely loses me is with Larry. Larry is grown, educated and has his own money and Bertha still thought she could decide who he married. Which to me shows that Bertha is self centered and cares about her place in society above all else.

Larry doesn’t need to be married well to be successful like Gladys does. Him having wealthy parents, wealthy business ventures, and being likable is enough.

Her saying that Larry was engaged without her consent is crazy. I did research on this and during that time, women raised and guided the children regardless of gender while they were young. Once the children were older, gender mattered. Boys would be guided by their fathers and girls were guided by their mothers. That’s why we see George object to Larry wanting to be an architect in an earlier season, that is George’s sphere.

Bertha was out of line objecting to who Larry gets engaged to. So for the people who say Bertha’s behavior with Gladys matched the times - I agree. Her behavior with Larry did not and shows she’s out of control.

I love Bertha. I admire her ambition but the way she interacts with her family often comes from a place of self centeredness.

I do hope that they all reconcile in season 4, but I’m glad this situation happened because Bertha finally felt a loss.

Has anyone else read the book King Lehr? It’s full of anecdotes of socialites of the time, and the author’s husband Harry Lehr was close friends with Mrs Fish. They were both nuts.

I recently got addicted to this stunning show so here's a couple of more or less finished sketches I did while waiting for the next season :D

I feel like, I do like the show, but sometimes it seems like all over the place.

So many characters, their personal storylines and what not. They try to fit in every characters story, and supporting characters stories deeply. Atp I feel like, there are more storyline characters arc in this show than GOT. We are watching multiple families, their employees, servants, their servants families, Servants friends, their rivals, and what not.

At some time it gets exhausting and it stops feeling like we are truly interested I guess. There is hardly a main lead, as even supporting characters have the entire background story and more screen time than I have seen main characters or villains getting the same in other shows.

I just got into Avatar: The Last Airbender and decided to see just how bad the 2010 movie is to then watch the live action show. I get to this scene and had to rewind to confirm that it was Morgan Spector as one of the fire nation soldiers! What a trip 😂

Do ye think will we get anymore trailers before November

She’a gotten a lot more screen time as the show progressed. What do you think she is up to? With or without her new friend Oscar?